Celebrating 75 years -- The Chadwick Ram 1936-2011

[Jordan f.]

K, somebody answer me this...

You hire a guide to take you into the area. Get on this monster. You shoot it, but the guide then has to finish it off for you. And you get claim of shooting the record stone?

The whole guide/client relationship in sheep hunting is odd to me when it comes to situations like this.

Would you claim the ram as yours if this happened to you?

[twoSevenO]

I'm not sure I follow.... who says he guide finished it off for you? Or that this happens often? I'm sure it happens on occasion but I've seen no evidence that it happens often?

And yes ... I'm sure that someone who pays $300,000 for a tag to hunt any ram anywhere he wants is gonna do whatever it takes to claim that ram under his name.

People who pay $300k to hunt an animal want it known.

[Jordan f.]

Jack Oconnor says in his book Chadwick was shooting a .404 Jeffery Magnum as he was weary of Grizzlies while sheep hunting,Hargreaves finished it off with a 30-06.

I'm not sure I follow.... who says he guide finished it off for you? Or that this happens often? I'm sure it happens on occasion but I've seen no evidence that it happens often?

And yes ... I'm sure that someone who pays $300,000 for a tag to hunt any ram anywhere he wants is gonna do whatever it takes to claim that ram under his name.

People who pay $300k to hunt an animal want it known.

I guess I worded that poorly. In this situation, posts here have led me to believe the guide had the final shot (see above quote). I'd have trouble putting my name to a ram someone else had to shoot after me.

Not saying it happens often, but if it did happen to you...would you claim it and feel good about it?

Edited to not derail a sweet thread

[twoSevenO]

I guess I worded that poorly. In this situation, posts here have led me to believe the guide had the final shot (see above quote). I'd have trouble putting my name to a ram someone else had to shoot after me.

As for my guide/client comment. I mean some of these guides spend months locating a ram for someone with a governor's tag. Then the guy flys in, hikes into the area, shoots it, and claims the record. Even though someone else did all the prep and figure out where it was? Always been odd to me. But then again, I'll probably never have 300k for a hunt haha

Oh ... absolutely. This is the Utah governor's tag mule deer from a couple years back. I've watched this hunt .... the guy is 75, can barely get to the shooting spot on his own. So yes, he paid like $350k for the tag, but the guides did 99.9% of the work. The guides watched this deer for like 2-3 years if i remember correctly ... waiting for the governor tag client to sign with them. I doubt he could even carry out the rack let alone the rest of the deer .... but you know what, when you surround yourself with other rich guys who do the same on all their hunts then you don't really stand out .... you're just the guy in the group who shot the biggest mule buck of all time. That's their version of hunting and to them there's nothing strange about it.


I must have missed that about Chadwick .... he was probaly in the ditch recovering from the .404 recoil so the guy had to help him out ... lol

[Jordan f.]

God damn that is a buck. I guess you are right though "to each their own". At the end of the day he put a good chunk of cash into wildlife conservation.

[albravo2]

Interesting point someone made about the Chadwick ram not being an alpha. It would explain why there hasn't been a similar ram if he wasn't able to breed and spread his DNA.

Sort of like those gym rats... so freaked out on steroids their junk doesn't work.

[Walking Buffalo]

The Chadwick ram, although he has a huge set of horns, was probably not aggressive, and spent his life as a subordinate ram. Probably did not butt heads much, and thus the pristine horns. In other words, he was somebodys b!tch

Interesting point someone made about the Chadwick ram not being an alpha. It would explain why there hasn't been a similar ram if he wasn't able to breed and spread his DNA.

Sort of like those gym rats... so freaked out on steroids their junk doesn't work.

325's theory is possible, but there are other explanations.

The current WR Bighorn from Alberta and other big Dominant rams are known to have subordinate sidekicks that do the fighting for them.
The "associates" clear the path for the King to feast, f and get fat....

Ram culture is much more complicated than most would believe.

[twoSevenO]

How old was this ram? Do his rings show any accelerated growth patterns that might have made him just grow his horns faster than the others? ... doesnt look like it to me, but I dont know rams.