On May 26, 2017, I received a voicemail from Huntin’ Fool. I had been submitting tags in nine states for 17 years in trophy units only, and they stated that I had drawn a Desert sheep tag in unit 262 in Nevada. It turned out that this was a one of one out-of-state tag immediately west of Las Vegas. I felt like I had just won the lottery, and that’s what I told my wife who actually thought I had won it. That would have been odd since we don’t buy lottery tickets. I was beside myself as I had recently thought that I would quit submitting tags since I was 68 and felt like I was running out of time. I still have that voicemail saved on my phone. Huntin’ Fool recommended that I contact Thomas Brunson with Timberline Outfitters & Guide Service, which I did within minutes of receiving the news. I have heard of hunters who have been submitting for a Desert sheep tag for up to 44 years who have yet to receive one.
Thomas informed me that Tommy Caviglia would be my guide and that he would contact me within a few days. I knew that I would need to get in better shape and lose some weight. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape for my age, but I knew I had to get in better shape and hired a personal trainer to work with me twice a week, starting in June. I also knew that I wanted to be ready for my shot, so I contacted my good friend, Bern llenstine, and we spent a lot of time getting my new scope ready at the rifle range.
Tommy informed me that he hikes the mountains we would be hunting in year-round and had cameras out to let us know what was available. He also informed me that getting a picture in August is a lot different than seeing the sheep in November. I wanted to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start my hunt, but Tommy wanted me there for opening day. My wife knew how important this hunt was to me and had no problem supporting me being gone as it would be the first time I wouldn’t be with my family on a holiday. Last September, we celebrated our 46th anniversary.
I met Tommy at the Las Vegas airport on Saturday, November 18th, and we were out scouting that same afternoon. It turned out that six months earlier Tommy had purchased a four-seater Can Am for our hunt. The roads we rode on were deeply rutted and rocky, but that Cam Am was unbelievably comfortable to ride in due to its suspension. That night, I met Tommy’s best friend, Slade Sanborn, who was going to help us and was also a guide and Boone & Crockett scorer. The next day, I also met Tommy’s brother, Nicolai, and dad, Johnny, who were going to help. Tommy informed me that there were a number of others who wanted to help but that he didn’t want it to get out of hand. These helpers spent dark to dark glassing to find one of the two rams we were looking for.
On Saturday, we found a good ram, but it was not what we were looking for. We found the same ram on Sunday and saw one of the five in-state hunters. From the pictures that had been taken in August, Tommy had decided that there were two or possibly three sheep we were looking for.
On Monday, Tommy decided that he, Slade, and I would drive to the end of the road and go for an extended hike. At about 2:30 in the afternoon, Tommy found a mature ram below us at about 150 yards. It was not one of the three we were looking for. Tommy and Slade spent time scoring the ram through their spotting scopes and decided that it was 167". We were in a trophy area, and I told Tommy that it was his decision to shoot or pass and that I would sleep well that night either way. The season went from November 20th to December 20th, and I was prepared to do whatever it took. We decided to pass. I was beat by the time we got back to the Can Am, but I know that it was a cakewalk for Tommy and Slade.
We decided that we should widen the radius on Tuesday in order to be sure that we were looking in the right area because rams can travel eight miles in a night. After not finding many sheep, we decided that we had to hunt closer to the water since it hadn’t rained yet and the temperature was going to be in the 80s. This was the same area where we had been looking.
On Wednesday, we went back to the same parking area where we had been on Monday. We dropped just below the parking area to start glassing. Tommy found a ram after about half an hour, thinking that it was the same ram we had seen on Monday. After a while, he realized it wasn’t the same ram and thought that it might be “Ramon,” the number two selection for us to go after. The ram was about two miles away at about a 3,500 foot elevation, and it was decided that we needed to go after this ram or at least get a closer look.
We got packed up and sidehilled on the backside of the mountains to stay out of sight. It took about one and a half hours to get into position. The whole time hiking, the thoughts that go through your mind while getting ready are amazing. I thought about my father-in-law who got me started deer and elk hunting and prayed that he was with me on this hunt. I thought about my friend, Tim Powell, who got me started traveling out of state and country on hunting trips, and I prayed that when Tommy got me into position I would be able to make the shot.
We popped out at 700 yards away, 500 yards, 400 yards, and got into position at 180 yards. At that point, Tommy realized this was not Ramon but a really good ram that was looking right at us. There were three rams and a ewe. Tommy got me into position with my rifle on his pack and had me wait to get his tripod with camera set. I had to wait for the ewe to get out of the way, but that was when the circus started and all three rams started chasing the ewe. We had snuck all this way just to have them take off as we got into position. Tommy said to take him if I had the opportunity. I took the shot diagonally, moving away at what turned out to be 212 yards, and Tommy said I got him! I didn’t even look up.
I got emotional laying on the pack and thinking about the whole experience. The thing that I haven’t mentioned was that this completed my Grand Slam. Tommy had been holding his breath through all of this and then finally relaxed after the shot. After seeing it on the video, the ram just sat down and rolled down the hill about 30 yards. After the required 60-day waiting period, the 9-year-old ram scored 171 3/8" with 36 1/2" long horns and 14 1/2" bases.
I can’t thank Tommy, Slade, Nicolai, and Johnny enough for the entire experience. I always have a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for my guides and consider them lifelong friends.
Nevada Desert Sheep