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Montana Unlimited Bighorn Sheep

April 2019
Author: Robert Hanneman

This is one of the articles I look forward to writing every year. By the time I am done with all of my unlimited sheep research, I am more excited than ever to give Montana my money for my unlimited sheep tag. I purchased a 502 tag last year as I knew I would be guiding up north during the month of September and I wanted to have a tag that hopefully was still open when I got home. As luck would have it, my unit stayed open until the end of the season. Unfortunately, I never made it over to the unit. With three boys and a wife with pockets full of tags, I decided to hunt with them as I had already been gone for most of the fall.

As a Montana resident, I have decided to purchase a 502 tag again this year. I have done a ton of research on 502, and I like how rough and full of grizzly bears that country is. I plan on continuing my research this year and making a scouting trip over to the unit in August with my family. If everything goes as planned, I will be in that unit in October and November looking for my unlimited ram.

Montana has five units that they manage for unlimited bighorn sheep hunting opportunity. A lot of the credit needs to be given to the sheep biologists in those areas who have kept the unlimited sheep hunting going over the last couple of decades. You know it is a special opportunity when you can buy a bighorn sheep tag over-the-counter by May 1st and then go sheep hunting. The harvest success rate is very low, and once the quota has been reached, the season will close 48 hours later.

If you are a physically fit hunter who really wants to hunt bighorn sheep, you should think about the unlimited bighorn sheep areas of Montana. If you harvest a ram in an unlimited area, you must wait seven years before you can hunt sheep in Montana again. Non-resident hunters pay $1,250 and resident hunters pay $125 to have the opportunity to hunt rams in the unlimited areas.

Last year, there were eight rams harvested in the unlimited sheep units with a total of 380 tags purchased. That is a 2% success rate for hunters in 2018. If you are looking for an outfitter to hunt the unlimited areas with, give us a call and we can discuss your options. Good luck to all who are hunting the unlimited units this year!

 

2018 BIGHORN SHEEP SEASON QUOTA RECAP
Bighorn Sheep Season Quota Status Harvest Date Closed
300 (Sept 1-10) — 2 legal rams 1 Sept 10, 2018
303 (Sept 15-Oct 31) — 2 legal rams 2 Oct 17, 2018
500 (Sept 15-Nov 26) — 2 legal rams 2 Sept 26, 2018
501 (Sept 15-Nov 26) — 2 legal rams 2 Sept 22, 2018
502 (Sept 15-Nov 26) — 2 legal rams 1 Nov 25, 2018


