Sheepless nights...

[Katoom]

After reading too much Jack O'Connor as a kid, I have always had it in my mind that someday, somewhere, I would get to hunt a bighorn sheep. Early on, I occasionally put in for a draw, collected a preference or bonus point or two, watched those expire and generally then chose to avoid the high cost and low return on the whole process. Now I regret not sticking with it because I'd probably be sitting prettier if I had, but with no points anywhere and odds what they are, it looks like this hunt will probably never happen. Don't get me wrong, I still put in for a supertag draw here and a raffle there, but that might as well be the Powerball. My question is, is there any remaining reasonable pathway at all for a guy in his 40's to expect to achieve a slim but reasonable chance to go on a sheep hunt in the next 15-20 years, starting now, when so far behind and not in the right bracket to participate in an auction? I am a little rusty on each state's process, draw eligibility, etc. Anybody have a refresher tip or two that might lead to anything resembling a plan in one state or another? And if a supertag/raffle/lightning strike is the only plan, then so be it!

 

[cbeard]

Keep on keeping on with the raffles and supertags. Somebody has to win.
WY has decent random draw odds in some units (if .5% can be considered decent), ID and NM have random draws so you have same odds as everyone else.

That's about it for Rockies unless you really want to invest in other states? draws with very long odds.

Other than that, save for an AK/Yukon/NWT Dall sheep hunt.

 

[NVBighorn]

What state do you live in?

 

[Katoom]

NVBighorn- I'm about as far from sheep country as you can get - NJ. Although I was in Zion and Valley of Fire last week with a chance to see some (though I did not).

 

[NVBighorn]

That makes it tough. It's the question a lot of us ask ourselves. Is it worth the investment to get into the points game in western states? It's not a small investment either. Or should you save up that money and go on a hunt you can purchase? You are young enough that if you invest in points and apps in enough states you MIGHT draw a tag. Or even more than one. Or you might never draw. You could also consider using that same money and finance a hunt somewhere now. Sounds foolish in a way but one thing... you never know if you will live long enough or remain healthy enough if you wait. Hunts keep getting more and more expensive. Looking back on it I could have gone on a Dall hunt for about 6 grand when I first got interested. That seemed horribly irresponsible and I didnt do it. Now, decades later, I wish I had.

I've been very lucky and living in Nevada I have drawn sheeps tags as a resident. I didnt start the points game young enough so at my age it's not worth it to start in other states now. Financing a hunt is an option but not one I like for me. I have accepted that I likely will never complete my slam and I'm ok with that having killed rams and been on numerous hunts with others. So I play the raffle game a little and hope for the best.

I don't have a real answer for you. It's your decision. Just be aware, if you really want it, until you hunt sheep you will never be satisfied. And once you actually do hunt and kill one you will be hooked. It's a hunger I have seldom experienced in any other endeavor. Once will likely not be enough.

 

[cbeard]

>That makes it tough. It's the
>question a lot of us
>ask ourselves. Is it worth
>the investment to get into
>the points game in western
>states? It's not a small
>investment either. Or should you
>save up that money and
>go on a hunt you
>can purchase? You are young
>enough that if you invest
>in points and apps in
>enough states you MIGHT draw
>a tag. Or even more
>than one. Or you might
>never draw. You could also
>consider using that same money
>and finance a hunt somewhere
>now. Sounds foolish in a
>way but one thing... you
>never know if you will
>live long enough or remain
>healthy enough if you wait.
>Hunts keep getting more and
>more expensive. Looking back on
>it I could have gone
>on a Dall hunt for
>about 6 grand when I
>first got interested. That seemed
>horribly irresponsible and I didnt
>do it. Now, decades later,
>I wish I had.
>
>I've been very lucky and living
>in Nevada I have drawn
>sheeps tags as a resident.
>I didnt start the points
>game young enough so at
>my age it's not worth
>it to start in other
>states now. Financing a hunt
>is an option but not
>one I like for me.
>I have accepted that I
>likely will never complete my
>slam and I'm ok with
>that having killed rams and
>been on numerous hunts with
>others. So I play the
>raffle game a little and
>hope for the best.
>
>I don't have a real answer
>for you. It's your decision.
>Just be aware, if you
>really want it, until you
>hunt sheep you will never
>be satisfied. And once you
>actually do hunt and kill
>one you will be hooked.
>It's a hunger I have
>seldom experienced in any other
>endeavor. Once will likely not
>be enough.

