how much does a mature ram weigh??

[Dale]

I'm doing a backpack trip for sheep this year, just wondering how much weight am I gonna be packing out if I get the drop on a ram? I will definetly bone him. Rough estimates or experiences appreciated.

Thanks,
DALE

[StoneChaser]

Stone's Sheep....

60-70 lbs of deboned meat is a good average (4 quarters, neck, back straps, tenderloin...everything but the ribs)

A good set of horns will weigh 20lbs (cleaned skull w/bottom jaw removed) (39" ram w/14 1/2" bases)....a smaller ram will go 15lbs+.

Count on ~ 10-12lbs for a fleshed/salted cape (well drained) (this is a guestimate..I've never weighed a cape).

I usually count on an extra 80-90lbs for an entire ram w/cape + horns.

They certainly aren't light... my buddy and I killed a double a few years back. All our gear and the rams in one trip each was a good load!!!!!

StoneChaser

[one-shot-wonder]

Good break down Stone chaser!

I agree on most points but if you plan to shoot a Bighorn ram you should add 10-15% on to the body weight and horn values.

[Orangethunder]

Wow, that adds up. I thought it was hard work not shooting anything. So does the estimated weight go up that much 3km's into the pack out? I hope I have more hands on experience this August.

[StoneChaser]

Wow, that adds up. I thought it was hard work not shooting anything. So does the estimated weight go up that much 3km's into the pack out? I hope I have more hands on experience this August.

Sure feels like it!

I actually weigh the meat when I get home to see how much was there, as well as the horns/skull.

Never weighed the cape, but I know what my loaded pack weighs before I leave... and I weigh the pack loaded when I get home...subtract that from the gear/meat and I get 10-12 lbs.

Impossible for 2 guys to pack out "All" of the meat horns, cape, and gear and not be DAMN close to 100lbs each (excluding your rifle) and likely will exceed 100lbs. ( 1/2 a ram each ).

If you and your partner whack a double header 20+ km from your truck and you'll feel that one in the morning :lol:

StoneChaser

[Nimrod]

The 2nd ram I shot was on a solo hunt,was a big bodied ram, had to carry it all bush whack. the first 400meters was a steep avalanche chute with scrub spruce..nasty. then to top it off what I thought was a cross-able avalanche debris pile ended up being total hell. Some of these trees you couldn't get your arms around. from up top it looked like grass growing between the fallen trees that were taken to the valley bottom by an avalanche...ended up being 6 feet and deeper between them, had to walk on top and step from one to the other over these gaps.... dead trees with broken branches all around me like daggers, with bark that can be rotten and sluff off if you don't walk on the absolute top of the log, I was freaked out.....the one time the bark did give way I crotched the log( under load) with a thick broken branch 3 feet in front and 2 feet behind me ...could have been skewered like a kibob......one of the stupidest thing I have done.
when I got home weighed all the gear I carried 167lb took 8 hours.

[Untouchable]

167 lbs.!
By yourself!
Almost died!
Yup you sure earned your Nickname!
:wink:

[Macgregor]

167 lbs???

[Stone Sheep Steve]

167 lbs???

Completety possible for a solo hunt and large bodied ram.

SSS

[Deaddog]

I agree, 167 pounds would not be out of line with a large ram and all your gear, rifle etc, ... trip out sounds like "just another walk in the park":lol:

[brno375]

Yup you sure earned your Nickname!
:wink:

Somehow the name Nimrod has developed a negative connotation. If you are refering to it's original and true meaning/definition, then yes, he did earn it.

[Dale]

man i can't wait to go now. the most i have ever packed was about 85lbs, but i am looking forward to the challenge. i'm training now and by aug 1 i will be fit to run the boston marathon! well maybe the half marathon, lets not get over confident Dale. any way thanks for all the input, i was already figuring it would be over the 100lbs mark with ram and gear. people must think hunters are nuts for the hell we put our bodies through for what we call a 'vacation' or 'relax time'.

DALE

[bighornbob]

I dont know about those puny stone sheep:lol: but I weighed the head and cape from my Rocky (shoulder cape and the the whole head bucked off at neck right at the chin) and it weighed 55 pounds. Yes I could have skinned the head and removed the lower jaw but I wanted to get off the hill that night.
I wish I would have weighed my whole pack as I had meat and my gear (tent and sleeping bag etc). I dont have a clue what it weighed but I could not walk for a few days as my lower back was bruised and skin rubbed off on a few spots.

I vowed never again to hunt sheep and pack an animal out in one trip. There was only a week or so of this crazy talk before I started looking at the maps again:)

BHB