With retirement and a move to Oregon in the near future, I thought I was finished with hunting in California. I had one last chance to put in as a resident and figured why not, even though the odds of drawing a sheep tag in California are worse than winning the lottery. In the middle of June, I decided to look at the draw results, though I had no hope of drawing a tag. It took several hours and many visits to the draw results page for it to really sink in. I had drawn a tag for the Marble/Clipper Mountains. Now the panic set in. Was I physically ready? Did I have the right gear? I needed a guide!
After talking to Cliff with Dry Creek Outfitters, there was no question that he was the guide I wanted to hunt with. I had been on several guided hunts previously, but from the moment we arrived at camp, we could tell this was much more than we had experienced before. My son and hunting partner was fortunately able to join me on the hunt. Cliff and Casey were a joy to be with in camp, a couple of real jokers, but in the field, they were completely professional and 100% focused on getting me the best ram possible.
Day one brought rain, wind, and low clouds. We spent the majority of the day glassing. We spotted a few groups of ewes and lambs, but it wasn’t until the late afternoon that we located a group of five rams, which included a large, tan ram, the “Old Warrior.” Unfortunately, they were in and out of the clouds and it was too late to do a stalk. Back to camp for dinner with more laughs and making plans for the next day.
On day two, Cliff stayed in the valley to glass while Casey, my son, and I headed up the hill, hoping to find the group of five rams. Cliff and Casey have a glassing ability that is truly amazing. They could not only spot rams at five to six miles away, but they were able to tell the size and which animal was a possible “shooter.” Hunting in this terrain was one of the most strenuous hunts I have done with steep hills and large, loose boulders. My son and I watched our two guides move easily up the hill, then have to stop and wait for us to catch up. We realized that we were not in as good of shape as we had thought. We spotted several rams throughout the day but not the one we were looking for.
It was getting late in the day, and there was about a six-mile hike back to the truck, almost time to head out. At that point, Casey spotted a ram about a mile uphill, then another, and then all five, including the Old Warrior. Game on. Casey looked at me and said, “Gun, ammo, move.” He told my son to stay. I think it was very hard for him to be watching the hunt unfold from a distance and not be able to help. From his location, he could see the rams and us but couldn’t understand why I did not take the shot. Cliff was feeling the same. From his location about six miles away in the Mojave Desert, I appeared to have a shot. Unfortunately, Casey and I could not see the rams. For almost an hour, the rams were only about 150 yards away on the other side of a small hill. When we decided to take a look over the hill, they were on us. At that point, the adrenaline definitely kicked in. As they headed up the hill, Casey very calmly said, “Take the shot.”
“Which one?” I asked.
Casey told me it was the second one. At this point, we were both getting amped up as we watched the rams quickly moving out of range. It wasn’t until Casey told me the “tan one” that I got my focus back, and at 330 yards, I had my ram down. After a few pictures just before dark, we prepped the ram for a night on the hill and headed back to camp. We had a celebration drink, a great dinner, and a good night’s sleep.
The next morning, we went back up the hill for many pictures, skinning, and packing my ram back to camp. This was not only a great hunt, but also an incredible adventure. As we headed back to Oregon, on our 14-hour drive, my son and I talked continuously, recounting all the highlights of the trip. This hunt would not have been the same if he had not been able to share it with me. In addition to an amazing hunt, my son and I learned some new hunting techniques that we are excited to use on future hunts.
I am extremely grateful for the skill and professionalism of our guides. Cliff made sure that every aspect of the trip was as good as it possibly could be – the camp, the home-cooked meals, weeks of pre-scouting, careful planning, and posing for great pictures. This was an incredible memory for my son and me.
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