 
MONTANA’S UNLIMITED BIGHORN SHEEP HARVEST
Year Location Date of Harvest Size of Ram Age of Ram Permits Issued Comments
Unit 300 – Gallatin Yellowstone (September 1-10 or until quota is filled)
2018 Sheep Mountain 1-Sep 32 6/8 x 15 5.5 72 Gallatin Yellowstone – This unit has a quota of two legal rams and is the only unlimited unit with a 10-day season. It is on a 48-hour season closure once the second ram is reported. The sheep move in and out of Yellowstone National Park. There are mature rams available, but they usually get bumped into the park from scouting pressure. If you are planning on hunting this unit, make sure you are there before the season to scout. If rams are found in a visible location, it can be a footrace on opening morning. The ram harvested in this unit in 2018 was taken with one of our Endorsed Outfitters. Ramshorn Peak, Bighorn Peak, and Sheep Mountain are the popular areas to look for sheep, but a ram can turn up anywhere in the unit. This is rough country, so you should be in shape. This is grizzly country. You may have cell phone service on the upper peaks. The last two times the quota was filled was in 2017 and 2011.
2017 Bighorn Peak 2-Sep 31 1/8 x 15 4/8 No Age 77
2017 Sheep Mountain 4-Sep 33 4/8 x 15 6.5 77
2016 Ramshorn Peak 6-Sep 28 3/8 x 13 3.5 61
2015 No Sheep Harvested       55
2014 No Sheep Harvested       64
2013 Minor Creek 3-Sep 32 7/8 x 14 3/8 8.5 43
2012 Sheep Mountain 4-Sep 31 x 15 7.5 55
2011 Bighorn Peak 3-Sep 28 6/8 x 15 1/8 4.5 47
2011 Sheep Mountain 1-Sep 32 x 14 2/8 5.5 47
2011 Sheep Mountain 1-Sep 30 7/8 x 14 5/8 5.5 47
2010 Sheep Mountain 4-Sep No Data No Age 40
2009 Sheep Mountain 3-Sep 34 1/8 x 14 6/8 7.5 47
2009 Ramshorn Peak 1-Sep 32 4/8 x 14 6/8 7.5 47
2008 Bighorn Peak 9-Sep 29 5/8 x 14 4/8 4.5 42
2008 Ramshorn Peak 2-Sep 32 2/8 x 15 2/8 5.5 42
Unit 303 – South Absaroka (September 15-October 31 or until quota is filled)
2018 Yankee Jim Canyon 14-Oct 37 4/8 x 14 5/8 5.5 71 South Absaroka - This unit has a quota of two legal rams with a season that ends on October 31st. It is on a 48-hour season closure once the second ram is reported. A book ram was taken in this unit in 2018. The sheep in unit 303 mainly live in Yellowstone National Park. There are a few sheep that have taken up residence outside of the park. The Yellowstone herd is very healthy with a good number of mature rams available. The book ram was harvested on opening day. The other ram was taken in the more traditional October time frame. Typically, most rams are harvested near the border of the park in the middle of October when they migrate north to their winter grounds. Deckard Flats is where some of the rams have been harvested in the past. This hunt can be more of a waiting game for the rams to leave the park, but in the past two years, three of the rams have been harvested on opening day. If someone wanted to go guided on an unlimited hunt, this is the unit we would recommend. This is grizzly country, so be prepared. You may have cell phone service on the upper peaks. The quota was filled in the last four years.
2018 6 Mile Road 15-Sep 37 7/8 x 16 12.5 71
2017 Little Trail Creek 15-Sep 33 2/8 x 13 4/8 6.5 52
2017 Little Trail Creek 15-Sep 32 2/8 x 13 5/8 4.5 52
2016 Dome Mountain 27-Oct 35 4/8 x 15 4/8 10.5 53
2016 Corwin Springs 24-Oct 29 x 14 2/8 4.5 53
2016 Deckard Flats 9-Sep 33 2/8 x 13 6/8 No Age 53
2015 Yankee Jim Canyon 27-Oct 34 2/8 x 14 4/8 8.5 63
2015 Corwin Springs 25-Oct 29 7/8 x 14 5/8 3.5 63
2014 Deckard Flats 1-Oct 32 x 16 4/8 5.5 35
