Wild Sheep Magazine Spring 2024

the journal of the mountain hunter and committed conservationist

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On the Cover:

This year’s Annuli Contest - Live Sheep winner is from photographer Sonny Parker.

Sonny Parker: I live in Haines Junction, Yukon, Canada, which is a 45-minute drive from Thechàl Dhâl (Sheep Mountain), in the Traditional Territory of Kluane First Nation and within Kluane National Park and Reserve. On this day in March, I was fortunate to spot a band of mature rams and spent most of the day slowly working towards them. Once they caught sight of me I made sure to move slowly and predictably, not acting like a predator. They accepted me as non-threatening, and I was able to position myself in a way that the sun pronounced the curls of their horns through shadows in the snow. I sat with this band for about an hour in complete peace. It will be a memory that lasts my lifetime.

The shape of a bullet’s nose, and its material and internal design, affect your shot. Or not.

Official publication of The Wild Sheep Foundation

WSF World Headquarters: 412 Pronghorn Trail • Bozeman, MT 59718 • 406-404-8750

Cody Office: 1285 Sheridan Avenue, Suites 260/275 • Cody, WY 82414 • 406-404-8750

CHAIRMAN: Glen Landrus • ramslamvideo@gmail.com

VICE CHAIR: Kyle Stelter • kylestelter@gmail.com Term Expires 2024

SECRETARY: Larry Jacobs • lljacobs4@aol.com .................................

TREASURER: Charlie Kelly • azsheepguy@gmail.com

Tony Caligiuri • tcal@boytharness.com Term Expires 2024

Jann Demaske • demaskes@msn.com

Julie Chapman • jhelmchapman@yahoo.com .......................................

Larry McGovern • ltmcgovern67@gmail.com

Emilio Rangel W. • emiliorw@me.com

Peregrine L. Wolff, DVM • falcolupus@gmail.com

Logan Richard Young • loganyoung270@gmail.com

Term Expires 2026

Term Expires 2025

Term Expires 2025

Term Expires 2024

Term Expires 2025

Term Expires 2026

PRESIDENT & CEO Gray N. Thornton • gthornton@wildsheepfoundation.org

PRESIDENT & CEO - EDITOR IN CHIEF, WILD SHEEP ® MAGAZINE: Gray N. Thornton • gthornton@wildsheepfoundation.org • Bozeman HQ

Kim Nieters, Vice President of Operations – Auction Director knieters@wildsheepfoundation.org

Cody Office

Kevin Hurley, Vice President of Conservation – Thinhorn Programs Lead khurley@WildSheepFoundation.org

Remote – Boise, ID

Terry Ziehl, Finance Director tziehl@WildSheepFoundation.org

Cody Office

Keith Balfourd, Director of Marketing & Communications keith@WildSheepFoundation.org

Bozeman HQ

Paige Culver, Development Manager pculver@WildSheepFoundation.org

Bozeman HQ

Maddie Richards, Membership Manager/<1 Clubs Manager mrichards@WildSheepFoundation.org

Bozeman HQ

Megan Costanza, Banquets & Events Manager mcostanza@WildSheepFoundation.org

Remote – Reno, NV

Julie Tripp, Awards & Publications Director jtripp@wildsheepfoundation.org

Remote – Lolo, MT

Mike Aiazzi, Expo & Exhibits Manager maiazzi@wildsheepfoundation.org

Remote – Reno, NV

Justin Phillips, Graphic Arts & Design Jphillips@wildsheepfoundation.org

Cody Office

Jaime Teigen, Office and Store Administrator jteigen@wildsheepfoundation.org

Bozeman HQ

Janessa Kluth, Membership Assistant jkluth@wildsheepfoundation.org

Bozeman HQ

CONTRACT

Dr. Ryan Brock, Youth Education Coordinator rbrock@wildsheepfoundation.org

Reno, NV

Greg Schildwachter, Lobbyist greg@watershedresults.com

Washington, DC

Charlie Booher, Lobbyist charlie@watershedresults.com

Missoula, MT

Kurt Alt, Conservation Director –International Programs altwildlife@yahoo.com

Brussels, Belgium

Marina Meyer, MadebyMimi, LLC, Social Media Consultant mjsams09@yahoo.com

San Antonio, TX

Clay Brewer, Mexico Initiative Lead & Special WAFWA Projects Claybrewer1@outlook.com

Pat Cummings, DNWR – NTTR Project Lead Patrickcummings1002@gmail.com

Maureen Jefferson, Conservation Permits Jm_hullinger@sbcglobal.net

Ashley McEnroe, Staff Writer aoliverio@gmail.com

Big Sky, MT

Chester Moore, Staff Writer chester@chestermoore.com Orange, TX

CONSULTANTS

Shane Mahoney, Special Conservation Consultant shane@conservationvisions.com St. John’s, Newfoundland

Wayne van Zwoll, Contributor

Morrison Creative Company, Inc.

Magazine Design/Production Yellowstone Graphics, Graphics/Design

The Wild Sheep Foundation’s mission is to enhance wild sheep populations, promote scientific wildlife management, and educate the public and youth on sustainable use and the conservation benefits of hunting while promoting the interests of the hunter.

The tradition began on a November weekend at Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, in 1974. Thirteen wild sheep enthusiasts passed the time by sharing stories about their encounters with the majestic mountain creatures. After realizing how fortunate they were to have all shared such incredible experiences, they decided it was time to give something back. They forged FNAWS so men and women everywhere could get more involved in the positive management of wild sheep. It was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in Iowa on September 14, 1977, and began accepting paid memberships in 1978 as more people joined the cause. The commitment and noble spirit of FNAWS quickly helped the foundation become the fastest-growing wildlife conservation organization of its kind.

DISCLAIMER While Wild Sheep Foundation strives to attract quality advertisers and donors, it cannot be responsible for the ultimate quality of the products which they may present to our members and buyers. Neither the Wild Sheep Foundation nor its Officers or Directors is a guarantor of your satisfaction with the products it makes available to you. Our dedication is to the wild sheep of the world and not to policing our advertisers or donors. We cannot, under the law, reject an advertiser or donation simply because of a prior complaint from a dissatisfied consumer. We will strive to make available quality merchandise and hunts, but without warranty or guarantee.

FOUNDATION FOR NORTH AMERICAN WILD SHEEP®, FNAWS®, WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION®, and WSF® and their respective logos are Registered trademarks and cannot be used, commissioned, or otherwise represented without permission of the Wild Sheep Foundation. <1 CLUB®, <1iCLUB®, CHADWICK RAM SOCIETY®, MARCO POLO SOCIETY®, MOUNTAIN HUNTER HALL OF FAME®, PUTTING SHEEP ON THE MOUNTAIN®, PUTTING AND KEEPING SHEEP ON THE MOUNTAIN®, PUTTING AND KEEPING WILD SHEEP ON THE MOUNTAIN®, SHEEP SHOW®, SHEEP WEEK®, TAKE ONE PUT ONE BACK®, THE SHEEP SHOW®, WILD SHEEP® MAGAZINE, WIHI®, WOMEN HUNT®, WH®, WOMEN IN HUNTING®, WOMEN IN HUNTING INITIATIVE® and their respective logos are also Registered trademarks and cannot be used, commissioned, or otherwise represented without permission of the Wild Sheep Foundation.

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MISSION STATEMENT

VISION

Our desired future state

To be the best managed, most respected, influential and relevant conservation organization benefitting wild sheep worldwide.

PURPOSE

Why we exist

To Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain®

MISSION

What we do

We enhance wild sheep populations, promote scientific wildlife management, and educate the public and youth on sustainable use and the conservation benefits of hunting while promoting the interests of the hunter.

VALUES

Honesty

Integrity

Respect for Others

Hunting Ethics

The principles that guide us

Teamwork

Accountability

Positive Attitude Stewardship

Respect for Wildlife Loyalty

Putting & Keeping Wild Sheep on the Mountain® Since 1977

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

by Gray N. Thornton President & CEO

“I

s there a ceiling to this?” and “what the heck is happening!?” are just two of my, and no doubt many other’s, thoughts on Saturday night of the 2024 Sheep Show® Record after record was being broken on conservation permits, and an unbelievable bid of $1 million for the Marco Polo Society® #100 spot by ten MPS members who were inspired to combine their generosity to make this monumental bid. Hunts, firearms, art, and other items were selling like they were the last ones offered on earth. An incredible $6.4 million was raised that night on auction for a staggering $107,000 per item average.

Saturday night was just one of many events where the stars aligned, and the wild sheep family once again came together to create magic. A record number of members and guests followed our mantra of Come for the Sheep - Stay for the Party™ during the show with a record ~2,300 in the room Saturday night and a Wednesday through Saturday average evening banquet attendance of 1,883. The buzz and vibe were equally electric at our Thursday Society Reception, Friday Ladies Luncheon and Sporting Clays Shoot, Saturday Life Member Breakfast and the Marco Polo Society® reception which resulted in the record $1 million bid.

Thirteen sheep hunts were given away including:

• Full Registration desert bighorn sheep hunt drawing.

• Life Member Breakfast aoudad hunt drawing

• Life Membership Breakfast DBHS hunt drawing

BE BOLD!

• A Dall’s, Stone’s, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and desert bighorn sheep on the Sheep Show® Raffle

• Three Dall’s sheep hunts on the <1 Club® Beer Reception drawing

• Mouflon sheep hunt on the <1iClub® drawing (plus two chamois)

• WSLF Endowment Fund YETI cooler desert bighorn sheep drawing

• Bernie Fiedeldey One More for Four drawing

And an incredible $95,000 in auction and floor credits were given away or raffled to help attendees play on WSF house money!

The Expo Floor was filled wall-towall with the finest in our industry and the record expo attendance fared those fine exhibitors well with robust sales on the show floor and strong attendance at our seminars, our new Full Curl Cinema, and the very popular Camp Chef Culinary Corner. Sheep Show® 2024 was truly magical and another record event thanks to our exceptional exhibitors, donors, sponsors, members, guests, convention volunteers, board, and staff who all make up the WSF family.

While attendance numbers, dollars raised, and records are important, the true essence of the Sheep Show® and Sheep Week® is the culture we have created.

Renée and I invited two very close friends from California who have a vacation property near our home to experience the Sheep Show® for their first time. He is a very high-ranking executive with the largest and most influential tech firm in the world. His wife also comes from the tech world and is an accomplished artist as well as philanthropist. Both are non-

hunters at present but had a blast at the show, and most important, were welcomed by all whom they met. They were treated as family. They were amazed, will not miss another Sheep Show®, and yes, both are now interested in learning to hunt and join the conservation community as active participants.

“…is not ‘how much’ but ‘what’ is accomplished…”

Of course, the thirteen new record conservation permits sales, including new records for a wild sheep permit at $600,000 for both the Colorado and New Mexico bighorn permits, and other millions of dollars raised may grab headlines, both positive and negative, but the story that must be told is not how much but what is accomplished for wild sheep with these dollars. There is no other entity, non-profit, or commercial, that accomplishes more for wild sheep conservation as does WSF and our team of Chapters & Affiliates. None.

Our record convention last year helped WSF in cooperation with our on the ground conservation soldiers, the C&As and their membership, to make a significant impact to the resource. You can read more on this impact at https://www. wildsheepfoundation.org/impact.

Our record convention this year will again help WSF and our C&As accomplish even more. Here is one example:

Inspired by a WSF challenge “to be bold for Stone’s sheep,” Spatsizi River Outfitters owner Mike Gilson heeded that call and fully donated a Stone’s sheep hunt to our 2023 convention.

WSF pledged to direct 100% of those proceeds to a novel project in the Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park. That then inspired an anonymous donor to give $100,000 to complement the hunt sale. The hunt sold for $120,000 in 2023, and combined with the generous gift, secured $220,000 USD seed money for the project.

WSF’s VP of Conservation Kevin Hurley, former BC wildlife vet and WSF PRAB member Helen Schwantje, BC Ministry of Water, Land & Resource Stewardship (WL&RS) Wild Sheep & Goat Specialist Bill Jex, also a PRAB member, and Mike Gilson met at the Wild Sheep Society of BC (WSSBC) Wild Sheep Summit to formalize a project that would “be bold”, novel, and move the needle on Stone’s knowledge to better enhance and manage this iconic and treasured resource. After considerable discussion they landed on a proposed project that would help understand the health, landscape and habitat use, and responses to human presence and harvest pressure of Stone’s sheep (Ovis dalli stonei), also known as ‘debéhe’ in the Tahltan First Nation language. Thus became the Spatsizi Stone’s Sheep Project or as Mike Gilson and I referred to it “Be Bold for Stone’s Sheep.”

