# 2017 Desert Sheep Sportsman Tag



## brisket

I thought it would be fun to share our desert sheep hunting adventure with the forum, so I'll use this thread to update on scouting trips, the actual hunt and anything in between.

It all started when I put my brother into the sportsman drawing for a few hunts as a birthday present. I didn't tell him I was doing it, just forwarded the confirmation email, with the message "Happy Birthday, Bro!", to which he replied "Awesome! Thank you! Imagine if I drew out ... definitely once in a lifetime". This was the first time any of us had applied in the sportsman draw.

The morning the email results were coming out he forwarded me the following:



> Thank you for your recent applications for Sportsman. Your results are as follows:
> 
> *********************************************************************************************************
> 
> SUCCESSFUL: Sportsman Desert Bighorn Sheep
> 
> Hunt: Sportsman Desert Bighorn Sheep
> Weapon: Any Legal Weapon
> Your season date(s): Sept 1 - Dec 31, 2017


Unbelievable. I thought he was messing with me at first and that he spoofed the email, but it was confirmed legit when my credit card was hit later that afternoon for $513. He had won the lottery. It was a 1 in 4,124 chance of winning. The equivalent tag at the expo sold for $80,000 a couple weeks ago. What a rare opportunity indeed.

Knowing basically nothing about this hunt, we spent the next few months learning anything and everything we could about desert bighorn sheep. We've come in contact with several people in the desert sheep hunting community, and they all have been awesome, and extremely helpful. The excitement they have about hunting sheep is contagious. We received some good intel on a few different units and areas, glassing techniques, field judging desert sheep, etc. Just some fantastic people we've met along the way. My brother doesn't want to hire a guide at this point, knowing that he might not get the biggest ram out there, but wants the experience and adventure of learning about and figuring out how to hunt desert sheep. This being the case, we greatly appreciate all the help that has been offered to us thus far, and if anyone else is interested in helping us out, feel free to PM me.

We finally decided we had enough info to start scouting, and needed to get some boots on the ground, so we picked one of the areas and made it out for the first scouting trip this weekend (more to come on this trip).


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## weaversamuel76

Subscribing. Can't imagine the surprise birthday presents don't get much better

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## CPAjeff

I'm really looking forward to this thread and the updates - best of luck to you and your brother!


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## goofy elk

brisket said:


> We finally decided we had enough info to start scouting, and needed to get some boots on the ground, so we picked one of the areas and made it out for the first scouting trip this weekend (more to come on this trip).


I would be on Kaparowitz-west or Zion.

Were did you guys look?


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## hunting777

Congrats to you and your Brother!!! What a great birthday present. Looking forward to hear about all the memories made! Good luck to you guys!


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## torowy

I hope to be so lucky one day lol.


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## Longgun

That's great! 

Where does he keep his lucky horseshoe?


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## brisket

goofy elk said:


> I would be on Kaparowitz-west or Zion.
> 
> Were did you guys look?


Zion. Although I am curious where you saw the rams from camp on the Kaiparowits West unit...


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## machinethomas

There is a Jay Scott outdoors podcast talking about the sheep units in the state. Might shine a light toward some areas. Good luck.


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## 3arabians

Thanks Brisket!! We all just drew an Internet sportsman's sheep hunt. Time to live the dream through you guys!! Good luck! I'll be tuned in.

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## muleymadness

Congrats and very cool, looks forward to your reports and memories.


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## ridgetop

Looking forward to your adventure. You won't regret saving all the memories.
I'm glad I did it with my 2010 sheep hunt.


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## brisket

*Scouting trip day 1: March 3, 2017*

Through our research and with some help from a few sheep experts, we identified several areas throughout the state we wanted to explore and look for bighorns. Including the Zion, Kaiparowits West and Pine Valley units.

Having consistently heard lots of great things about the Zion unit from multiple sources (sheep numbers and superior genetics as they were transplanted from Arizona and Nevada bighorns in the last decade or two), we picked an area to try first and went down last weekend to scout. Having never been to that area, we picked a spot on the map that looked like it would be a good glassing area for most of the surrounding valley and headed out.

We hiked up to the glassing area and spent most of the afternoon glassing. We don't have much experience glassing, let alone glassing for sheep, so it took some time to settle in and weren't exactly sure where we should be looking (tops or bottoms of the cliffs, the low areas by the river, etc). In all that time we found one doe deer bedded down. Saw lots of tracks while hiking, I was thinking (or merely hoping) they were sheep tracks. Here is one, and as I look at it closer, I think it is a deer track, but maybe it's a sheep. What do you think?










After glassing for several hours, the boys we dragged up the hill with us were getting antsy, and we hadn't seen any sheep yet, so we decided to check out another nearby canyon. They were really patient, though, and seemed to enjoy being in this foreign desert environment. We almost always take a child or two with us on hunting trips so they can have the experience too, just realizing the need to be flexible and sometimes have to change plans. It can be challenging at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way. No better way to teach them to be men, than by letting them explore and do manly things, right?

We then drove to the other canyon and set up the tripods right outside the vehicle. As we were glassing the new area, a couple guys drove up in a truck who were also looking for bighorns. They were locals from the nearby town who have spent a significant amount of time locating and helping hunters get their sheep. They were really helpful and gave us some tips on where the sheep typically live and identified a few specific spots where they had seen sheep in that canyon in the past. They also let us test out their Swarovski binoculars and spotting scopes, and this helped me realize I _really_ need an optics upgrade for this hunt. The clarity was unbelievable compared to the binoculars I was using. Now to just talk Mrs. brisket into it. Wish me luck. ;-)

Unfortunately, we were unable to spot any sheep that day but came away with some better knowledge of the area, glassing points, road access, etc. All in all, a very fun day filled with some amazing views of the red rock cliffs.


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## brisket

machinethomas said:


> There is a Jay Scott outdoors podcast talking about the sheep units in the state. Might shine a light toward some areas. Good luck.


Thanks for the heads up on this, looking it up right now.

Here is the link to the podcast for those interested.


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## brisket

*Scouting trip day 2: March 4, 2017*

Scouted a bit in the morning, but didn't see any sheep. Went to the coral pink sand dunes to let the kids run around for a bit, then stopped off in the desert and let the boys shoot some clays.

In the afternoon, we wanted to find access to another canyon we hadn't explored yet. While looking for the access road, the two local guys that helped us the prior day passed us, recognized our vehicle and flagged us down. They showed us where the access road was, we followed and started to glass with them. They instantly found a herd of about 25-30 lambs and ewes about 2 miles away. Really makes a huge difference to have some good optics, and sheep glassing experience, I don't think we would have found those sheep without their help.









Unfortunately, the road had some deep sand and we didn't want to get stuck so next time we'll have to bring the UTV to explore the rest of that canyon.

We decided to go back to a couple places we glassed the day before. Didn't find anything in the first spot we tried, but then the second spot we found some bighorns! They were on the cliffs about a mile away.