2013 Dome Mountain 9-Oct 32 2/8 x 15 5.5 35
2013 Maiden Basin 8-Oct 40 x 15 2/8 8.5 35
2013 Little Trail Creek 5-Oct 30 4/8 x 13 3/8 5.5 35
2012 6 Mile Road 20-Sep 32 6/8 x 14 3/8 6.5 29
2012 Deckard Flats 16-Sep 28 4/8 x 13 7/8 5.5 29
2011 Deckard Flats 13-Oct 27 6/8 x 14 14.5 37
2010 Dome Mountain 30-Oct 24 2/8 x 13 4/8 2.5 28
2009 No Sheep Harvested       31
2008 Deckard Flats 26-Oct 31 6/8 x 14 4/8 6.5 48
2008 Laduke Springs 24-Oct 26 2/8 x 14 4/8 3.5 48
2008 Deckard Flats 15-Oct 22 7/8 x 12 2/8 2.5 48
Unit 500 – Boulder  (September 15-December 1 or until quota is filled)
2018 Monument Peak 22-Sep 33 3/8 x 13 6/8 6.5 84 Boulder - This unit has a quota of two legal rams and is on a 48-hour season closure once the second ram is reported. The sheep population in this unit is at nearly an all-time high with many mature rams available. If you are going to hunt this area, you may want to be there opening week. As long as this area does not get a huge September snowstorm, this season will most likely close in September again. This is a horseback or backpack type hunt in big, rough, nasty country where you can be up to 10 miles from the trailhead. The last four rams taken in the unit were all taken in the Monument Peak area. Monument Peak is very close to the trailhead on the Boulder River. Rams can be found throughout the unit, but most hunters hunt either the Stillwater side of the unit or up the Boulder River side near Sheepherder Peak and Monument Peak. There are more mature rams available on the Stillwater side of the unit at this time. The last time a ram was harvested on the Stillwater side was 2015. The hunting pressure is equally divided on both sides of the unit. Both sides are accessible in November if the season stays open. There are good horse trails throughout the unit. This is a unit that can close early, so you should be there opening day. This is grizzly country. You may have cell phone service on the upper peaks. The quota was filled in 2018.
2018 Monument Peak 17-Sep 30 2/8 x 14 2/8 7.5 84
2017 Monument Peak 15-Nov 26 6/8 x 13 6/8 5.5 74
2017 Monument Peak 15-Nov 31 5/8 x 13 6/8 5.5 74
2016 Boulder Pass 16-Sep 35 x 13 5/8 8.5 51
2015 Stillwater 15-Nov 34 2/8 x 13 7/8 10.5 67
2015 Stillwater 23-Sep 33 4/8 x 13 11.5 67
2014 Buffalo Fork Drainage 20-Sep 30 1/8 x 14 2/8 4.5 52
2014 Wounded Man Creek 18-Sep 37 3/8 x 14 13.5 52
2014 Boulder Pass 15-Sep 26 x 13 4/8 4.5 52
2013 W Fork Buffalo Creek 19-Sep 22 1/8 x 12 2/8 2.5 49
2013 Flood Creek Divide 15-Sep 31 6/8 x 14 4/8 11.5 49
2012 Stillwater 4-Nov 33 5/8 x 14 5/8 10.5 31
2011 Stillwater 24-Nov 28 6/8 x 14 6.5 49
2010 Flood Creek 18-Sep 38 2/8 x 14 6/8 13.5 28
2010 Buffalo Creek 15-Sep 34 6/8 x 14 8.5 28
2009 Monument Peak 18-Sep 32 7/8 x 12 4/8 7.5 30
2009 Monument Peak 17-Sep 34 6/8 x 13 4/8 8.5 30
2008 No Sheep Harvested       40
Unit 501 – Beartooth Mountains (September 1-December 1 or until quota is filled)
2018 Mystic Lake 18-Sep 36 x 14 6/8 7.5 99 Beartooth Mountains - This unit has a quota of two legal rams and is on a 48-hour season closure once the second ram is reported. Just like unit 500, the sheep population in unit 501 is very healthy with plenty of mature rams available. This unit was only open for five days in 2018 before the season was closed. With all the rams available, this season will most likely close early in 2019 unless the area gets a big September snowstorm. Plan on a backpack type hunt in extremely rough, remote, physical country. Sheep can be found throughout the unit, but a good place to start is the area around Mystic Lake on the northern end of the unit. Another good area to look for sheep is on the southern end near Henderson Mountain, Wolverine Peak, and Sheep Mountain, all of which are just north of Yellowstone National Park. The sheep on the southern end move in and out of the park. The access is a little easier in the southern end of the unit. This is grizzly country. You may have cell phone service on the upper peaks. The quota was filled in 2018.
