Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Desert sheep hunt

This story starts over a year ago when I started building a .25-06 on a 700 action. That thread is buried in the custom rifle forum. After starting that project, I sold my 700Ti in 270 thinking that my odds for drawing a sheep permit were too long. Needless to say I drew the permit this year. Luckily I had a few friends in the area with trail cams out and identified this ram as The One.



Scouting through Oct. and Nov. we are worried at not finding the ram, but were very relieved to locate him just prior to the hunt in an area that was relatively easy to access. I couldn't start my hunt until the third day of the season, but my friends located him the night before I arrived.



The next morning we glass him up early and make our way up the mountain.
My cousin and I get to 160 yards of his palo verde tree he is bedded under. We can only see the upper third of the tree and need him to come out from behind it and present himself. After sitting in the sun for 4 hours, the wind changes and he jumps from his bed and sprints up and over the ridge.

I was pretty down thinking we had tried to get too close and buggered this great ram.

I looked at a different area the next day that we had some other good rams located but was still thinking about him. Two days later I was on him again and had him in the scope at 450 but had a crosswind of about 20mph and just could not make myself squeeze the trigger. I had to get back to work and let him haunt me.

The next weekend I was back, but the weather was exceptionally warm and the sheep were not moving much after 9am. I was wondering if I missed my chance. The following week I made my way back to camp. A cold front was coming through and wind gusted to 40mph the evening before I started back hunting. The next morning the wind were still blowing about 20mph. About 9 am the winds started to lay down and sheep started to appear from the cracks in the mountain. All of the sudden I saw Him, in an area that
we had looked at all morning. Gathering my pack and rifle I set off accompanied by my uncle.

We approached carefully, moving when the wind would cover our noise and staying in the shadows. About noon we were 450 yds from the bedded ram and the winds had all but died out. We had the choice of climbing a crumbling granite ridge to get closer or setting up in some boulders where we were. I thought back to the first day of my hunt where I may have been too close.

I opted for the longer shot and we settled in to wait him out. He stood at 4pm and moved into an opening to get in the sun. As he scratched out a new bed, I squeezed the trigger and the shot went over his back. He jumped as the rocks exploded from the sheer face behind him. Switching ends, he looked around for the source of the danger. Pressing the trigger again, the shot entered his upper leg and he bolted downhill and over a cliff falling over a hundred yards downhill. Upon field dressing we found that the bullet went through the center of his heart. I took a beating for the first shot, but everyone was pretty complimentary of the second.




I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to hunt this majestic ram and the help of all the friends and family who helped me with this hunt. I am also relieved that it is over, as the pressure to get it done is always there when so many people are investing their time away from families and jobs.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Excellent!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! Been trying for sheep tag here since 1974. Curious on it's age determination? Nose damage the result of the fall or did his face just get stuck that way?

OMG!!! Congratulations on that brute.

NICE Ram!

Congrats X 10!

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!

What a ram. Congrats

Wow a brute!

Excellent job. Congratulations.

What State??

L.W.

He's a dandy!! Bob

That is awesome.

Congrats.

One Dandy Ram! had 3 in the scope one time at about 300yrds. But was deer hunting, still was a thrill Ill never forget!

Super!! Well done.

Out-freaking-standing!

Congrats!

That is an amazing animal. congratulations to you and merry Christmas.

awesome ram. so what did you use ? 25-06?

That's a beauty !! Congrats on a lifetime trophy.

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing....there is something about a ram or mountain goat that gets my blood pumping.

Congrats and Merry Christmas.

Congratulations! Trophy of a lifetime right there!

Wow! My dream hunt. Congrats, and thanks for the outstanding pics and story.