Krico
09-18-2006, 09:48 PM
I'll get right to the details.
Day1-stalked 4 rams, none big enough. Found some more just at dark.
Day2-relocated 2nd band of rams, one was a league above the rest, chased them all day, didn't get a shot. Blew my knee out the last 30 minutes of the hike back to camp. Spent rest of trip limping in pain with trekking poles while stoned on Codeine and Ibuprofen.
Day3-Lots of hiking(limping), lots of glassing, no big rams
Day4-Spotted a nice Billy right at daybreak and since I was the only one in our party of 3 without a goat on his wall, we made a play for him. After roasting in the sun for over 3 hours waiting for him to rise from his bed on a high shelf where we couldn't see him, my partner climbed behind and above him to scare him up. My first shot went behind the right shoulder and broke the left, a couple more ensured he would not climb out of our reach. Rest of the day was spent doing dirty work.
496
Day5-2 of us layed low and spotted, found no new rams but 6 new goats appeared. Could easily have filled the other goat tags, but now all of us were looking at nothing until we had our rams. The third member found the big ram again but got screwed by a thunderstorm which sent the rams running for cover as he made his stalk.
Day6-Lots of hiking, lots of glassing, couldn't find the big boys...Decided to split up and maybe one of us would push the rams into one of the others and get lucky.
Day7-2 of us slept in-I peered out the tent, not quite light enought to glass. I got dressed and began making breakfast when I hear frantic whispers to get my binos! A band of rams are making their way 150 yards from the tent! The 2 biggest are missing, so after some quick evaluating I make the call that one is good and I take the shot as they scoot over a bit of a rise on the mountainside and run 600 yards to feed in the next basin. I wait about 20 minutes then go up on the rocks to check, nothing...I start heading back down when I spot something white, sheep legs! My aim was true, the bullet entered just behind his right shoulder and broke the left. My first ram!!! I even found the bullet resting just inside his hide when I caped him out. Unfortunately we had some camera issues, no pics of me holding the sheep but I can look at him every day once he's mounted above the doorway in the main entrance of my house.
498
We spent the rest of the trip trying to find the larger rams we had seen, to no avail.
I was lucky to have a hunting partner willing to carry more than his share of the load when I was hurt, I guess what goes around comes around I'm sure I'll pay him back somehow, someday. It still hasn't really sunk in yet that I got my first Stone, maybe once it's hanging on my wall.
The mutton is delicous, however I never did taste the goat. When we returned to base camp with the sheep all the goat meat was gone along with the game bag and the rope holding it up in the tree. We assumed the wolverine we had seen the day before was the culprit. The trip was a dream come true for me, I only wish my hard working mules for hunting partners had experienced the same luck I had. Fun was had by all, and in 3 years when I can take another stone's sheep I hope to be back there again...
Day1-stalked 4 rams, none big enough. Found some more just at dark.
Day2-relocated 2nd band of rams, one was a league above the rest, chased them all day, didn't get a shot. Blew my knee out the last 30 minutes of the hike back to camp. Spent rest of trip limping in pain with trekking poles while stoned on Codeine and Ibuprofen.
Day3-Lots of hiking(limping), lots of glassing, no big rams
Day4-Spotted a nice Billy right at daybreak and since I was the only one in our party of 3 without a goat on his wall, we made a play for him. After roasting in the sun for over 3 hours waiting for him to rise from his bed on a high shelf where we couldn't see him, my partner climbed behind and above him to scare him up. My first shot went behind the right shoulder and broke the left, a couple more ensured he would not climb out of our reach. Rest of the day was spent doing dirty work.
496
Day5-2 of us layed low and spotted, found no new rams but 6 new goats appeared. Could easily have filled the other goat tags, but now all of us were looking at nothing until we had our rams. The third member found the big ram again but got screwed by a thunderstorm which sent the rams running for cover as he made his stalk.
Day6-Lots of hiking, lots of glassing, couldn't find the big boys...Decided to split up and maybe one of us would push the rams into one of the others and get lucky.
Day7-2 of us slept in-I peered out the tent, not quite light enought to glass. I got dressed and began making breakfast when I hear frantic whispers to get my binos! A band of rams are making their way 150 yards from the tent! The 2 biggest are missing, so after some quick evaluating I make the call that one is good and I take the shot as they scoot over a bit of a rise on the mountainside and run 600 yards to feed in the next basin. I wait about 20 minutes then go up on the rocks to check, nothing...I start heading back down when I spot something white, sheep legs! My aim was true, the bullet entered just behind his right shoulder and broke the left. My first ram!!! I even found the bullet resting just inside his hide when I caped him out. Unfortunately we had some camera issues, no pics of me holding the sheep but I can look at him every day once he's mounted above the doorway in the main entrance of my house.
498
We spent the rest of the trip trying to find the larger rams we had seen, to no avail.
I was lucky to have a hunting partner willing to carry more than his share of the load when I was hurt, I guess what goes around comes around I'm sure I'll pay him back somehow, someday. It still hasn't really sunk in yet that I got my first Stone, maybe once it's hanging on my wall.
The mutton is delicous, however I never did taste the goat. When we returned to base camp with the sheep all the goat meat was gone along with the game bag and the rope holding it up in the tree. We assumed the wolverine we had seen the day before was the culprit. The trip was a dream come true for me, I only wish my hard working mules for hunting partners had experienced the same luck I had. Fun was had by all, and in 3 years when I can take another stone's sheep I hope to be back there again...