By Scott Ellis

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN  

We were watching a band of eleven rams on Saturday evening. On Sunday, Mother Nature dropped a foot of snow on the Rocky Mountains. Snow days are cool as a kid because you get to stay home from school. A snow day on a hunting trip— not as much fun.

On Monday, we re-located the rams and made plans to hike on Tuesday morning. In the dark, with only the aid of a headlamp, my guide Tyler Leuenberger and I began our ascent. It started steep and got steeper. It didn’t take long to reach the slippery, wet snow—it was a little treacherous.

Then we got a call on the radio from guide outfitter Steven Leuenberger.

“Thumper is not there. I can see five rams, but he’s not there. I repeat, Thumper is not there.”

Tyler and I discussed our options and agreed to go back down the mountain. I was pleased with that decision—I only had one of those hikes in me.

That afternoon, Tyler checked the mountain to the left. The rams weren’t there. So, the plan was to walk to the lookout in the morning and see if the rams had moved to the mountain on the right. Shortly after reaching the lookout, Tyler said, “He’s there.”

He asked, “Do you have gas in the tank for this? It probably means spending a night on the mountain.”

I said, “Let’s go.”

Tyler grinned and asked, “Do you have another gear?”

I replied, “No—four low is all I have.”

Four and a half hours later, we were at the same elevation as the rams, waiting for them to feed back up to their bedding area—where Tyler had spotted them that morning. As predicted, they did, and Thumper was leading the way. He came into view at 265 yards.

Seeing a big ram go down is a beautiful thing.

You are Kicked Out in first gear fashion, Scott!

This Kicked Out story was featured in the Spring 2026 issue of Wild Sheep magazine. 

Listen to more stories on the Kicked Out Podcast.

Want to get Kicked Out? Join first! 
A <1 Club membership is open ONLY to those aspiring sheep hunters who have not yet taken a North American wild sheep ram (<1 Club) or international wild sheep ram or goat* (<1 iClub) AND are WSF members in good standing.

Tags: Kicked Out <1 Club