2018 Huckleberry Creek 15-Sep 34 4/8 x 13 5/8 8.5 99
2017 No Sheep Harvested       64
2016 Wolverine Creek 20-Sep 29 1/8 x 13 4/8 6.5 85
2016 Hodges Mountain 17-Sep 32 3/8 x 13 6/8 6.5 85
2015 West Rosebud 27-Oct 35 x 13 1/8 10.5 102
2014 Mystic Lake 17-Oct 33 6/8 x 13 4/8 7.5 92
2014 Fisher Creek 20-Sep Illegal Harvest N/A 92
2014 Woodbine Creek 15-Sep 29 5/8 x 14 3/8 5.5 92
2013 Lost Creek 21-Sep 34 4/8 x 14 6/8 7.5 67
2012 Granite Creek 28-Oct 30 1/8 x 12 7.5 63
2012 Mountain Hague 14-Oct 28 3/8 x 14 4/8 4.5 63
2011 Mystic Lake 27-Nov 33 4/8 x 14 7.5 64
2010 Mineral Mountain 10-Nov 30 6/8 x 13 2/8 6.5 81
2010 Cooke City 9-Nov 30 4/8 x 13 6/8 7.5 81
2010 Lulu Basin 18-Sep 26 x 14 6.5 81
2009 Henderson Mountain 15-Sep 33 x 14 2/8 6.5 74
2008 Mystic Lake 25-Nov 30 3/8 x 12 6/8 6.5 72
2008 Twin Peaks 15-Sep 29 7/8 x 14 1/8 6.5 72
2008 Twin Peaks 15-Sep 30 x 14 5.5 72
Unit 502 – Hellroaring (September 15-December 1 or until quota is filled)
2018 Wyoming Creek 25-Oct 30 1/8 x 13 1/8 5.5 54 Hellroaring - This unit has a quota of two legal rams and is on a 48-hour season closure once the second ram is reported. Hunters struggled in 2018 to find legal rams. There was a fire that burned in this area about 10 years ago, and it has affected the sheep movement and wintering areas in the unit. This is the most physical unit of the unlimited areas. There are decent trails that will get you access into the unit, but this is not the type of country you want to take a horse in, so plan on backpacking. Typically, the rams are harvested in November. Later in the season, rams are sometimes spotted from Highway 212. Most of the rams that were harvested in recent history have been taken out of the Rock Creek area. It is believed that some of these rams are coming across the border from Wyoming’s bighorn sheep unit 1. Wyoming unit 1 sheep hunters also struggled in 2018 with only a 40% harvest and hunters struggling to find mature rams. You also get sheep moving into the unit from Yellowstone National Park. If you want to hunt sheep in November, this is your best choice. The weather and rut sometimes bring these rams into more visible and accessible locations. This is grizzly country. You may have cell phone service on the upper peaks. The quota was last filled in 2015.
2017 Line Creek 19-Nov 31 5/8 x 14 7/8 6.5 39
2016 Chain Creek 18-Nov 32 x 13 6/8 7.5 49
2015 Rock Creek 15-Nov 32 6/8 x 13 2/8 6.5 61
2015 Wyoming Creek 15-Nov 24 6/8 x 12 2/8 2.5 61
2015 N. Side of Index Peak 12-Nov 35 2/8 x 15 1/8 4.5 61
2014 Rock Creek 7-Nov 32 3/8 x 14 5.5 49
2013 Quad Creek 14-Nov 29 x 14 2/8 5.5 30
2013 Chain Creek 12-Nov 34 7/8 x 13 4/8 10.5 30
2013 Rock Creek 19-Oct 35 x 14 3/8 10.5 30
2012 Wyoming Creek 16-Nov 31 3/8 x 14 2/8 7.5 32
2012 Rock Creek 16-Nov 34 3/8 x 13 6/8 7.5 32
2012 Rock Creek 13-Nov 36 5/8 x 14 4/8 5.5 32
2012 Woody Ridge 20-Sep 35 2/8 x 13 2/8 8.5 32
2011 No Sheep Harvested       30
2010 No Sheep Harvested       24
2009 Rock Creek 2-Nov 35 4/8 x 14 1/8 9.5 34
2008 Rock Creek 25-Oct 35 5/8 x 13 5/8 10.5 32

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