Again, just ewes and lambs. Counted 8. Probably not too exciting to the seasoned sheep hunter, but to us, it was really fun to actually find some sheep, and this time on our own. At least knowing the types of areas we've seen sheep should help our future scouting trips. Not sure where the rams are bachelored up, hopefully, we'll find some on the next trip. At the end of the weekend, it was a successful trip, had a great time, and actually found some sheep.

Some amazing views in southern Utah.


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## Vanilla

Crazy where they hang out!


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## brisket

Vanilla said:


> Crazy where they hang out!


I know, it's so cool. I think we spent too much time glassing in the lower areas, we should have concentrated more on the cliffs.

We'll have to be careful to make sure the ram is in an accessible place before shooting one.


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## MWScott72

An $80,000 birthday gift that ended up costing you $523 is a pretty good deal in my book. Your brother owes you for a LONG time. At minimum, he should pack all the animal out if you shoot it in some hell hole surrounded by cliffs.;-) Good luck on your hunt! Looking forward to hearing about it on the forum.


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## willfish4food

Nice report on your scouting trips. 

They're all accessible with the right gear. Better start practicing your mountain climbing! 8)


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## american_jackal

I have been putting in for Desert Bighorn for 10yrs. Needless to say 'I am jealous'. I will be tuned in to hear how your hunt goes.


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## tallbuck

Congrats on a lucky event! I cannot wait to hear more and more of this story and passion! Best of luck!


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## brisket

I've been meaning to update this for a while, I'll try to be better in the future. We've been down 3 more times, scouting 3 different areas.

The weekend of March 18th, 2017, I was on a weekend getaway with my family to St. George and was able to spend an afternoon scouting a spot near Zion's National Park, after spending some time hiking inside the park with the fam. While within the park that morning, we found a herd of ewes and lambs.
















We got within 10 yards of some of them, so it was really cool for the kids (and me!) to see them up close and hear the sounds they make. The lambs sounded just like domestic lambs, and the ewes made a deep growling/grumbling sound. Really interesting. Here is some footage of the communication of a ewe and her lambs as they were separated by a mini slot canyon.






And more footage of the ewes and lambs:






The sheep in the park seemed very tame, similar to the animals you'd find in Yellowstone National Park. They didn't seem worried at all that we were so close to them. I'm sure it'll be different with the sheep outside the park.
After the time in Zions, I scouted an area that we had circled on the map. Spent some time getting familiar with the roads, access points, glassing areas, etc. It was much different than the area in our first scouting trip. Instead of glassing from the bottom of the cliffs, I found myself glassing from the top which I found more difficult. Unfortunately, an afternoon of glassing didn't turn up any sheep in the huntable area outside the park. Wish I had more time to scout but I needed to get back to the family trip.

At the end of the day, it was fun seeing the sheep in the park and was awesome the family was able to experience it, but I was disappointed in the area I scouted. Granted, to scout it well, I needed more time, but I had higher hopes for it.


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## brisket

About a month ago my brother backpacked in for a few days to a new area. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make this trip so I don't have a lot of details or pictures. He spent the majority of the time glassing and didn't find any sheep. One the way down, they lost the trail for a bit and ended up on some steep cliffs, in a dangerous situation. He was still a bit shaken up over it, even a few days later when I talked to him. After that experience, it sounds like he wants to do more glassing and less hiking, so we likely won't be going after the ram in the areas you have to backpack into.


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## brisket

At the end of April, I was on my way to a family vacation to SoCal and took a day to explore a different area and unit. Spent a lot of time getting to know the roads, access points, and glassed for several hours. Unfortunately, I didn't turn up any sheep. I liked one spot I found toward the end of the day, and wanted more time to glass it, but ran out of time. I'm pretty sure it holds desert bighorns but didn't find the ram we were looking for that day.


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## brisket

*Finally, some Rams!*

Spent Memorial Day weekend playing in the desert, and scouting out a couple new areas we hadn't been to yet. Spent lots of time glassing, and found 2 different groups of bighorns.

Check out this ewe at the top of the cliff:









And finally...we glassed a group of 5 bachelor rams! They were a couple miles away and unfortunately we had a optics malfunction so we didn't get the detail we wanted, but it was great to know we found an area that holds some rams. They climbed up the cliffs a bit and went into a cave for the night. The next morning we went back, saw them leave the cave, climbed the cliff and went over the top. We had a plan to hike in and get a better look, but they went out of sight and over the top too quickly. Still didn't get the detail we needed.

Hard to see their horns, but here are the rams:









Pretty cool view of Zion's I hadn't seen before:









We're really excited to _finally_ (on the 5th trip) find some rams. I'll be upgrading my optics before the next trip down, hopefully, we'll be able to find them again, and have some decent pictures to share.


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## brisket

*Independece Day Weekend*

Spent the 4th of July weekend in the hot desert with the whole family. The goal was to find the previously spotted rams and set up some trail cameras to hopefully get a better idea of the quality of the rams in the area. Glassed the area where we saw the rams on the last trip several times throughout the weekend and unfortunately didn't turn them up.

I did find this ewe all alone sunning herself during the early morning sunrise, in a different area that we hadn't previously seen sheep:










Not a great picture as I snapped this quickly freehand before setting up the phone skope. She is wearing a collar (gps tracker?).

I went back the next morning, hiked in and set a couple cameras in the general area where she was. The hike was sketchy with loose rock, deep sand and we ended up at the top of a small slot canyon that we couldn't cross. Didn't get the cameras in the best spot, but we'll see how it turns out on the next trip.

That evening I decided to hike to another spot where we had seen sheep in the past. I went in alone on a ridiculously hot day but made it all the way to the cliffs I was trying to reach. It was only 3/4 of a mile as the crow flies, but it felt like 3 miles through the hot, deep, desert sand, down and up steep draws. It can be difficult to find trees to hang a camera on in this area as most of the trees have branches all the way to the ground, with no visibility for the camera. I was lucky to find a dead standing tree which looked like a good candidate, 20 yards or so from the cliff edge. I needed to clear a branch off the tree so the camera would have a better view. Just as I snapped the branch, I heard the mountain erupt, with rocks roaring down the cliff. I looked up to see 15 sheep (ewes and lambs) 75-100 yards away tearing out of there. The group split, 5 of them went down off the cliff, the other 10 went up, scaling the cliffs. Their climbing ability is a site to see. So awesome to see them that close, but I was frustrated that I kicked them out of that spot. If I knew they were in there, I wouldn't have gone in. I hope they will settle back in and return. Either way, I hung the cameras in what look like good locations where we've seen sheep a couple times now.

Whenever we go down, we offer a finding fee to the kids that are with us as incentive/motivation to help keep them engaged and so we can hopefully find more sheep. This time I offered $10 for any sheep they find on their own, and $20 for a ram. The next morning we were glassing again where we had seen the rams, and my son found in a different location clear across the canyon (probably 1.5 miles away) 10 sheep on the cliffs, grazing, slowly working their way toward the top. Just ewes and lambs again. He was pretty proud of his $10 reward. I wish it was $20.

