Sorry for the delay in getting the pics up, y'all. We're at the lake, and the internet connection here is really slow. At any rate......
It goes without saying that we had an incredible hunt this week. It was truly the experience of a lifetime for me. Desert bighorn sheep in beautiful country in TEXAS with my son....it just doesn't get any better than that.
We left Abilene on Monday morning heading west to Van Horn.
Our hunt location is about 25 miles north of I-10. It took about an hour and a half to get there from the interstate on the dirt roads. They had about 8" of rain in the week before we got there, and the roads were washed out in lots of places. Water was still running across the road in a few places. It was 95 degrees when we went through Odessa, but it was only 77 when we got to our destination. NICE.
There were lots of Texas Parks & Wildlife biologists and other folks there. Everyone was great. They treated Zach and I like royalty.
I fired a couple of shots to make sure my rifle was still shooting straight. It was. I was shooting a Weatherby Mark V in 7mm Wby. Mag pushing 140-grain Nosler AccuBonds.
We got to stay in a room in the nice new lodge on the ranch we were staying at while the TPWD guys stayed in bunk beds in an old hunting cabin. We had A/C. They had fans. I felt bad about that, as they were cooking and scouting and doing all the work. But it kinda evened out that first night. The new lodge is about 7 years old. So were the smoke alarms. They started going off at midnight that first night. They were hard-wired, so I couldn't get mine disabled. It went off every 15 minutes all night until 4am when I finally decided I'd go ahead and tear it apart. I hated to tear up anything, but I needed sleep. I figured I'd pay for a new one, so I ripped the lid and speaker off of it and slept for an hour and a half until it was time to get going.
We headed out about daylight to begin our hunt. It was really beautiful country.
But then we got to the rim of the canyon. OH. MY. GOODNESS. Breathtaking.
Our guide, Clay Roberts, set us up to glass. We saw lots of sheep down in the canyon, but no shooter rams....yet.
We spent all day walking and glassing from the rim. We saw lots of sheep, but no shooter rams. The sheep that we did see were WAY off down into the roughest parts of the canyon, and they were completely inaccessible to us and too far to shoot at anyway. A couple weeks earlier, the sheep were hanging out on top where we were. That's where the only water was. But the recent rain put water everywhere, and the sheep moved into the rough country where they feel most at home. I was kinda worried about my hunt, to be honest.
We saw some other interesting critters along the way. This blacktail rattlesnake was curled up under the rock we were sitting on.
As we were glassing from the rattlesnake's rock, some of the other guys were glassing from other areas around the canyon. A couple of them spotted a couple of big rams up in a box canyon to our south a mile or two. The sheep were content there, and the guys figured they would still be there the next morning. We headed back to camp and ate supper and made plans for the next day.
Oh....food. One of the TPWD guys, Travis, did all the cooking. I have NEVER had such good food in a hunting camp. Every meal was just incredible. I can't say enough about the food. I am planning to find a way to get on the same deer lease with Travis somehow.
Back to the hunt... The plan was that some of the other guys would set up high on the rim where they could see the box canyon where the big rams had been seen the day before. Clay, Zach and I along with a couple other guys would go to the head of the trail that leads down into the canyon across from where the sheep were (hopefully). We started the hike in at daylight.
We hiked up a hill, down a canyon, up the other side, and then we were on the rim of the big canyon across from the spot where the rams were the day before. It was probably about a mile across to where they were. As it got light, we spotted the sheep over there. The big rams were still there, and they were still very content. Just milling around eating, laying down, butting heads, sniffing ewes, eating..... They were on a STEEP rock slide at the base of some huge cliffs.
To get to them, we'd have to hike down to the bottom of the main canyon and then climb up the box canyon to our left where the sheep were. No sense burning anymore daylight, so Clay, Zach and I started down the trail they call Indian Trail.
Our stalk began from the top left of this photo. We hiked down Indian Trail to the bottom of the canyon, and then we climbed up the canyon on the right side of this photo to where the sheep were.
The sheep were on the rock slide on the upper left of this pic, right under the cliffs....
There were three rock "fingers" running down the slope between us and the sheep, and we used those as cover to get close. We ended up here, at the base of the last row of rock outcroppings. Clay climbed up behind the ocotillo at the top and peered over onto the slope above us. The sheep were all still there - ewes, lambs, young rams, and the two big rams. So I climbed up and set up shop under the ocotillo. The rock ledges weren't very big, so it was difficult to get the shooting sticks set up. The big rams were staying right next to each other anyway, so it was about 20 minutes before I got a clear shot at the ram Clay picked out anyway. The big one kept picking on the other one we called Splnter. He'd butt him every time Splinter would lay down. If Splinter stood up, Big Boy would kick him in the nuts. It was funny watching them.
Our view (this was taken after the shot, so the sheep are gone)....
Zach climbed up and hung on to the rocks behind Clay and I so he could video. I don't know how he did it, but he actually got some decent footage. He perched himself on some tiny little footholds with cactus poking him, and he hung on for 20 minutes. It was shaky, and Clay and I and the ocotillo were constantly getting in his way, but he got some good stuff. I'll edit that and post sometime later.
