This story starts out like so many others, with me finally hitting the big jackpot and drawing one of the few coveted sheep tags. I got the call from one of the staff members at Huntin’ Fool that I had drawn my Rocky Mountain sheep tag in Idaho. I couldn’t believe it! I quickly called IDFW to confirm what I was hoping to be true and was ecstatic to find out that all those years of applying in every state finally paid off.
My next step was to find an outfitter. After searching high and low, I finally found an outfitter that hunted the area where we would be. Trent Bullock of Elk Creek Outfitters was going to be my guide crazy enough to take an unsuspecting, out-of-shape, novice sheep hunter into the Frank Church Wilderness to try and get a ram. After talking many times on the phone, I felt pretty comfortable that he knew what he was doing and was going to try very hard to help me get a sheep. All that was left to do was call my brother-in-law, Dan Herb, and convince him to come on this journey with me, which he was more than excited to do.
We both trained hard for the next couple of months because of how steep and rugged the terrain we were hunting was. I promised myself that after the hunt I would not be working out for a year because I was so sick of climbing hills and walking on treadmills inclined as far as they could go.
Finally, after months of training and unbridled excitement, we were ready to head out for our hunt. It was a 10-hour drive from Salem, Oregon to Warner, Idaho where we were going to meet our guides the day before the season started to hopefully scout and spot some sheep for opening day. We met Josh Rollins and Tim Hull, who had been scouting and knew where some sheep were in the area to go look at.
The next morning, we got up before daybreak and hiked into a canyon to glass the steep terrain all around us. It didn’t take long for Josh to spot some ewes and lambs, and a little later, he spotted some rams. Josh and Tim told me that one of the rams was about as nice as we could expect to get. We decided to leave them alone and go back for him on opening day because they probably weren’t going anywhere. The hike back to the truck with no rifle or backpack almost killed me, and I had no idea how I would be able to pack a sheep and my rifle out the next day. However, that was something to worry about after I had a sheep down.
The next morning, we hiked back into the same location and found our sheep. We quietly stalked down the ridgeline and got to about 500 yards from him. I used the guide’s rifle because I had no idea where my gun would shoot at that distance and he had a rifle he could dial in to any circumstance. He adjusted his turret on the rifle for a 5,500- foot elevation at an 18-degree decline for 500 yards and told me to aim dead on. With a great rest and a perfectly doped in gun, one shot was all I needed to take the ram down. It was a truly great feeling getting the job done after waiting so many years to draw a tag. After pictures, caping the ram for a full body mount, and packing up all the meat, it was a four and a half hour pack back to the truck. We encountered a bear and a rattlesnake along the way but managed to get back safely. Thank goodness my guides and Dan helped me pack my sheep out or I would still be on the mountainside eating the sheep as I went. It was really nice to get back to the truck and drink that first celebratory beer.
I would like to thank everyone who helped me on this hunt-of-a-lifetime, all of the staff at Huntin’ Fool, and Trent and his crew for all they did to make this hunt a trip to remember. Most of all, I am happy to not have to work out again until I win another jackpot and draw another one of these crazy animals that are so awesome to hunt. Once a lottery gambling hunting addict, always a lottery gambling hunting addict.