Is That My Ram

Shooting position aren’t always perfect; you do the best you can…and don’t shoot until you’re very certain. With Randy Babala “coaching,” Boddington is about to drop the hammer on a Stone’s ram in southern Yukon.

By Craig Boddinton – Excerpt from Wild Sheep Magazine

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. Mountains climbed, muscles strained, lungs burned. You have a ram in your spotting scope, the goal is in sight. Take the shot, make the shot, and it’s all over. Or: Pass the shot and keep looking!

Maybe you’ll find a bigger ram, maybe not. With mountain hunting, there’s another practical reality to consider. We don’t like to admit this, let alone talk about it: How many more grueling climbs do you have in you? It’s a genuine concern, especially applicable to those of us who have more mountains behind us than ahead. A small voice in the back of your mind whispers, “How many more times can you do this?”

If you’re looking at a giant ram, it’s a no-brainer, right? Not all areas produce huge rams. And, even in the best areas, we may not locate them. On October 15, 2021, my wife Donna was faced with what should have been a no-brainer. Few of the above conditions applied. The hunt had not been hard. The ram was no giant, but odds of locating a bigger ram were slim. Even then, it was not an easy call!

We were in one of Montana’s “unlimited permit” zones and we were looking at a ram. There are five unlimited units, no restriction on tags, but you must commit by drawing deadline, and you don’t get a preference point.
 
I think it’s the most awesome opportunity in the world of sheep hunting. Each unit has a quota, usually two rams. When the quota is taken, that unit closes in 48 hours. The risk is obvious: You can make your plans, but if the quota fills early in the season, you can’t hunt. This happens; occasionally, two hunters run into a band of rams on opening day, slam-bam, season closed. Other times, units stay open for weeks, sometimes until the end of the season. In this case, we waited until mid-October to let the weather cool down. When we started, one ram had been taken, one to go, and we were looking at a ram.

These units are not “unlimited” because sheep aren’t hiding under every rock. Populations are not high, and the terrain is steep and rough. I tried the unlimiteds when I was young and frisky, saw sheep, never got one. Then I drew a good Montana tag and didn’t think much about it until Donna wanted to do some sheep hunting. (Trust me, she deserved a turn!)

The unlimited zones are native Montana bighorns. Rams rarely get huge, although it’s not impossible. Our outfitter, Ryan Counts took a ram in an unlimited. WSF’s Keith Balfourd took one in a draw unit. In perspective, both are a much younger than we are…and they live there! As locals, their only downside: Take a ram and you’re done for seven years; otherwise, keep trying.

So, these are areas where expectations should be reasonable. In years gone by, Jack Atcheson Jr. guided a number of unlimited rams. As he puts it: “There are only two kinds of rams in the unlimited zones: Legal, and sub-legal!” Just seeing a legal ram is beating the odds. In our unit, 30-some tags were sold in 2021, for two rams to be taken. Mathematically, that’s about a five percent chance. Easy for me: I’ve drawn two bighorn tags, and have two nice rams. I’m still in some drawings that I’ve been in for decades. Maybe I’ll draw again but, if I don’t, not the end of my world. Donna is in a different position. She started late; she doesn’t have time to draw, and we’re not bidding on auction tags!

So, we’re on a gentle slope on a sunny day, and we’re looking at a ram. Not a big ram, but probably legal by Montana law: three-quarter-curl on one side. The ram wasn’t far away and down fairly low. Should have been a no-brainer…except for that word “probably.” At first glance, at distance, we thought he was there. Then we started second-guessing. One side is marginal, longer horn looks okay.

Now closer, four of us were studying with good optics. Trying to get a straight broadside look, canting riflescopes so the vertical crosswire runs from base of horn to tip. Does it intersect the eye, Montana’s definition of three-quarter-curl?

Donna Boddington’s “unlimited zone” Montana ram. Was it legal? It was, but it took agonizing glassing to get the proper angle and be certain. Odds of seeing a better ram were nil. Once certain, take the shot…or try again another year!?

Big ram or just legal, the decision is suddenly lonely and very personal. We were all looking carefully, but nobody is saying much. Especially me; as the hunter’s husband, my job is to keep my mouth shut! The final call rests with the shooter—as well as the consequences. We studied for an agonizing hour, watched while the ram bedded briefly, with the better horn on the far side. Before the decision was reached, I’d been sure for a long time. Ryan was sure, too, but only Donna could make the final call. When it happened, things went fast, no more second-guessing. With shooting sticks low for a sitting tripod, she took her time and shot the ram behind the shoulder, a half-dozen steps and down.
 