What a great synopsis.

I decided I just HAD to hunt sheep once in my lifetime, so I went on a Yukon fannin hunt in 2006. All-in cost was about 18K (hunt, plane fare, hotel, taxidermy). That same hunt today is 45K for the hunt alone.

As for the application game, what a tough decision that is! Odds say you will likely never draw if you are just now getting started. OTOH, I have been one of the extremely lucky ones - drew an AZ NR desert bighorn tag in 2014 and have drawn a ?bonus? random draw Shiras moose and mountain goat tags in WY (basically ?add-on? apps because I was already applying for sheep).

I'm stuck in the app game because I have a lot of points built up in several states. Again, I'm pretty sure if I were just starting out I would limit my applications to states with a random draw component. There?s a bunch of folks in line these days.

I encourage you to make that dream happen. It is everything you think it will be and more. Good luck!

 

[Katoom]

Thanks everyone. I am sure I am in good company with this endeavor.With apologies to my fellow hunters, following this encouragement I will be lengthening those application odds by one person in those random draw states next year and more diligently applying for any other raffles or supertags I can afford. This is not a game to dabble in it sounds...gotta be in it to win it, or of course, pony up the kids' college fund!

 

[littlebighorn]

Katoom,
As has been mentioned, Idaho and New Mexico sheep are a random draw for everyone. So in that respect you are at the same starting gate as everyone else. But if you really want to hunt sheep, in my mind the best route is to start putting money away for that great adventure. Most of us get more financially secure with age, so it's definitely not out of the question that you could still go on a hunt for a white sheep if you have the will.
I started working two and three jobs to help my hunting fund and it eventually paid off.

Best of luck

 

[BluffGruff]

How tough are you? You won't kill one, but Montana has unlimited areas, where you automatically get the tag, and can go "hunt sheep" for the low low price of $1250.
3/4 curl or better with a quota of 1-3 per area per year.

 

[Homer]

go to Montana and hunt an unlimited zone over the counter.....chances are 100% that you can hunt....chances of success aren't so high...

hunt two weeks prior to opener and sleep with any ram you've found...kill him opening morning.

You'll be my hero if you succeed.

My good friend's 28 year old son lives in Bozeman and I told him if he kills one I'll pay his taxidermy bill....

 

[cbeard]

I don't recommend the Unlimiteds to anyone.
Unbelievably tough country and long odds with little chance of success.

Not that I'm opposed to the hunt. I admire anyone who gives it a go and truly admire anyone who takes a ram out of them. But my thinking is that those who have any shot at success there already know the work required and the odds they are up against. IMO anyone who doesn't already know they are an option will have a hard time grasping what a daunting challenge the hunt is - so I don't want to set anyone up for disappointment by recommending it.

If you want to say you are sheep hunting, they are an option.

If you are in great physical condition, mentally tough, have loads of time, and have a thorough knowledge of the few areas that may present a chance to see a legal ram - you might be one of the hunters represented in their historical single digit success rates.

Otherwise, the Unlimiteds are probably not a good option.

 

[Katoom]

10 years ago I would answer that I was tough enough for any of it. But since I have had kids I have gone a bit softer after all is said and done, and that's not an easy admission! Since I am far away and truly unable to dedicate the time it sounds like it would need for a low-percentage affair requiring such intimate local knowledge, I would place my changes around zero. It sounds like those are some tough hunts. But then again, they are a hunt.. and a chance. So I might pass the info along to one of my buddies who would certainly be up for the challenge. I on the other hand am sensing those hunts are a "know when to hold em, know when to fold em" type of opportunity.

