Fantastic score!! Good for you.View attachment 123583
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Filled my tag yesterday. Appreciate the encouragement from many on here. Good luck and happy hunting to all those that still have hunts coming up!
Congratulations! What an awesome Ram!View attachment 123583
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Filled my tag yesterday. Appreciate the encouragement from many on here. Good luck and happy hunting to all those that still have hunts coming up!
Congratulations on a beautiful ram! It is pretty special being able to spend time watching these amazing animals. I'm hooked after my hunt for sure!Filled my Nevada Desert Bighorn tag yesterday. Looked over a lot of Rams over the last few months and didn't see anything bigger in my unit so I decided to pull the trigger on this guy. I'm happy with him and happy it's over. Pretty sore from the pack out. He was a big bodied ram and it was steep rocky terrain. So grateful for all the help and support from my friend Lydia. Two ladies getting it done!
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Thank you and I agree. It was awesome watching them and studying their behavior. Will probably move on to photography for them as I will most likely never get another tag.Congratulations on a beautiful ram! It is pretty special being able to spend time watching these amazing animals. I'm hooked after my hunt for sure!
Congratulations!!! Awesome trophy.Filled my Nevada Desert Bighorn tag yesterday. Looked over a lot of Rams over the last few months and didn't see anything bigger in my unit so I decided to pull the trigger on this guy. I'm happy with him and happy it's over. Pretty sore from the pack out. He was a big bodied ram and it was steep rocky terrain. So grateful for all the help and support from my friend Lydia. Two ladies getting it done!
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Thanks! Unit 184.Great ram, Owyhee! What unit did you hunt?
Thank you!Congratulations!!! Awesome trophy.
Thanks!Awesome job Owyhee
Thanks!That is a great ram Owyhee…..good job
Thanks Horniac. This hunt will definitely be among my favorite memories.Congratulations on a fine NV ram!
Glad you were able to take your time looking over lots of sheep and being able to take it all in enjoying the hunt given the rarity of the tag…
Horniac
Incredible report Owyhee! For sure that is a special ram. He looks old for a Nevada sheep and he's way better than average!Filled my Nevada Desert Bighorn tag yesterday. Looked over a lot of Rams over the last few months and didn't see anything bigger in my unit so I decided to pull the trigger on this guy. I'm happy with him and happy it's over. Pretty sore from the pack out. He was a big bodied ram and it was steep rocky terrain. So grateful for all the help and support from my friend Lydia. Two ladies getting it done!
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Thanks easy_money. We sure had fun!Owyhee, you and your friend Lydia accomplished something awesome there. Congratulations on a great hunt and a great ram!
Absolutely no need to second guess anything about your ram or your hunt and shooting him in steep terrain only adds to the adventure.Thanks littlebighorn. I appreciate the positive comments. You second guess yourself after the shot is taken and I'm no sheep expert so thanks!
Great ram? Is that 267?View attachment 123583
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Filled my tag yesterday. Appreciate the encouragement from many on here. Good luck and happy hunting to all those that still have hunts coming up!
That's a giant for that area!!! CongratsView attachment 123583
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Filled my tag yesterday. Appreciate the encouragement from many on here. Good luck and happy hunting to all those that still have hunts coming up!
Thanks! Good luck on your sheep hunt!Ya done just fine Miss.
Congrats
Robb
Spent 3 weeks hunting 253 with my brother in law last year! I'M JEALOUS to say the least!Heck yeah, awesome ram. Nov 20 I’ll be chasing one down in 253
ThanksGreat write up and a great ram...congrats
Really appreciate all the help you gave me.So happy for you maddog.
Despite lots of obstacles you persevered.
It appears to me you had a perfect sheep hunt with an absolute perfect ending. Congratulations my friend.
Thank you Bruce for all the help along the way, it really helped a lotCongrats on your Ram. A great read, thanks for taking Us slong on the hunt ... Bruce & SilverGrand
Hope you are at least seeing Rams Syncerus.Having just returned from 7 tough days, I can feel your pain, literally! The success was sweet and you literally have a trophy of a lifetime! Congratulations on keeping on task. We go back in a few weeks for another go, God willing! Beautiful critter...
Good luck when you go back. It truly is one incredible hunt. Enjoy the hunt and you’ll know when you see the right one.Having just returned from 7 tough days, I can feel your pain, literally! The success was sweet and you literally have a trophy of a lifetime! Congratulations on keeping on task. We go back in a few weeks for another go, God willing! Beautiful critter...
