After moving to Montana 15 years ago, my dad quickly realized that high-quality hunting experiences on public land are rare. As I became old enough to hunt, he began to apply me for high-quality limited draw public land hunts across the West using the Huntin’ Fool magazine and their team of experts to guide him. These hunts have provided some of our most cherished memories together. These special draw opportunities are generally very rare, but 2017 was an exception with my dad and me drawing several high-quality tags in Montana and other western states.
When it came time to apply for sheep, my dad considered not applying because he was struggling with how we would manage the hunts we had already drawn. Knowing that the draw odds for sheep are as steep as the country they inhabit, he put me in for a Missouri River Breaks ram tag, one of the most coveted big game tags in the world. Several weeks later, I opened a letter from the Montana Game and Fish, and to my utter disbelief, I read the word “Successful.” I was elated, but my dad was overflowing with anxiety trying to figure out how to manage all the tags along with work, school, and military commitments between the two of us.
Having just started a new job, along with my military commitment one weekend a month and starting my freshman year at MSU in August, my time for research and the hunt itself would be limited. In his usual fashion, Dad took the lead, first contacting all the local people he knew who had drawn the tag in recent years. It was from one of these first few contacts that we received the most important piece of advice, “You need to connect with John Lewton. Nobody knows sheep or that hunt unit better than John.” My dad immediately looked up John and initiated a friendship that we hope will last a lifetime. John provided tremendous insight on habits and locations of rams, how to best access them, how to judge them, and ultimately, where he had seen good rams in the past.
Knowing how limited my hunting time would be, we decided what we wanted most out of the hunt was to have a great experience and to create memories that we could look back on the rest of our lives. We agreed to maximize the time we had and do our best to harvest a “respectable” ram.
As Labor Day weekend approached, I headed to The Breaks with my dad and good friend, Evan Vinger, for the opening of bow season. After a five-mile pack, we were in position to begin looking for sheep. By the end of the weekend, we had covered over 20 miles and seen over a dozen rams, just none that were worthy of this very special tag.
The rifle season opened on September 15th and was met with the third straight day of torrential rain. After a fivehour drive to the hunting area, we were met with virtually impassable roads. A miserable six hours and only 25 miles later, we made it to a section of public land where we set up camp for the weekend.
The rain continued into the next morning, but by midday, it had stopped. We were able to make it out for an evening hunt using the ATV and saw two rams. We were excited for what the next day might bring.
The next morning, we pushed deeper into the same area. We looked over several rams that day but none piqued our interest. On day three in an adjacent area, we finally came across some rams that warranted a second look. We did the best we could to assess how large the rams were, but we didn’t feel like there were any worthy of pursuit. As we headed home, we felt good that we had turned a miserable situation into a productive weekend. We also gained permission to access a large area of good sheep country the following weekend.
The week flew by, and we were once again headed north. By the end of the weekend, we had covered miles of great sheep country and looked over another 25 rams but none that looked to be a shooter. It was time to regroup. After a discussion with John, we headed back the following weekend to the area we had hunted during archery season. Another five-hour drive and four to five-mile pack put us in sheep country for the last 30 minutes of glassing light. As darkness approached, I peered into the rugged breaks below me and there was a group of eight rams with what looked to be some potential shooters and possibly even a ram that John had told us about. Seeing this group of rams was just what we needed to pick up our spirits.
With the possibility of shooter rams nearby, the morning couldn’t come soon enough. The rams had moved some distance during the night, causing us to bump into them a short distance from camp. We quickly scrambled to a high point and found them crossing the canyon below us. Our vantage point allowed us to get a good look at them. We decided that at least one of the rams was a shooter and likely the ram John had told us about. The ram we were drawn to had horns that extended well behind his ears and below his jaw. We were certain that he was “The One.”
The rams worked their way into a side canyon and stayed out of sight most of the day. I took advantage of this and made my way across the main canyon to set up, hoping for a shot when they got up to feed. I waited as the daylight faded. Suddenly, the rams filed out of the side canyon as if they had been spooked. Our hearts sank as they followed the setting sun over the distant horizon.
The next morning, we scoured every canyon and side canyon in the direction the rams had headed, but no rams were found. In the early afternoon, my dad headed back into the canyon we had seen them in the previous day and there they were! My dad scrambled to find me and tell me the good news. A couple hours later, we were in full stalk mode. Unfortunately, swirling winds eventually spoiled my stalk. We were devastated. That night, a storm moved in, turning what had been very pleasant early fall weather into a raging winter storm.
The next morning, with very limited visibility, we packed up and headed out. We were completely devastated by the events of the previous day. With school commitments, National Guard duties, and work, it would be nearly three weeks until I had the chance to try to finish what I had started with this ram.
On October 20th, we headed north for our fifth trip to The Breaks and back to the area where we had last seen The One. By mid-afternoon, we were scouring the canyons below us in search of the ram. Shortly after arriving in the general area where we had previously seen them, my dad spotted a group with 16 rams in it. All we could do was hope that the ram we were after, or another good one, was in the group. John and his good friend, Blake Trangmoe, had joined us on this trip, so we had four sets of eyes poring over the group of rams. After dissecting the rams for an hour and a half, we had a consensus on which ram was The One. The rangefinder read 279 yards, which was well within my ability. We watched intently through the sagebrush, waiting for our ram to make a move.
At around 3:30 p.m., the ram stood up and I was ready. As he turned broadside, I settled the crosshairs on the back edge of his shoulder and slowly squeezed the trigger of the .300 Weatherby. The handloaded 210 grain Nosler LRAB hit the mark, and the ram was down. After a short celebration, we headed down to see just what we had. We knew this was a great ram, but it wasn’t until we got close that we realized the enormity of the animal. When the base circumference measured in excess of 18", our excitement grew. The first rough measurements added up to nearly 209". With a storm moving in and daylight dwindling, we took pictures and began the caping process.
Following the mandatory 60-day drying period, this spectacular ram officially scored 208 3/8", easily surpassing the previous #1 U.S. hunterkilled ram and equaling the current #1 hunterkilled ram in the world taken in Alberta, Canada in 2000. The horns will be panel-scored next year. As far as our objectives for the hunt, I am humbled by the outcome and appreciative of all those who in some way contributed. As with most sheep hunts, it was a team effort from those former tag holders who offered everything they had learned on their hunts to Blake Trangmoe who contributed extensive experience judging sheep and a strong back on the way out to John Lewton who provided unrivaled expertise on sheep, where to find them, and how to judge them to my dad who invested countless hours of research, making connections and scouting to ensure a successful outcome. I thank you all for your contribution to my hunt-of-a-lifetime.
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