RECENT POSTS
Welcome to the WSF Hunting Blog
The stories of the hunt and our celebrated big game species are the stories of conservation, family, and a lifestyle that teaches self-reliance, self-determination, self-restraint, and self-respect. These stories are meant to be shared, and it’s been that way since man first documented tales of the hunt on cave walls.
Ol’ Wonky
11.25.24
By Tori Roberts
THE HUNT FOR A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OREGON BIGHORN
With hunting being such a big part of my life growing up, there has always been the excitement of big game draw day. I woke early in spring of 2024 to see if I had drawn any tags. I passed the word UNSUCCESSFUL a few times and then launched out of bed when I saw SUCCESSFUL in green beside bighorn sheep. After 17 years, I had finally drawn an Oregon ram tag. I immediately called my dad, mom, and brother to tell them the great news, knowing they would be as excited as me.
The Mountain Will Speak
11.7.24
By Craig Boddington
Mountains aren’t taller, nor steeper… they just seem to be.
The mountain will tell me,” says legendary sheep hunter Rex Baker. Rex is a decade my senior. Recently, he confided to me that the mountain was starting to whisper, hadn’t yet blocked his trail. Couple years ago, Alan Sackman decided it would be fun to take one more FNAWS…in his 80s. He set to work and accomplished his goal. Early this year, I sat next to Dr. Gerald Warnock at the Weatherby banquet. He was excited that he was headed to Mexico for a desert ram. At our Sheep Show I talked to his outfitter, Bo Morgan. Yes, Jerry Warnock took a fine ram.
Kicked Out - The Twelfth Day Ram
10.3.24
What happens when a handful of raffle tickets collide with a little opportunity and a lot of good luck? The answer: someone is kicked from the <1 Club! Ray Maack is one such someone. After winning an Alberta bighorn sheep hunt at the 2024 Sheep Show®, Ray drove from his home in Oregon to Alberta, Canada, where he battled harsh weather, steep mountains, and blisters, all for a shot at one magnificent rocky mountain bighorn. In typical sheep hunt fashion, this one came down to the wire.
"Be Sure" Campaign Makes Impact In New Mexico, Texas
9.16.24
Squeezing the trigger on an aoudad hunt demands more than a clean shot and a steady shooting position. If it's in a state where bighorn sheep roam, aoudad hunters must be 100 percent confident it's actually an aoudad (Barbary sheep) they are putting the crosshairs on.
WSF Partners with MTNTOUGH for the TOUGH SHEEP Workout at the 2025 Sheep Show®
9.3.24
The Wild Sheep Foundation is partnering with Montana-based MTNTOUGH for a new event for the 2025 Sheep Show® in Reno. TOUGH SHEEP will be a physical workout event for anyone looking to test.
Sheep Camp
8.30.24
By Craig Boddington
Stuff memories are made of!
So long as you know what you’re getting yourself into and prepare accordingly. Whatever form it takes, the sheep camp is critical to the experience and the memories.
A Divine Ram
7.11.24
Even before I applied, I had a feeling that the 2023 California big game draw would be the one! Believe it or not, I actually posted on my work calendar “bighorn sheep hunt” before submitting my application.
Field Judging Wild Sheep
7.1.24
The opportunity to hunt a wild sheep ram is special. Consequently, the prevailing opinion among sheep hunters is that all rams are special. This reflects our respect for this iconic species and how rare it can be to hunt them.
Is That My Ram
6.10.24
By Craig Boddington.
Take the Shot.... or Keep Hunting?
This call should have been easy. Except: With wild sheep, it’s never easy! Much pressure rides on the shot. Lots of pennies saved and invested. Maybe decades of waiting for a permit. Then comes sweat equity.
Mountain Lion Management In The Crosshairs
6.4.24
Mountain lions are some of the most cunning predators on the planet.
Scientists have documented them making 45-foot running vertical jumps, and cats weighing only 150 pounds can take down prey as large as a bull elk. These skills garner the big cats much respect from hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts, making them doubly important to factor into any wildlife management equation.
Echos of the Wild: Chasing Bighorns in the East Kootenays
5.17.24
A sheep hunter at 16, Lindsey Stroud thought she would never set foot in sheep country after a life-changing event nearly sidelined her forever. Once she learned how to walk and talk again, she drew a tag and certainly did not let it go to waste.
Finishing the Four
5.10.24
Cold blood trails, self-doubt, and formidable terrain—Mike Barber experienced it all in his 2023 quest to kill a Wyoming bighorn. Walk alongside him as he leans on determination to navigate the highs and lows that every sheep hunter will eventually encounter, especially when it’s their last of four sheep in the FNAWS.
