It is kind of ridiculous looking back at it now. Who knew drawing this tag was such a big deal? My coworker suggested I put in for this hunt, not knowing what I was getting myself into. On the day draw results came out, I sent a screenshot to my friend. She called, freaking out that I had drawn a once-in-a-lifetime tag on my first try. I immediately got ahold of my brother who said he’d gladly take me. We spent over a month scouting the area only to find a group of ewes.
My brother ended up having to go out of town the first week of my hunt, so his good friends, Ryan and Pete, stepped up and took me. Opening weekend proved to be a challenge for me both mentally and physically, but we finally caught up to a group of rams. After a few missed shots, it became apparent that my gun somehow got knocked and messed with my sights. I went home Sunday feeling defeated and disappointed, but I knew I had to try and stay positive. I got my gun sighted back in and got the call Wednesday that the rams were back and not going anywhere.
My best friend, Angalee, and I made the trip back on Thursday with our plan to meet up with the guys and Mike, another one of my brother’s friends. We headed out early Friday morning to our meeting spot and then made our way to the mountain. We stopped where Mike had spotted the rams just a few days prior. We glassed until Angalee shouted, “I see one!” It took us 45 minutes to find them way up the hill, but we could tell they were making their way down, so Mike and Ryan made the decision to take me closer.
I was pooped by the time we got to a good spot. From there, I set myself up and waited. The rams ended up getting spooked and took off sidehilling. I thought for sure I wasn’t going to get a shot until the one I wanted jumped up on a big rock and stood there broadside, looking right at me. I got him in my sights and pulled the trigger. I nailed him at 288 yards, and he fell hard. It was the wildest feeling and such a great experience. This hunt really pushed me, and I’m so grateful for the memories I made. Big thanks to my brother, his friends, my sister-in-law, and my best friend for helping me. There is no way I could’ve done it without them.
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