All in all, it was a fun weekend. We found sheep in two spots we hadn't seen them in the past, and have some cameras up that will hopefully yield results. The bottom line is, we are into the sheep, having had decent success at finding them but frustrated at the lack of rams. From what we've learned, the rut should be starting at the end of July, so we're hoping the rams will seek out the ewes, and will come into the same areas we've been scouting. Time will tell.


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## Vanilla

Desert Sheep sportsman tag, and a bison tag. 

Will you do my application next year for me?


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## brisket

Vanilla said:


> Desert Sheep sportsman tag, and a bison tag.
> 
> Will you do my application next year for me?


Haha! Will do. Just need some personal info, and a credit card number. 

Ridiculously lucky year, no way this will ever happen again, planning to enjoy every minute of it.


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## ridgetop

Your on the right track. Keep track of those ewes and lambs and the rams will show up in a couple months.


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## swbuckmaster

In to see it play out. Congrats on the tags!

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## brisket

*Love is in the air*

Well, it's go time. The hunt starts Friday, and we are finally finding some rams. Mostly younger rams, so the search continues, but here are a few we've seen so far:





















My brother saw a ram mounting a ewe over the weekend so some rutting (or pre-rut) should help the cause.


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## Longgun

Good LUCK! 

Looking fwd to your updates.


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## brisket

*Ahh...Yeah!*

Found these rams this morning. If this doesn't get you excited, I'm not sure what will. Any thoughts on what the larger ram would score?


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## johnnycake

I will admit to being ignorant on scoring sheep, but I like to think I can recognize "small, big, and BIG". That looks like a very nice ram but maybe not a monster?


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## Longgun

SWEET!

Score? Wish I could help more but here's a little article I found a while ago that you might find helpful.

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forum...g-and-field-judging-what-does-this-ram-score/


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## ridgetop

Nice video. 
I would guess that bigger ram to be in the 155-160" range. Maybe closer to 160".


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## Packout

I won't guess score, but I like how he carries the mass on the backside of his horns and how they are chipped up from some battles. Looks like they are broomed some and he is maybe 6-7 years old?? (tough to count rings). Nice video. The cracking pops of horns probably makes it a little easier to track down rams, too.


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## brisket

I think he's a pretty good ram, lots of character with the chipped horns. We have a couple other spots to scout to see if we can turn out something bigger. We'll see how the next few days go, but will be keeping tabs on him just in case. I'm not the best at scoring sheep either, but I think he's in the low 160's.

We found another ram this morning, but just another 4-5 year old smaller ram.


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## brisket

*Top of the Cliffs*

Found another 5 year old ram tonight that had 6-7 ewes with him. Desert sheep love to sit at the top of cliffs in the evenings, makes for some fun glassing with them on the horizon.


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## CPAjeff

This has been an awesome thread, with some great pictures! Best of luck come Friday!


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## brisket

CPAjeff said:


> This has been an awesome thread, with some great pictures! Best of luck come Friday!


Thanks, glad you are enjoying it!


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## brisket

It's been a rough few days. We wanted to scout a few other areas to see if we could find a bigger ram. Spent a lot of time hiking in, severely underestimating the brutality of the southern Utah desert. It really is a beautiful, yet unforgiving landscape and it's still ridiculouly hot in September. Hiking through deep sand is tough, one step forward, two steps backward. One mile feels like five. A big challenge of hunting desert sheep is not only finding a nice ram, but finding one that is accessible to shoot without needing climing gear to retrieve it. On one of the hikes we were heading up a ridge only to come to the edge of a small cliff. It was about 20 yards down, but still not navigible. Had to back out of there and lost a lot of time. 

We did spent some time finding a navigible route to the rams (from the video) and believe we could make a play on them if they came off the cliffs a little bit. The plan for tomorrow morning is to see if we can find them again. They can't be too far away.

Game plan for next week: More glassing, less hiking. Only going in when there is a ram he wants to shoot.


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## brisket

One interesting tidbit about this hunt is the surprising lack of deer. Of all the time we've spent glassing, driving and hiking I've only seen one deer. I had considered putting in for a Zion archery deer tag just in case we saw a buck while sheep hunting but the lack of deer has been astonishing.


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## ridgetop

brisket said:


> One interesting tidbit about this hunt is the surprising lack of deer. Of all the time we've spent glassing, driving and hiking I've only seen one deer. I had considered putting in for a Zion archery deer tag just in case we saw a buck while sheep hunting but the lack of deer has been astonishing.


You probably didn't see many elk either.


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## brisket

Lost track of that nice ram, can't find him anywhere. The area where we've seen the most sheep is only holding younger rams, it seems to have been picked through from previous hunts.

Been glassing a couple new areas and haven't turned up any bighorns at all the past couple days. Heading tonight to another area that was recommended to us, hopefully that will yield results. 

Feels like we're back to square one.


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## brisket

ridgetop said:


> You probably didn't see many elk either.


Haven't seen a single elk.

I'm guessing the elk and deer must be in the northern portion of the unit?


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## Packout

Have you looked around the area East of Zions? South of Poverty Flats along the river? 

And I know the UDWR has had problems in the past with desert bighorns around Hilldale. They come off the Canaan Mtns. 

Good luck.


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## brisket

Packout said:


> Have you looked around the area East of Zions? South of Poverty Flats along the river?
> 
> And I know the UDWR has had problems in the past with desert bighorns around Hilldale. They come off the Canaan Mtns.
> 
> Good luck.


Thanks Packout. PM sent.


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## Longgun

brisket said:


> Lost track of that nice ram, can't find him anywhere. The area where we've seen the most sheep is only holding younger rams, it seems to have been picked through from previous hunts.
> 
> Been glassing a couple new areas and haven't turned up any bighorns at all the past couple days. Heading tonight to another area that was recommended to us, hopefully that will yield results.
> 
> Feels like we're back to square one.


Admittedly I don't know a thing about hunting desert bighorns... but have you chatted with the Biologist yet? They may be able to give you some insight on how and why they make moves to different areas. Have you found a constant water source?


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## brisket

Went in to a different location tonight. Arrived later than I wanted, but still managed to find a few bighorns before it went dark. Unfortunately they were really far away and couldn't even tell if they were rams or ewes.

Enjoyed an amazing sunset over Zions NP tonight.


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## brisket

Longgun said:


> Admittedly I don't know a thing about hunting desert bighorns... but have you chatted with the Biologist yet? They may be able to give you some insight on how and why they make moves to different areas. Have you found a constant water source?


Called him today after you posted this. Really nice guy and gave us some good information. Not sure why it took so long to call him (I called the biologist over my bison area the afternoon I found out I drew).

He said the ram we've been hunting likely moved out of the area. The ewes will mostly stay in the same locations, and the rams will move between the groups of ewes in the area when they are finished with them or they are no longer in estrus.

