Thursday, January 22
Host: Chester Moore
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Film: Mackenzie Mountain Magic, A WSF Membership Drive Caribou Adventure
After winning the Wild Sheep Foundation membership drive, Idaho native Ashley Childers embarks on the adventure of a lifetime—an unforgettable caribou hunt in the remote wilderness of the Northwest Territories. Along with Skull Bound’s Jana Waller and John Bair, Ashley’s journey is more than a hunt; it’s a story of opportunity, conservation, and personal challenge. Set against vast tundra landscapes and untamed beauty, the film captures the excitement of the pursuit, the camaraderie forged in the wild, and creates a deeper connection with wildlife conservation. This inspiring outdoor adventure celebrates the spirit of exploration and the mission of the Wild Sheep Foundation.
Q&A with Jana Waller Bair
2:00 – 2:30 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Film: The Gauntlet, One workout. One lucky winner. One ram of a lifetime.
When MTNTOUGH teamed up with the Wild Sheep Foundation, they offered something unheard of: sign up and complete a single workout, and you just might win the hunt every mountain athlete dreams of. TOUGH SHEEP follows the ordinary man who beat the odds and stepped into an extraordinary opportunity—testing grit, preparation, and heart on a once-in-a-lifetime ram hunt: rugged terrain, real stakes, and the ultimate reward.
3:00 – 4:00 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Film: Archery Hangai Argali
A rich history awaits Rob Gerstner—Founder of Full Curl Brands—deep in the vast tundra of Mongolia. On this adventure, Rob pursues the Hangai Argali with his bow... a dream hunt for any Sheep Hunter! Watch as the adventure takes a turn for the worst, forcing Rob to somehow dig deep and keep going, destined to not return from Mongolia empty handed!
Q&A with Robert Gerstner, Full Curl Brands
Friday, January 23
Morning Host: Gray Thornton & Kurt Alt
9:00 am – 10:30 am | RS-CC Room A1
Annual Membership Meeting | Door Prize!
11:30 am – 1:00 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Seminar: Importing Your Central Asian Trophy - USFWS
USFWS Personal Don Morgan, Deputy Director, Internal Affairs Programs and Jacob Mesler, Supervisory Biologist, Division of Management Authority along with Kurt Alt, WSF Conservation Director – International Programs and Jack Atcheson, Jr. - Chair - WSF International Conservation
The US Fish and Wildlife Service International Affairs Programs and Division of Management Authority will provide an update on the status of import permits, focusing on Central Asia. Additionally, they will provide international hunters an overview of processes and requirements for importing argali from Central Asian countries. It is important that the hunter understands that they play a key role in obtaining relevant management plans and implementation reports from their in-country outfitters. The Service will describe and discuss important information needs that the hunter can provide to facilitate the importation of their trophy. There will also be biologists in attendance from Central Asian countries representing their newly formed wild sheep working group.
Afternoon Host: Rachel Ahtila
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | RS-CC Room A2
Seminar: Who Gets Grandpa’s Rifle – Gordon Nelson, A practical, plain-spoken workshop on estate & gift planning
What happens to the rifle, the values, the stories, and the causes you care about when you’re gone? Too often, good intentions turn into family tension—or missed opportunities—simply because no plan was in place.
In this one-hour workshop, we’ll use real-world, easy-to-understand examples to walk through simple estate-planning and gift-planning ideas every sportsman and conservationist should know. You’ll learn how to pass on treasured firearms and gear, protect family harmony, reduce headaches for your heirs, and—if you choose—leave a meaningful legacy for wild sheep and conservation.
No legal jargón. No sales pitch. Just practical guidance you can use right away—so Grandpa’s rifle (and everything else that matters) ends up exactly where you intend.
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Seminar: Glassing Like a Pro & Long-Range Hunting Ethics – Dan Adler
Two seminars in one with North America’s largest and most trusted outfitter. Whether it’s your first Western hunt or your fiftieth trip into the wilderness overseas, mastering your optics and long-range game is absolutely mission-critical.
Join Dan Adler owner of Diamond Outfitters and Zero Outfitter Fees for a seminar designed to elevate your glassing, sharpen your shooting, and help you hunt smarter, not harder and much more successfully.
Dan is an WSF Chadwick Ram Society and Life Member, published author, and former co-host of The Best of the West TV. With decades of field experience, he’s helped thousands of hunters increase their success in big, glassable country. Millions of people download his social media posts on this topic every month!
In this double seminar, you’ll learn:
- Pro-level glassing techniques that can triple your success rate
- The biggest glassing mistakes most hunters make—and how to avoid them
- How modern optics and long-range gear can boost ethical lethality by 50%+
- Real-world insights into making the right long-range shot, ethically—when it counts most
- Q and A from the best in the business
Dan’s seminars are packed with hard-earned wisdom, field-proven tactics, and plenty of laughs along the way.
“I’m a professional glasser cleverly disguised as a guide.”— Dan Adler
If you hunt in big, glassable country, this is a can’t-miss event!
