In 2006, I became ill with a very serious disease when one of my best friends, Bob, drew a resident California sheep tag in Oregon. I am an Idaho resident and had been applying in several states for sheep for a few years. I accompanied him on a successful self-guided hunt. At that point, my disease took a serious turn for the worse. It was called Sheep Fever!
In 2010, I went on an unsuccessful Dall sheep hunt in Alaska accompanied by Bob. In 2012, we went back together and I harvested a nice ram on the last evening. Another very good friend of mine, Jon, who also had acquired the same disease came and hunted after my hunt was over, but he was also unsuccessful on his first sheep hunt. In 2015, Jon went back to Alaska and got a beautiful ram.
Jon and I are both Idaho residents and hunt together quite a bit. That same year, Jon drew a Rocky tag in Idaho. Bob, a couple other friends, and I helped Jon get his ram on a self-guided hunt. Jon and I soon booked a Stone sheep hunt together in B.C. for 2017. I harvested a nice ram, but Jon did not. At that point, we were both half slammers.
In late 2020, we booked a Desert hunt in Sonora for February 2023. With Covid restrictions finally lifting in Canada, Jon was able to go back and get his Stone in August of 2022. It was a beautiful ram that did an amazing Olympic back dive off a 600-foot cliff, but somehow, the cape and horns mostly survived the fall.
In the early spring of 2022, before the sheep applications in Idaho, my wife told me something that was hard to believe. She said I was getting a year older every year. Having put in for sheep in nine different western states, some for more than 20 years, I decided to switch and go for the easiest tag in the state for a resident to draw. That didn’t mean it was easy to draw, it just had the best odds. I also knew it had the very lowest harvest percentage. I decided my wife was right and I would rather go self-guided sheep hunting and not get a ram than never be able to go.
Somehow, I drew a Rocky tag. Bob, my son, Travin, and I did an extremely difficult hunt. With 22 days of backpacking, limited water, minimal trails, extremely rough terrain, and only one ram, it was seriously brutal. My ram also did an Olympic back dive off a 400-foot cliff like Jon’s and also mostly survived. Now Jon and I were 3/4 slammers with a Sonora trip coming up in four months.
On February 11, 2023, Jon completed his slam, and the next day, I got mine. Travin was there to enjoy the moment with us as it was very special. I don’t think very many people have ever finished a sheep slam together on the same hunt. Best friends and my son, it doesn’t get any better than that! I feel very blessed and am very thankful for the support from family, friends, and Huntin’ Fool, which Jon and I are longtime members of. God bless, stay active, and keep positive!
Login