Feeling a renewed sense of excitement after talking with him, we'll be checking out some new spots tomorrow.


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## Longgun

Cool, good luck.


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## brisket

Had a better morning. Glassed about a dozen bighorns with 4 rams in the group.

This is the biggest of the bunch: 








His left side isn't broomed and my brother is trying to decide if he wants to go after him or not. It's a bit of a hike in, but depending on where they are tonight I think we could make a play on him.


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## johnnycake

This thread has been awesome! Thanks for letting us ride along!


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## PBH

brisket said:


> ...my brother is trying to decide if he wants to go after him or not.


don't pass up the opportunity! Take the opportunities you are given! It might end up being the only opportunity.


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## Clarq

PBH said:


> don't pass up the opportunity! Take the opportunities you are given! It might end up being the only opportunity.


That's the tricky part about Sportsman's tags. On the one hand, you have a 4-month season on any open unit in the state. That's a lot of opportunity. On the other hand, you may never see that particular ram again... so in some sense the opportunity is still fleeting.

Anyway, good luck, have fun, and make sure there are no regrets when all is said and done! I've appreciated being able to follow along.


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## brisket

We poured over the video of that ram this afternoon (amid work conference calls). He's a nice ram. My bro wanted to get a better look, so we are here right now (surprisingly there is cell reception). I hiked in about a mile to the same glassing location as this morning. I'll be spotting while he hikes in closer. Hopefully they will come down near the spot where they were this morning. Time will tell.


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## brisket

Also forgot to mention...I had a coyote run 15 yards from me this morning as fast as he could go. I think he was chasing a rabbit. Lots of jacks and cottontails in the area.


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## brisket

Found the ram! He came out with 3 other rams and several ewes and lambs. They were right where we put them down for their afternoon nap.

They are still really high and slowly feeding down the ridge they went up this morning. Doubtful my brother will be able to make it up that high before dark. We'll probably have to put them to bed and get on them before the sun rises tomorrow.


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## brisket

Just put them to bed. We needed them to feed to the right, but they went left.

They'll be harder to get to now, but hopefully they'll keep coming downhill in the morning.


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## 3arabians

This is super fantastically magnificent!! I can't wait until the morning. 

Just snagged me a top of the page on the desert big horn sheep sportsman tag thread. 

Just sayin......

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## T-dubs-42

We're all rootin for ye


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## brisket

We're on that herd of bighorns again. The great thing about desert sheep is if they don't move at night so if you put them to bed, they'll be in the exact same spot in the morning.

We stopped to glass first thing to see which direction they were heading. My brother got a good look at the ram and he really likes him, so he is hiking in to put a stalk on him. Only problem is they are 3/4 of the way up a giant cliff. We think there is a navigable route however.

I'm staying back to keep an eye on them and to guide him in.


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## brisket

Still watching this ram. He keeps making his rounds to the ewes in the herd. Sticks his nose out, smelling their behinds and has tried to mount a few. Appears the ewes are "not in the mood" this morning.

Too bad. Was hoping he could get some one last time.


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## PBH

pull the trigger.


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## brisket

PBH said:


> pull the trigger.


He's about 300 yards away, but can't see the ram due to a ridge. If he can make it up there, it'll be over.


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## brisket

He can see the ram now, but might not be able to shoot it due to the location. There is a huge cliff separating him. Might have to wait him out and see if he comes around. Could be a while though as he just bedded down out in the open on the slick rock.


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## gdog

o-||


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## johnnycake

Well, clearly I am NOT going to get any work done today!


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## brisket

Had him at 250 yards, could have shot him but was worried he was in a irretrievable location. Ram got spooked a bit and went up the hill. I can still see him through the spotter, he is with 3 ewes and 2 lambs. The other 3 rams disappeared.

My brother is trying to navigate through an area now, if he can get past it there still is a chance.

Latest text from him:

"I have to wait for them to go behind a rock or something before I attempt ... they are looking straight at me"


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## brisket

The more I watch this ram the more I like him. His bases look huge and has a great taper down to his broomed tips. Quite majestic sitting with his ladies at the top of the ridge.


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## bowhunt3r4l1f3

brisket said:


> The more I watch this ram the more I like him. His bases look huge and has a great taper down to his broomed tips. Quite majestic sitting with his ladies at the top of the ridge.


OK.....Kill Him! - Lloyd Christmas


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## 3rd times a charm

This really sucks. I have been watching this thread, and it has been fantastic. Now we may be coming down to the final minutes and I have to get on a plane.


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## brisket

"I could have shot him a hundred times". - briskets brother

He had a stare down with the ram 250 yards away across a severe drop off. Could of shot him but would of had no way to retrieve it safely. These bighorns live in some rugged terrain.

Several times through the spotter I was expecting to see the ram drop and then hear the shot after. Really unfortunate to end up so close to a ram of his caliber and have him be inaccessible. After an hour long showdown the ram spooked and ran with his ewes about 100 yards uphill. The ridge my brother was on had a section on it where to pass through he would of been standing on a ledge right next to a 100 foot cliff. One slip and he would have been gone. Not worth the risk so he backed out and is heading down the mountain.

At his current location, the ram is unhuntable. We'll have to regroup and figure out our next plan of attack.


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## johnnycake

brisket said:


> "I could have shot him a hundred times". - briskets brother
> 
> He had a stare down with the ram 250 yards away across a severe drop off. Could of shot him but would of had no way to retrieve it safely. These bighorns live in some rugged terrain.
> 
> Several times through the spotter I was expecting to see the ram drop and then hear the shot after. Really unfortunate to end up so close to a ram of his caliber and have him be inaccessible. After a 20 minute showdown the ram spooked and ran with his ewes about 100 yards uphill. The ridge my brother was on had a section on it where to pass through he would of been standing on a ledge right next to a 100 foot cliff. One slip and he would have been gone. Not worth the risk so he backed out and is heading down the mountain.
> 
> At his current location, the ram is unhuntable. We'll have to regroup and figure out our next plan of attack.


Build a ladder bridge? Learn to rock climb and repel? Pogo stick?!

Dang that is a tough thing to have to face and "do the right thing," good on your brother.


----------



## Packout

Sounds like an adventure. The beauty is you guys have 4 months to get it done. Good luck.


----------



## Clarq

brisket said:


> "I could have shot him a hundred times". - briskets brother
> 
> He had a stare down with the ram 250 yards away across a severe drop off. Could of shot him but would of had no way to retrieve it safely. These bighorns live in some rugged terrain.
> 
> Several times through the spotter I was expecting to see the ram drop and then hear the shot after. Really unfortunate to end up so close to a ram of his caliber and have him be inaccessible. After a 20 minute showdown the ram spooked and ran with his ewes about 100 yards uphill. The ridge my brother was on had a section on it where to pass through he would of been standing on a ledge right next to a 100 foot cliff. One slip and he would have been gone. Not worth the risk so he backed out and is heading down the mountain.
> 
> At his current location, the ram is unhuntable. We'll have to regroup and figure out our next plan of attack.


