Barbary Pictures

[Flanagan]

Here are a few pictures of some rams to get your blood pumping!

 

[nmtaxi]

Somebody help me out - how big is this ram? They are so hard to judge. I would guess this ram around 27". Am I in the ballpark?

 

[bugle100]

nmtaxi i think your pretty close. i think he curls in tight so it makes him look bigger, but real nice ram i wouldnt pass on him.

 

[mozey]

I'd guess that one right at 25". But I'm with you nmtaxi, these things have proved way difficult for me to judge until I put them on the ground, so I'd probably shoot him just to make sure he wasn't a 30"... ;-)

 

[Cookie2]

25 sounds about right to me too. His curl is a little tight. Doubt he'll go any more than that. I have been wrong before though!

 

[BloodhoundBrother]

i bet hes a little bigger than that. this one was 24 and he looks like he has a little more curl than this guy.

"you can't eat the horns..But theres a hell of alot more meat on a big ole buck than a forky" Frank Waters

 

[khart]

Here's my 28" ram from last year. My guess would be around 25". That's just a guess though, they're tough as Mozey stated.

 

[Flanagan]

Well I gotta say that I am glad to get all the opinions on this particular ram. This picture was taken right at 500 yards. This coming season will be by 22nd year to hunt sheep in NM. Needless to say its a passion. I do not claim to be an expert on judging sheep but I must say that I think most people are missing the boat on this ram. If you notice how big bodied he is, how full he his in the flank, the hair he displays, and the width he shows in his skull, he is not a young sheep by any means. This ram is just as big as the one khart harvested last year, every bit as big. My opinion of course! With a little luck and some straight shooting I hope we will be ground checking him along with a few others come February.

 

[mozey]

FWIW, I've only been chasing them for four years (been lucky three out of the four), but besides mass, curl, and length, I also look for the telltale rub mark on the shoulder where a big ram's horns rub a patch of hair off from turning his head. I'm not seeing that in the pic, but that could be just because it's at 500 yards. I think I can see it on khart's, but not sure because of the way the front leg is laying back. Like I said, I'd shoot that ram if given the opportunity.

 

[mozey]

One other indicator on a couple of REALLY BIG rams (both in 35" range) that I saw running together was their manes were cream colored (almost white). Their size was confirmed later when I talked with the landowner whose wife took the bigger of the two, and his client took the other.

That was a blown stalk that I wish I could get a free do-over. I was concentrating so hard on the rams, I didn't notice the dozen bedded muleys until I was right in the middle of them, but still about 600 yards from the rams. I spooked the @%^&* deer right into rams, and never got another chance... :-/

 

[scottyboy]

I've taken a couple of dandy rams in the Palo Duro canyon area in TX over the years, but have always wanted to give them a go in NM.. Any good sheep in the Guadalupes or in the Hondo river area or Rio Penasco area that are open to get into without having to get into private land issues?
Draw now as well, isn't it?
Fill me in guys!

BTW, I think that the ram in the pic is a 28" class ram. He is showing several attributes of a mature ram. I think the tight curl has some fooled on this one. Hope you get a crack at him!


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[mozey]

All of those areas that you've mentioned have some good rams, and all have private land issues. However, if you're willing to do your homework and some hiking, carry a BLM map and a GPS, you can find pockets of public land that hold barbarys, and it's not really that hard, once you get a couple miles off the public roads. As long as you're willing to do what's necessary to cut 'em for the pack out, there are lots of good areas worth hiking in to. I have a couple of buddys that have been doing this a lot longer than I have, but they rarely get more than a couple hundred yards from their truck, and after all these years, they only have a smaill ewe and a lamb to their credit.

You'll need to apply by mid-April, and the draw results will be announced in June. Follow this link to see the 2010-2011 Proclamation:

http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/publications/documents/rib/2010/BG_RIB_2010.pdf

 

[scottyboy]

Thanks Moz..

The hiking into the hills won't be a problem in the least.. I'd much rather do that anyhow. My fav kind of hunting. The thing I'm most concerned with is finding any sheep that aren't landlocked on private places with no trespassing (without paying an outfitter).
We used to lion hunt down south of Sitting Bull Falls annually and I can remember going in that burger joint out there, there were some pics of some 35"+ rams taken out of that country back "in the day".

Guess I'll just apply for a doo-dad as well when I put in for ibex and sheep and see what happens.

Here's a pic of one of my rams, although he was taken in the Palo Duro country in TX, not NM.. I've taken one good ram out in the Glass mountains in west TX as well.

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[NMhunter4life]

I would say about 28". It is a mature ram for sure. The rub mark on the neck is not a very good indicator in my experience. I have ground checked quite a few 28"-31" aoudad without any rub marks.