A somewhat amusing tale about exotic sheep hunts...
I don't remember the sheep species, but it happened during the big auction night at one of the last Safari Club conventions that was held in LV back in the 80s.
Jim Zumbo and I were BSing, while standing against the wall way in the back of the hall. We were both wearing our cowboy hats.
Whatever sheep it was, the hunt was to be the first of its kind during modern times in this particular location in Asia. The outfitter was guaranteeing a world record. And so the bidding began and eventually climbed into the $200K+ range.
It was the wrong time for me to raise my hat so I could brush my hair back a bit. The auctioneer spotted that and immediately said, "And we have $XXXK from the gentleman in the back of the room with the cowboy hat. He was pointing our way.
Knowing we were the only two there with cowboys hats on our heads, I looked at Zumbo and asked if he had really bid. He said, "No. I think he means you." Right then, my jaw dropped, and I began wondering what I was going to tell Ellen when I got home. More importantly, I wondered where I would get that kind of money to pay for it.
Fortunately, someone wanted the hunt more than I did. Just as I was about to protest, a guy upped the bidding. Actually, I quickly found out that I was pretty safe; the hunt finally sold for about $100K more than my bid had been.