Well, the outcome kind of sucks, but that right there to me is hunting at its finest. My favorite moments in hunting are those moments of anticipation when I'm close, and a shot just might present itself. As soon as the disappointment wears off, that's going to be a great memory for your brother.

Good luck!


----------



## ridgetop

I would stay in that same area and keep glassing. They may show up in a better spot tomorrow.
I wished I had more time off to spare from work, I'd love to be down there and help spot for you guys.


----------



## CPAjeff

Thanks for the play-by-play and I am sorry it didn't work out earlier for your brother to shoot the ram! Best of luck getting on the ram again.


----------



## brisket

*The one that got away*

What an adventure today, full of excitement and some disappointment. That ram is even better than I imagined. He truly is magnificent. Here is a better picture of him taken through my brothers scope (didn't have binos as he was sneaking in on him).









And here is the same picture zoomed in:









Look how large his bases are, and see his eyes bulging out? That's a sign of an old, old ram. Wow. So, so close today.


----------



## brisket

ridgetop said:


> I would stay in that same area and keep glassing. They may show up in a better spot tomorrow.
> I wished I had more time off to spare from work, I'd love to be down there and help spot for you guys.


Really appreciate that thought. It would be a much better (and safer) situation having two guys go in and leaving a spotter behind.

Unfortunately we both had things come up tonight at the homestead and we're going to have to go home early tomorrow morning. :sad:

We were hoping to get it done before the 4 hunters begin on Sept 16th on the Zion unit, but that's life I guess.


----------



## utahbigbull

Don't know much about rams, but WOW that thing is a tank! I have to give you guys kudos showing such restraint in having the ethics to not just shoot that amazing animal today and instead hope for a better set up another day in order to make the recovery. I think a lot of people would have had that beast in their cross hairs and would have pulled the trigger THEN worried about how they would recover it after the fact. An amazing thread and thank you for sharing it with us!


----------



## ridgetop

Brisket, sent you a PM


----------



## johnnycake

That's a RAM!


----------



## Longgun

three pages of teasing and now this - :shock: the waiting... the painful deliriously nauseating waiting... ;-)

GOOD on your bro for holding out, would have been a terrible shame to drop him into a hole of no return. 

Karma man Karma, he'll get another chance.


----------



## bowhunt

*keep at it*

I had that tag in 2010, and still talk about it almost daily.
What an experience and what a hunt.
Keep at it, you WILL find a ram in the right place and the right ram.

Mike


----------



## ut_birdboy

This has been a great thread! I hope that ya'll get on him in the morning.


----------



## hunting777

bowhunt said:


> I had that tag in 2010, and still talk about it almost daily.
> What an experience and what a hunt.
> Keep at it, you WILL find a ram in the right place and the right ram.
> 
> Mike


Mike, welcome to the forum! post up some pics and a story of your ram. Its always fun to see and hear about those hunts.


----------



## brisket

hunting777 said:


> Mike, welcome to the forum! post up some pics and a story of your ram. Its always fun to see and hear about those hunts.


Agreed. I'd love to hear the story and if you have any advice on the hunt please share.


----------



## brisket

Thanks for all the encouragment guys, it's been quite the adventure so far. Right now we're getting caught up with work and smoothing things over on the domestic side. Hoping to make it back down in the next couple weeks.

We're heading to the Deseret CWMU tomorrow for my son's doe pronghorn hunt. Not as cool as hunting desert bighorns, but it should be fun.


----------



## brisket

We are back at it. One day of glassing today turned up zero bighorns. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.


----------



## PBH

ugh.

I hoped to get some work accomplished today. Now I'll just be checking this thread every 30 (15?) minutes...

:grin:


----------



## johnnycake

PBH, you and me both. And this radio silence has only left my mind to race at the possibilities!


----------



## brisket

Found a group of 9 bighorns this morning. 3 rams, 6 ewes. Caught a glimpse of them before they went off the edge into a small slot canyon. One of the rams looked decent and wanting to get a better look we hiked up a small hill to the top of the slot. Looking down the slot canyon that was about 90 yards deep and 10-20 yards across, we spotted the sheep at the bottom. Could only see ewes and a young ram, so we watched patiently for 20-30 minutes. Finally the larger ram came into view. They spotted us and ran up about 20 yards and we had a great view of them. The largest ram was about 7 years old. Had him at 103 yards, but was too young to take at this point in the hunt. If it was the last week if December, it would have been a different story.


----------



## brisket

PBH said:


> ugh.
> 
> I hoped to get some work accomplished today. Now I'll just be checking this thread every 30 (15?) minutes...


Haha! Sorry guys, was out of cell reception this morning. Couldn?t do the play by play.


----------



## brisket

Saw eight ewes tonight, no rams...the search continues.


----------



## wyogoob

This is my favorite thread.

.


----------



## brisket

Here is the ram we found this morning:















Also, we're finally starting to see some deer. Until this weekend, I've seen a total of 1, yes 1 mule deer during this hunt and scouting trips. Saw close to fifty just today, including this guy:









Not sure where the deer were during the spring and summer, but they seem to be coming out now.


----------



## MWScott72

This sounds like an epic hunt that will be passed on in verbal history for generations. Good luck on finding that perfect ram that trips the trigger. Nice thing is, there is still 2.5 months left. Hopefully you don't get down to that last week. Speaking from experience, the trepidation at that time gets to be quite real!


----------



## plottrunner

The deer on the Zion unit hang on Kolob, Kanarra, Deep Creek, North Fork etc and being to migrate the first week of October like clockwork. They were leaving our place in North Fork during the Muzzleloader and are usually gone by the rifle. Another wave comes through off the very top in November. You should start seeing a bunch of them in the coming days and weeks as they head to the Arizona Strip.


----------



## goofy elk

Funest hunt on the planet!
Enjoy.


----------



## brisket

Another morning of glassing yielded 15 sheep. 5 rams, 10 ewes. All younger rams. This was the biggest:









Had some car problems and we're at the shop getting it fixed. Hopefully we'll still get at least an hour of glassing in tonight.


----------



## brisket

plottrunner said:


> The deer on the Zion unit hang on Kolob, Kanarra, Deep Creek, North Fork etc and being to migrate the first week of October like clockwork. They were leaving our place in North Fork during the Muzzleloader and are usually gone by the rifle. Another wave comes through off the very top in November. You should start seeing a bunch of them in the coming days and weeks as they head to the Arizona Strip.


Interesting info, thanks. This is consistent with what we're seeing. I've never hunted deer on the Zion, but right now I'm wishing I had a rifle tag.


----------



## PBH

We have some property at Yellowjacket. Prior to the "pick your unit" hunts, we always hunted rifle (2nd weekend) out on the Sands. Those were some of the best hunts. It always amazed me how many deer would show up in October. I miss those hunts.

that's awesome country. thanks for sharing your hunt, and especially sharing pictures. My only recommendation is: post more pics! I don't care if they have sheep / deer in the pics or not. Just seeing that country helps get me through these work days!


