scouting pics

[Tycon]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-20-13 AT 10:46PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Aug-20-13 AT 10:17?PM (MST)

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These are a couple younger rams

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This is a pic of the ram I thought was 3/4 curl in the 140s. I could be wrong on both. let me know what you think. The last pic he is the ram on the far left.

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[coyote]

Tycon nice pictures, I have been seeing alot of rams like these I have only seen maybe 4 rams that would be bigger one was awesome. Good luck on finding that next caliber of ram. I'm interested to see what the experts say the biggest ram will score.

 

[beech18]

Sweet pics. With my tag considering Ive never shot a ram before, I would be tickled pink with him if I found him on the mountain.

Im no expert either to know score. Hes not a monster, but in my book he would be a trophy. I think he's less than 3/4 curl though by judging from these 2 pictures.

 

[littlebighorn]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-21-13 AT 06:05PM (MST)[p]I profess no expertise or magic in judging sheep score, but here are a few things I have been told to look at. The first thing that is key to me in trophy quality is age. That ram looks to be 7 or 8 years old, which is mature, but not super old. Taking older sheep insures that they don't die from old age which is one more sheep that a hunter can tag.
Next would be base measurement(mass).
He does not appear super heavy at the base (looking for how much space you see between his ear and his horn base can be one indicator).
Length is next for me. This ram is very short for a mature ram, which appears to be a genetic trait with this group of sheep. He is definitely less than 3/4 curl. But as I said before, a short husky horned Rocky ram is more of a trophy to me than a young longer lamb tipped sheep.
The last thing I like to see is mass all the way out to the tips.
He definitely has that.
Sheep vary significantly from unit to unit, so that is another thing to check out in determining trophy quality. He may be the best sheep in the unit or he may be a dink, depending on unit genes. Check records from past hunters to find out that information.
I will leave a guess on score to others more skilled. In my book, aside from age, it's all about what you will be happy with.
See my post on your other question about S8 unless I am boring you.

 

[Tycon]

When I first saw this ram I watched him and the others for an hour or so I thought he was 5/8 or a little shorter. Then I was showing pics to a guy he said you draw a line from the front of the horn threw the back corner of the eye as a reference to see if they are 3/4. He said on the side pic he looks like he is right about there. I don't know if that's how you do it someone that knows hopefully will let me know. I do know I'm looking for a better ram then him and his buddies. All the guys who know the area think mid 160s Evan 170 is what I should be looking for. I guess we'll see just over a week now.

 

[littlebighorn]

Since curl length is not required to determine legality in Rocky Bighorns, it doesn't matter what his curl is. In thin horned sheep (Dalls and Stones) curl length(or age) is required in determining legal or not. Here is a link to AK's definition of curl for whatever that is worth.
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=sheephunting.fullcurl

Judging from the past records it appears there have been 160-170" rams in your area, so I think you have set a worthy goal, especially if you have the time to really hunt the unit. You can always put this ram on your hit list if nothing bigger shows up.
You are in for a great adventure Tycon and I wish you the best. My advice is, enjoy the experience and don't let "score" determine success.

 

[ColoradoOak]

In Colorado a ram must be half curl to be legal. That said, CO's definition of half curl is pretty liberal. A 3 year old ram is generally legal. Here is their description from the regulations.

There are nice old rams in that unit, so your goal is achievable. An RMBS board member killed a 13 year old ram in S8 in 2009. Good luck.

 

[Zeke]

Nice pics Tycon. Thanks for sharing them.

The above posts have issued some pretty good advice. As has been said, some units in Colorado produce some older age class rams while others do not. The advice to find out what past hunters have been taking in the unit is the real key to knowing what to look for.

Regardless, GO HAVE A HUNT OF A LIFETIME. You'll never get to do it again and odds are that you'll never get to hunt any sheep again. Look for an older class ram, if available in your unit, and damn the score!

Best of luck to you.
Be sure to share the outcome.

Zeke