It was a July day in 2017, and I was guiding fishing clients on Devils Lake in North Dakota. My phone rang, and it was my dad. He said I had been drawn for an Arizona Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep tag. I almost fell out of the boat when he told me. I only had 6 points, but most hunters need 28 points to have a good chance of being drawn.
My dad and I have been members of Huntin’ Fool for 13 years and are now lifetime members. We have applied in almost every mountain state for sheep, elk, and deer. My dad, Roger, has hunted sheep many times and always told me, “Once you start hunting sheep, it puts hunting at a whole new level.” He encouraged me to apply for the draw tags as these hunts are becoming expensive.
Since we live 1,500 miles away, I was not able to do any scouting, so I called our good friend and taxidermist, Brian Kadramas, for a recommendation of a good outfitter in eastern Arizona. We also called Huntin’ Fool, and they both recommended Sam Dieringer Outfitters from Pima, Arizona. Sam, his wife, Devri, and their son, Scott, run hounds on mountain lions along with guiding sheep, elk, and deer in that area, so they know the sheep country very well. Sam usually guides one or two sheep hunts a year in eastern Arizona, and he agreed to
be my guide for the November 2017 hunt. He has the predator control contract for mountain lions and gets called upon to help protect the ranchers’ livestock. This effort is also a huge benefit for other wildlife, such as elk, deer, and sheep.
I am an avid bowhunter, and since this was my first sheep hunt, I wanted to try archery, realizing I may end up using the rifle. My dad wanted to help, so he came along to carry the rifle.
It’s a two-day drive from our farm in North Dakota to Arizona. We arrived half a day early to have time to check the bow and get our gear ready. Sam, Scott, and their crew had been scouting every day and had a good idea of where some good mature rams were located. Sam said the rut was kicking in despite the abnormally hot and dry temperatures this fall.
The next morning, Sam wanted to be on top of the mountain at daybreak. It was an hour drive to the creek bottom, so we left the lodge very early, 3:00 a.m. When we arrived at the riverbed, they unloaded a couple of ATVs to cover some ground before we started our ascent up the mountain. This is great sheep country as the terrain is very steep and challenging.
We made it to the top of the mountain by daybreak and started glassing where Sam thought the rams would be, but they had moved. We saw several young rams and several ewes. We started moving across the ridge but saw nothing. Finally, about mid-afternoon, we spotted a bunch of sheep across the canyon. Sam left for a better view and then waved us up. There were 15 sheep in this group with two mature rams. One looked especially good. His left side was really large, maybe 43 inches, and his right side was broomed off with many battle scars. He was definitely a mature ram, probably 10-11 years old, with good mass.
It was late in the day and to cross the canyon and work up to the ram for a bowshot would be difficult, but Sam said it could be done. The problem was that they were in rut and always moving. We watched the ram chase ewes and fend off younger rams. Sam took some great videos through his spotting scope. I decided it would be best to pull out the rifle and take the shot as he was a tremendous ram and I didn’t want to lose him. There was another hunter in the area, and we weren’t sure where he was hunting.
I was shooting a 30 Nosler Gunwerks gun with 215 grain bullets with a Nightforce 5.5x22 scope. We ranged the ram at 640 yards with a left crosswind at 10-15 mph. The ram finally separated from the ewes and presented a shot. I had a perfect broadside opportunity. The shot hit a little back but drew blood. The ram moved about 75 yards to the left and stopped. The second shot hit hard, and he was down!
What a thrill to have a chance at such an old warrior! As we approached him, I was in awe of all of his battle scars, his big body, and his beautiful hair coat. After celebrating, we took pictures and then did a full body cape, finishing at dark.
When Sam judged the ram in the scope, he thought he would be in the high 170s. However, after we green scored him, he was 187 6/8" gross. Officially, his net 60-day dry down score was 181 2/8". On the way back to Sam’s that night, I told Dad that I thought I now had “sheep fever.”
I want to thank everyone who helped me with this hunt, including Sam, Devri, and Scott Dieringer and their crew, the staff at Huntin’ Fool, my dad, and Brian Kadramas with Dakota Taxidermy who mounted this ram and displayed him at the 2018 Reno Sheep Show in Sam’s booth.
I am thankful I was drawn for this hunt, and I encourage everyone to keep applying for tags.
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