----------



## brisket

PBH said:


> My only recommendation is: post more pics! I don't care if they have sheep / deer in the pics or not. Just seeing that country helps get me through these work days!


You got it! I will work on posting more pictures. Right now I am gearing up to hit the book cliffs this weekend for bison, so it might not be until next week.


----------



## brisket

Well...we did not get it done last weekend. Had a fantastic time, saw lots of bighorns, explored some beautiful country, just did not find the one he was looking for. I guess we will have to go back down and enjoy the desert again.









I need to start getting serious about my bison hunt so I am not sure if I will make the next trip down, but we will see.


----------



## johnnycake

brisket said:


> Well...we did not get it done last weekend. Had a fantastic time, saw lots of bighorns, explored some beautiful country, just did not find the one he was looking for. I guess we will have to go back down and enjoy the desert again.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I need to start getting serious about my bison hunt so I am not sure if I will make the next trip down, but we will see.


Good luck on both fronts, and thanks for sharing your incredible year with us. You and your family are going to be grinning about this year for a VERY long time I bet, and good luck trying to "top" it someday in the future!


----------



## brisket

johnnycake said:


> Good luck on both fronts, and thanks for sharing your incredible year with us. You and your family are going to be grinning about this year for a VERY long time I bet, and good luck trying to "top" it someday in the future!


Thanks jonnycake! Epic year for sure, not sure this will ever be topped.

I am on a role though...if you want I'll apply for you and Clarq (cause I know he wants it) for the 2018 Sportsman Desert Bighorn tag as long as you let me tag along. At least one of you will be guaranteed to draw.


----------



## brisket

Just remembered that jonnycake is a non-resident. I guess Clarq will get the nod for the 2018 Desert Bighorn Sportsman tag.


----------



## Clarq

brisket said:


> Just remembered that jonnycake is a non-resident. I guess Clarq will get the nod for the 2018 Desert Bighorn Sportsman tag.


I'm Clarq and I approve this message.


----------



## johnnycake

brisket said:


> Just remembered that jonnycake is a non-resident. I guess Clarq will get the nod for the 2018 Desert Bighorn Sportsman tag.


Ya couldn't have rubbed the salt in that cut any deeper, could ya?!


----------



## PBH

brisket said:


> Right now I am gearing up to hit the book cliffs this weekend for bison, so it might not be until next week.


Will there be another thread to follow that one?


----------



## Longgun

brisket said:


> Just remembered that jonnycake is a non-resident. I guess Clarq will get the nod for the 2018 Desert Bighorn Sportsman tag.


In lieu of jonnycake's unfortunate circumstance, ill humbly take his place. :grin:;-)

Man... Sportsman DBH and BISON!? Lucky dog. lol

Gotta admit, following this adventure has been one of my favorite threads since UWN popped up. (Might be ive always had an affliction about sheep too but...) At any rate, good luck in both theaters of these adventures. Cant wait for future updates.


----------



## brisket

PBH said:


> Will there be another thread to follow that one?


I don't see why not. I'll get one started when I have some time.


----------



## brisket

Longgun said:


> In lieu of jonnycake's unfortunate circumstance, ill humbly take his place. :grin:;-)
> 
> Man... Sportsman DBH and BISON!? Lucky dog. lol
> 
> Gotta admit, following this adventure has been one of my favorite threads since UWN popped up. (Might be ive always had an affliction about sheep too but...) At any rate, good luck in both theaters of these adventures. Cant wait for future updates.


Thanks Longgun, glad you are enjoying riding along with us.


----------



## brisket

*More Pictures*

As requested, I created a new photo album with some pictures. Right now it just contains scouting pictures from the spring and summer.

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/members/47025-brisket-albums-2017-desert-bighorn-sportsman.html

Click on the link for all of them, but here are a few for this post:



















Didn't realize how many pictures I had taken of my new Swarovski 15x's. I friggin' _love_ those binoculars. Practically part of the family now.


----------



## brisket

En route to the desert. Here?s to hoping for an awesome and successful weekend.


----------



## ridgetop

Good luck.
We'll be waiting for a report.


----------



## Longgun

Good luck!

Looking fwd to your updates.


----------



## CPAjeff

Good luck, looking forward to the updates as well!


----------



## Kwalk3

Good luck!


----------



## T-dubs-42

Can't wait to hear from ya, good luck!


----------



## brisket

As we arrived at the first glassing spot today, we got off the UTV and heard a sheep coming from the direction of a nearby spring. The trees were too thick and we couldn?t see anything so my brother went in to check it out while I glassed. Didn?t find it, but he kicked up a decent 4x4 buck. We?re seeing lots of deer this trip again including a nice 5x4 that was chasing some does. I must say it is a bit tempting to start putting in for a Zion rifle tag. I?d love an excuse to come back here.

It?s been a windy day with the storm blowing in and has made it difficult to glass with the wind blowing the optics.

Haven?t seen any bighorns yet and it?s getting dark soon. Looks like rain tomorrow.


----------



## brisket

It was a fun day, it feels great to be back down here. Unfortunately didn't find any sheep today. :-( Hopfully tomorrow will be better. Here are a few pictures taken today:


----------



## PBH

brisket said:


> We?re seeing lots of deer this trip again...


We were having a hard time keeping our water troughs full for the horses. Deer were drinking them dry. We have hundreds of deer on our place at Yellowjacket right now. It's incredible.

Luckily, we just had a plugged line. Now that the water line is flowing properly, there should be plenty of water for the deer and horses.

I love it down there. Keep the pics coming.


----------



## ridgetop

brisket said:


> . I must say it is a bit tempting to start putting in for a Zion rifle tag. I?d love an excuse to come back here.


Just wait, this forum will be flooded with new members asking for advice about that unit because they just drew a tag and no nothing about the unit.:smile:
Deer and bucks in general are very noticeable this time of year on most units.
The Zion winter range gets pounded by hunters during the rifle hunt.O*--


----------



## plottrunner

As someone who knows a lot about the Zion unit, don't put in for Zion unless you have access to private property. Brisket is just starting to see the deer on public ground and the rifle hunt has been over for almost a month... During the rifle hunt, the deer are either in the park or in the private property surrounding the park. I guess you could all stand shoulder to shoulder around the Coral pinks and around poverty hoping a deer crosses your path...


----------



## goofy elk

Year's ago,
When the GS muzzy deer hunt was during November. 

AND private land was realy not an issue,
That place was magical. ..
Some of the best GS deer hunting Utah ever had.


----------



## brisket

ridgetop said:


> Just wait, this forum will be flooded with new members asking for advice about that unit because they just drew a tag and no nothing about the unit.:smile:
> Deer and bucks in general are very noticeable this time of year on most units.
> The Zion winter range gets pounded by hunters during the rifle hunt.O*--


Haha! My apologies in advance if that happens.