PLAYING THE ODDS

Not all sheep hunts are successful. You may not get a shot at all. Part of the deal: Regardless of cost and effort, hunting is hunting. You must go in prepared to accept failure and swallow the bitter pill. Yes, any sheep hunt is a great and memorable experience. If you get a ram, you will take away more than just the beautiful horns and some of the world’s finest wild meat. Let’s be real: We go into any sheep hunt hoping to come down with a ram. But we’d better accept that it might not happen, otherwise we’ll drive ourselves crazy.
 
Donna’s unlimited bighorn was a different deal. I’m a realistic optimist; I told her I didn’t expect her to get a ram. I figured we’d enjoy some nice country. Cost was minimal; I figured if we tried again for two or three years it might happen. Understanding the odds and our circumstances, she agreed the goal was any legal ram!

Some of us go into sheep hunts looking for greatness or nothing. That’s great, but it’s important to understand: The higher one’s standards, the greater the chances to go home empty. Most of us, I think, start up a mountain on the first day hoping for the best ram the area can provide. I’m not Don Quixote, tilting at windmills, and I don’t waste time hunting unicorns.
 
Reasonable expectations are more easily fulfilled. Ideally, they should be based on the kind of ram your hunting area usually produces (and thus is likely to produce). Normal pre-hunt research should reveal this data for the area you’re hunting. On outfitted hunts, you will check references. Of course, you’ll ask them both size and age of the rams they took! It’s just as important to ask how many other rams they saw, and if they saw any outsized rams they couldn’t close with. Over time, you’ll get a picture of horns an area normally produces. In my view, it’s reasonable to look for a ram that’s above average for your area, but I think it’s silly to set as a goal a ram your hunting area is unlikely to produce.
 
Many of us consciously look for older rams, preferring heavy, broomed (even broken) horns to sharp tips. Okay, but don’t get your heart set on too-specific criteria! Many of us are happy with “any legal ram.” That’s also fine, but it’s important to understand exactly what that means. Both Montana and Wyoming use the “three-quarter-curl” rule. In both states, we’re talking bighorns, where brooming is common. Older rams with worn tips may well be “barely legal,” yet are outstanding specimens.

By Alaska’s definition, a legal ram has horn tips that, viewed full broadside, break the upper surface of the nose. These are Dall’s sheep, where brooming is less common. A legal ram is, well, a pretty good ram. Alaska does have an alternative standard for age, so an old warrior with broomed or broken horns might be taken…but you have to get close enough to count the annular rings to be sure! British Columbia’s rule is “full curl” across the board. Unusually, BC has four races of sheep: Stone’s in the north, a small herd of Dall’s sheep in the northwest corner, Rocky Mountain bighorns in the southeast, and California bighorns in the southwest. The “full curl” standard means that, at maturity, most Dall’s and Stone’s rams will pass muster. Because of brooming, this is a tough standard for bighorn sheep; a lot of awesome heavy-horned rams aren’t gonna make it…and must be passed.

This Arizona desert bighorn was taken in the Virgin River Canyon. Any desert sheep permit is marvelous, but this area rarely produces huge rams. Boddington’s goal was a mature ram; this sheep is no giant, but there was no hesitation when he was spotted.

After a few hunting days you’ll get a feel for the kind of rams you’re seeing…or not seeing. I don’t suggest you should drop your standards. Better, I think, to set a reasonable goal at the outset! In 2008, I got lucky and drew an Arizona desert sheep tag. My area, in the Virgin River Canyon, isn’t one of Arizona’s best units. I knew this, and applied there because the odds were better. Going in, my chances for a record-class ram were about zilch. I was hoping for a nice, mature ram but, secretly, I was hoping for a ram with the classic “nelsoni” flare. In the event, all the nice rams we’d scouted vanished! The ram I took was a ram we’d never laid eyes on, complete with flared tips. Scoring about 160, he was no giant, but a solid ram, and well above average for this area. This was a no-brainer! 

A friend of mine likes to say: “Never pass an animal on the first day that you would take on the last day.” I don’t exactly buy into this philosophy. Few of us like to shoot on the first day. You’re seeing new country, and getting your first taste of how tough the hunt is likely to be. I don’t rule out shooting on the first day. Establish a sensible goal; the mountain and your ram will tell you when it’s time.

Not shooting on the first day is my preference, certainly not my rule. Even more, I hate shooting on the last day, because of greater pressure, and the increased reality that it may not happen. For me, ideal is somewhere in the middle. However, there’s no telling exactly when you will see the ram you’re looking for. When you do, it’s time to take him. The first day is as good as the last, and the last day is as good as the first…likewise all the days in between! 
  

TAKING (AND MAKING) THE SHOT

Something else we really don’t like to talk about: It is very possible to miss a shot at the ram of your dreams. It’s heart-breaking, but it does happen. My memory isn’t quite as selective as some of my colleagues. I have missed four shots at wild sheep. The first was at a Dall’s ram in 1981, shooting nearly straight up as a ram peered down over a ledge. I chipped rock right under his chest. In Turkmenistan, I had a close shot at a fantastic Transcaspian urial. Total screwup: I was prone and my bullet hit a little dirt bank ten feet in front of me. Thank God, I’ve never made that mistake again. Another mistake I haven’t made again: In Tajikistan, I succumbed to the “Shoot, Shoot, Shoot” that some Asian guides are prone to. I took a long poke I never should have taken, so a miss was good news. Last year, I missed a lovely aoudad ram in Far West Texas. The ram was something beyond 400 yards, a very makeable shot. I just plain missed!
 
It does happen, and it happens a fair amount in mountains: You’re out of breath, shooting positions aren’t always perfect, and wind can be unreadable. Maybe you not only missed the ram-of-a-lifetime, but blew the only chance you’re going to get. You can’t know that, so if it happens, try not to dwell on it. You can kick yourself later, but at the moment you must keep trying. All four of the hunts mentioned above ended in success. In two cases, better rams than I missed, in one case not as good. That Dall’s ram, my first, is the only North American wild sheep I’ve missed. I got him later that day, eight hours later and several tough miles away.

One final comment on missing: If there seems no plausible explanation as to why you missed, check your rifle before you continue the hunt! I hate to miss but, when I do, it’s oddly comforting to be certain it was my fault. Rifles take a beating on mountain hunts so, come to think of it, it’s a good idea to shoot at a rock every few days, just to make sure.

There have been a lot more shots I did not take! An awful lot rides on any shot at a wild ram, so I try to be as confident as possible before I commit to a shot. Yes, I know that extreme-range shooting is popular today. For sure, we have marvelous equipment today, and some people are completely confident taking much longer shots than I’m comfortable with. Thing is, it takes so much effort to get a shot at a wild sheep. I don’t like to risk all that on an uncertain shot!

In my experience, extremely long shots are rarely necessary on sheep. But sometimes you just can’t get closer. We all have different range envelopes, distances we’re comfortable with, and we all must make our own “go” or “no go,” decisions…and it always depends on conditions. On a Brooks Range Dall’s sheep hunt in 2018 we had three rams, one very nice, feeding in a basin on the third evening, about 600 yards. I’ll admit it: I don’t like shooting at game that far. However, my Jarrett .300 magnum is set up to handle such distance. Except: The wind was whipping across that basin and I couldn’t read it. I hated to walk away, but dark was coming and there was no way to get closer. We didn’t see that ram or his two buddies for three days. Then, on the seventh day, they popped up again, and I shot the same ram at 120 yards.

This Brooks Range Dall ram is no giant, but he meets Alaska’s tough requirement for a legal “full curl” ram: One horn tip visible over the nose. There might have been a bigger ram on this mountain, but after seven tough days this ram was just fine!?

You won’t always get an easier shot, but the point is to be as sure as possible before you commit to a shot. In Nepal, we were at the end of a very long day at 16,000 feet. A group of rams were feeding on the next ridge, a grassy valley between us, just over 500 yards. On our ridge, the wind was whipping, but grass movement in the valley suggested it died in between. I didn’t like the shot, but I’m pretty good at reading wind if there are enough clues. This was one of those times when I was nearing the end of my rope; we were a long way from camp, and I didn’t like the concept of doing the same climb the next day! That’s a poor excuse for taking any shot; I studied it for a long time and felt sure I could make it. Fortunately, I was correct!