Being tag rich can be a burden. It seems you have already used up a lot of mental hunting strength so I'd say just go have fun with whatever you have left. I think there is nothing wrong with the pictured ram here. He has very good base mass and while he's not a giant, he's a very good desert ram. I could see you shooting him or passing him depending on how much hunt you have left in the tank. That said, don't second guess any of it. Just go have fun. Good luck.If any are interested please see my post regarding Part 1 of my Nevada desert Bighorn hunt with some good photos for you to look at, judge, comment, and feel free to offer your thoughts on size and why I'm an idiot and didn't try to seal the deal...
View attachment 127452All good things come to those... | 2023 Hunt Adventures
Well, after the better part of four and a half decades, I have hit the lotto. Multiple State Game and Fish lotteries have verified I am, at last, a winner! Quite a shock for a fat, old, cranky man. Notices began pinging the email account in early May. Simultaneously I was forced into a mandatory...www.monstermuleys.info
I love the family pic. Congrats again maddog.
GREAT RAM, one of the best pics of the year
ThanksGREAT RAM, one of the best pics of the year
They should probably recover that head. Based on what I’ve run across that would be the oldest desert bighorn ever recorded. They pretty much die when they hit 12-13yr old, to reach 14 is almost unheard of and 99% of them will never reach 10-12, especially in NV. Best I can find online is a ewe that was 17 but rams and ewes are totally different on the herd structure. I shot a rocky in CO and the biologist said he was 99% sure he was 14 from his annuli but said he was gonna write down 13 as he said there’s no way anyone would ever believe that a ram would make it to 14.LBH, we saw very few mature rams. 3 to be precise. I passed on a 158-160 @ 505 yards, and a beautiful dark colored ram 161-162 @ 400 yards. Hoping to find something like a guy in the field picked up, a true 168-170 dead head... Wow, just wow... he was a spotter for some other hunter and found a ram of a lifetime... wide, flaring, 16" bases... and to top it off he was all of 18 years old... he was told to put it back, take pictures and gps co-ordinates, and report to NDOW.
Awesome picture.Sun sets on an old warriorView attachment 128071
I think he was saying the kid that found it was 18……surely no one would claim the ram was 18They should probably recover that head. Based on what I’ve run across that would be the oldest desert bighorn ever recorded. They pretty much die when they hit 12-13yr old, to reach 14 is almost unheard of and 99% of them will never reach 10-12, especially in NV. Best I can find online is a ewe that was 17 but rams and ewes are totally different on the herd structure. I shot a rocky in CO and the biologist said he was 99% sure he was 14 from his annuli but said he was gonna write down 13 as he said there’s no way anyone would ever believe that a ram would make it to 14.
. Well now I feel like an idiot. Thanks for clarifying.I think he was saying the kid that found it was 18……surely no one would claim the ram was 18
Nice ram, congratsView attachment 128420View attachment 128419View attachment 128421
This hunt starts as anyone else does; getting that credit card hit in May as over 1/3 of the state of Nevada waits impatiently for their tag results. It is one of the most agonizing time any sportsman experiences in a lottery draw system like Nevada. I grew up in a hunting family luckily as my dad (Les Brooks) used to take me chukar hunting along with him at a very young age. Things I will never forget growing up. When I turned 12, getting that deer tag was lottery in itself as there wasn't Junior tags available when I was growing up, so we were thrown into the mix with every other hunter. I was able to successfully tag 2 small mule deer growing up in Battle Mountain. My step dad (Ed Naveran) gave me the Bighorn bug when I was 10 when he drew his first tag for the Mormon Mountains of Southern Nevada as well as a Rocky Mountain Goat that year as well both taken successfully and in the Boone and Crockett club. As I got older, my step dad put me in for Nelson Desert Bighorn to acquire points as I got older. Unfortunately, when I went into the Navy, I lost my points as I did not continue to apply and learned the hard way when it comes to the rules of applying for points. I lost out on approximately 15 points until I realized how the system worked. After 11 more points and impatiently waiting for the elusive Bighorn tag, to my surprise my credit card was finally hit. At that point, it was either an Elk or Bighorn tag, so I was stoked either way. Upon learning that it was a Nelson Bighorn, I was ecstatic! My favorite animal and now an adventure starts. Of course, I knew very little of the area I drew and learned