Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Montanas "Giant Bighorns"! 110 to B&C in 3 Years

One of my proudest achievements of my adult life (age 15 and on or more than 42 years) is the fact that I have NEVER purchased a newspaper!
I don't steal them I just have never lowered myself to pay for a large or medium sized town paper!
EVER!
I ignore them and their intrinsic propoganda at all turns.
But yesterday I took the VarmintWife and VarmintSon #2 out to dinner. VarmintSon #2 is home on spring break from college.
At the now vacant table next to ours was laying idle, an "evil" newspaper!
The headline of the section of the paper I could see was this headline: "Montana's Giant Bighorns"!
I lowered myself to retrieve the section of the paper and later I read the article.
The subtitle of the article read: "In the last three years Hunters in Montana have taken 110 rams that make Boone & Crockett Record Book"!
I was stunned by this.
I have been observing Montana Bighorns for many decades now and also applying for a coveted Bighorn Sheep tag and I have the maximum number of "bonus points" for the yearly draws. I have as yet to be successful in the draw though.
But the news that 36 or 37 record book Bighorns are harvested every year in Montana really impressed me!
The article (from the Thursday, March 19, 2,009 Great Falls Tribune) went on to relay the triumphs of the intensive management program for these delicately balanced game animals.
The article related that 2 (two) Bighorns were harvested in the last 2 (two) years that scored over 200 B&C points (inches!)!
The article relayed the population of Bighorn Sheep in Monana was 1,200 animals in 1,951 and as of last year the population is over 7,000 Bighorns!
The article also mentioned the unfortunate killing of a 204" Bighorn Sheep by an undercover agent from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department during October of 2,008.
This "situation" with the killing of this World Class Sheep is an intriguing and unbelievable story in itself - suffice it to say the manure has hit the fan over this botched undercover investigation!
Unscripted things like undercover investigations do not often go exactly as planned - I am a first hand witness to that.
It is still a shame that this World Record Ram was killed and not by a sportsman.
The sportsmen of Montana have paid heavily and for a long time to get the Bighorn populations "up" in the face of domestic sheep diseases predation by Cougars, Wolves and Bears and some poaching.
The personell of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks are to be commended for this accomplishment!
I officially and publicly commend them for this.
Unfortunately the transplanted Canadian Wolves are now "eating" and killing many Bighorns in several areas of the state!
Accompanying the article on Bighorns were 5 color photos of Bighorns both in the wild and of those recently brought to bag and 2 black and white photos of same.
Aaaahhh... maybe someday I will get a Bighorn tag?
All in all it was an excellent article and my long lived scorn for newspapers in general is slightly (ever so slightly) diminished.
Long live the Bighorn.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy, Any details available on the unfortunate undercover undoing of the big ram?

VG, I have 5 bonus points accumulated for the bighorn sheep draw. I started late in accumulating bonus points. I am not jaded into thinking that I will soon draw one of these coveted tags. It is truly a disaster that a world record ram was wasted on an undercover assignment. I live in the NW section of the state and hope that some day I will have the oportunity to draw a tag. Good luck in the draw this year.

Here's some info I found, although it doesn't look like it says much, just a pissing match..

http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/regional/thread.cfm?threadid=160030&MESSAGES=56&state=Mt

Varmint guy, over here in the Bitterroot we have three different populations of Big Horns. None are getting hit to much by wolves. I don't think they like the taste or something. Ours get killed by Mountain lions. Our wolves like elk and deer more.
BTW, which illegal Canadian wolves are you referring too? The ones from Canada that relocated more that half the recover area to I-90 without transplanting taking place, or the others that got the copter ride from Canada that were released in Yellowstone and the Selway?

4100fps: You touch on ONE interesting and often overlooked point - the greens and the feds foisted these transplanted Canadian Wolves into MANY areas NOT JUST YELLOWSTONE PARK!
Be patient as the hoardes of Wolves are working your way from TWO directions - from the west (Idaho) and from the east (Wyoming and Montana).
I attended a "Wolf" meeting just last week and the three FWP personnel there relayed "firsthand" how one Montana collarred Wolf left the Paradise Valley of Montana and quickly made its was 600+ miles (AIRMILES!) to deep into the heart of Colorado!
The Wolves have been eating our Bighorns here in SW Montana pretty frequently.
One of the Montana FWP personnel also VERY SOMBERLY and pointedly announced that he was going to have to FURTHER REDUCE the Moose Hunting opportunities locally (here in SW Montana) due to overpredation of the Moose by WOLVES!
This gave the VarmintGuy occassion to turn and glare directly and intently and for a long duration at the one ignoramus Wolf lover who had taken the opportunity to speak first (among civillians at the meeting) and where he professed how well the Wolves and Moose and Deer have been getting along in Minnesota and Michigan!
He was wrong on two counts and my intense glaring caused this pud to avert his marijuana reddened eyes!
I have been around the Bighorns of the Bitterroot for many many years. I nearly killed one with my VarmintMobile as it jumped up out of the Eastfork near Sula one fall morn!
Thankfully I was able to swerve and miss him.
I was at the Dell Calf-A in Dell, Montana one fine day about 4 years ago when the Game Warden Biologist and his helicopter pilot landed nearby and came in for lunch.
They had been counting Elk and Bighorns. They had just witnessed the killing of 3 Bighorn Rams by a small band of Wolves on a remote mountain top as they were flying!
This was early spring and the Wolves wandered off without feeding!
Maybe the helicopter noise interrupted the feast?
Yes Wolves do kill Bighorns but probably prefer the more abundant and found in less difficult terrain, Elk.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