Bill Jex drafted up the project objectives for ministry approval including the assessment of historic and current local community knowledge of these sheep, their seasonal range use and behavior, how anthropogenic disturbances may affect Stone’s sheep, mortality factors, and herd health. (Jex)

Also, due to the unique access of the Spatsizi, opportunities exist to determine how human presence and specifically, hunter pressure/

L-R: Fraser Macdonald, Krystal Kriss & Gray Thornton

L-R: Dr. Caeley Thaker, Gray Thornton, Neal Wanless, Bill Oestreich, Krystal Kriss, Bill Jex, Sean Whitford, William Oestreich, Fraser Macdonald, & Weston Creyke

harvest effort affects sheep use of long-term and traditional seasonal ranges as well as hunter success. The three-year project will examine the existing licensed harvest and Spatsizi park management to determine if the presence of hunters and hunter activities triggers a change in Stone’s sheep behaviors that could impact habitat use and also effect hunter success. (Jex) To be clear, this project is not about allocation of the resource but rather how the resource reacts to hunter and non-hunter human activity.

The partners in the project include the Tahltan First Nation, the BC Ministry of WL&RS, University of Alberta, Spatsizi River Outfitters (SRO), and WSF.

Phase I of the project was an inventory survey, and more specifically, a review of summer habitat use which was conducted in July of 2023. The last inventory of ‘debéhe’ in the park was conducted 20 years earlier in 2003.

Using dedicated funds, WSF purchased forty (40) GPS radio collars for the project’s Phase II plan to net gun capture, conduct a full health assessment including hair, throat and nasal swab, blood and fecal samples, an ear biopsy and ear tag, then collar and release twenty ewe of varying age classes and twenty Class I - IV rams.

During the 2024 Sheep Show® , SRO again fully donated a Stone’s hunt which brought $140,000, and again, an anonymous donor added $100,000 ensuring $460,000 USD of dedicated funding to “be bold for Stone’s sheep” and fund all facets of the project.

Phase II of the project was conducted March 1 – 6, 2024, using the historic Hyland Post as basecamp of operations for the two-helicopter capture and support team. With best-in-class collaboration and team effort, 40 Stone’s sheep were captured and processed in five days under sometimes extreme mountain conditions and temperatures dropping to as low as -41°F! I was privileged and honored to be a part of this exceptional and professional team. The mornings and nights in

Hyland Post also provided ample opportunity for the team to discuss more bold initiatives for Stone’s sheep enhancement. More on those discussions to follow.

The first of three years of Phase III will be conducted during the 2024 Stone’s sheep season with the plan of distributing 30 hunter tracking devices to both SRO guides and successful Spatsizi 6-20A LEH resident hunters to capture their movements during their hunts to compare to the Stone’s sheep in reaction to those movements. WSF and the Ministry will be working with our WSSBC affiliate partner to help secure LEH volunteers to help with this phase.

You will be hearing more of this and other WSF and C&A partner

efforts in the FY 2023-24 edition of our Conservation Impact Report to be released this summer.

WSF is proud of our record success in Reno this year. However, we are more proud of what we and our agency and C&As partners do and accomplish with that success!

Enjoy this spring, post-convention edition of Wild Sheep® magazine! WS

Gray N. Thornton

President & CEO, Wild Sheep Foundation

Editor-in-Chief, Wild Sheep® magazine

Marco Polo Society® Member

Summit Life Member

Chadwick Ram Society® Member

Legacy Society Member

L-R: Lance Nagwan, Mike Gilson, Sean Whitford, Dr. Caeley Thaker, Krystal Kriss, Bill Oestreich, Gray Thornton, Fraser Macdonald, & Weston Creyke

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CHAIR’S CORNER

by Glen Landrus Chair

Wow! Was Sheep Show® off the charts or what?!?!

First, I want to thank our amazing staff and volunteers who make the Sheep Show® happen. It takes such a dedicated crew to turn visions into reality and passion into performance. The long hours, blood, sweat, and tears leading up to and during that week take their toll on us all, but it sure paid off! If you’re like me, you must choose carefully which of the many great conservation conventions to attend as time and money are limited, so to all those members and wild sheep enthusiasts that put the Sheep Show® at the top of the list, thank you!

Due to other commitments, I sadly did not spend much time on the exhibit floor until Saturday of Sheep Show®. The quality of exhibitors and their booths was amazing! I want to thank all of our exhibitors for believing in the Sheep Show® and for offering such a high-quality assortment of goods and services to our memberships. It was amazing to see the banners that our Exhibit Manager Mike Aiazzi had printed this year to showcase the longtime support we’ve had from many great exhibitors and donors. Thank you seems like an overused gesture as the official representative of our Board of Directors, but I speak for all of them in saying we could not fulfill our purpose and mission without such outstanding support from our exhibitors.

Our evening live auctions, silent auctions, and raffle sales were also off the charts, so thank you again to our donors and thank you to our members who supported our auctions in person, and online. In the end, we are positioning ourselves very well for another record, grant-in-aid cycle to support our conservation partners later this summer!

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

— John F. Kennedy

As I write this Chair’s Message, we are in the middle of our Chapter & Affiliate banquet season. I had the great pleasure to attend the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia’s (WSSBC) event, and I am headed to Washington WSF next weekend, and Idaho WSF the following weekend. If you have not had the chance to add in one of our Chapter & Affiliate events as a must-attend, I highly recommend you do! WSSBC had an amazing selection of exhibitors,

seminars, and raffles, as well as each night capped with a great auction lineup. I fully expect the same when I hit my home state event—and Idaho WSF just continues to raise the bar for everyone, in fundraising, advocacy and projects! These Chapter & Affiliate events are critical partners in our conservation collaboration, and ultimately, critical to our success. Their success makes the Wild Sheep Foundation better, and together, wild sheep benefit.

One of the great things that I love about this organization and our staff is the commitment to improve. While we have been bouncing around supporting our Chapters & Affiliates, we’ve also had countless meetings, Zoom calls and email chains critically analyzing what went well and where we need to improve. We do our best to get it right, but rest assured, we know we are not perfect, and we will continue to improve and get better every year. I am already excited about Sheep Show® 2025, which will be January 16-18! Mark your calendars!

In closing, my sincerest gratitude to our members, exhibitors, donors, staff, volunteers—and to your board of directors for your relentless hard work and dedication to the Wild Sheep Foundation! WS

Yours in Conservation,

Glen A. Landrus

YOU CAN HELP WSF PUT AND KEEP WILD SHEEP ON THE MOUNTAIN BY

JOINING THE CHADWICK RAM SOCIETY!

In 2013 the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) launched a legacy campaign, Ensuring the Future of Wild Sheep, that includes tax and estate planning opportunities, counsel and advice, major gifts, and giving societies to raise the funds required to ensure the future of the wild sheep resource by directing even more dollars to wild sheep restoration, repatriation and conservation. Our vision is to build a series of funds from which a targeted annual offtake of 4% will allow WSF to direct 100% of our convention fundraising to mission programs. Our goal is $5 to $6 million annually in mission focused Grant-In-Aid and other funding to “Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain.” With your help we can achieve this vision and goal.

The Marco Polo Society was established in 2008 as WSF’s premier giving society. To compliment the Marco Polo Society and expand this giving concept to ALL WSF members and wild sheep advocates, WSF created a new giving society in the fall of 2013 – the Chadwick Ram Society with five benefactor

levels enabling tax-deductible, donor directed gifts from $250 to $5,000 per year to mission areas of the donor’s desire. Donations can be made to the WSLF Endowment Fund, WSF Conservation Fund, our annual Convention and/or Area of Greatest Need to fund specific programs and initiatives. Chadwick Ram Society members are recognized with a lapel pin displaying their Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum benefactor level. Members may also “upgrade” their benefactor levels within the Chadwick Ram Society as well as to the Marco Polo Society.

For more information on the Chadwick Ram Society, the Marco Polo Society or the Ensuring the Future of Wild Sheep campaign, contact WSF President & CEO, Gray N. Thornton, Development Manager, Paige Culver, or visit our website.

We cordially invite you to join the Chadwick Ram Society and help Ensure the Future of Wild Sheep!

Sheep Family Snapshots

“I was invited to attend the Sheep Show for the first time in 2013. I had no idea the impact it would have on my life. As a direct result of joining the Wild Sheep Foundation, I have met so many incredible people, developed friendships that will last a lifetime, and experienced countless adventures around the globe with the best outfitters in the world. I have also learned how vitally important it is for all of us to support the mission of this great organization.

Wild sheep are the iconic symbol of the mountains we so love. Conservation is a comprehensive and multifaceted endeavor that requires extensive resources. The Wild Sheep Foundation is at the forefront of this effort, working tirelessly to not only preserve these majestic animals and the wilderness they inhabit, but to ensure that wild sheep thrive for generations to come.

Having received so much from being a part of the Wild Sheep Foundation, I am instilled with a profound sense of gratitude and responsibility to give back. Each of us can contribute something to support the cause and reciprocate the many benefits and opportunities provided. This past year I learned more about the Chadwick Ram Society and its vision. Joining the society is my way of financially committing to the conservation effort in a meaningful way every year, and honoring the legacy of those who have supported the Wild Sheep Foundation long before I was here. I urge you to consider joining also, at whatever level you feel comfortable.”

-Rob Register

PLATINUM - $50,000

Mike Borel (CA)

Rob & Lucy Cinclair (TX)

Darin & Tonya Fiedeldey (OH)

Jeff Kruger (CO)

Hank Raats (NV)

Steve Letcher (AZ)

Anthony Pratt (TX)

Steve & Sue Skold (IA)

GOLD - $25,000

Eugene Burger (NY)

Breck Johnson (CO)

Terry Mick (MN)

Craig & Laureen Nakamoto (IA)

Donald Priest (AZ)

Kip & Sue Slaugh - (UT)

SILVER - $10,000

Derek Blake (AK)

Joseph Ciavarra (CA)

Terry Dieren (IA)

Alan Day (OR)

Paul Greene (CO)

Patrick Hagens (AK)

Charles Hartford (CA)

Samuel Hays (TX)

Shad Hulse (UT)

Stacey & Dorcey Hunt (WA)

Pat O’Neill (MN)

Anthony Reviglio (NV)

Mike Schmillen (MN)

Victor Smith Jr. (CA)

JT Tubbs (MT)

Zachary Walton (CA)

BRONZE - $5,000

Anonymous

Thomas Armosino (OR)

Louis M. Balenko (CO)

Paul Baird (AZ)

Jeff & Kris Brant (WA)

Don Colter (ID)

Randell Cotta (CA)

Josh DeLong (ID)

Matt DeLong (OR)

Brian Fienhold (TX)

Jeff Haynie (WA)

Joe & Kathy Hill (WA)

Charlie & Linda Kelly (AZ)

Chuck Middleton (ID)

Nick Negrini (MN)

Carl Nelson (AK)

Rob Register (GA)

Jesse Simonson (HI)

Paul Spyhalski (MN)

Ty Zumach (WA)

COPPER - $2,500

Brett Adams (NV)

Bryan Bailey (WA)

Matt Burke (CA)

Lowell Burris (MT)

Kaleb Desjarlais (AK)

Jim Elder (ID)

Marcus Gores (OR)

Garrett Grant (WA)

David Hartwig (CA)

Stan Henderer (OR)

Michael Hill (WA)

Dave & Kris Hubbard (WA)

Shay Law (OR)

Nathan Liebl (WI)

Eric Mackay (UT)

Michael McComas (TX)

Brian Nelson (WI)

Nate Peckinpaugh (MT)

Brian Pelczar (MT)

James Perkett (AZ)

Bruce Perryman (WY)

Dan Powell (IL)

Mark Riether (NJ)

Megan Rowe (CA)

Michael Salomonson (CO)

James Sheehan (CT)

Joseph & Stephanie Toy (IN)

James Treeman (OK)

Simon Whetzel (CA)

Ray Wurdinger (OR)

SHEEP STATS

IN-DEPTH, STATISTICAL SHEEP INFORMATION

Beginning with the Fall 23 issue of Wild Sheep® magazine, jurisdictional WAFWA summaries will appear in the subsequent issues as space allows.

ALBERTA

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (RMBHS)

Populations

There are an estimated 9,000 RMBHS in Alberta (2022), of which 6,000 occur on provincial lands and 3,000 in federal National Parks. This estimate is based on minimum aerial survey counts every 2-5 years of known winter ranges. Overall, the provincial population has been stable to slightly decreasing since 2000.

Licenses and Harvest

To be legal for harvest, rams must meet or exceed a 4/5 curl (‘Trophy Sheep’) or full curl requirement (“Fullcurl Trophy Sheep”). In 2022, there were 55 special licenses available to Alberta residents through a limited entry draw/lottery system, as well as 125 outfitter allocations. In addition, 2,240 resident Albertans purchased a general license to hunt rams. This license provides an “over the counter” hunting opportunity (with 1 license/ hunter and an unlimited number of licenses available).

In 2022, 92 rams were harvested

TEXAS

Desert Bighorn Sheep

Populations

Historically, desert bighorn sheep occupied 15-16 mountain ranges in the Trans-Pecos Region of Texas. It

by resident hunters, down from an average of 121 from 2015-2022. Overall, 154 rams were harvested in 2022 by all licensed hunters (resident, non-residents, non-resident aliens), consistent with past years.

Hunter success is typically 5% for resident hunters and approximately 40-50% for hunters accompanied by an outfitter. The ram harvest rate averages about 2.6% of the estimated population on provincial lands. Harvest in some sheep management areas exceeds 50-70% of available legal rams annually, with 70-90%+ of rams harvested the first year they become legal. Approximately, 30% of rams are legal by age – 65% by age 6, 85% by age 7 and 95% by age 8. The percentage of legal rams observed in aerial surveys in many areas has consistently been low (1-3%) the last 5 years or more.

Ewes, or male bighorn sheep <1 year of age, can be hunted under a special license (limited entry hunt) in 27 non-trophy areas. These areas include 14 of a possible 31 wildlife management units (WMUs) with bighorn sheep. A total of 179 nontrophy sheep licenses were available in 2022, down slightly from the 2015-

is estimated that as many as 1,500 desert bighorn sheep inhabited these mountain ranges in the 1880s, and possibly 2,500+ prior to 1880; however, by the early 1960s, native Texas bighorns had been extirpated. Early restoration efforts focused primarily on captive propagation and

2022 average of 189. The non-trophy harvest rate averages about 1% of the estimated population on provincial lands.

Disease

Prior to February 2023, there had not been a known pneumonia outbreak in Alberta since 2000. In February 2023, 9 rams were found dead in the Sheep River Provincial Park west of Black Diamond in southern Alberta. An additional 7 rams were observed coughing and were culled by wildlife managers to prevent transmission to a nearby group of 95 bighorn ewes and young animals. A total of 13 of the 15 dead bighorn rams were PCR tested for Mycoplasma; all were positive. Of the seven animals then sequenced for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovi), 5 were positive and 2 results are pending. A subset of bighorns in the adjacent herd of 95 were subsequently tested for Mycoplasma and all 42 were negative. Eight young rams in this herd were also radio-collared to track their movements. WS

— Anne Hubbs, Alberta Environment and Parks

subsequent releases. Desert bighorns from various states, including Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Baja California (Mexico), were brought into Texas to help with captive propagation.

The population steadily increased to levels thought to be present in the 1800s. As a result, in December

2010, Texas began actively capturing free-ranging desert bighorns on a 2- to 3-year cycle, and translocating them to restore unoccupied habitat, as well as to supplement existing populations. These efforts resulted in population growth to approximately 1,500 animals in 11 of their historic mountain ranges, where the population estimate remained for several years.

In the last 3 years, the population has declined to less than 1,000 animals, possibly due to disease. In November 2022, at the conclusion of annual aerial surveys, a total of 785 animals were counted (Figure 1).

Disease and Herd Health

The first known disease event was detected in Fall 2019 in one population (Van Horn Mountains),

followed by another in Spring 2020 in a distinct population (Black Gap Wildlife Management Area). Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae was found in both disease events.

The Black Gap population appears to have since stabilized with a 2022 survey count of 117 animals and a ratio of 33 lambs per 100 ewes. The Van Horn Mountains’ population is still struggling and only 6 animals were observed during the 2022 surveys. However, 2 weeks after surveys concluded, 16 animals were observed in the survey area. Close monitoring continues in both populations.

Licenses and Harvest

In 2018, the permit issuance and allocation system was changed from the system that had been in place

since the late 1980s when desert bighorn hunting was reinstated in Texas. This change, which issues no more than 20% of the standing Class IV rams observed at time of survey, promoted the increase of permits and maximized hunting opportunities.

Since 2018, a total of 82 permits have been issued. Of those, 67 permits were issued to private landowners, and 15 to the State (auction and public draw system) with a 93% success rate. Due to the recent disease events and population decline, only 7 permits were issued in the 2022-2023 hunting season, which ends on the last day of July. WS

— Froylán Hernández, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Figure 1. 2002-2022 Statewide desert bighorn sheep survey summary.

Founding Members

The Marco Polo Society® (MPS) is the Wild Sheep Foundation’s premier major giving “society” whose members have given and/or pledged a minimum of $100,000 to the Foundation. These donors have played a key role in the Wild Sheep Foundation’s success over the last 16 years. Quite frankly, this special group of donors has led the way in achieving our purpose of “putting and keeping wild sheep on the mountain”.

WSF SALUTES OUR MARCO POLO SOCIETY® MEMBERS TO DATE - Alphabetical Order

Shane & Angela Alexander (TN)

Lee & Penny Anderson (FL)

Anonymous Anonymous

Stanford & Pamela Atwood (CA)

John & Jane Babler (MN)

Bryan & Barbara Bartlett (NM)

Scott & Erica Barry (MI)

Brian & Debbie Benyo (OH)

Gary Bogner (MI)

Dan & Kathy Boone (TX)

Louis & Patti Breland (AL)

Jerry & Amy Brenner (NC)

Steve & Jackie Bruggeman (MN)

Peter & Wendy Burchfield (PA)

Tony & Virginia Caligiuri (IA)

Ron & Billi Carey (AB)

Oscar & Valerie Carlson (MN)

Michael Carpinito (WA)

Walt & Joan Coram (TX)

Guinn & Betsy Crousen (TX)

Sam & Tracy Cunningham (TX)

Denis & Diane Dale (AB)

Dean & Paige Darby (MI)

Monty & Becky Davis (TX)

Since its inception in 2008, $11 million in MPS gifts/pledges have been directed to WSF and mission programs. We are so proud to announce that the Marco Polo 100 member goal was achieved at the 2024 Sheep Show when a group of generous Marco Polo members purchased the #100 member spot for a whopping $1 Million Dollars to be directed to the Wild Sheep Legacy Foundation’s Endowment Fund. We are so humbled and proud to witness the Wild Sheep Family come together to create history and we have never been more excited and hopeful for the future of wild sheep worldwide.

Jeff & Jann Demaske (CO)

Chris & Jaimie Dianda (NV)

Mike & Julie Dianda (NV)

Mark & Janice Dickson (CA)

Billy Dunbar (AK)

The Fiedeldey Family (OH)

Tom Foss (AB)

Ronald S. Gabriel, MD (CA)

Kevin Gilbert (MT)

Paul Greene (CO)

Brian and Susan Ham (AZ)

Marc & Cheryl Hansen (PA)

Jim & Sue Hens (NY)

Charles Herron (AL)

Tom & Denise Hoffman (NY)

Steve & Jill Hornady (NE)

Larry & Jane Hunts (OR)

Kevin Hurley (ID)

Ross & Nicole Jackson (CO)

Scott Jesseman (IL)

Kaan & Nurgul Karakaya (TUR)

Roger Kenner (ND)

G. Thomas & Patricia Lang (FL)

George & Kelly Lawrence (WA)

Doug & Dana Leech (WV)

Thomas Lemmerholz (GER)

Wayne & Denise Lennington (TN)

Jeff Lindgren (MN)

Robert Hall & Jane Link (FL)

Paul Mattes (MI)

Kyle & Joanne Meintzer (NV)

Joe & Christine Michaletz (MN)

Craig & Therese Mueller (ID)

Richard & Linda Murphy (NM)

The Olmstead Family (BC)

Mark & Gabriela Peterson (MI)

Ron & Vicki Pomeroy (WY)

Larry & Brenda Potterfield (MO)

Rancho La Palmosa (MEX)

Joni & Gary W. Raba (TX)

Terry Rathert (TX)

Gary & Yvonne Rigotti (OR)

Christopher Ring (TX)

Kevin & Janine Rinke (MI)

Alan & Barbara Sackman (NY)

Doug & Shelly Sayer (ID)

Roger Segebrecht (WI)

Steve & Sue Skold (IA)

Kip & Sue Slaugh (UT)

Kevin & Tuesdy Small (CA)

The Marco Polo Society® Ensuring the Future of Wild Sheep

Dan Smith Jr. (CA)

Dan Smith III (CA)

J. Alain Smith (WA)

Mike Snider (MI)

Jeff Sorg (MT)

Daryll & Shauna Southwick (CO)

Brandon & Kristi Stokes (OR)

Rick Taylor & Carole Danyluk (BC)

Jelindo & Sandee Tiberti (NV)

Gray & Renée Thornton (MT)

Matt Tomseth (OR)

Mark Watkins (MN)

Tim & Ruth Van Der Weide (IA)

Ken & Anna Vorisek (AK)

Neal & Jody Wanless (AZ)

Mark Watkins (MN)

Jay & Martha Webster (TX)

Craig West (NC)

Steven & Ardyce Whisler (MT)

Clayton & Modesta Williams (TX)

Lyle & Jennifer Wood (AB)

Russ & Debi Young (TX)

Gary & Penny Young (WV)

Alan Young (YT)

#100 - $1M to the Endowment

DETAILS:

September 28 - October 4, 2025

All-inclusive: License, commercial airfare to and from Norman Wells, air charter, and overnighting accommodations included.

Tickets are only $60

Drawing closes on June 30th, 2024

Winner’s name will be drawn on July 15th HUNT

Jana Waller Bair is the host and executive producer of Skull Bound TV and Skull Bound Chronicles, a hunting and conservation series in its 15th season. A lifelong hunter, Jana was appointed a Wildlife Commissioner in Montana in 2021. After serving her term, she moved to Utah with her husband, John Bair. Jana is a proud member of nine conservation organizations, including the Wild Sheep Foundation.

Jana Waller Bair on an ultimate, fully guided mountain caribou experience to the unspoiled wilds of Spectacular Northwest Territories with Stan Steven and Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters.

TODAY, TOMORROW, FOREVER

by Paige Culver WSF Development Manager

IF YOU KNOW...YOU KNOW

Destiny, karma, providence, kismet: Call it what you want… but it happened at the 2024 Sheep Show®. Most of our Sheep Show® attendees know and have witnessed the magic of Sheep Week® in years past. We always have a great time. We always create wonderful memories. We always have something new and exciting to offer our attendees. And, for several years in a row we have broken our own record in dollars raised and distributed to Mission and Program Funding, Grant-In-Aid,

and Industry Support. HOWEVER, this year, the universe offered up something extra special. If you know, you know. It can’t really be attributed to one thing in particular. I’ve heard numerous accounts of new attendees being blown away by the warmth and welcoming spirit of our regular attendees. Non-hunters were embraced with open arms and learned about the critical role that hunters play in conservation. Loved ones who left us way too soon were remembered and honored in spectacular fashion.

Bucket list hunts and trips were won by the most deserving among us. A deep and profound understanding of our need to care for the future was put on display Saturday night when, within a matter of seconds, a special group of conservationists bid a single item to $1 million to help endow the Wild Sheep Foundation for future generations. No doubt, that for each of these examples listed, there were dozens of other extraordinary kindnesses and special, stolen moments that took place among

Life Member Breakfast desert sheep hunt winner, Reg Collingwood, and WSF President, Gray Thornton.

friends as they walked the halls of the convention center, shared a drink and a story at the circle bar, or bid one another farewell. Sheep Show®, in a way, feels a bit like summer camp. The anticipation of seeing old friends is coupled with the understanding that it will eventually have to come to an end. The silver lining is that each time we walk away from this special gathering, we know that our time, effort, and generosity will have lasting, positive effects on one another and wild sheep populations around the globe.

I want to thank all of our members, donors, and sponsors who showed up this year to make 2024 Sheep Show® a glowing success. You are the fuel that keeps us going year after year You are what makes us the best conservation organization we can be. Without you, it simply does not work. Thank you to Snowy Mountain Rifles for, once again, sponsoring our Societies’ Lounge in Hall 3. It was a wonderful space to catch up in and take a rest

from the show floor. Congratulations to Chadwick Ram Society® member, Jim Warner (ID), on winning the Snowy Mountain Rifle drawing on Saturday. Jim walked away with the SMR Alpine Hunter 7 PRC!!! Thank you to Full Curl Spirits for making our Thursday evening’s Today, Tomorrow, & Forever reception and Saturday’s Marco Polo Society® cocktail reception extra tasty! There was so much to celebrate and just not enough time!

Thank you for your continued faith in us and for your enthusiasm to support our efforts year after year. The future for wild sheep has never looked quite so bright. WS

A quick celebration at the Grand Finale Banquet after 10 Marco Polo Society® members bid our 100th Marco Polo member spot to a whopping $ 1 million Dollars to be directed to the WSLF Endowment Fund!

MPS members Dan Smith III, Dan Smith Jr., Carole Danyluk, and Rick Taylor

Our sincere appreciation to Bernie Fiedeldey and the “1 MORE FOR 4” participants for making this drawing and hunt of a lifetime possible!

• THE EXPERIENCE (Dan Catlin)

• Bernie Fiedeldey

• Darin & Tonya Fiedeldey

• Kevin & Lauri Gilbert

• Jeff Haynie

• Kris Kohlhoff

• Midwest Chapter WSF

• Renee Snider

• Charles & Denise Swanson

• WSF Alberta

Congratulations to 2024 1MF4 winner, Carl Black from Rozet, WY.

If you would like to make a fellow WSF member’s FNAWS dreams a reality, please consider being a sponsor of the 2025 Bernie Fiedeldy 1MF4 Challenge.

DONATE TODAY

by Greg Schildwachter & Charlie Booher WSF Lobbyists

THE WILD SHEEP WAY FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) turned 50 years old last year. The celebrations and condemnations mainly repeated the ESA chatter of the last 25 years: it’s great, it’s terrible, it works, it doesn’t. The more interesting thing is how ESA became part of the conversation about the Pittman-Robertson Act.

The Pittman-Robertson Act (PR) turned 86 as ESA turned 50 and is a far bigger part of the Wild Sheep mission. PR is arguably the most powerful wildlife restoration program in the U.S. and an example of how ESA might improve.

If there were an Endangered Species Foundation that raised as much money for ESA projects as WSF raises for PR projects, the ESA Recovery Challenge Grant program would double. This is essentially what WSF funds do for the PR program.

If the ESA program had base funding – as PR does – from the people most interested in its success, the ESA program would recover more species, as PR has. PR runs on an excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition because hunters committed this to the first species recovery strategy in the U.S.

In the first 10 years of PR, from 1938 to 1948, state wildlife agencies began conserving habitat and translocating 15 species to expand populations. These early projects faced the same challenges that ESA faces, such as figuring out how to capture and move wildlife

safely. Early attempts to capture wild sheep, for example, were shockingly primitive, dangerous, and unsuccessful.

The 1987 report on the first 50 years of PR reported progress on about 20 species benefited directly – unknown additional species benefited indirectly from the habitat improvements. The number is important because ESA has about 1,700 species listed as threatened or endangered.

Unlike PR, ESA was not designed to restore species. Recovery is the goal, but the strategy is to protect all listed species from threats and recover some species opportunistically. Most of this work is paperwork; much less is field work. The US Fish and Wildlife Service provides few reliable numbers on what it accomplishes: it has lists of species, it does not have useful data on how much money is spent on them, projects attempted, or results. The PR program runs on annual lists of projects.

The current idea for putting the mojo of PR behind the ESA program is to expand the PR program to benefit more than game wildlife. This is the goal of the proposed Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. “RAWA” intends to prevent the need to add more species to the ESA lists by helping them now.

Last year was the 7th year of RAWA debate in the Congress. The bill is hung up on the main question of where the money would come

from. Questions remain on the other important points of how an expanded program will learn and execute, and how many species it can benefit.

The original idea for funding

RAWA resembled the PR excise tax idea. It was to direct fees and royalties on developing public oil and gas reserves. These are known revenues, but not from the people most directly interested in wildlife; still, there was logic to using value from under the ground to create value on the ground.

RAWA now proposes to direct $1.3 billion of general federal spending into the PR account for distribution to state and tribal wildlife agencies. The agencies are to use the money for species declared to have the “greatest conservation need.” There are 12,000 of these species: seven times more than ESA species and hundreds of times more than PR species.

Committing the money would create the possibility of figuring out what and how much work to do, and the way hunters commit money is a model. When taxpayers were unsure if wildlife conservation was a priority for their taxes, hunters were, and made themselves into a tax base. As our agency partners showed skill and commitment to field work, hunters raised additional funds in support.

Fifty years of law, policy, and practice under ESA will be hard to change, but nearly 90 years of PR success should be an incentive. WS

Join CRS For A Chance To Win!

This Snowy Mountain Alpine Hunter 7 PRC with Pelican Hard Case

FROM APRIL 1 - JUNE 29

Ensure the very best performance in long range, hunting, competition, and precision shooting with Snowy Mountain Rifles. Our expert gunsmiths are focused on top precision with every shot and have specialized review protocols in place to deliver with confidence. This is among the most versatile hunting rifles on the market today. It’s a lightweight, packable hunting rifle but still able to shoot steel at 1,200+ yards. The Alpine Hunter balances weight with long-range capabilities.

The Chadwick Ram Society (CRS) was formed in 2013 to create a pathway for Wild Sheep Foundation members who were looking for an opportunity to contribute to the Foundation’s Mission beyond their regular annual membership. In a short period of time, CRS has come to play a critical role in raising significant funding for wild sheep enhancement projects that otherwise would not have happened. Since inception, the Chadwick Ram Society has put ~$2.5 Million “back on the mountain”. The best part is, there is a level of giving for just about everyone!

*NEW members will be given 1 (one) entry per pledge level.

*EXISTING members who upgrade will be given 1 (one) entry per level of upgrade (Max. 4).

LEVELS

NEW UPGRADE

Copper $2,500 One ticket 1 ticket per level Upgraded (max four tickets)

Bronze $5,000 Two tickets Example: Silver to Gold =1 ticket

Silver $10,000 Three tickets Bronze to Gold = 2 tickets

Gold $25,000 Four tickets Copper to Platinum = 4 tickets

Platinum $50,000 Five tickets

FLEX PAY OPTIONS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE!

Bronze: $500 annually or $250 biannually.

Silver: $1,000 annually, $500 biannually, or $250 quarterly.

Gold: $2,500 annually, $1,250 biannually, or $625 quarterly

Platinum: $5,000 annually, $2,500 biannually, or $1,250 quarterly.

UPGRADE

1 ticket per level Upgraded (max four tickets)

Example: Silver to Gold =1 ticket

Bronze to Gold = 2 tickets

Copper to Platinum = 4 tickets

JUST MY LUCK

BY BROOKE WATSON

I started hunting big game at nine years old in the Oregon Mentored Youth Program. Following an exciting and emotional antelope hunt, I was hooked and knew hunting would always be a part of

my life. After shooting over 30 big game animals in 14 years including a 350-class Oregon bull at 12 years old, a 500 lb black bear at 16, several big, four-point bucks, two mature antelope bucks, and a monster axis deer, I had a pretty strong reputation as the “lucky one” in our hunting

group. I always seemed to kill big animals and draw sought-after tags. In some ways, I felt guilty because opportunities like these just seemed to fall in my lap, but I always attributed it to patience and prayer. Since I was young, I had heard talk about sheep tags and how cherished they were,

so I never expected to draw one. In June, I was stressed and studying for the last exams of my college career; my phone rang, interrupting my focus – it was my dad. “Did you check the draw yet?” I countered saying, “No Dad. I’m studying! I will check them tomorrow, but I’m sure it’s

the usual, archery deer.” With a bit of convincing, I relented and said, “Alright let me log on real quick.”

Immediately, I was confused and thought, well this must be what I put in for, not what I drew. I said, “Dad, I’m not sure, but I think I’m on the wrong screen.” He said, “Click on the side where it says selections.”

Sure enough, right next to the words “bighorn sheep” it said “selected” with a green check mark. “Dad… I drew a sheep tag,” I stated with shock. He replied with doubt in his voice, “No way. Send me a picture.”

The photo showed it all – I was going to hunt one of the most coveted species in North America.

In about 30 minutes, my dad had the whole hunt planned; he had talked to our friend John (owner of Eden Ridge Outfitters) who was quick to offer his help in navigating the area and field judging the rams. Once everyone found out I’d drawn the tag, I sure got my fair share of jealous texts from all my hunting buddies –including my dad and my brother.

After four excruciating months of waiting, the hunt was finally here. The week before consisted of many trips to the shooting range to practice at 400, 500, and 600 yards. I had shot quite a few of our guns but decided on the 300 PRC with 225-grain Hornady bullets. When November 18th finally rolled around, we were as prepared as we could be. It was an early wake-up in our motel room in Condon, OR. I glanced out the window and couldn’t see 10 feet, giant plumes of fog surrounded the area and concern immediately set in. I knew we’d need clear skies because the fog would make it nearly impossible to glass. Out of the hotel room, we grouped up. My dad and I were accompanied by our good family friend, Tyler, our friend, Terrance, who is a cameraman with Best of the West, and John, and Chanse, one of John’s scouts. With high hopes that the weather would improve, we loaded the buggies, and were off to find some sheep.

Early morning was a little rough considering the below-freezing temperatures, but we were warm with

excitement and ready to see what the land had to offer. Glassing was slow at first, but it wasn’t long before we started to see large herds of ewes with two to three rams in each group.

Then suddenly, both were on their hind legs with cocked necks ready to clash horns. When they collided, you could hear the hit, but it was delayed in the canyon.

They were miles away, but just to see them on the hoof was encouraging. Growing up in Central Oregon, I never really saw bighorn sheep, aside from when we would drive through the Columbia River gorge and spot them off the road. Even still, we could never stop to look at them through binoculars, so all I had were some fleeting opportunities to see these amazing animals in the wild. As we looked at the herds, I was asking John about their behaviors, interested to know more about these impressive creatures. Because of some pre-season scouting, we had an idea of the kind of ram we wanted to go after (170+), but hadn’t seen any of that caliber in a few days.

Around mid-morning, we were driving past some ridges that looked

very “sheepy” to me. The buggy stopped abruptly, and all the guys got out and pulled out their binos. It took me a second to locate what they were looking at; I spotted three rams, two of which were staring each other down. I guess they didn’t see us as a threat because they were back to their stand-off after quickly glancing down at us. Then suddenly, both were on their hind legs with cocked necks ready to clash horns. When they collided, you could hear the hit, but it was delayed in the canyon. I couldn’t believe how loud it was! There are very few people who could say they’ve seen wild bighorn sheep clashing horns during the rut; I felt so blessed to have the opportunity to see a sight like this. I tried to convince all the guys to stay for a while

because I wanted to watch them all day, but I knew we had lots of ground to cover still.

Following many glassing sessions, we located a herd we suspected had a big ram in it and posted up to watch for him. The ewes were feeding below us and didn’t appreciate us being above them. Three rams fed out from behind the ewes, and our excitement rose. After looking at each one we realized all of them were younger rams. It felt like an eternity watching them feed and I felt a bit discouraged as I heard the guys starting to devise a new game plan. Amidst their conversation, I heard my dad say, “Guys, there’s one more!” Chanse got on his binos and said, “That’s a big ram.” With the ram still covered up by brush, we quickly acted and

I took a moment to remember all the practice I had put in before coming on the hunt and my confidence shot up.

began to get set up for a shot. The surrounding area was coated with rocks, so to get my cheek on the stock required all kinds of contorting, and I’ll tell you, it was not comfortable. With all the commotion, the sheep began to get anxious, and the ewes started to pick up speed until they were sprinting down the ridge. The rams weren’t too happy about us being above them either. Soon, the whole herd was running with the big ram taking up the back. He did not present a single-shot opportunity and quickly went from being 300 yards away to 950 yards away.

After their long jaunt down the ridge, we knew we’d have to make a move to get a closer shot. Knowing it would be difficult for all of us to go together, Chanse and Terrance took off with me, while my dad, Tyler, and John stayed behind to watch from the top. One thing is for sure

– sheep make shale rocky cliffs look like nothing – and boy, did I figure that out fast! As we worked our way down, we were sliding on our bums and rolling ankles all the way down. The trek required lots of stops to reassess our rocky situation and make corrections to our path as we went along.

When we finally made it to a small flat spot, I started to set up the gun. Chanse was calling out ranges as the sheep continued to feed farther away. Meanwhile, I was asking which sheep was the target, because the four rams kept shuffling. Being new to sheep hunting, I wasn’t quite sure how to field judge them yet. The last yardage called was 650. I turned my turret to match the distance, focused my scope, and started to ease my breathing. As I watched them feed, I began to get nervous and said to the guys, “Six-fifty is far, they look pretty

small in the scope. I’m not sure I’m comfortable taking the shot.” Both guys encouraged me to do what I thought was best and reminded me that we still had over a week to hunt. As I dropped my cheek back down, I started thinking of all the shots I’d made, remembering that many were right around 600 yards. I took a moment to remember all the practice I had put in before coming on the hunt and my confidence shot up. As I was checking my level and prepping for the shot, the big ram paused to feed as the others pressed forward, leaving him broadside and alone. With a deep breath, I thought… okay, shot’s clear. As I let my breath out, I squeezed the trigger and within a second, he was on the ground –he instantly dropped. I could hear cheers and whoops from above us as everyone celebrated. I was getting high fives and smiling as we looked

down at what we thought was a dead ram. I looked up from the scope and he’d begun to get his front legs underneath him. For a moment, I felt panicked, but Chanse and Terrance helped me to re-center my focus and reminded me that he wasn’t going far, I just needed to make one more shot.

I was shaking badly from my first shot, so I knew a second shot might be difficult. I got back down on the scope, lined up, and pulled the trigger. Missed, just high. I sat up and the guys were trying to help me calm down so I could make another shot. I began to feel a rush of emotion. For me, watching animals die is never easy and I always prided myself on making one clean shot, so the animal didn’t have to suffer. My eyes filled up with tears and Terrance could see I was getting upset, he said, “Brooke,

The river in the distance was bright and you could hear the water flowing through the rocks. Sometimes, these are the kinds of moments you miss amidst all the excitement. I felt such peace. I laid back down, set up my shot, and “Wham!” you could hear the hit and he dropped his head. More tears streamed down my cheeks as I realized what had just happened, I’d just killed a bighorn sheep...my adrenaline was pumping as I took in an incredible accomplishment.

Looking up at the ridge at the other three guys, we knew we couldn’t pack the ram out of the top. My dad, Tyler, and John would have to go across the top and hike in from a different direction with all the gear. We figured that would take a good three or four hours. They started their hike out and around as we began the descent down

looked fake because his horns were so impressive. It’s hard to believe they carry that heavy load all their lives with such ease. Everyone was quick to pull out their tape measures and gawked as they saw the 15 4/8inch mark at the base of the horn followed by a 15 2/8-inch mark at the C1. All of us stood in wonder as we discussed how big this ram really was. Our original guess was around 172174 when we had seen him from a distance but he green-scored 182 2/8 points total. We just didn’t account for the mass he carried all the way through his horns.

As we started to take photos, I felt another wave of emotion, realizing my husband wasn’t there for such a special moment. We’re both in the military, so unfortunately, we don’t always have the privilege of

look around and just take it in.” The clouds had parted, and the sun was shining through, touching the ridges with golden rays. The fog had almost dissipated, but small plumes were still nestled between the draws.

to the ram. As we walked through the shale and rocks, I reflected on what had just happened and thanked God for the wonderful animals we’re so lucky to hunt. Walking up on that ram was like a dream. He almost

being present for every important experience. It’s very hard at times, but it’s certainly worth maintaining the freedoms we have. I often think that if it weren’t for all our veterans and active service members, I likely

wouldn’t have the freedom to be a hunter. Although there was a moment of sadness, I knew how happy he would be for me – and how excited he would be to see photos and videos – I couldn’t wait to show him!

After spending plenty of time taking photos, we began to skin and bone out the meat. The skinning took the longest because John convinced us we had to do a fullbody mount, which I’m so glad he suggested. Luckily, Tyler is a taxidermist and got the job done quickly. It had gotten dark, and we still had a lot to do. We finished up with the meat and started to load the pack frames. Thinking I was tough, I stated I wanted to carry the head and hide out. About 300 yards into our four-plus-mile hike out, I regretted that decision despite my training in the gym. I think that pack was more than half my body weight! I felt relieved when my dad offered to

trade packs and he took on the heavy burden of those horns. I was grateful to have all those strong guys helping me out because that sure was a lot of weight!

The hike out felt a lot longer than a four-mile trek, especially since I had a 10-pound handheld bag full of gear which I had to farmer’s-carry out. We kept telling funny stories trying to get our minds off the task – which seemed to work pretty darn good –we had lots of laughs! As we spotted the trucks, we nearly sprinted to the tailgates to offload all the weight. It was time to head to the only tavern in Condon, have a drink, a burger, and hit the hay.

With a big dinner in our bellies, we drove back to the hotel exhausted. Despite a long day, my dad and I couldn’t sleep to save our lives. The two of us lay awake in our beds recounting the day’s events while sending photos to everyone we knew. I remember both of us saying, “I can’t

believe that just happened,” more times than I can count.

The first thing I did in the morning was go to the truck to make sure the ram was there because everything felt so unreal. Bringing the head home to the family was so fun as everyone gawked at the size of the horns.

We had a big dinner that night with our family and cooked up some tenderloins and Rocky Mountain oysters for everyone to try (although most opted not to try the second option). As everyone laughed, ate, and told stories, I was again reminded how much I love this sport. I can never fully explain its importance in giving me so many memories, so many shared meals, and truly the most incredible experiences. My husband and I hope to pass down all we know of the sport to our children someday and teach them the truth about its legacy. Hunting has my heart, and always will. WS

LOST CREEK RANCH

Lost Creek Ranch is a luxurious property on 37.5± acres in the Wasatch Back of the Uinta Mountains. The custom-built, 5 Bed/5 Bath home offers 5,736 square feet of open-concept living, featuring wooden beams, vaulted ceilings, and a stone wood-burning fireplace. The main floor boasts a spacious kitchen with a large island and breathtaking window views. Downstairs, the walkout basement includes a bar area, recreation room, and a full bath with a steam shower. A highlight of the property is the large gym overlooking the pond and barn.

Lost Creek Ranch offers hunting opportunities for a variety of big game and small game species. Among the big game species are Elk, Mule Deer, Moose, and Mountain Lion, while Small Game includes Coyote and Bobcat. For Mule Deer (GMU 7), the ranch boasts a year-round population with trophy caliber bucks, especially during colder weather and rutting season. It has abundant hunting opportunities for archery, rifle, and muzzleloader enthusiasts. Similarly, the area hosts a resident Elk herd and provides owners with opportunities throughout the different hunting seasons (Elk General Unit). Rifle and Muzzleloader seasons offer more opportunities for elk as winter pushes more elk into the area.

Lost Creek Ranch offers total privacy and abundant wildlife, with hunting, recreation, and relaxation opportunities. Despite its secluded location, the ranch is just minutes away from the amenities of Park City, Utah. Travel is convenient with the Salt Lake International Airport 45 minutes away and a nearby private airport only 23 minutes away.

CONSERVATION

BY KATHY HILL

After many years of being involved with the Wild Sheep Foundation in both our home state of Washington and at the national level, we began attending Sheep Week®. We started attending roughly seven years ago. One of our favorite events has always been the <1 Club® night. The emotion and excitement that occurs

in the room is always special.

In January of 2023, my husband, son, and I attended the <1 Club® event as we have in the past. The first name out of the barrel was from Washington, and the way that Gray Thornton, President & CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation goes about calling the winner always brings excitement and anticipation to the

room for attendees from the state he calls preceding the announcement of hunter’s name. There were four sheep hunts available that year – three Dall’s sheep and one desert sheep hunt were up for grabs. Most would think that the first person drawn would take the desert sheep hunt. To the room’s surprise, the winner choose one of the Dall’s sheep hunts.

The next ticket was drawn and handed to Gray. He began with, “It’s a woman,” then, “from Washington,” and as he started to say the town my son stood up at the table and yelled across the room, “No Way!” Gray looked his way and finished, “Bonney Lake...Kathy Hill.”

I was overcome with emotions and could not believe what had just

happened. I couldn’t even think. Even though we had talked about what hunts to pick if we were drawn, I stood up and asked my husband, “What do I pick?” He stated, “Baby, we’re going desert sheep hunting.” I walked up onto the stage and Gray gave me a big hug and all I could say was “I know what I want...the desert”. He handed me that poster

and I took my place on stage. The rest of the evening all I could think of was did this really happen, is this a dream?

The next day we went to the Sierra El Alamo/Al Campo booth in the convention center. We sat down with Jacob Artee and began discussing available dates. It was determined December 14th – 22nd, 2023, would be the hunt time.

We returned home and celebrated with friends and family while the logistics and planning began in earnest.

A short time later, a package from Wild Sheep showed up with all the gear won with the hunt. It was filled with great products from Leupold, Sitka, Kenetrek, Mystery Ranch, onX hunt, SAAM Shooting School, and taxidermy with Wildlife Revolutions of Reno, NV. It seemed that every so often I would be reminded that winning this hunt was REAL!

Flights scheduled, documentation completed and final preparations finished, it was time to head to the airport. We boarded the plane at SeaTac headed for Phoenix, followed by a short layover and boarding the plane to Hermosillo. We went through customs without any trouble and was met by Jorge Artee. We loaded our luggage and gear into his truck and began our three-hour journey to the ranch.

During our travel, we meet up with the oldest Artee brother, Javier, in the town of Caborca just 30 minutes from the ranch. We picked up other needed supplies and continued to the ranch. We arrived to a beautiful setting and had just enough time to grab my gun and check that it was dialed in before dark. A few rounds were sent downrange and I was

good. We settled into our rooms and enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by chef Burno. After a long day of travel and full bellies we would go to bed early with an early rise for the first day of hunting.

The next morning, alarms went off and we got ready. We met for breakfast at the table and discussed the area the guides Jorge and Javier had chosen to head to, which would take roughly two hours. We loaded into the trucks and left the ranch house at 7:10 a.m.

Just 10 minutes from the ranch we began seeing wildlife, starting with a

young, three-point desert mule deer. Less than an hour into our drive we saw our first desert sheep – three juvenile rams. We also stopped by water/feed stations that have been installed throughout the property to replenish them with supplies.

We continued through the property checking different areas for sheep and stopped a few miles from a mountain and began glassing. All the boys were out of the truck with spotters and binos and I sat in the truck looking with my binoculars. I found sheep. I called my son over to point them out. He then showed Jorge the location and they began analyzing the sheep. Jorge determined that we needed to

The ram continued and stopped behind a finger of cactus. Jorge continued to point him out, but still I had no shot opportunity.

get closer. We loaded up in the truck and closed the distance.

We looked over the sheep and Jorge, after a short time, said that there was a heavy ram with horns that drop below his jaw. Back into the truck we went and took the road around to the back side of the mountain.

Jorge, Joe, Michael and I prepared to climb the mountain. It was roughly a half mile and about 800 feet of elevation gain. This country is quite different from any terrain I had hunted before – with all the cactus, thorny bushes and the loose rock, you need to hike with a little more caution and watch what you grab.

We made it to the top and Jorge had us just relax until he found the sheep. Jorge moved along the ridge and came running back to us and said, “I found them and their coming our way!” We got into position and waited. Within minutes, the ram appeared just 80 yards under us, but I had no shot. The ram continued and stopped behind a finger of cactus. Jorge continued to point him out, but still I had no shot opportunity. I stayed ready on my gun and the ram moved up and across the hill. I got my crosshairs on him and followed. I remember hearing them whisper, “When he stops.” The ram stopped and I pulled the trigger. The ram was

hit, he headed down the hill and was beginning to wobble. He was hurt but needed to be put down. My husband changed my Spartan system to the tripod for more stability and I settled in for another shot. That shot found its mark and the ram folded and slid down the hill. I had just taken my first-ever wild sheep and there are no words to describe the feeling! I was overcome with emotion alongside my husband and son. We gathered our gear and made our way to the ram. Again, no words can describe the feeling when you reach down and put your hands on such a majestic animal.

We had a photo session, took care

of the animal and had a wonderful lunch on the mountain with a beautiful view before descending back down to the truck. A special family moment occurred when my head and cape was loaded into my son’s pack so that he could carry my ram off the mountain. Just two years prior, he packed his father’s first ram off the mountain. We have started a family tradition!

We all made it down safely to the truck and began our travel back to the ranch house. Along the way we stopped at more water/feeder stations to replenish them.

We returned to the ranch house well after dark and were greeted by staff with more congratulations. Once again, a fabulous meal was prepared.

After dinner I was presented with a gift: a custom belt buckle that engraved with my name, the year, and #45. It was super special that I was the 45th hunter to take a ram from Sierra El Alamo since the conservation rehabilitation. I was also notified that I was only the third person in 45 to take a ram on the first day.

I can’t thank everyone that was involved enough for everything from hospitality to accommodations, including all the sponsors that allow the <1 Club® to continue. The entire Artee family made us feel so welcome and all their staff were wonderful. To come as clients – and leave as friends and family – speaks volumes.

It’s an honor and a privilege to say, I am officially Kicked Out! WS

• All current and new CRS members are entered into the hunt drawing

• Current and new CRS members receive one (1) entry for every $250 PAID towards a CRS pledge.

• Need not be present to win.

• Facebook Live drawing to be held June 30, 2024.

ATLAS

BY AMMON AMMON

Hardly any other wild species poses as many puzzles for zoologists as the Barbary sheep. Can the closer relationship be assigned to the goats or the sheep? Many zoologists place it under a separate genus called Ammotragus. Ammotragus comes from Greek and means sand goat. In common usage we mostly find names like Barbary sheep, maned goat, African tur and

especially aoudad, a term that comes from the Berber language. The natural habitat of the aoudad extends across all of North Africa. From Morocco to Chad to Sudan, the aoudad has adapted to each different habitat. From the rocky, often snowcapped Atlas Mountains to the extremely arid Nubian Desert, this reddish-brown, horned wild species can be found. It is named after the long throat hairs, which are much

more pronounced in males than in females.

After HuntGeo managed to open Sudan to international hunters again after 10 years, where the aoudad is also native to the Nubian Ibex and the Eritrea Gazelle, my personal focus was of course on the Nubian ibex and aoudad. After my successful hunt for the Nubian ibex in Sudan, I managed to hunt a

Barbary sheep after three safaris in the Nubian desert. During the first two unsuccessful hunting trips, but also during the third successful hunt, I was able to convince myself that the game density in Sudan is very low and over all the years when there has been no legal and controlled hunting, the aoudad has been poached very heavily and hardly more to be found in Sudan. I was more as pleased to hear from my partner and friend Renaud in spring 2021, where he informed me that he had finally managed to organize the hunt for aoudad in Morocco for the first time. For more than 10 years, we have been working intensively on this project, and now we have finally managed to hunt the Barbary sheep in its natural habitat, the Atlas Mountains. Ten permits for one hunting season. Only selected males that are at least seven years old may be hunted. Renaud achieved another milestone with the import license

The mountains are richly forested and offer the game plenty of protection from the changing climatic conditions.

for his own hunting rifle. Although I only forwarded this message to a few of my closest customers and friends of the possibility of hunting Barbary sheep in Morocco, especially among mountain hunters, word spread very quickly and it wasn’t long before all 10 licenses were quickly sold out.

The hunting season in Morocco is set from mid-September to the end of March and the first hunter was already planning to come at the

end of September. Unfortunately it was still too hot and the sheep were very high in the mountains. At this point it should be mentioned that the Atlas Mountains stretch over an area of about 2,500 kilometers and separate the coasts of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea from the Sahara. The highly rugged mountains have a very contrasting terrain and changeable climate. The highest elevation is the Toubkal at

4,167 meters. The hunting area is located right in these High Atlas mountains and has an area of more than 100,000 hectares. The Tizi n’ Test Pass at 2,100 meters above sea level is the starting point of our hunt. The mountains are richly forested and offer the game plenty of protection from the changing climatic conditions. Of course, this advantage for the game does not play into our cards and therefore it makes

The closer we get to the pass at 2,100 meters above sea level, the less we can believe that we are in Africa.

much more sense to wait for cooler weather, especially snow on the mountain tops. The snow drives the sheep further down where they can still find plenty of food. The Barbary sheep feeds on grass and herbs as well as fresh leaves.

The first successful hunters finally returned from Morocco in November. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic did not stop in Morocco either and King Mohammed VI, the regent of Morocco, ordered the borders to be closed and it was no longer possible to enter or leave the country from December 1st to February 7th. Immediately after the borders were opened, we were able to continue our hunting program very successfully. My personal presence was requested for the last two hunting guests. A request that I am very happy to comply with, as they are two very

good friends and long-standing customers of mine. For the Conklin award winner Bela Hidvegi, with whom I have had the privilege of accompanying on many hunting trips, hunting the aoudad in its natural habitat, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, is a dream that he would like to realize. But also for my good friend Vladislav Reznik, the aoudad from North Africa is one of the few sheep species that he has not yet hunted. The aoudad was introduced to Spain in the early 20th century and from there to North and Central America, where it is still bred and hunted to this day. Hunting in its original, natural habitat is therefore of great importance to many mountain hunters.

My journey to Marrakech was very pleasant. I chose the Spanish Iberia as the airline. No problem

with the gun carrying and the flight goes via Madrid to Marrakech. Rached is already waiting for me at Marrakech airport and helps me with the formalities and registering the gun with the airport police. After 40 minutes I’m already with my friend Renaud, who has his private property in Morocco, a little further out and to the south. Only 500 meters away is a comfortable hotel where our guests are accommodated upon their arrival – right next to a reservoir with fantastic views of the Atlas Mountains. From his terrace, with this incredible view, we discuss the course of the next few days. There have been some shifts in the flight connections of our guests. Vladislav, who originally wanted to fly in with Turkish Airline, had to rebook and take the flight with Qatar Airways. Istanbul was temporarily closed due to heavy snowfall. Bela chose Air France for his flight, which flew in a day earlier. The plan was quickly made. Vladislav Reznik will try his luck hunting the Barbary wild boar for the first two days and will hunt near the orange plantations around Casablanca, and Bela will be the first to hunt the aoudad.

The next morning we found out how changeable the weather is. Not much is left of the pleasantly warm 20°C from the day before. Rain and a cool four degrees await us in the morning. Ahead is a two-and-a-half hour drive to the Tizi N Test Pass. According to the weather report, we should expect 10 to 15 centimeters of fresh snow there. Despite the change in weather and the sometimes heavy rain, we can make out the many different facets of the landscape: very barren sandy hills, but also wide green areas with orange and

lemon trees, rocky gorges and cliffs overgrown with cedars, pines, oaks and olive trees. The landscape is rounded off with the very typical Berber villages in the middle of the rocky mountains. The clothing of the Berbers is just as typical as the houses. Men usually wear colored, floor-length coats or capes with a pointed hood. For women it is the traditional abaya that is kept very simple. On special occasions, a long dress, the so-called kaftan, is worn which, with its decorations and embroidery, does not require any other accessories. The closer we get to the pass at 2,100 meters above sea level, the less we can believe that we

are in Africa. The rain has changed to snowfall and the landscape is much more reminiscent of a deep winter Alpine road in Austria or Switzerland. A small restaurant awaits us at the highest point of the pass road. With heavy snowfall and temperatures high in the single digits below zero, hunting is not really an option and we are all the happier about the open fire in the restaurant. For lunch we have the national dish, the tajine. A delicious stew of meat and vegetables that is prepared in a pointed clay pot and stewed over a long period of time. Then a freshly brewed black tea with fresh mint. For dessert, some of Bela’s hunting experiences are served. Somehow we almost forget that we are pursuing a special goal, the hunt for the Barbary sheep in the High Atlas Mountains.

The snowfall has eased significantly and our local guides employed by the Forest Service have informed us that visibility further down has improved significantly. Like most sheep, the aoudad are very active in

the afternoon foraging, and we hope they will take particular advantage of the easing snowfall. In fact, visibility is much better at about 1,700 meters above sea level, and we move to a sheltered vantage point and start scanning the ridges for sheep. Shortly before 7 p.m. we break off and return to the pass. Except for a few female and a young ram, nothing was to be found. The restaurant also has a small, brick guest house where we will spend the night.

After a good dinner and some good anecdotes from Bela and Renaud, we treat ourselves to a few hours of sleep before we continue the next morning. During the night it continued to snow and gave us another 15 centimeters of fresh snow. Dense fog, which also envelops the mountains below, does not allow a hunt and we just have to wait. Like yesterday, the fog only clears again in the afternoon and we try our luck again.

In the last few days before the snowfall, forest workers have seen some aoudad at work. Although the ascent to this position is not easy, Bela still wants to try. The first hundred meters of altitude can be managed quickly with the help of donkeys and mules, but after that the ascent becomes too dangerous with the help of our four-legged friends and we continue on foot. It is already 5 p.m. when we reach the place where the forest workers saw the sheep before the snowfall.

As with every mountain hunt, we start to search the terrain with binoculars and spotting scopes. As we prepare for our descent, barbary sheep suddenly appear out of nowhere. First there are two, a short time later

It is true that the risk tolerance exercised by folks in less fortunate countries is much higher than us here in Canada, but this is certainly not by choice, rather, by necessity.

the fact that the weather forecast promises better weather makes us hope for the best tomorrow.

We go early to our bed room because tomorrow after breakfast we’ll be on our way to return to the same place of today.

The weather in the morning is much better. The clouds are still hanging low, but it is snowing only a little and the snow-free breaks are getting longer. Already at 10 a.m. we are at the place where we saw the sheep yesterday – and today everything goes much faster. It is less than half an hour before the same group from yesterday emerges again from the shelter of the oaks and cedars. For our part, we use this tree

there are already four, and a few minutes later, we have a group of twelve sheep in front of us. There is a ravine and a distance of 400 meters between us and the Barbary sheep on the opposite slope. Two rams stand out from the rest. The difference in size between the mane and the

horns of these two and those of the rest of the group can be clearly seen. Unfortunately, we only have a short time to enjoy the sight of the sheep. Firing a shot is out of the question. It’s already too late and we have to hurry to reach the vehicle before sunset. The sight of the sheep and

cover to stalk closer to the sheep. At 250 meters the time has come. Bela has a very good view of the strongest ram in the group and a good rifle rest. He uses my Steyr Tactical in caliber 300 Winchester Mag. and a Steiner scope with a ballistic turret.

The distance of 250 meters is set

quickly and Bela unlocks the gun. Seconds later the shot breaks and the aoudad is fatally hit with the shot. We wait a few more minutes and then make our way to the dead ram. Now we can admire the harvest ram in detail. Even the renewed snowfall is ignored and Bela and the entire team are overjoyed.

After a few memory photos, we make our way back. The snowfall has become heavier again and the wellbeing and health of our hunting guest has top priority.

In the late afternoon we are back at our guest house. Vladislav and his companion Evgeny are already waiting there. Together with our friend Alexander, who guided both of them to the Barbary wild boar, all the experiences of the last few days are exchanged over dinner and it is already after midnight when we finally fall into our beds, tired but satisfied.

The next day Alexander takes over our successful aoudad hunter Bela and drives him back to Marrakech where Bela is now trying his luck on a wild boar. I’ll stay with Renaud and accompany Vladislav on his hunt for his Barbary sheep. The weather has changed and the sky is almost cloudless. The Atlas Mountains show their different face and we look

forward to the upcoming hunting day. Three people from Renaud’s have been out since the early hours of the morning and are scouting the area where we want to hunt today. While we were still having our breakfast, we received a message from the scouting team. A group of seven aoudad was sighted. We get ready immediately and a few minutes later we are already in the car and on our way to the agreed meeting point.

Our scouts are giving Renaud and myself a brief overview of the situation. After only 30 minutes of walking along a snow-covered forest path, we reach a small platform from where we can already see the sheep.

They are on the opposite slope, 600 meters away from us and about 150 meters above us. Together we think about how we can do the best stalk. Cover is plentiful, but the sometimes deep snowpack has its pitfalls. Our stalk begins when we first try to compensate for the difference in altitude. We need a little more than an hour until we are on the same level as the sheep, who don’t move much and let themselves be warmed up by the sun. After another 30 meters of altitude, we now continue our stalk horizontally. Again and again we stop and watch the sheep,

which are now slightly below us. Some just remain and others pluck the leaves of the surrounding bushes. We manage to stalk them unnoticed up to a distance of 150 meters. From our location we have a very good overview of the whole group of Barbary sheep. It doesn’t take long for us to select the best ram. He stands alone on a rocky outcrop. It almost looks like he’s overseeing his little kingdom from his throne.

Vladislav already has his sights set on him, but for now he only shows himself from the front and Vladislav is waiting for his broadside. Moving does not appear to be one of his fortes and will test our patience. Finally, he makes the long-awaited turn to the right. Now Vladislav has the desired position of the Barbary sheep. He won’t let this chance go away and the shot breaks. The ram immediately jumps a few meters further down the valley where he remains lying in the snow, fatally wounded. It’s almost devoutly quiet here.

No one says a word and all eyes are on the ram that has been harvested. It’s hard to describe the emotion of that moment, but the hunter’s wet eyes speak volumes. The first to break this silence is Isbar, the fox terrier from Renaud that always accompanies us. With his barking, he just wants to let us know, “Let me finally go to the ram I’ve killed!” Of course, not only he, but also the shooter, now wants to pay his last respects to the aoudad.

The rest is routine as always. A few trophy photos and then the descent and care of the ram that was killed.

Hunting for aoudad in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco is something very special...a very demanding mountain hunt in a wonderful landscape. With many new impressions, memories and emotions, along with fantastic trophies in our luggage, we start our journey home and were able to convince ourselves again that ethical and controlled hunting is a major part of conservation of our wildlife. WS

A SURVIVOR AND A GENTLEMAN:

The Story of Jim Craig and Albert Cooper

BY CHESTER MOORE

On Oct. 4, 1994, Jim Craig harvested a huge Rocky Mountain bighorn ram while hunting out of legendary outfitter Albert Cooper’s camp.

The experience of trekking through the remote wilderness on Mount Assiniboine on the British Columbia/Alberta border was like all sheep hunts. It was as physically and mentally taxing as it was exhilarating.

But after dressing the ram for a full body mount and beginning the journey down the mountain, a challenge of an entirely different level arose.

One of the two guides, an offduty Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, was backpacking out much of the meat and fell in a steep area with loose shale.

While rising to his feet, he looked over and shouted the most terrifying words a mountain hunter can hear.

“Grizzly!”

“I looked up and saw the bear. It had a tag on its ear, which meant it was probably a problem bear that wildlife officials had relocated. I only managed to sort of poke the bear in the face with my rifle, and then it was on me,” Craig said.

The bear smashed Craig onto the ground and against the mountain.

“He beat my toenails off by smashing me around. He would throw me and be right on top of me again,” Craig said.

Perhaps the most terrifying part of the attack was when the bear launched him down a rock bluff.

“He then came down and got on top of me again and almost got my face. This bear was intent on taking me out.”

Law at the time limited who could carry a loaded firearm, but a young lady hunter on the trip named Tami Emery dug deep and went far beyond her level of experience, loaded her gun, and took action.

At this point, the grizzly had turned its attention to the other guide and was only six feet away when she fired and took the animal off its feet. It took three more shots to kill the beast.

“I just scoped the gun right on the bear and fired. All I knew was he had a hold of my best friend. I had nothing in my mind other than getting a shell in the chamber and firing and killing the bear,” Emery said in an article in The Northwest Times newspaper in the aftermath of the incident.

One of the guides and Emery went to get help, and another stayed with Craig. And although the bear that attacked him was dead, they had another visitor that night.

“I could hear the rocks moving as a bear came in and got the sheep I had killed. It was an interesting day, to say the least,” Craig said.

He was eventually moved to a hospital and spent time in recovery, and although he had scars to show the horror he went through, Craig saw it as part of mountain hunting.

“I just looked at it like a risk that comes with mountain hunting. But I might still be a little upset that the other bear came in and took my ram,” he said.

The Power of Friendship

Jim Craig’s bear attack story is a perfect introduction to the man.

It’s not because the attack defined his life, but it shows the commitment to hunting and conservation that has been undeterred no matter the obstacles.

Craig said a big part of that was his friendship with Albert Cooper.

If there was any apprehension about returning to the mountain, it broke when Cooper reached out after his recovery.

“Albert called and told me he figured I needed to return,” Craig said.

“He was such a gentleman but also very stern and serious. He told me I was going to kill a sheep if they had to carry me up the mountain.”

Even though not at 100 percent physically, Craig returned the following year with Cooper, taking a beautiful ram that would be one of the last Cooper guided a hunter on before his retirement at age 75.

Of the final 12 rams hunters took with Cooper, eight of them made the Boone & Crockett record book.

Cooper’s career was indeed legendary.

He was born in Mobley, British Columbia, in 1924 and raised around trapping and small game hunting. He started working as an assistant guide at age 16 and eventually became renowned for his and his hunter’s exploits in the East Kootenay region. He stayed connected to hunting and conservation until passing away in 2012 at age 88.

Legend has it, at age 79, he made an eight-hour trek on horseback to be a camp cook, and the trip home took 10 hours due to damage from a recent

burn and -10-degree weather.

Craig grew up hunting upland birds with his father in Indiana and started reaching out to outfitters by mail in his early years of big game hunting.

“You looked in the magazines, found interesting guides and outfitters, and wrote them letters back then. It was time-consuming, but it allowed me to connect with some great guides, including Albert Cooper,” Craig said.

Craig learned much from Cooper by watching him operate in the field.

“He had a lot of patience, and he hunted with his eyes, and he had an almost unusual understanding of the area he hunted because he

started there in 1939. He had such a knowledge of the country, and we covered a lot of ground, but his ability to see the game and know where it lived was amazing. We took a lot of time looking on our hunts, and we would ride horses, and when he kicked over in the saddle, you better stop looking and get ready”.

Craig said he learned not to spend time where there is no game and hope something moves in.

He also learned how to defend hunting from Cooper.

“We were in Cranbrook in BC, and a young lady saw me with a gun case. She immediately asked me what I was doing there, and when I said that I was hunting, she got in my face

and started telling me how horrible I was and how horrible hunting was,” Craig said.

Cooper stepped in and exhibited a powerful level of class.

“He had such impeccable manners, but he was able to get his point across strongly. He told the girl I was staying with him and that hunters were why we had the kind of wildlife we have and schooled her in a firm but gentlemanly way. He told her that because of how she spoke to me, he would like to talk to her parents because they failed her by not teaching her right. After that, she might have regretted her comments. He was one of the great ones.”

It’s one thing to be an accomplished hunter and another to be a forward-thinking advocate of conservation and hunting.

A Sheep Hunter’s Humility

Craig, who enjoys many kinds of hunting, said sheep hunting is the pinnacle experience because it requires so much of the hunter.

“Sheep hunting requires patience, mental toughness, and physical toughness because you have so many ups and downs, and that teaches you not only a lot about hunting but about life,” he said.

He became very successful in business but came from humble beginnings.

“My Dad was a patch farmer, raised in poor country on a little farm, and he instilled in us a love of the outdoors. Game wasn’t as abundant in the Midwest as it is now. I saw my first deer track in 1947 and didn’t see my first deer, a doe, until 1948, and we were so excited. I think back to those days, and I am grateful that they helped bring me to where I am today,” Craig said.

He has many powerful sheephunting memories, but the first one means a lot to him.

“It was in 1974 in the Talkeetna Mountains near Mount McKinley in Alaska. Back then, it cost $1,500. My how times have changed,” he said.

His first Stone’s sheep hunt also had some extraordinary moments.

“The first Stone’s sheep I took was with the Collingwood Brothers in 1976, which was a memorable hunt. I hunted with Indian guide Charles Quock, who guided Fred Bear to his legendary world-record Stone’s sheep. I saw where he took it, and I got a beautiful ram on that hunt.”

Craig said he was raised with a father and mother who told him you’re as important as anybody but not more important than anybody else.

“They instilled that in me, making me want to help others and do my best to help wildlife and hunting.”

It’s one thing to be an accomplished hunter and another to be a forward-thinking advocate of conservation and hunting.

It’s something else entirely to live that life with humility and integrity, and that integrity is exemplified in his pursuit of the Four North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS).

He has taken 7 ¾ FNAWS since he doesn’t claim the ram the bear took back in 1994.

“The bear brought that one ram home. I didn’t,” he said.

A Gift From Above

Craig’s continuing legacy resounds in the people and causes he has impacted.

“God gave Jim Craig to us,” said Kim Neiters, WSF VP of Operations & Auction Director.

In 2023, he and his wife, Leann, received WSF’s Outstanding Achievement Award at the Sheep Show in Reno.

The award reflected their support and promotion of WSF in many ways, including attending all FNAWS/WSF conventions since 1988, other than the San Diego event, missed only because of a car accident.

On top of that, they are regular auction permit buyers, table buyers, and donors.

The award presentation noted that Craigs have been 25-plusyear volunteers and committee and banquet chairs for WSF and its partner organizations, including the NRA, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Safari Club International.

“The Craigs are heavily involved

in youth education and outreach and have operated the Craig Family Camp for years, a youth shooting and hunting education experience on their farm. They continue to educate through regular presentations to youth groups and by opening their Craig Wildlife Museum to area schools and other organizations for young people. Every year, the Craigs host numerous youth hunts, and they mentor both young and old to be sheep hunters and wild sheep conservationists.”

Janet Holcomb, First Lady of Indiana, met Craig in 2017 when she was invited to speak at an annual women’s introductory firearm event he and his wife organized. The event focused on women with little or no experience and allowed them to learn the safe handling of pistols, rifles, and shotguns.

“The first time I visited the Craig’s home, I was amazed by the trophies and memories from a lifetime of hunting. I was beginning my journey into hunting, and this experience was incredibly impactful. The conversations with Jim and his shared stories opened my eyes and ignited my imagination and dreams,” Holcomb said.

“Besides the dozens of sheep and other mounts, the walls are steeped in memories and lined with photos. Jim would point to a photo that faded with time and vividly recall a particular day on the mountain. I heard names of legendary hunters that day and in the many future conversations, we would share. Whether it’s stories told over a campfire or across a dinner table, there is one name that Jim often returns to - Albert Cooper.”

Craig has accompanied Holcomb

on two sheep hunts, the last being a Stone’s sheep hunt in the Spatsizi Wilderness when Jim was 84.

“His willingness to endure days on horseback and lack of comfort to support and encourage me is truly a gift. I know I will repay his kindness by mentoring someone else in the future. This is Jim’s legacy and the many other legends that came before us. This is how and why we keep hunting alive—we pay it forward to honor the past,” Holcomb said.

WSF President & CEO Gray Thornton said he and Craig go back to the early 1990s when he won the Ptarmigan Lake Lodge Dall’s Sheep Hunt Membership Drive drawing Thornton was running for SCI.

“Jim casts a long shadow, and whether he is supporting SCI, NRA, RMEF, DU, or the Wild Sheep Foundation, he is all in,” Thornton said.

“His tireless energy, even at a spry 85, is inspiring, and the list of lives he has touched, as well those he has mentored, is as long as it is distinguished with many who now would be called “influencers” owing much if not all of their success to James Craig.”

And he said Craig epitomizes the concept of “paying it forward.”

“Whether running his family’s youth outdoors camp, inspiring the next generation of wild sheep hunters and conservationists with his tales and sage experience, or giving back to the organizations he supports with time, talent, and treasure, Jim and his wife Leann give back beyond measure. Jim has been there and done that in an unassuming way that draws you in. To spend time with the Craigs, to listen to their stories and the hunts of yesteryear, and today

is time any sheep hunter would call well spent and golden.”