 

[264mag]

>go to Montana and hunt an
>unlimited zone over the counter.....chances
>are 100% that you can
>hunt....chances of success aren't so
>high...
>
>hunt two weeks prior to opener
>and sleep with any ram
>you've found...kill him opening morning.
>
>
>You'll be my hero if you
>succeed.
>
>My good friend's 28 year old
>son lives in Bozeman and
>I told him if he
>kills one I'll pay his
>taxidermy bill....
>
>
>
>
>

+1 My friend tried that

 

[BluffGruff]

general consensus is that if you can hunt hard every year for a decade, you can kill a ram.

take out a personal loan, go hunt dall sheep for $20k, pay it back after your knees can't hunt sheep.

 

[Alwayshunting]

You can always make more money. You cant buy time. Pick a species, get a loan and go. Then put your sheep next to wherever you pay your monthly Bill's and smile as you're writing that monthly check go repay the debt...

 

[Hnttillmt]

Ahhh the sheep addiction strikes again. I'm lucky enough to live in the area so for the third year I will be hunting the unlimited but agree with the others on saving up for a far north hunt. Any offers on my taxidermy bill?

 

[Adventurewriter]

Okay little bit of a subject change...all good advice about and none too cheery for actually hunting...

You can do Mid Asian Ibex (the king of Ibex) or Dagestan Tur everything said and done for less that 10 grand...airplane etc these are in my book the ultimate mountain hunts in a wild place and lots of game...these are baddass mountain toads and it is like hunting in a national geographic spread...and you can go even this year and for sure next and on...its easier than you think

 

[Adventurewriter]

I mean easy to get the hunt...being in shape is a much on both hunts...I could hook you up with the guys I went with...and the Ibex are WORLD class.

 

[Hnttillmt]

What part of the world are we talking about here?

 

[Adventurewriter]

Kyrgyzstan for Ibex...I went there...look for an archive thread in this forum and Dagestan for Tur I have not been there....I can hook anybody up...way cheaper than if you book through the big shows...

 

[Hnttillmt]

Realize that may have sounded like a dumb question but just making sure we're not talking about Texas or new Mexico here

 

[Adventurewriter]

Nope Asia...

 

[Bambistew]

Put x number of dollars a month in a sheep hunting account and either pay for a Dall sheep hunt with it or get a loan for the rest. Sheep hunts aren't getting any cheaper, they seem to increase about 5% a year.

$500 a month for 3 years will put you in easy striking range of a dall sheep hunt.

For fun I ran the odds on applying for every sheep tag you can as a NR, along with a number of random raffles, etc. I was a bit surprised, to be honest. If you look at it as a long term investment, and assume odds remain similar its about a 1:25 year chance of drawing at least one. However if you figure you'd be out $3-4,000 a year, it was easy for me to see that I'd money ahead and TIME ahead to just save up and go.

Luckily I can go sheep hunting every year, and the tag is included with my hunting license (along with bear(s), goat, moose, caribou(s), and deer(s)). You can have that too for the low cost of moving to Alaska and living here for one year. They way things are going, a $20,000 investment for a sheep vs. the move... the move may actually be cheaper.

Here's ram number 8 for me... taken on an OTC tag.

 

[broomd]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-18 AT 03:21PM (MST)[p]No thanks....you forgot to mention that a kiwi costs four bucks in Alaska.
Some of us have been on both sides of the fence, lived there a long time, killed many sheep, etc.
The simple truth is that there is a price to be paid. A person may not pay for it with his 'tag' cost but he pays for it, whether he admits to it or not. Alaska gets her pound of flesh.
And some of us have the best of both worlds, when our still kids live in AK and love to invite us for some OTC sheep hunting.

 

[Bambistew]

You know what's expensive outside of Alaska? A sheep hunt. haha

 

[Adventurewriter]

Both last points true....

Always thought they should have some non guided hunts you could draw Put $7,000 on it and there will be plenty of takers and the guide will still fill their rosters