338Federal: I am privey to some facts that have been distorted on the thread that one of the other posters recommended reading. That thread is at Montana Bowhunters IIRC.
There were TWO undercover agents at the scene of the shooting of the Ram and MANY more undercover agents involved in the investigation of the individual in question.
The shooting was also un-intended or inadvertent i.e. NOT supposed to happen!
The Hunter/undercover agent was PURPOSELY trying to MISS the Ram in question and did so on more than ONE previous occassion!
Unfortunately a ricocheting bullet struck and eventually killed the Trophy Ram in question.
There is much, MUCH more that I am privey to as well - but it all will come out in court - that is the MAIN Reason that more than ONE undercover agents were involved - to bolster the merit of one persons or each others testimony.
And its my understanding that there are OTHER charges against the taxidermist from Whitehall - and he will be or has been charged with NOT just the guiding without a license!
I drove by the taxidermist shop in question recently and there is a for sale sign on it and I have heard that the poor taxidermist's wife is now, divorcing him!
When it rains it pours!
Among other things taken into evidence from the taxidermist shop in question was a large amount of cash money.
I do know this, that over the many years I have been going into that shop it COULD NOT HAVE BEEN more obvious that the personnel there did not want anything to do with ME - an average Joe Hunter!
Way back when, I thought to myself, what is motivating this business - why am I made to feel unwelcome here?
Puzzling then, as it is now!
I Hunted Elk and Mule Deer up near the area in question last year. We had a great Hunt and came across some boys from SW Montana that my partner knew. One of them had drawn a Bighorn Sheep tag for that area 2 years before!
The taxidermist/non-guide person in question took their vehicle license plate number and made phone calls as to who owned the vehicle and who they were BEFORE he approached them and began an agressive questioning of the Bighorn Hunter and his mates.
The tone and content of his questioning had the Hunter and his friends believing HE was a FWP or LE type and NOT just a taxidermist out taking pictures like they later learned!
This is a long, involved, complicated, case with many MANY areas of investigation still open and on-going!
DO NOT make the assumption that the State FWP people made something up at the last minute just because the Ram was inadvertently killed!
I am quite confident that is NOT the case!
I do know ANOTHER Montana taxidermist that is butting heads with the Montana FWP people and the USFWS people over a huge Bighorn Ram he and his Hunting partner came upon that was being fed upon by a group of "predators" (any guesses as to what kind of predators in that hungry GROUP?).
Anyway the taxidermist and his partner scared off the predators and filmed the scene (sound familiar?) and then skinned out the front half of this half eaten Bighorn Ram and took it to his shop and began to taxidermy it!
He has just recently finished the half mount mounting job and I witnessed it myself - it has NO "plug" in its massive (Trophy!) horns.
The FWP people were immediately notified that this elderly and well to do Hunter/taxidermist had found this Ram and had taken possession of it! And that he intended to mount it and keep it!
All the while making it clear to the FWP and USFWS people that he had retained legal counsel (scumbag lawyer type!) and was intent on fighting out the legal possession of this Ram's head and front half!
The lawyer type and the taxidermist contend they have every right to pickup, own and legally possess this bit of natures handiwork!
For nearly two years now this dazzling trophy has stayed in the possession of said taxidermist!
The lawyer and the taxidermist contend that the FWP and USFWS people will not seek to have this situation prosecuted or adjudicated because they fear they will loose the right to enforce certain laws now on the books?
Personally I know better than to taunt or screw with government law enforcement types - if for no other reason than "their" lawyers are already bought and paid for - their court litigation sessions are FREE to them and WILL ABSOLUTELY and completely bankrupt the average Joe Hunter or Joe Citizen!
NEVER, ignore that fact.
Anyways its a complicated and long and involved and multi-faceted case involving the Whitehall taxidermist situation and the 204" Ram!
And may not be adjudicated for a long time.
I wish it would not have happened but then I also wish folks would not poach and guide without a license and run over Deer with their automobiles - my wishes, in other words, are not very often heeded.
I have gotten much of my information from outdoor type writers (face to face not written words), other guides (face to face), other taxidermists (face to face) and Hunters (face to face) who know the folks involved.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

MTGunner: Thank you for the kind thoughts and the cheerful (yet measured) optimism.
I have seen some MONSTER Rams up there in NW Montana and a little south of there around the Thompson Falls country!
One of my Hunting partners took a Trophy Bighorn the first week of the season, up your way, a few years back.
His wife wanted to Hunt with him the first week (better weather) of the season and then I would be his partner later in the season.
Unfortunately one of his horses had a heart attack and died right in the trail as he and his wife were packing down the trophy Ram!
They had to continue down with my friend walking and he later returned with a chain saw and the other horses to retrieve more gear and to cut up and discard the fallen mountain horse (his favorite horse by the way!).
So it was a mixed blessing Hunt for them.
And best of luck to you this summer on your draw!
I think my name will be in the draw 9 times this year.
Yes what an unfitting end to such a wonderful Ram - to be killt inadvertently (accidentally!) during an undercover sting operation!
Just not a fitting end to such a distinguished animal!
Thanks again for your kindness.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy