Ol’ Wonky

Tori with her dad, brother Bryce, boyfriend Kyle and Ol' Wonky.

The Hunt for a Once-in-a-lifetime Oregon Bighorn

BY TORI ROBERTS

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.

My dad and I spent countless hours studying the area and getting pointers from some local ranchers and past tag holders. After 30-plus days of searching and spotting for that once-in-a-lifetime ram, the emotions of the 100-degree days, forest fire smoke, and not spotting what we wanted were adding up. But we had seen one ram that looked promising. I knew in my heart that I was going after the guy I had named "Ol Wonky."

When opening day arrived, my support crew of family and friends arrived to lend a hand and cheer me on as the weather turned to torrential rain, high winds, thunder, and lightning. When the alarm rang, I didn’t know if the terrible weather would mess up my first plan for the hunt. It didn’t matter. We packed our gear and headed for Ol' Wonky's last known location. My mind was calm, watching the lightning strike all around as we made our way up the hill. I felt confident in myself, my crew, and our plan to harvest this once-in-a-lifetime ram.

Walking up to the rim to scan the area, we quickly realized that Ol’ Wonky was right where we hoped he would be. My dad, brother Bryce, and my boyfriend Kyle guided me into the spot where we had the best view while the rest of my group waited and watched from the rimrock.

With mom's trusty 6.5 PRC in hand, I hiked to a point where Wonky was in sight. I set up with a 370-yard shot. Not comfortable with my position and the sunrise shining directly into my eyes, I looked back at my dad and brother and decided I wanted to find a better location.

We hiked around a rock bluff and found a clear, straight shot at 296 yards. I got set up with my guys by my side. My dad was behind me, wanting to make sure I had the right ram in my sights. "I got it, Dad!" I told him. After some deep breaths, I took my shot. "You just killed your ram, Tori!" They all started yelling! Shaking, I turned to hug my dad, Bryce, and Kyle. Jumping up and down, I could hear all my family and friends watching from afar start to cheer in the distance. One shot and the ram of a lifetime was mine. We made our way down the mountain to Ol’ Wonky.

It is incredible to walk up to an animal you have dreamed of for so long with the people who raised you into the hunter you are today. Hunting, the outdoors, family, and friends have always been some of the most important aspects of my life.