quickly that 283/284 Sheep Range in the Desert Wildlife Refuge was going to be a huge challenge! This summer was booked up with other adventures including my son being married in Georgia. He currently serves in the U.S. Navy on a Helo Squadron in Atsugi, Japan. My first opportunity to scout failed miserably as a remarkable rain storm completely washed everything out Labor Day weekend. That held off any scouting for at least a month as areas were repaired in the refuge. I also was lucky enough draw my first late Mule Deer Buck Tag in area 7 and 091. I was going to take advantage of that as well and came up successful for my first Mule Deer in 24 years! After the deer hunt, it was time to focus purely on the Sheep. Trying to plan around work and help was a challenge as most of my vacation was used up in the summer for all the activities. Once I got my vacation time set, now it was time to scout. I was able to scout for two weekends getting to know the area and found small rams and a few ewes in that time, but was not discouraged yet as I was going to have my uncle Jim Naveran and his buddy Jay as well as my step dad Ed Naveran as my hunting party. The hunt started Thanksgiving Day and we spread out looking at different areas to cover as much ground as possible. This area is extremely difficult with limited access and extreme terrain. First day, only ewes and lambs were found and very little sign of activity in the areas we looked over. Day 2 was much of the same as we covered many miles and rough roads with very little success in finding sheep, but it was our 2nd consecutive day finding sheep. Day 3 glassing and finding some ewes again, but still no rams. We decided to move camp over to the Maynard Hills and try our luck there and we found more ewes than previously, but the outlook was better. Day 4 was more glassing and finally I decided to go on a 4 mile hike to get a better vantage point and find a route to a guzzler that did not require cliff climbs or descents. The wind was miserable in the morning and caused for a little bit of concern while glassing, but wasn't detrimental. There wasn't enough time in the day to continue my climb, so decided to report on it and make a plan for day 5. We regrouped at camp and My uncle Jimmy found a large group of Ewes and 2 small rams which added more enthusiasm as we continued to see more and more sheep each day. My uncle mentioned that we are due to see mature rams with the amount of ewes that were found so far. With the possibility of moving to the southwest part of the unit, we decided to split up and look over the Maynard Hills one more time. So, day 5 turned out to be colder and more windy than the day before, but that did not deter us from glassing hard. My dad and I went north and began glassing over the Maynards once again. We were there for over an hour with light setting in. No luck as I set up out of the wind and set up the spotting scope. My dad moved around to my side as well to get out of the wind. We were seeing nothing at this time, so was getting discouraged once again. I turned and asked if we needed to move south and look at another spot. My dad threw up his binoculars to get the strain out of his eyes from looking through the spotting scope and no sooner he did that, he saw some sheep moving up from the bottoms directly in front of us about 700-800 yards in front. I looked through the scope and saw 1 mature ram. Then 2! There was a 3rd and finally a 4th! I stayed to watch them while my dad goes to look for Jimmy and Jay so they can get a look at them and an idea on which ones to pursue. The Rams were spotted at 0715 November 27. The Rams were out of site so the plan was to use the wind, cut some distance and get to a good position. My uncle and I had the radio's and were guided into where they moved to bed down. We came out right on the perfect spot with very little elevation difference for a shot. With just my uncle and I on the mountain, he proceeded to coach me on staying out of site, getting composure and a great rest to make a shot. The two great rams were easily seen at 250 yards bedded down. I had a great shot at one facing right at me, but just before was to choose one, my uncle whispers to me, "choose whichever one you want, but I really like the one on the right." I told him, "ok, ready Jim!" I touched on the trigger and shot right over top. I was definitely having fever, so I regained composure and hit him on the 2nd shot. 3rd and 4th missed, but they did not move far. Had to reassess the rams and so I took aim one last time and dropped him! Best experience I ever had. My uncle got to see his 49th Ram drop and his second in a week as he helped another group on another hunt. Thank you to my family for the support and patience and Jim, Ed and Jay going on this hunt and making this a chance of a lifetime! 2 animals down in one year was incredible!
