Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Desert Bighorn Sheep

Back in my young and foolish days, when I still chased elk over the mountains as if I was sane, I lived at Yuma, Arizona, and had seen sheep while deer hunting nearby. Inquiring about them, other hunters told me that they did not apply, for you could not get drawn. Being a stubborn cuss, I applied anyway, and was rewarded by a permit that first application. I had the only permit in a large area north of Dateland, and spent all 16 days of the season hunting, accompanied only by my wife, who refused to let me hunt that remote area alone. I saw 14 sheep, including 6 legal rams. This was the best one of the bunch, and was spotted on the afternoon of the last day of the season, in December 1977. After a 3 hour stalk (the band of sheep kept moving), he was mine. <BR> [img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1305003&a=10030561&p=33498291&Sequence=0[/img] <P><B>NEVER give up!</B><BR>--------------------------------------------<BR><I><B>Critr</B></I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.SaguaroSafaris.com" TARGET=_blank>www.SaguaroSafaris.com</A>

Nice ram. I have applied every years since 1978 and still waiting. Friend of mine was drawn first year she put in and she shot a nice ram near Kingman. Following year she shot her Rocky Mtn BigHorn and completed her grand slam.

Closest we ever came to getting the privilage of having a Desert Bighorn trophy wasn't what you'd expect. I am suprised to see a pic of a regular guy who put in and was drawn.I grew up in Arizona and saw many of them in my hiking days also. Seems the trick is getting the tag. I just looked over a web page that was advertising desert sheep for 45,000 bucks. I'll take it the way we found it , lying where it had its last encounter with a mountain lion , just outside of Yuma as a matter of fact this head may still be perched on that rock.<P> <p>[This message has been edited by hatracked (edited November 26, 2000).]

Never tried for a Grand Slam, or even for any other sheep tag, for that matter. Couldn't afford the high-dollar hunts. My tag for the sheep above cost me $50, and the only equipment I did not have, and bought for that sheep hunt, was a good spotting scope.<BR>-------------------------------------------<BR><B><I>Critr</I></B><BR> <A HREF="http://www.SaguaroSafaris.com" TARGET=_blank>www.SaguaroSafaris.com</A>

Hey, hatracked. Nice photo! Thanks for sharing it. You must be getting onto that UBB stuff. <BR>--------------------------------------------<BR><I><B>Critr</B></I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.SaguaroSafaris.com" TARGET=_blank>www.SaguaroSafaris.com</A>

Critr thats a good looking ram you got there. Do you have a picture of it hanging on your wall? Just curious to see what the mount looks like. Start putting in for that elk draw, so that ram's not so lonely on the wall. <P>NM Kid

Another hunt I'd love to do but probably never will. Sheep! Damn, I don't even WANT to catch sheep fever. I hear it can swallow you up!<P>Definitely some nice rams above. I hope to get lucky enough to find a skull like that someday. <P>On second thought, maybe it'll lead to the dreaded disease. <P>Timber

When I was leaving CA in 1996 some guy bid $600,000 for the tag they auction off. I think there were a total of 8 that year. You've had more than great luck, how about buying me a lottery ticket?<P>Stan

That skull was one of four that we found that day. There was a graveyard of sorts in a ravine that opened up just below some cliffs. I would expect that a lion had found that area not only to be safe to eat his kills but an excellent ambush point.<P>That particular head was the only one that was complete with the horn sheaths and everything. We were going to carry it home but weren't quite certain about the legality of possesing it. So we photographed it and left it there perched on that rock. <P>I talk to Kathy Etling pretty frequently and she assures me that sheep fever will take away home downpayments , new cars/trucks , and marriages if you aren't lucky enough to have a spouse that has the fever too!<P><BR>John Coit

Sure, NM. I had none other than prints, so I took some this morning with the digital camera. The photos do not really do it justice. It was mounted by Jeff Sievers in Phoenix, and really is a terrific job. <BR> [img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1305003&a=10267605&p=34541851&Sequence=0[/img] <BR> [img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1305003&a=10267605&p=34541852&Sequence=1[/img] <BR>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><I><B>Critr</B></I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.SaguaroSafaris.com" TARGET=_blank>www.SaguaroSafaris.com</A>