----------



## brisket

plottrunner said:


> Brisket is just starting to see the deer on public ground and the rifle hunt has been over for almost a month...


We did see good deer numbers the weekend before the rifle hunt, but the nicest bucks were found this weekend (I'm sure the rut is helping out with that too). The migration on this unit is very interesting, as I only saw one deer total from Feb through October. Now they are everywhere.


----------



## brisket

We split up to cover more ground this morning. I found 1 young ram and my brother found 2 young rams. No ewes. All were accessible, but he wasn't ready to punch his tag on them yet.



















He also hiked up to retrieve a couple of trail cameras, here are the highlights:




























I love that ram in the trail cam picture, he has a nice crust and some character on his horns. We never ran into him when glassing that area unfortunately. The shot of the undercarriage is for johnnycake.


----------



## johnnycake

brisket said:


> I love that ram in the trail cam picture, he has a nice crust and some character on his horns. We never ran into him when glassing that area unfortunately. The shot of the undercarriage is for johnnycake.


 Selenium levels check out.

Look at the drop, curl, and mass on that set! Go git 'im boys!


----------



## brisket

Glassed all day today. Didn't find any sheep, even in an area that has produced in the past.


----------



## brisket

*First Cougar*

Early yesterday morning we stopped the UTV to glass a canyon. Before getting out I caught a glimpse of a mountain lion running down the slick rock across the canyon for a few seconds. First lion I've ever seen in the wild. By the time I got the optics out he was gone, wish I could of had a better look at it. Later, within a 1/2 mile of the original spot we came to another glassing spot and found these tracks at the top of a ridge. First time I've ever seen cougar tracks as well. So awesome. There was a big rain storm the prior night so they were really fresh.


----------



## brisket

Ram down!


----------



## Clarq

brisket said:


> Ram down!


Congrats! I can't wait to hear how it all unfolded. Please don't leave us hanging as long as you did with the bison. :mrgreen:


----------



## brisket

brisket said:


> Ram down!


Well, that is unless my brother is messing with me (which I don't think he'd do in this case). I was glassing an area about an hour away and got a satellite message from him saying "Sheep down!". I drove over to the place we usually leave the trailer and I'm waiting for him to pick me up so I can help. Unfortunately I'm in my sedan and can't drive in myself. I'm on my way back from a business trip in Las Vegas, and swung by the Zion on my way home to hunt bighorns for a couple days.


----------



## brisket

Clarq said:


> brisket said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ram down!
> 
> 
> 
> Congrats! I can't wait to hear how it all unfolded. Please don't leave us hanging as long as you did with the bison.
Click to expand...

Haha! I'm sorry about leaving you hanging, it's been ridiculously busy. I'd like to see how it unfolded too. Hopefully he won't be too long to pick me up.


----------



## brisket

Ram down! Heading back in to get him out.


----------



## katorade

Awesome congratulations man!!! I'm sheep dreamin' tonight!


----------



## T-dubs-42

He's awesome!!!Congrats and thanks for bringing us along.


----------



## brisket

We got him packed out, but had to make 4 river crossings and just about froze my toes right off. Time to get some sleep.


----------



## ridgetop

Looks like a pretty old ram. Congrats.


----------



## brisket

On the way back to where we were staying at, around 1:30 am last night this doe jumped in front of my brothers SUV traveling about 50 mph. He was pulling a utility trailer with a UTV in the back, I was following in my car behind him.

He T-Boned her, then lost control of the vehicle. The trailer jackknifed swung all the way around and slammed into the side of his vehicle by the wheel well. Then it swung the opposite way and slammed the other side. Ended up with 7-8 bad dents in the vehicle and trailer. Luckily he and his son are okay.

Man, I can’t believe he didn’t roll or at least loose the UTV off the back. That was freaky. Another reminder that life is precious, and there are things more important than our passion for hunting.


----------



## CPAjeff

Wow - glad to hear your brother and nephew are doing fine after that!


----------



## 35whelen

congrats on an awesome ram! glad everyone is safe


----------



## wyogoob

Way2go and congratulations!!

Magnificent ram.

What a story!

.


----------



## johnnycake

He is gorgeous. Love the mass, flare, and brooming. Congrats, and glad to hear everybody is safe.


----------



## ridgetop

If you don't mind, could you post up the age of the ram after you guys take it in to the DWR to get plugged?


----------



## brisket

ridgetop said:


> If you don't mind, could you post up the age of the ram after you guys take it in to the DWR to get plugged?


Will do, he's taking it to be plugged tomorrow. My guess is he is 8-9 years old.


----------



## brisket

*A few closeup pictures*

He's a fantastic ram! I love the battle scars.


----------



## Critter

Some of us can only dream of such a hunt. 

The battle scars are what make it a fantastic trophy.


----------



## grizzly

brisket said:


> Will do, he's taking it to be plugged tomorrow. My guess is he is 8-9 years old.


Absolutely a beautiful ram. Congrats. I can't tell what's hidden under the wrap, but he looks 7.5-8.5 from what I can see.

That's just about a perfect desert bighorn. Great job.

EDIT: Now it looks to me like 8.5-9.5... so hard to tell. Congrats again.


----------



## ridgetop

I'm guessing 8.5.


----------



## CPAjeff

Those battle scars are incredible! Seriously man, thanks for taking us along in this journey - the fall y’all have had may be very tough to beat!


----------



## Packout

This is a stud ram-- I guessed him 8-9, but his rings are really worn and he is broomed hard so it is difficult to tell. Huge bases, heavy-- just a great ram and a great story. Congrats again.


----------



## jonesthenewbs

Wow what a trophy! Congrats!


----------



## PBH

impressive!!

Those pictures in that setting are awesome -- I sure hope you took a few more pics at the kill site prior to it getting dark. All the other pics of the ram are great but those pics showing the country in the background are awesome!

what memories!


----------



## bowhunt3r4l1f3

WOW! :shock: Talk about the hunt of a lifetime! Congrats, glad to hear you guys tagged out and made it home safe after the vehicle scare.


----------



## goofy elk

Fantastic ram!
He's been involved in some serious head butting! 

I'd say the age guess at 8 to 9 are spot on.

Congrats


----------



## middlefork

Beautiful! What a great adventure. Thanks for taking us along. Glad everyone was alright with the wreck.


----------



## brisket

*7.5*

They aged him at 7.5, but "The guy didn't really know what he was doing" so it's not a definitive result. The guy plugging the ram said he was going to send a picture to the biologist to get a second opinion, but forgot to do so.


----------



## ridgetop

Any measurements, like bass circumstances and length of horns?


----------



## Longgun

What a fantastic story, happy to hear of the success and that everyone is ok. 

Thanks a ton for taking the time to share the adventure with us.


----------



## ridgetop

Brisket, I sent you a PM.


----------



## brisket

ridgetop said:


> Brisket, I sent you a PM.


Replied.


