I’m writing this for my wife, Jade, because her effort and accomplishment are worthy of a story. I’d been dreaming about hunting for bighorn sheep for a long, long time. Most bighorn hunts start with drawing a tag, and this had proven to be an insurmountable obstacle for me. I’d been applying for 25+ years in nine different states, always without success. About 15 years ago, I decided to start putting Jade’s name in the hat for just one state, Montana. Of course, fate seemed to point at me and laugh as she drew my dream tag!
At first, she was fairly nonchalant about her good fortune. She thought it was neat, but “oh, whatever.” Not me. I was bouncing off the walls and totally freaking out! Jade had been on a few trips and had taken a couple of antelope and a mule deer, but she was a relatively inexperienced hunter. I tried to convince her that a sheep hunt was something totally different. It was rare, special, and likely much more difficult. I wanted to make the most of this opportunity, so I decided to hire outfitter Cody Carr. It proved to be a great decision. Cody and his guides are all first-class people. They are optimistic, patient, and knew the area and how to hunt it. Our hunting team was made up of head guide Jake, cameraman Jaden, and spotter Malcolm. Later in the hunt, Cody and Tanner also joined in to help.
Over the course of the summer, Jade tried to get ready with a lot of hiking and shooting, but as her hunt approached, I was concerned she might be unprepared for the task at hand. I wanted her to have fun and enjoy the experience, but I also wanted her to work hard and earn it. Something so special shouldn’t come easy. As it turned out, it didn’t come easy at all.
Sometimes there’s a fine line between enjoying a hunt and just getting your butt kicked. Jade definitely crossed that line. She endured long, grueling hikes in steep, rocky terrain. She wasn’t used to the rigors of a sheep hunt, and after a while, her body was totally spent and her mind was struggling to keep it together. It got to the point where she was so exhausted that I had to get behind her and push her up the mountain. She was sore, and her body was covered in bruises from falling on rocks. There were some places we’d take two steps forward and slide three back. I listened to a lot of moans and groans, and there were several times she ended up face down in the rocks, sobbing with despair. God bless her, she always got back up and kept going. We’d leave the cabin well before daylight and wouldn’t return until long after dark day after day. Battered, bruised, and tired, she kept trying.
Don’t get me wrong, the hunt wasn’t all anguish and misery, it was actually fantastic. The weather was great, and Jade and I were surrounded by the most beautiful scenery on earth. We spent hours watching groups of rams interact with each other. It was amazing! We were finding dozens of rams, but they were always in groups and difficult to approach. Several times, we’d get close to them in the timber, but playing peek-a-boo with a bunch of rams in heavy timber is a game you’re probably going to lose. It’s frustrating! It probably wouldn’t have been too hard to just shoot any ram, but picking the best one out of a group when you can only see bits and pieces of them is difficult. Sooner or later, one of them is going to see you or the wind will swirl and then it’s game over with a long, disappointing hike back to the truck in the dark to start over again the next day. Jake and Jaden were almost supernatural at spotting sheep, and luckily, they were patient as Jade and I did our best. We were hunting hard and having fun. There were a lot of opportunities, and we were getting close but just not getting the lucky break we needed.
By the sixth day of our hunt, Jade had six guides and spotters scouring the area trying to turn up a special, tag-worthy ram. We found the one. He was on a steep hillside with 10 other rams. We had to hurry to get in position for a shot before they fed into the trees and out of sight. It was an extremely high-pressure situation as Jade got set up for the shot. There were six men looking over her shoulder, she was exhausted, and the rams were moving and changing positions, so she was having a lot trouble finding the right one. She was nervous, and the clock was ticking. I was praying for all I was worth for her to make a good shot. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. It wasn’t meant to be. Her shot was heartbreakingly close right under the big ram’s chest. As he ran away, she sagged to the rocks, sobbing. She worked so hard for that opportunity and tried her best. She was crushed. Not only did she really want the ram, but she also felt like she’d let everyone down. The hunt had hit a low point, and things were not looking good.
Our team couldn’t have been more understanding and encouraging. Everyone basically said, “No problem at all,” and split up to relocate the rams. It seemed like God had a plan for us. While we were involved in the search, two new rams were spotted. They were in a good location, and one looked pretty solid. We gave Jade our assessment, and she was up for an attempt. We all gathered our gear, and Cody led us on a careful stalk into position. Both rams were bedded. The smaller ram was laying right out in the open, but the big one was behind a tree and some bushes. Cody helped Jade get the gun set up, but there was no shot, so we had to wait. We waited and waited and then waited some more. It seemed like an eternity, but finally, the big ram stood up. Then, he just stood there and wouldn’t move. I’m all for soaking in the moment, but I was losin’ it! After “forever and a half,” he slowly walked forward into the open. He was a distinctly pale color, and with the sun shining on him, he appeared almost white. It was an absolutely amazing scene that was unfolding before us. Jade shot twice (both hits), and he rolled down the hill into a log. I could hardly believe it! Did that just happen? We had all worked hard, and we all got to be part of her success. It was one of those rare special moments when you’re on top of the world and everything was awesome. The absolute euphoria of triumph! Life was good.
Jade had one more big test ahead of her, getting to her trophy. Her tank was totally empty, and she was really struggling. It wasn’t easy, but she did it. When we finally got our hands on him, we got to experience something that doesn’t seem to happen very often, he was even bigger than we thought. He was as big and as special as any ram we’d seen. He was magnificent! Her ram was a 9 to 10-year-old warrior and scored 177" despite being heavily broomed on one side. Jade said it was one of the hardest things she’s ever done, but it was all worth it. For me, the experience was everything I’d hoped for, and I was living the dream. Jade’s ram will be displayed in our home with pride. Way to go, Jade! You did it!
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