Meanwhile, the sheep were milling around, eating, laying down, messing with each other...... Finally the big sheep separated. Big Boy was laying down when Splinter got up and walked about 20 yards to the left. Big Boy couldn't stand it, so he got up to go pick on Splinter again. Mistake.
He walked into the clear as he was posturing. When he came to a stop 197 yards above me, I put the crosshairs on his shoulder/heart and squeezed the trigger. Big Boy dropped in his tracks and slid down the steep rockslide about 10 yards. Somehow he came to a stop before sliding all the way down - thankfully. It was 10:35 am.
Now all we had to do was skin the ram, quarter him, load him up and go back up Indian Trail over that little saddle on the rim across the canyon.
Long story short, we did all that. Several of the other guys made their way to us after the shot to help. Clay carried the head, which weighed at least 50-60 pounds. Once he had that added to his pack, I could almost keep up with him. That dude is in sheep shape. I was close, but not quite. There's just no way to workout for an hour a day and be ready to climb for 10 hours. You have to spend lots of time going up and down those mountains to get in that kind of shape.....well.....or you can be a 16 year old athlete. That works too, apparently.
About halfway out, Clay stepped on a rock and rolled his ankle bad. They radioed one of the other guys, and he came down and took Clay's pack. Clay could barely put any weight on his ankle, but he still beat me to the top. I had to stop and rest a lot going up the long and steep Indian Trail.
We made it to the top of Indian Trail, and then we just had to drop down in a small drainage, up the other side and back down again to the pickups. It was about 5:00 pm when we got back. LONG hike out, but AWESOME.
I took the infamous tailgate pic, and then we headed back to camp.
This was the hunt of a lifetime in every way. Great weather, great people, beautiful country in TEXAS, desert freaking bighorn sheep, and with my son. I don't know how it could have been better. I can't say enough good about all the TPWD folks, the landowners and everybody. Oh, and I got to meet Jimbo Bean in person finally. What a nice guy. Also Bo Morgan was there. He is a sheep guide from Arizona that guides all over the country. He came and helped scout. Another new friend and all around great guy.
I was so humbled by the whole experience. I thank God for the opportunity. Zach and I will remember this hunt for the rest of our lives. What a blessing!
And now here are the good LDPs.....
Oh, and the ram was aged at 9 yrs old. He grossed 165 4/8 and netted 164 6/8. 31" curls with 15" bases. Not quite Boone & Crockett (168" minimum), but I couldn't be more happy with him no matter what the score was.
It goes without saying that we had an incredible hunt this week. It was truly the experience of a lifetime for me. Desert bighorn sheep in beautiful country in TEXAS with my son....it just doesn't get any better than that.
We left Abilene on Monday morning heading west to Van Horn.
Our hunt location is about 25 miles north of I-10. It took about an hour and a half to get there from the interstate on the dirt roads. They had about 8" of rain in the week before we got there, and the roads were washed out in lots of places. Water was still running across the road in a few places. It was 95 degrees when we went through Odessa, but it was only 77 when we got to our destination. NICE.
There were lots of Texas Parks & Wildlife biologists and other folks there. Everyone was great. They treated Zach and I like royalty.
I fired a couple of shots to make sure my rifle was still shooting straight. It was. I was shooting a Weatherby Mark V in 7mm Wby. Mag pushing 140-grain Nosler AccuBonds.
We got to stay in a room in the nice new lodge on the ranch we were staying at while the TPWD guys stayed in bunk beds in an old hunting cabin. We had A/C. They had fans. I felt bad about that, as they were cooking and scouting and doing all the work. But it kinda evened out that first night. The new lodge is about 7 years old. So were the smoke alarms. They started going off at midnight that first night. They were hard-wired, so I couldn't get mine disabled. It went off every 15 minutes all night until 4am when I finally decided I'd go ahead and tear it apart. I hated to tear up anything, but I needed sleep. I figured I'd pay for a new one, so I ripped the lid and speaker off of it and slept for an hour and a half until it was time to get going.
We headed out about daylight to begin our hunt. It was really beautiful country.
But then we got to the rim of the canyon. OH. MY. GOODNESS. Breathtaking.
Our guide, Clay Roberts, set us up to glass. We saw lots of sheep down in the canyon, but no shooter rams....yet.
We spent all day walking and glassing from the rim. We saw lots of sheep, but no shooter rams. The sheep that we did see were WAY off down into the roughest parts of the canyon, and they were completely inaccessible to us and too far to shoot at anyway. A couple weeks earlier, the sheep were hanging out on top where we were. That's where the only water was. But the recent rain put water everywhere, and the sheep moved into the rough country where they feel most at home. I was kinda worried about my hunt, to be honest.
We saw some other interesting critters along the way. This blacktail rattlesnake was curled up under the rock we were sitting on.