Fantastic Battleborn.View attachment 128420View attachment 128419View attachment 128421
This hunt starts as anyone else does; getting that credit card hit in May as over 1/3 of the state of Nevada waits impatiently for their tag results. It is one of the most agonizing time any sportsman experiences in a lottery draw system like Nevada. I grew up in a hunting family luckily as my dad (Les Brooks) used to take me chukar hunting along with him at a very young age. Things I will never forget growing up. When I turned 12, getting that deer tag was lottery in itself as there wasn't Junior tags available when I was growing up, so we were thrown into the mix with every other hunter. I was able to successfully tag 2 small mule deer growing up in Battle Mountain. My step dad (Ed Naveran) gave me the Bighorn bug when I was 10 when he drew his first tag for the Mormon Mountains of Southern Nevada as well as a Rocky Mountain Goat that year as well both taken successfully and in the Boone and Crockett club. As I got older, my step dad put me in for Nelson Desert Bighorn to acquire points as I got older. Unfortunately, when I went into the Navy, I lost my points as I did not continue to apply and learned the hard way when it comes to the rules of applying for points. I lost out on approximately 15 points until I realized how the system worked. After 11 more points and impatiently waiting for the elusive Bighorn tag, to my surprise my credit card was finally hit. At that point, it was either an Elk or Bighorn tag, so I was stoked either way. Upon learning that it was a Nelson Bighorn, I was ecstatic! My favorite animal and now an adventure starts. Of course, I knew very little of the area I drew and learned quickly that 283/284 Sheep Range in the Desert Wildlife Refuge was going to be a huge challenge! This summer was booked up with other adventures including my son being married in Georgia. He currently serves in the U.S. Navy on a Helo Squadron in Atsugi, Japan. My first opportunity to scout failed miserably as a remarkable rain storm completely washed everything out Labor Day weekend. That held off any scouting for at least a month as areas were repaired in the refuge. I also was lucky enough draw my first late Mule Deer Buck Tag in area 7 and 091. I was going to take advantage of that as well and came up successful for my first Mule Deer in 24 years! After the deer hunt, it was time to focus purely on the Sheep. Trying to plan around work and help was a challenge as most of my vacation was used up in the summer for all the activities. Once I got my vacation time set, now it was time to scout. I was able to scout for two weekends getting to know the area and found small rams and a few ewes in that time, but was not discouraged yet as I was going to have my uncle Jim Naveran and his buddy Jay as well as my step dad Ed Naveran as my hunting party. The hunt started Thanksgiving Day and we spread out looking at different areas to cover as much ground as possible. This area is extremely difficult with limited access and extreme terrain. First day, only ewes and lambs were found and very little sign of activity in the areas we looked over. Day 2 was much of the same as we covered many miles and rough roads with very little success in finding sheep, but it was our 2nd consecutive day finding sheep. Day 3 glassing and finding some ewes again, but still no rams. We decided to move camp over to the Maynard Hills and try our luck there and we found more ewes than previously, but the outlook was better. Day 4 was more glassing and finally I decided to go on a 4 mile hike to get a better vantage point and find a route to a guzzler that did not require cliff climbs or descents. The wind was miserable in the morning and caused for a little bit of concern while glassing, but wasn't detrimental. There wasn't enough time in the day to continue my climb, so decided to report on it and make a plan for day 5. We regrouped at camp and My uncle Jimmy found a large group of Ewes and 2 small rams which added more enthusiasm as we continued to see more and more sheep each day. My uncle mentioned that we are due to see mature rams with the amount of ewes that were found so far. With the possibility of moving to the southwest part of the unit, we decided to split up and look over the Maynard Hills one more time. So, day 5 turned out to be colder and more windy than the day before, but that did not deter us from glassing hard. My dad and I went north and began glassing over the Maynards once again. We were there for over an hour with light setting in. No luck as I set up out of the wind and set up the spotting scope. My dad moved around to my side as well to get out of the wind. We were seeing nothing at this time, so was getting discouraged once again. I turned and asked if we needed to move south and look at another spot. My dad threw up his binoculars to get the strain out of his eyes from looking through the spotting scope and no sooner he did that, he saw some sheep moving up from the bottoms directly in front of us about 700-800 yards in front. I looked through the scope and saw 1 mature ram. Then 2! There was a 3rd and finally a 4th! I stayed to watch them while my dad goes to look for Jimmy and Jay so they can get a look at them and an idea on which ones to pursue. The Rams were spotted at 0715 November 27. The Rams were out of site so the plan was to use the wind, cut some distance and get to a good position. My uncle and I had the radio's and were guided into where they moved to bed down. We came out right on the perfect spot with very little elevation difference for a shot. With just my uncle and I on the mountain, he proceeded to coach me on staying out of site, getting composure and a great rest to make a shot. The two great rams were easily seen at 250 yards bedded down. I had a great shot at one facing right at me, but just before was to choose one, my uncle whispers to me, "choose whichever one you want, but I really like the one on the right." I told him, "ok, ready Jim!" I touched on the trigger and shot right over top. I was definitely having fever, so I regained composure and hit him on the 2nd shot. 3rd and 4th missed, but they did not move far. Had to reassess the rams and so I took aim one last time and dropped him! Best experience I ever had. My uncle got to see his 49th Ram drop and his second in a week as he helped another group on another hunt. Thank you to my family for the support and patience and Jim, Ed and Jay going on this hunt and making this a chance of a lifetime! 2 animals down in one year was incredible!
I appreciate it. That area is a major challenge for sure, but unique and beautiful! Lifetime hunt for me I am sure!Fantastic Battleborn.
I'm glad you hung in there and found success.
Beautiful ram and great report.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I wouldn't trade it for anything!Great ram I like how dark he is and a good write up...congrats