----------



## brisket

*Shoulder mount is done!*

I finally got my first good view of the ram tonight thanks to Packout. He did an excellent job bringing him back to life.


----------



## MWScott72

Congrats on a well-earned and stud of a ram! Glad that everyone was safe after the doe took on the truck/trailer combo. I think 9.5 years is right. That growth ring between 5-6 is pretty worn, but there. Must have been a lean year for him that year. Just out of curiosity, what did they score him at? That brooming and his flare are impressive.


----------



## brisket

MWScott72 said:


> Congrats on a well-earned and stud of a ram! Glad that everyone was safe after the doe took on the truck/trailer combo. I think 9.5 years is right. That growth ring between 5-6 is pretty worn, but there. Must have been a lean year for him that year. Just out of curiosity, what did they score him at? That brooming and his flare are impressive.


Thanks! It was the hunt of a lifetime for sure. I can't remember if he got an official score or not from the wildlife division when he took him in to get plugged, I'll see what I can find out. My guess is he's in the 160-165 range, but we've never taped him out.

I honestly am not worried what he scores though, he's a fantastic ram, and it was by far the best hunt I've ever been on. We talk often about how incredible the experience this was and how much we miss it. Only sad that we likely won't ever have the opportinity again.

If anyone draws desert bighorn and is looking for company, I'd love to help out.


----------



## brisket

*Nostalgic*

Feeling nostalgic tonight, I was going through some photos and came across this one. It was from the last couple packages of the 2017 Sportsman Desert Bighorn ram my brother shared with me December of 2018. It was delicious to say the least. Marinated and seasoned backstrap or tenderloin kebabs cooked medium rare is one of my favorite ways to enjoy wild game. I'd rank this just below bison and slightly above pronghorn on my wild game ranking list.










My personal favorite list is as follows:


Bison
Desert Bighorn
Pronghorn
Elk
Deer


----------



## RandomElk16

I liked it because you are enjoying some Ram... I wanted to unlike it when I saw Pronghorn above Elk.


Thanks for bringing this thread back to the surface. Still an awesome story!


----------



## brisket

RandomElk16 said:


> I liked it because you are enjoying some Ram... I wanted to unlike it when I saw Pronghorn above Elk.


Ha! I love me some pronghorn. To be fair, elk was 2nd on my list, but the bison has been ridiculously tasty so that took first place and then desert bighorn slid in there too. Get the pronghorn on ice fast and it's awesome.


----------



## DallanC

RandomElk16 said:


> I wanted to unlike it when I saw Pronghorn above Elk.


Hells no. I'll take properly cared for Pronghorn over elk always... x100. Dry aged pronghorn loin... mouth watering. I am sick... absolutely sick of elk meat. I even let a private property cow tag go unfilled last year.

When I hear people dont like pronghorn, I immediately suspect lack of proper care. The meat has to be on ice within 20-30 min... at most. I wont even shoot at a goat if I cant get it to an ice chest within that scope of time. Our routine is shoot a goat, get over to it ASAP, take a few minutes to shoot some pictures, cape then cut all 4 quarters off, split out the loins, cut out the tendeloins, grab neck meat then haul ass for the truck as fast as we can go.

Good pronghorn taken care off? Its a delicious and slightly sweet meat. My 2nd favorite wild game meat (after Dove)

-DallanC


----------



## Critter

There should be a class for the proper care of game meat. 

I just get sick when I watch someone driving around or headed home with a deer carcass out in the open, hide on, in a cloud of dust. Then they wonder why the meat taste like sh17. 

I agree with what to do with a pronghorn. Get the skin off of it as soon as possible and then clean up the meat, get all the hairs that are on it and take some water and wash it off. Then get it on ice which usually means that you have to at least quarter it to get it into a cooler. 

One of the best pronghorns that I have ever ate was shot just before dark. We had him cleaned and the skin off within 10 minutes of shooting him and had him hung up in a tree. We separated the shoulders and hams and let him hang there overnight since the temperatures were going to be quite chilly. Then the next morning before the sun even came over the far ridge he was in a cooler with milk jugs of ice and then off to home to cut him up. Very tasty.


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## jason21

Ive never tried pronghorn, always heard it tasted like rear end, but im going to help a buddy out with a NM unit 16 Proghorn hunt in a few weeks and im excited to get to try some steaks over an open fire while out there. +1 on the proper care, some people literally skirt the wanton waste laws in my opinion by dealing with their animals so poorly, i hate when people dont respect their game


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## RandomElk16

Ok guys- I know the pronghorn procedure. It's not a lack of proper care that has me feeling this way. Put that same care into elk, and I PERSONALLY think it tastes better. 

Now- don't take all the super fast processing steps with pronghorn and elk, and elk will still taste better. I never said anything beyond elk being higher on the list, zero negative words (don't like, gross, etc...)


Now, if you said whitetail, red stag, or some other animal that eats high quality good food that's typically green.... I would be ok with it. Moose too


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## callofthewild

the only problem i have with pronghorn is they are way too small. so you don't get enough meat off of them. i say this because as of now i have not found a wild animal that i enjoy eating more. that is as of yet i have not tried them all. it is all a personal preference. don't get me wrong i enjoy a good elk, mule deer, or bison steak. but i will gladly let you all have the elk tags each year if i could get a pronghorn tag each year.


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## brisket

*$239.98/lb*

One more quick thought. If you add up the expenses of this hunt (tag fee, binoculars, spotters, tripods, scope, ammo, bipod, gasoline, food, Airbnb stays, shoulder mount, frozen yogurt and cheese curds from the Finney Farm shack in Hildale, etc.) and divide by the pounds of meat from that ram, I estimate it was somewhere around *$239.98 per pound*. Probably the most expensive meat I'll ever eat!

#worthit


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## Critter

brisket said:


> One more quick thought. If you add up the expenses of this hunt (tag fee, binoculars, spotters, tripods, scope, ammo, bipod, gasoline, food, Airbnb stays, shoulder mount, frozen yogurt and cheese curds from the Finney Farm shack in Hildale, etc.) and divide by the pounds of meat from that ram, I estimate it was somewhere around *$239.98 per pound*. Probably the most expensive meat I'll ever eat!
> 
> #worthit


And you would do it again in a heart beat.


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## Raptorman

brisket said:


> One more quick thought. If you add up the expenses of this hunt (tag fee, binoculars, spotters, tripods, scope, ammo, bipod, gasoline, food, Airbnb stays, shoulder mount, frozen yogurt and cheese curds from the Finney Farm shack in Hildale, etc.) and divide by the pounds of meat from that ram, I estimate it was somewhere around *$239.98 per pound*. Probably the most expensive meat I'll ever eat!
> 
> #worthit


Please do not share this info with my wife!


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## brisket

Raptorman said:


> Please do not share this info with my wife!


I won't tell your wife, if you don't tell mine. :grin:


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## Raptorman

brisket said:


> I won't tell your wife, if you don't tell mine. :grin:


Deal!


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