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Film: Carrying Capacity: The Hunt for Resilience, A single disease outbreak could erase generations of conservation success
For centuries, bighorn sheep thrived in Wyoming’s Gros Ventre Wilderness. Today, shrinking habitat and the threat of deadly disease put that legacy at risk. In the Ferris–Seminoe Mountains of central Wyoming, a reintroduced bighorn sheep herd remains largely disease-free, but continued population growth increases the risk of exposure to catastrophic pathogens.
To prevent population collapse, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has implemented targeted ewe hunts to maintain herds within ecological carrying capacity. While firmly grounded in science, this approach has sparked debate among hunters and non-hunters alike.
This film explores a pivotal moment in bighorn sheep management, where long-term herd health, hard decisions, and the role of hunters converge to determine the future of an iconic species.
Q&A with Katie Cheesbrough, Wyoming WSF
Saturday, January 24
Morning Host: Jana Waller Bair
10:30 am – 11:30 am | RS-CC Room A1
Film: Red – The Oregon State Archery Bighorn
For Jon Pynch and Ben Rawls, the Super Slam of North American Big Game wasn’t a goal, it was a promise. Decades of hunts, close calls, and hard miles together came down to one tag—one Ben emptied his savings for. Not for himself, but so his best friend Jon could have a chance at a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep to complete his North American 29. RED is a Leupold film about friendship, sacrifice, and a gamble against impossible odds—culminating in a ram named Red that would make history as the Oregon state record archery bighorn.
Film: Horns of the High Desert – An Oregon Bighorn Sheep Hunt
The hills are steep, the air is thin, and one misstep could turn into days of tracking—or worse, a lost animal. Join Tim Lesser, Vice President of Product & Marketing at Leupold & Stevens, on this once-in-a-lifetime Bighorn Sheep hunt as he and his crew rally together to conquer the remote wilderness of Oregon’s Steens Mountain. The stakes are always high when an animal’s life is involved, but in Horns of the High Desert, they’re at their peak.
Q&A with Leupold Representatives
Noon – 1:00 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Film: Connections – A RMBLF Hunt
Join us for a film and conversation with the Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund (RMBLF) committee as we share what we have been working on and how we are impacting the lives of women in our community. The RMBLF is a program of WSF’s Women Hunt® and Connections tells the story of our first recipients, Gina and Juliette Reynolds. Gina’s husband and Juliette’s father, Shane Reynolds, tragically lost his life in a plane crash in Alaska while guiding. As part of the RMBLF mission, Gina and Juliette were given the opportunity to complete a hunt that Shane and Gina had dreamed of doing together before his passing. The experience offered space for healing, reflection, and a meaningful connection to Shane’s memory. In a powerful milestone moment, Juliette harvested her first big game animal. This emotional film highlights the deep connections formed within an industry that shows up for its own in times of need. In addition, the committee will play a short teaser film of the 2025 recipient Cheyenne Hoy’s RMBLF hunt.
Q&A with Derek Blake, Jana Waller Bair, Julie McQueen, and Renée Thornton.
Afternoon Host: Kevin Hurley
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Panel Discussion: Get Back to the Act
In 1971, The Wild Free-Roaming Horse & Burro Act was so wisely crafted that it passed unanimously, providing BLM management directives & tools to “maintain a thriving natural ecological balance” among ecosystems, wildlife and livestock, as “multiple use/sustained yield” requires. Yet today, the Wild Horse & Burro Program is at a “beyond crisis” cliff. The health of our wildlife and horses & burros suffer daily as a result of decades of accelerating degradation of our lands. The primary cause are the “riders” put forth in annual Appropriation bills, disabling the intended balanced management of the Act. In turn, horses & burros on the range are vastly overpopulated, while increasing numbers of unadoptable horses must be kept for their lifetime in costly pastures.
Our expert panel will explain how we arrived at this cliff, deep dive into data on the impacts to our rangelands, riparian areas & wildlife, concluding with the only effective solution and what you can do to help. Time is of the essence!
Panelists:
Jeremy Drew | Principal Resource Specialist, Resource Concepts, Inc., Past Chair, NV Board of Wildlife Commissioners
Jenny Lesieutre | President, Rangelands, Wildlife & Wild Horses, LLC., Retired BLM Specialist, 18 years with Wild Horse and Burro Program in NV, WY, and DC
Jim Jeffress | Retired, NV Department of Wildlife Biologist, Past, NV Board of Wildlife Commissioners, ID Wild Sheep Foundation Conservation Committee, Certified Wildlife Biologist
Sherm Swanson | UNR Professor Emeritus, Rangeland & Riparian Ecology & Management
Mike Cox | Statewide Bighorn Sheep & Mountain Goat Staff Biologist, NV Department of Wildlife
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm | RS-CC Room A1
Film: A Ram for Cade
Rallying together when a challenge strikes is a hallmark of the Wild Sheep Family and our outdoor heritage. When the McKinney Family from La Grande, Oregon, was faced with a life-threatening illness to one of its own, a special thing happened for a remarkable young man and his family. The grit, toughness, and never-give-up attitude we sheep hunters pride ourselves on doesn’t just apply on the mountain. It happens in life. Cade McKinney is a shining example.