It all started after a meeting with Doyle Moss at the Western Hunting Expo in Salt Lake City. After a lengthy visit with Doyle and Cam, they had one of their clients call us to discuss the possibility of hunting with our team. Mike Kinney expressed an interest in purchasing an Oregon Access and Habitat statewide deer tag and also in trying for the Oregon Access and Habitat Raffle bighorn sheep tag. I explained to Mike that we were guiding the Access and Habitat auction sheep tag holder as well and that he wanted to pursue a Rocky Mountain bighorn with his tag; therefore, we didn’t have a conflict if he was fortunate enough to win the raffle. Mike said it was a lifelong goal of his to try to obtain a B&C California bighorn. I explained that we had located an unbelievable ram that should easily meet his expectations. After our phone conversation, Mike called Huntin’ Fool and had them purchase him some raffle tickets.
We decided to purchase some dinner tickets to attend the state OHA banquet where the ODFW would draw all the raffle tags for the upcoming season. After finding out Mike had successfully drawn the raffle sheep tag, I texted and congratulated him. I told him that the work began now. The Oregon bighorn sheep raffle tag winner can either hunt Rocky or California bighorn from August 1st to November 30th in any unit that is open to sheep hunting.
The next week, we started to assemble our team of outstanding bighorn sheep guides – Chief, Jon Barker, Larry Jacobs, Chanse Bennett, Cooper Reese, and Chris Hibler. After making the necessary plans for Mike’s upcoming sheep hunt, the babysitting service began. The very first time that “Barker” and I closed the distance to have a very up close and personal experience to critique this ram, we both just looked at each other and said, “Wow!” We knew he was extremely big, but holy smokes. We aged him at 9 years old and just couldn’t believe his absolute massiveness. After about an hour of cat and mouse, we decided to leave him alone.
We continued to catalogue rams and video other great rams across the state, but we just couldn’t stop thinking of “The John Day Monster.”
We had acquired a few outstanding pictures of this ram running with another great ram, and he just made him look like a yearling. The John Day River has produced some of the biggest California bighorns ever taken on a consistent basis.
During a scouting trip on April 27th, Chanse and I were glassing and taking an inventory of the rams and I glassed up a “giant” deadhead and carcass. Knowing we couldn’t pick it up by law, I texted our local biologist, Jeremy Thompson from the ODFW, and asked him if he wanted us to bring it to him, and he replied, “Yes.” I didn’t sleep much that night as one could imagine. While driving closer to retrieve the deadhead, which I thought was our big ram, we came around a corner and there he was alive and well! We took a couple short video clips and then proceeded onto the deadhead we had located the evening before. After bringing this deadhead to Jeremy at the Oregon Wild Sheep Foundation Fundraiser, a couple days later, he and another ODFW biologist scored this ram we found at a whopping 184".
Over the next three months, there wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t think of this incredible ram. As we continued going over the final details of Mike’s sheep hunt, we felt that this ram could push the top three of all-time as a California bighorn. The existing SCI #1 was the “Roth” ram out of Washington at an amazing 190 6/8".
On July 28th, we headed for sheep camp. Once arriving and setting everything up for everyone’s arrival, we couldn’t wait to go have another peek. After reaching one of our vantage points, one of the guys turned him up. The rams were now starting to break into smaller groups of two or three. We took a few short video clips and left. Over the next couple of days, we kept an eye on this ram and continued to shake our heads and look at each other.
Mike arrived in sheep camp on August 1st with guide Larry Jacobs, who is the secretary for the Wild Sheep Foundation. We all welcomed Mike and sat down and started to discuss the hunt. We had originally planned on waiting for Jon Barker to arrive, who was flying in late that night, but we elected to shift gears and make a move on the ram that evening.
After locating the ram, we positioned the team with Mike and tried to get a shot, but the ram wouldn’t cooperate and moved into the next ravine. After a short hike and a ride back to camp, we had some BBQ.
The next morning, we were at full staff as Barker had arrived early in the morning. We all headed to our lookouts and turned the ram up rather quickly. After a stalk into shooting position that took around two and a half hours, the team had Mike close. The only problem was the ram was bedded in such a position that the team couldn’t see him from their location due to the roll in the ground. After about a five-hour wait in the baking sun, the ram got up and started to move. Something spooked the rams, and they took off running. Instead of taking a shot at a running ram, Mike elected to stand down and not take a chance. We believe the wind swirled a little and they smelled the guys. After regrouping, the team spread out and relocated the ram. We all got back together and weighed our best option. We elected to bed the ram and come back for another attempt the following morning.
The next morning found us on our lookouts, and Barker had turned the ram up once again in a different ravine from the evening before. We then made a quick plan of attack and moved Mike into position. Once we worked ourselves into position, the team got Mike comfortable and into shooting position. One good shot and The John Day Monster was down.
Once we made our way to the other side of the drainage and all walked up on this incredible ram, he just kept growing in size! There was absolutely no ground shrinkage. As a matter of fact, this ram grew more than our wildest dreams. Everyone who was a part of this ram hunt was astonished on the mass that he carried.
After the 60-day drying period, The John Day Monster scored an official 191 5/8", making him the new #1 SCI overall. We can’t thank Doyle or Mike enough for putting their trust into our team of outstanding sheep guides who have hundreds of bighorn sheep harvests under their belts. I’m glad to have had the pleasure to share this unbelievable hunt and experience with those guys. This hunt was definitely one for the record book
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