As we were glassing from the rattlesnake's rock, some of the other guys were glassing from other areas around the canyon. A couple of them spotted a couple of big rams up in a box canyon to our south a mile or two. The sheep were content there, and the guys figured they would still be there the next morning. We headed back to camp and ate supper and made plans for the next day.
Oh....food. One of the TPWD guys, Travis, did all the cooking. I have NEVER had such good food in a hunting camp. Every meal was just incredible. I can't say enough about the food. I am planning to find a way to get on the same deer lease with Travis somehow.
Back to the hunt... The plan was that some of the other guys would set up high on the rim where they could see the box canyon where the big rams had been seen the day before. Clay, Zach and I along with a couple other guys would go to the head of the trail that leads down into the canyon across from where the sheep were (hopefully). We started the hike in at daylight.
We hiked up a hill, down a canyon, up the other side, and then we were on the rim of the big canyon across from the spot where the rams were the day before. It was probably about a mile across to where they were. As it got light, we spotted the sheep over there. The big rams were still there, and they were still very content. Just milling around eating, laying down, butting heads, sniffing ewes, eating..... They were on a STEEP rock slide at the base of some huge cliffs.
To get to them, we'd have to hike down to the bottom of the main canyon and then climb up the box canyon to our left where the sheep were. No sense burning anymore daylight, so Clay, Zach and I started down the trail they call Indian Trail.
Our stalk began from the top left of this photo. We hiked down Indian Trail to the bottom of the canyon, and then we climbed up the canyon on the right side of this photo to where the sheep were.
The sheep were on the rock slide on the upper left of this pic, right under the cliffs....
There were three rock "fingers" running down the slope between us and the sheep, and we used those as cover to get close. We ended up here, at the base of the last row of rock outcroppings. Clay climbed up behind the ocotillo at the top and peered over onto the slope above us. The sheep were all still there - ewes, lambs, young rams, and the two big rams. So I climbed up and set up shop under the ocotillo. The rock ledges weren't very big, so it was difficult to get the shooting sticks set up. The big rams were staying right next to each other anyway, so it was about 20 minutes before I got a clear shot at the ram Clay picked out anyway. The big one kept picking on the other one we called Splnter. He'd butt him every time Splinter would lay down. If Splinter stood up, Big Boy would kick him in the nuts. It was funny watching them.
Our view (this was taken after the shot, so the sheep are gone)....
Zach climbed up and hung on to the rocks behind Clay and I so he could video. I don't know how he did it, but he actually got some decent footage. He perched himself on some tiny little footholds with cactus poking him, and he hung on for 20 minutes. It was shaky, and Clay and I and the ocotillo were constantly getting in his way, but he got some good stuff. I'll edit that and post sometime later.
Meanwhile, the sheep were milling around, eating, laying down, messing with each other...... Finally the big sheep separated. Big Boy was laying down when Splinter got up and walked about 20 yards to the left. Big Boy couldn't stand it, so he got up to go pick on Splinter again. Mistake.
He walked into the clear as he was posturing. When he came to a stop 197 yards above me, I put the crosshairs on his shoulder/heart and squeezed the trigger. Big Boy dropped in his tracks and slid down the steep rockslide about 10 yards. Somehow he came to a stop before sliding all the way down - thankfully. It was 10:35 am.
Now all we had to do was skin the ram, quarter him, load him up and go back up Indian Trail over that little saddle on the rim across the canyon.
Long story short, we did all that. Several of the other guys made their way to us after the shot to help. Clay carried the head, which weighed at least 50-60 pounds. Once he had that added to his pack, I could almost keep up with him. That dude is in sheep shape. I was close, but not quite. There's just no way to workout for an hour a day and be ready to climb for 10 hours. You have to spend lots of time going up and down those mountains to get in that kind of shape.....well.....or you can be a 16 year old athlete. That works too, apparently.
About halfway out, Clay stepped on a rock and rolled his ankle bad. They radioed one of the other guys, and he came down and took Clay's pack. Clay could barely put any weight on his ankle, but he still beat me to the top. I had to stop and rest a lot going up the long and steep Indian Trail.
We made it to the top of Indian Trail, and then we just had to drop down in a small drainage, up the other side and back down again to the pickups. It was about 5:00 pm when we got back. LONG hike out, but AWESOME.
I took the infamous tailgate pic, and then we headed back to camp.
This was the hunt of a lifetime in every way. Great weather, great people, beautiful country in TEXAS, desert freaking bighorn sheep, and with my son. I don't know how it could have been better. I can't say enough good about all the TPWD folks, the landowners and everybody. Oh, and I got to meet Jimbo Bean in person finally. What a nice guy. Also Bo Morgan was there. He is a sheep guide from Arizona that guides all over the country. He came and helped scout. Another new friend and all around great guy.
I was so humbled by the whole experience. I thank God for the opportunity. Zach and I will remember this hunt for the rest of our lives. What a blessing!
And now here are the good LDPs.....
Oh, and the ram was aged at 9 yrs old. He grossed 165 4/8 and netted 164 6/8. 31" curls with 15" bases. Not quite Boone & Crockett (168" minimum), but I couldn't be more happy with him no matter what the score was.
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