Holy C#@P! Our neighbors house was on fire! As I ran into the house to call 911, my already rapid heartbeat surged even faster. It had been less than 30 minutes since my wife had answered the phone and asked if I wanted to take a call from Huntin’ Fool. I wondered what they could want. Then I remembered that the drawing for the Sonora Desert sheep hunt was scheduled for this week. Could it be? I quickly grabbed the phone from my wife as my heart started beating a little faster. “Hi, Mark. This is Jerrod Lile from Huntin’ Fool. How are you doing?” After we exchanged pleasantries, Jerrod finally said those magical words, “You’re the winner of our Sonora, Mexico Desert sheep hunt!” My heartbeat seemed to accelerate through my chest. As I hung up the phone, I stood there stunned for a minute before calling my 25-year-old twin boys, Evan and Tanner. I asked, “Would you guys like to go with me on a Desert sheep hunt in Mexico?” They basically said, “You bet!” They may have been even more excited than I was. After calling a couple of friends and sharing my good fortune, my heart was still racing. I couldn’t stand still. I decided to step outside for some fresh air and to try and calm down. That’s when I looked over and saw the smoke bellowing out of the roof vents of our next-door neighbor’s house.
The 911 operator took my report and told me that the fire department was on the way. When I hung up, I saw that my neighbor had arrived home and was frantically running around his house, trying to get in. I learned later that he didn’t carry a door key as he always entered through the garage, which now wouldn’t open because the wiring had been burned. Worried that someone might be inside, I ran over to try and help. My neighbor shattered the sliding glass door leading to the basement, and we went in. As I followed him upstairs, I didn’t see any flames and very little smoke as the fire was still contained to the attic. That changed when we looked in the master bathroom and saw the toilet bowl on fire, I mean where the water is! We both stared in confusion at this surreal scene, trying to figure out what was happening. We then looked up at the ceiling and saw small flames coming from a hole where the bathroom fan had once been. We had found the apparent source of the fire. The fan must have shorted out or overheated, melting the plastic fan housing and dripping the plastic flames onto the toilet seat which had melted into the bowl, creating the strange sight that we were now witnessing. Once we left the eerie bathroom scene, my neighbor quickly gathered family pictures as I pulled some wires and grabbed their computer. We left the house as the first of seven fire trucks arrived. Although the fire department was able to save the main structure of the house, the inside was a complete loss due to the smoke and water damage. Later that day, after both my adrenaline and heartbeat had returned to somewhat normal levels, I reflected on my neighbor’s horrible misfortune on the very same day that I had been so fortunate. Life certainly takes some unexpected twists and turns, and the events of the day made me appreciate even more how truly lucky I was.
Planning for my hunt began with a call to the outfitter, Wade Lemon Hunting of Holden, Utah. I confirmed that it would be okay for me to bring my boys along as observers, and we settled on early December for my hunt when it would be a little cooler in the hot Sonoran desert. I now had about a year and eight months to wait, anticipate, and prepare for this special opportunity.
At 63 years old and having previously taken a nice Rocky in my home state of Colorado as well as a Dall sheep in Alaska, I knew that I was in the twilight of my sheep hunting career and did not kid myself about how physically demanding this or any sheep hunt could potentially be. At least I had plenty of time to get in shape and prepare for the steep desert terrain that these Sonoran sheep call home.
Concerns about COVID and whether or not we would even be able to get into and out of Mexico had my boys and me worried right up until the time that we safely landed in Hermosillo. We were greeted at the airport by Jorge who drove us an hour and a half north to the ranch where we would begin our hunt in the morning. Along the way, we learned that Sonora had been experiencing a very bad drought, receiving only one inch of rain this year compared to the normal four. The lack of moisture had brought the sheep down into an area much lower than their usual haunts, and that, coupled with the news that they had been watching three nice rams in the area where we would be hunting, increased my excitement to nearly the same level as it was when I first learned of winning the hunt.
The ranch owner, Jesus, and my guide, Lance, both greeted us on our arrival. After a quick tour of the property, we were treated to the first of many delicious, authentic Mexican meals. I couldn’t get enough of the chiltepin peppers that grew wild in the area. The tiny ground peppers are especially tasty when sprinkled on scrambled eggs with the homemade tortillas that were served with most every meal. Following dinner, we headed to bed. With my mind still racing, I tried to get some much-needed sleep. I was up and dressed before the alarm sounded. As excited as I was, I believe my boys were even more so. They couldn’t wait to get going. Their very first trip to Mexico and they would be hunting Desert sheep. It just doesn’t get any better!
After about an hour’s drive, we arrived at the area where the sheep had last been seen. The ranch manager’s three boys were there ahead of us and had already located the largest of the three rams that they had been keeping tabs on over the past week. Lance quickly got the ram in the spotting scope, and I had my first good look at him. Beautiful! Could this really be happening so fast? Even though we were only an hour into the first morning of a hunt that I had been waiting nearly two years for, I knew better than to let a sheep like this walk. Before I knew it, we were 218 yards below the bedded ram. With the rifle resting on my shooting sticks and waiting for him to stand, I had time to reflect on how lucky I was, not only to have won this hunt, but to have my boys here with me to experience it as well. I was suddenly jolted to reality when I heard Evan whisper, “Dad, he’s getting up!” Two quick shots later and my boys were racing up the mountain ahead of me to the fallen ram. What a fantastic feeling. What a gorgeous sheep! With all of the help that we had, we were soon back at the ranch where the ram was green scored at 171 4/8". Icing on the cake!
Our remaining days were spent eating more great food, spending time with a fun group of mule deer hunters at another ranch, and experiencing an amazing dove hunt where we shot until our shoulders were sore. However, when I think back on all the wonderful memories from this hunt, there is one memory in particular that stands above the rest. Late in the afternoon of the day that I shot the ram, I went for a short walk around the ranch property and came across a small chapel that I hadn’t seen before. As I approached, I noticed that the front door was ajar. I wondered for a moment if it would be okay to go inside, but I instinctively knew that it would be just fine. For me, it was the highlight of the entire incredible experience to be able to kneel inside this tiny little chapel in the middle of the Sonoran desert and be able to give proper thanks to the One who had made it all possible.
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