Idaho Bighorn Sheep: Lucky

On May 7, 2025 which happened to be one month after my son, Brooks, was born, I was at work when I received an email from Idaho Fish and Game stating that I was selected for the sheep tag I had applied for. I was in a slight state of shock, so I kept rereading the email to make sure it was a true email. I had been applying for sheep tags in several western states since I was 15 years old, and I finally succeeded in my home state of Idaho after 19 years of applying.

Idaho Bighorn Sheep Hunting
 
I’m lucky enough to work with one of my best hunting partners, Dan Wanous. He was the first to know about the draw. Shortly after I returned from my state of shock, I called my wife, Cristen, along with my best friends, Jake Hamilton and Ryan Witters. Between these guys, I had a hell of a team come September for sheep season. Ryan had actually drawn this tag three years earlier, so he was a great resource for me as he harvested a great ram. While deciding on a plan, we started in the area that Ryan was able to harvest his ram for the first trip. This area is very remote and rugged and very difficult to get to, much like many Central Idaho sheep units.
 
I was also fortunate to talk to previous tag holders, as well as others I had met along the way who provided me valuable information about this hunt. Knowing the rugged areas these animals lived in, I knew I had to get into “sheep shape.” This consisted of many early morning runs before work and weekend hikes with a backpack that was weighed down. A family trip was also taken in July to learn the trailheads and access points. In early August, Dan and I went on a 25-mile backpacking trip to scout for these rams. Of course, no sheep were seen, but the beautiful country they live in was worth every mile of the trip.


 
Fast forward to August 30th. With nerves and excitement, Ryan, Jake, and I packed in with horses to spend a week hunting. We spent many hours glassing and searching those hillsides up and down but had no sign of any rams in this area. With typical hot late August weather, we battled smoke from fires that surrounded us and a few rattlesnakes. It was a great trip in this beautiful wilderness where we met new friends who were on this same journey. I owe Ryan and Jake for taking time out of their busy lives to help me.
 
One week later, Dan was ready to go. I know he was secretly hoping a ram would not have been harvested at this point so he had the opportunity to come on a trip with me. We again loaded  up our packs and headed in for yet another week. The first night, a severe storm came in and we spent almost 24 hours in the tent waiting for the storm to pass. The next day, we continued to the area we had planned on getting to which was different from the first trip. While glassing that evening, Dan yelled, “I think I have some rams spotted.” Sure enough, three rams were up feeding but were 2.4 miles away. Dan is amazing at using his binos and always amazes me on what he can find. The stalk was on.
 
The next morning, we packed up camp in the dark and made our way towards where we last had eyes on them. Dan quickly relocated the three rams, but they were in a difficult spot and just out of ethical shooting range for me. We lost sight of the rams that afternoon and could never relocate them again. The disappointment was setting in quickly after that happened. I had to return home and to work while thinking about what could have been and how I could have done things differently.


 
Trip number three had us returning in hopes of a ram. We were now using a different resource – pack llamas. Thanks to our good friend, Matt, for loaning us three of his best packers. We got the llamas loaded up, and we were full of determination to have a successful hunt. We decided to go into the same area where we had previously seen the rams on the previous trip. While heading down the trail, I noticed an old horseshoe laying on the side of the trail. I decided to stop and pick it up. After taking a photo of it, I knew this was going to be my “lucky” horseshoe for this trip. The next morning, we woke up at 4:30 a.m., took care of the llamas, ate breakfast, and headed up the 2,000-foot climb.
 
Shortly after sunrise, I crept over a small rock on the ridge and pulled up my glass. The first thing I saw were white sheep butts. What a beautiful sight! Dan got out the spotting scope, and we watched eight rams. We decided two were mature rams. I laid down my pack, dialed my scope, and set up for the shot. At 470 yards, the rams were feeding. I slowly squeezed the trigger on my 28 Nosler. After the shot, Dan told me I had a good hit and I saw my ram sliding down the hill. At that moment, I realized how lucky I truly was. I had just taken a once-in-a-lifetime Idaho bighorn sheep!
 
Many pictures were taken with the beautiful harvest and then the quartering and caping process began. The pack out down the mountain was rugged and heavy. I was glad when I was able to get back to camp and see the llamas waiting for us. These animals made light work for the rest of the pack out to civilization.
 
This was by far the most difficult hunt I have ever been a part of. The grind of having several days of seeing no sheep, hot weather, and thousands of feet of elevation gain made this hunt mentally and physically hard. I have been on my fair share of unsuccessful hunts in the past but none that I have put this much effort in as I did for this “lucky” hunt.
 
I want to thank my wife for being understanding of my passion to be in the mountains. I also want to thank Dan who hiked and glassed for me on this hunt. Big thanks to Ryan and Jake for all the help on my first trip as well. I feel so lucky to have had a successful hunt and will forever be in debt to my friends who made this hunt possible.