What would happen if I drew a California bighorn sheep tag before you, Dad?” Those were my exact words as my dad applied me for my second year of tags. He had been putting in for that tag for 25 years. He replied in a sarcastic voice, “We probably wouldn’t talk for a while.”
At 5:00 a.m. on May 31, 2019, which also happened to be my birthday, my dad woke me up with a proud yet slightly jealous tone to his voice, “You drew my fricken tag!” He took me into the kitchen to show me my draw results. The first thing I saw was P.I.W California Bighorn, Successful. My smile grew 10 times as big as I processed what I had done. P.I.W (Partner In Wildlife) meant that I could hunt almost every available unit for that species. It was definitely one of the best birthday presents ever. I called everyone in my family to tell them the news and hear what they drew.
August came in a flash, and I needed to go scouting.We own and operate Currant Creek Outfitters, LLC, and with several other hunts to scout for, our time was limited. We decided to scout the areas closest to home, which were still multiple hours away. One unit stuck out more than the others because we knew it had great genetics for an occasional giant ram. In fact, the biggest ram harvested the year prior was killed in that unit. One of my dad’s friends was nice enough to let us stay in his cabin for scouting and the hunt. Scouting on those hot August days was very tiring.
For three days just prior to the hunt opener, my dad, our friend, Kurt, and I scouted long and hard for a nice ram. I wasn’t looking for a monster of a ram. After all, hunting isn’t all about the horns on your animal, it’s about having fun and making memories with the people you love. While scouting, we found an elk herd and a few ewes scattered around.
Two days before my season opened, we were ready to believe that all the rams had left. Towards the end of the second day with little daylight left my dad decided to look over a small ridge that we hadn’t glassed. He took one little peek over and then just started walking back to the quad whispering, “Big ram!” With excitement, I silently leapt for my binoculars and rushed over to look. My dad grabbed his Swarovski BTXs to get a clear view of the ram. As the ram slowly grazed out of a patch of willows, another ram followed behind him. The ram in the back was smaller, probably about four years old. The first ram was a couple years older and more mature. We had to move to get a side angle on the ram. It was then that we noticed the bigger ram had a collar. We took several pictures and then drove back to civilization. That night, we had a great dinner and played card games. Afterward, we discussed the ram we had found and whether or not he would be a shooter. I decided that we should at least get another option.
The next day, we went out to try and relocate the collared ram to see if he had any other rams with him. Just past noon, Kurt spotted the ram about a mile down a deep canyon in a dark, shaded area. He was still just running with the smaller ram. Since we figured he was only going to stay in that general vicinity, we headed back to the cabin to greet my aunt, Stacey, who was coming up to help on my hunt. We told her about the rams we had seen and that we were going to go back the next day to look for more rams.
While dinner cooked, we got everything ready to go for the next day. We went to sleep early that night because the next day was opening day of my hunt and we were going to wake up at 4:00 to get an early start. Usually, it isn’t easy getting up that early, but for me, it was as easy as writing my own name. We got breakfast and loaded our packs in the truck. I grabbed my tag and my .270 Tikka that I had won in the big buck contest the year before. My aunt and Kurt drove to a far hillside to help spot for my dad and me. He and I went where we had first found the collared ram to see if anything else moved into the area. We immediately spotted the collared ram bedded above where he was grazing the first time and he was with three other rams. For about an hour, we watched them trying to get all angles. One of the new rams seemed to have more mass and his hide was beautiful. We figured that the ram with the collar had a bald ring around his neck from the rubbing of the collar. My dad and I decided to get set up with my rifle above the rams with intentions of shooting the new bigger ram.
The rams got up and started walking down the draw just out of sight hidden in a ravine. We sat there for about 20 minutes waiting for them to come out of the bottom. That was the longest 20 minutes of my life. They finally came out at about 260 yards. I put my ear plugs in, ready to shoot. When the bigger one got separated and broadside, I took one deep breath, got lined up, and slowly squeezed the trigger. With adrenaline rushing through my body and my ears slightly ringing, I quickly loaded another bullet into the chamber. My eyes were locked on that ram. My dad was trying to get me set up for another shot, but I was frozen.
When the ram ran out of sight, I rushed to get to a spot where I could see him better. My entire body had a rush of relief as I watched the ram collapse on the steep hillside. I had killed my first bighorn sheep! We celebrated and then radioed my aunt and Kurt to come over.
Hiking down to my ram was one of the best moments of my life. Knowing you’re the first human to touch one of the most majestic animals in the world is a feeling you can’t describe. Before Kurt and my aunt got there, my dad took some pictures of just me and my ram. After that, we used a tripod to take some pictures of all of us and then skinned and quartered my ram. I carried out the hide and the head, and my dad, Kurt, and my aunt packed out the meat. That night, we ate my sheep’s tenderloins to celebrate our joyful accomplishment.
I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my dad, my aunt, Stacey, and Kurt. Thank you so much for being there.
Login