Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Montana umlimited bighorn areas

This is a hunt that I have thought about for a few years now. I understand it is very physically demanding and odds of getting a sheep are low. I am OK with that considering this is the only way I will probably ever be able to hunt them. Has anybody on here tried it before? What area would you recommend. Any other pointers would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to do this in 2012 (before the end of the world!). Thanks for all the help

Any suggestions on books or articles that might have information on this would be much appreciated as well. Thanks for your time.

I havent been on this hunt. I thought about it a few years back. The info i got was not very encouraging. In summary: The guides find the sheep and sit on them all summer. If you get anywhere close to the quides they get very rude and borderline dangerous. YOu have to be able to check in regularly because the quotas are filled fairly quickly. beside all that, I can only say: best of luck to you.

My secretary's daughter reported seeing bunches of big horns outside of Troy Montana yesterday. Heavy Snow likely pushed them down. Seems the sheep populations were taking substantial pneumonia hits this year but not sure where/where you are thinking.
Tough adventure but worth doing. Google up on some of the pneumonia culls from this summer to maybe get an area to avoid.

Thats a bunch of bs....I've guided for unlimited bighorns on and off for the past 30 years and I've never seen or had any altercations with other hunters. Get your facts straight.....Your first sentence sums it up about right.

if it makes you feel any better, I have been studying for 5 years and finally have enough research done to make it happen.

you are gonna need to make a few trips to universities and pour through research. I ready 20 some books.....5 were pertinent to the area. then go spend the season applying it to the area. that is about all I can give up w/o getting shot.

Unlimited ram that was eight years old....In my opinion, an old ram from one of these unlimited units is one of the most coveted, rarest and spectacular big game animals in the entire world.

A bachelor group of unlimited rams caught in a very rare moment....away from heavy cover. This picture was taken a week before the season opened. Its common for these rams to go into the timber when pressured only a small amount.

scenar- did you hear of the "oldie" that came out of the A/B this fall?

Yep....see that ram in the top of the pic....thats him from 2006. I saw him again in 2008. Never got an eye on him in 07.

Got an email pic of him and the hunter that got him....12 1/2 years old and 180"+ B&C.

That's awesome. I've got to imagine not too many have booked out of there in the last 15 years or so. Opening morning?

I know you can get lucky and whack one in and around Gardiner as well. It sounds like quite a few guys normally have tags that live in town there, and the rams usually drop as soon as they cross the line.

Man oh man 12.5 years old and 180, wish they had a seperate book category just for these hunts!

Last couple years I've seen some really nice unlimited area rams, one dark colored one that keeps haunting my dreams..grin

Dober

That is a world class pic of a world class critter!

Dober

Listen, I stated that I hadn't exeperienced this hunt. I further stated that I had recieved second hand info. By definition that is hearsay. You say that my first sentence sums it up. I've been on enough hunts to know a little bit, i promise you

Now, the fact that you reacted so aggressively tells me something. I've had experience with guides in the elk woods. Guides and outfitters acting like Public land is their land. So I have a very hard believing that what I was told is total BS. It very well may have been an isolated incident.

No, you should listen....and learn from someone who's been there and done that.

Your statememet would be about the same as me telling someone how to go to Missouri and hunt whitetails.

I hunted a Montana unlimited draw area last fall and experienced nothing but great communications with a lot of people.

Also, in my working days, I was on several guided Montana and elsewhere hunts, and never experiencing rudeness like you described.

As I age (my children say mature) I have learned to believe half of what I see and even less of what I hear. Trying to make a habit to never put in print what I have not experienced firsthand.

Pat, looking forward to hearing some stories from your hunts over the years when we make it out to your place in April. I'm thinking that we're gonna have a blast (pun intended).

Pat, out of curiosity have you ever hunted the unlimited hunt yourself? Or are you waiting to hunt them closer to home?

Randy, Back in the day a guy could hunt the unlimited units and apply for the limited units also. If you were unsuccessful in the limited draw you could just pick up a permit for the unlimited unit of your choice.

A lot of the units I used to hunt are now closed, 301(Spanish Peaks), 302(Taylor Hilgard's), The north end of unit 300 is also closed to unlimited sheep(Hyalite).

So yes, I have hunted a lot on my own and with hunting buds over the years as well as guiding for three different outfitters on and off since the early 80's.

I look at hunting unlimited rams as a really unique opportunity for anyone to go sheep hunting...It is very low odds but I've always said its a real sheep hunt. And if a guy puts his time in anything can happen.

That's an awesome looking hunt.