Times have changed drastically since Jim Craig first started hunting with Albert Cooper. In many ways the world is an entirely different place, especially from the perspective of a hunter.

Craig, however, still hits the field, especially to help others have successful hunts, and relentlessly exemplifies what being a mentor and

conservationist means.

It would be easy to say they don’t make them like Jim Craig anymore, but he has put so much of himself into others that his essence has been multiplied.

And that ensures his powerful values will continue to echo in the world of hunting-conservation for generations to come.

Albert Cooper would be proud. WS

A GLIMPSE INTO YESTERYEAR

Among Jim Craig’s items from a lifetime of hunting is a letter sent back to him after writing to Albert Cooper for the first time in 1970.

Already an in-demand sheep guide at the time, the letter noted he was already booked up for fall 1970 and 71 for sheep.

His rates at the time were $100 each per day for two hunters and $80 a day for three hunters.

“These prices include the best of food, a good cook, reliable guides, all pack and saddle horses, cabins and tents and care of your trophies until the end of the trip.”

Non-resident licenses were $25 and sheep tags were $5, grizzlies $10, mountain goats $2 and black bear tags were 50 cents each.

He noted trophy fees for bighorns were $75, grizzlies $60, goats $40 and black bears $5.

It really was a different world for hunters in the heyday of Albert Cooper. WS

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was incredible, and he kept me updated every step of the way. A first-class operation that delivered a marvelous piece of craftmanship.Thanks again Steve!

- Alton Temple

BUILT ONE AT A TIME FOR UNSURPASSED FIT, FINISH AND PERFORMANCE. SECOND TO NONE.

ON THE NOSE

THE SHAPE OF A BULLET’S NOSE, AND ITS MATERIAL AND INTERNAL DESIGN, AFFECT YOUR SHOT. OR NOT.

BY WAYNE VAN ZWOLL

Drawing from the hunter a solemn vow never, ever to repeat the directions, he killed the lamp and whispered to them.

On opening morning they brought the hunter up a remote ridge. Poking along its crest, glassing carefully, he spied a group of bedded bighorn rams. A crawl brought him within easy range. At the blast of his .30-06, the target animal rose. A second bullet struck solidly. The horns appeared at the next Boone and Crocket awards event.

The 125-grain bullet used on that hunt was light for the .30-06. Its sectional density (SD, the ratio of a bullet’s weight in pounds to the square of its diameter in inches) is a modest .188, limiting its ballistic

coefficient, or BC, a relative measure of the bullet’s ability to cleave air.

Before dismissing air as a path of no resistance, stick your arm out the window of an automobile cruising at 60 miles per hour. You’re traveling at 88 feet per second. Holding that arm against the air’s relentless press soon becomes a chore. A 180-grain softpoint leaving a .30-06 rifle at 2,700 fps is moving more than 30 times faster than the sedan! Riding that bullet, you’d feel your eyes water.

It’s helpful to think of BC as a number that tells how well a bullet fares against the drag set up by its own velocity. Bullets with high BCs are rocket-shaped and long for their diameter. Though “bullet” is from the French “boulle” or “boullet,” for

“small ball,” these bullets have little in common with balls.

To calculate BC, you need SD and “i,” the bullet’s “form factor” or a summation of its shape. As getting to “i” is a thorny mathematical task involving drag coefficients, I’m not inspired to pursue it here. Besides, actual BC doesn’t always match the calculated number. “We often see differences of 10 percent between chart figures and those determined by firing tests,” say technical experts at Sierra Bullets. “And ballistic coefficients can change markedly near the speed of sound.”

A hunting bullet has two jobs: flying accurately and efficiently, and killing game. Recent news in bullet design is mostly about flight. “High-

Sneak as close as you can. Use a rest. Exhale half-way. Squeeze. Run the bolt. Any bullet will suffice!

Long-range rifle competition has fueled interest in killing game at distance. Instead of sneaking closer, hunters are shooting farther.

BC” bullets with Pinocchio noses best retain speed and energy. The flat arcs make hits easier. Long-range rifle competition has fueled interest in killing game at distance. Instead of sneaking closer, hunters are shooting farther. Almost all new expanding bullets are of pointed or “spitzer” profile.

Because they’re relatively heavy, high-BC bullets can’t be started as fast as – well, lighter bullets, whatever their shape. But downrange they pass lightweights that jet from the muzzle. (Example at right.)

At normal ranges, nose shape may not affect point of impact. These two bullets punched a tight group!

The benefits of a high BC become more visible with distance. Change in BC has a larger effect at high starting velocities than at low ones, because as velocities climb, drag increases as a percentage of the forces braking the bullet.

The curve of a bullet’s ogive, tip to shank, affects BC. So why don’t all bullets have long, tapered noses? Weight reduction from that taper limits SD, momentum and penetration in game. Pinoccihionose bullets must also be seated deep, gobbling powder space in the case so bullet tips will clear the magazine. Rifling twist that best stabilizes ordinary bullets may prove too slow to yield fine accuracy with high-BC bullets. Barrels bored for cartridges using these bullets now get fast-twist rifling. Example: standard twist for the 7mm Remington Magnum is one turn in 9.5 inches. High-BC bullets commonly used in the 7mm PRC beg 1-in-8 spin.

Their sleek profiles suggest high-BC bullets fly accurately. But besides rotation ensuring stability in flight, bullets must be held to tight tolerances. Accuracy results from uniformity, one bullet to the next. Sierra (which now owns Barnes Bullets) holds variation in MatchKing jacket thickness to .0003 inch, and bullet weight to within .3 grain. Test lots of 168-grain MatchKings must nip 1/4-inch groups.

At Hornady, now 75 years making bullets, accuracy standards for hunting bullets depend on their diameter. “For .30s it’s .600 at 100 yards, for 6mms .450,” an engineer told me on a visit. “Our 30-caliber match bullets must shoot inside .800 at 200 yards.” That was before the ELD-X and ELD Match emerged for

This bull fell to a round-nose 180-grain Core-Lokt from a .300 Savage. No sharp polymer nose needed!

This cup-nose Woodleigh is designed to drive straight through thick, tough buffalo hide, heavy muscle.

Hornady’s long-range Creedmoor and PRC cartridges.

High-BC hunting bullets are also made by Federal (its Terminal Ascent), Barnes, Berger, Lapua, Norma, Nosler, Sierra and Winchester. Remington loads Speer Impacts and Swift Sciroccos.

Is higher BC worth chasing? Does it compromise bullet behavior in game? Good questions. The answers depend on which bullets you compare. (Example at right.)

At long range, the SST’s higher BC gives it 185 ft-lbs more punch; but at 200 yards the difference is just 120. Trajectory disparities are nil to 400 yards. I hardly ever shoot that far at game. But quartering shots at modest range come quite often. Hunting with a .308, I find a 150-grain InterLock more versatile.

Even blunt bullets heavy for the bore fly flatter than most shooters think, courtesy their high SDs. They also work fine in standard rifling. Great length, not weight, is what begs sharper spin.

A century ago few hunters would have craved carrot-nose bullets exiting at Mach 3 – though they hunted a variety of game in open places. Charles Sheldon shot sheep and bears in the Far North with 160-grain bullets from a Jefferybuilt 6.5x53R on a 1895 Dutch Mannlicher. W.D.M. Bell used that cartridge briefly for elephants. While its military career (ending in 1941) didn’t bless the 6.5x54 with a high-speed load, the SD of its blunt 160s endeared it to Africa’s hunters, including F.C. Selous. A 1910 Mannlicher-Schoenauer 9.5x56 hurling 270-grain bullets at 2,150 fps served William D. Burden, a privileged Teddy Rooseveltlike adventurer. Ohio native and

Methodist missionary Harry Caldwell turned truculent tigers in China with 180- or 190-grain bullets at 2,100 fps from a .303 Savage Model 1899.

While the momentum of blunt bullets helps them kill, weight

distribution matters too. Designing his Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullet, the late Jack Carter minded that. The TB’s thick copper base keeps its center of gravity near its physical middle, limiting precession, or

A target-bullet shape helps Federal’s TA game bullet fight drag. Inside, it’s built for controlled upset.

.308 factory load, 150-grain InterLock (pointed lead, flat-base), BC .338

.308 factory load, 150-grain SST (pointed polymer tip, boat-tail), BC .415

wandering of the tail off the nose’s rotational axis. As a top wobbles until its spin “puts it to sleep,” a bullet’s base oscillates around the path taken by the nose until spin imparted by the rifling takes charge. This instability is present whatever the bullet’s shape; but short, round noses counter it better than do long, pointed noses that shove center of gravity behind the middle. Diminishing wobble is one reason groups can be tighter (in minutes of angle) at 200 or 300 yards than at 100.

Obstructions in a bullet’s path impart what’s known as overturning moment. The bullet shudders, skates off course or tumbles in response. Rifling just steep enough to stabilize a long-nose bullet may not keep it on course after it clips a branch or a bone. Elephant hunters knew weight in the nose helps a bullet track straight, before and after a hit. They chose pug-nose bullets. On my first hunt for buffalo years ago, I packed Winchester factory loads for my .375. They cycled fine through my Model 70 at the bench. But I hadn’t bothered to load the magazine full. In the field, I found the bullet noses so square, they fought the raduised corners of the magazine! I could load only one beneath the bolt!

To the uninitiated, a pointed bullet looks deadlier than a roundnose bullet. After all, a steak knife punctures more easily than a butter knife; a sharp arrow penetrates deeper than a blunt. But such analogies fail because hunting bullets fly very fast. And an expanding bullet’s profile changes at impact. The wound channel left by a bullet also depends on its design and material behind the tip.

The simplest jacketed hunting bullet is the common softnose.

Pointed, rounded or flat, the tip

In 1892 the U.S. Army replaced the .45-70 with the .30-40 Krag. Pointed hunting bullets followed.

Early in the smokeless era, hunting and infantry rounds hurled long round-nose bullets with high SDs.

is a patch of core in front of the jacket mouth. The greater the area of exposed lead, and the thinner the jacket, the more readily the nose upsets. Round-nose bullets with lots of exposed lead killed deer

reliably from lever-action rifles firing black- and early smokeless-powder loads. Modest exit velocities (2,000 to 2,350 fps) and iron-sight shot distances promised a narrow range of impact speeds, with predictable upset

and penetration. I’ve found these bullets effective on animals as big as elk.

As frisky cartridges in bolt rifles boosted velocities, pointed bullets became the rage. Less lead exposure, plus stronger, tapered jackets with internal belts (Peters Inner Belted, Remington Core-Lokt, Hornady InterLock), delivered deeper penetration and better weight retention after high-speed impact. In 1947, John Nosler developed his Partition bullet, with a dam of jacket material dividing the core. However violently impact tore at a bullet’s nose, the heel core remained captive to penetrate like a solid. The RWS H-Mantel, an earlier bullet, is of similar design. So is Swift’s A-Frame. Its bonded nose fights core-jacket separation up front.

Some bullets were quite complex. The front third of the jacketed, flattopped lead core in a Peters Protected Point bullet was wrapped in a gilding metal band and capped with a pointed metal cone. Impact drove the band down under the jacket, triggering and controlling upset. A Protected Point bullet required 51 operations to make. Winchester’s Silvertip, revamped in 1960, cost less. It lacked the inner band.

Tipped bullets aren’t new. Remington’s sleek Bronze Point dates to the 1930s. It looked capable of piercing engine blocks. Bronze, now also in solid “safari” bullets, is a harder copper alloy than brass. Impact drove the Bronze Point’s conical tip back into the lead core. I’ve seen Bronze Points bring sudden death to deer at modest ranges, where impact speeds exceeded 2,600 fps. Germany’s RWS TIG (Torpedo Ideal) and TUG (Torpedo Universal) bullets share elements of this design. The TIG’s harder rear half has a

Wayne shot this buck at 20 steps. Even in open areas, good shooting and reliable bullet upset trump BC.

Hollowpoint noses are hard to form; but some of the best hunting and target bullets are hollowpoints.

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funnel mouth that supports the nose. Upset starts at the nose and at that mouth. In TUG bullets the joint is reversed: A cavity in the nose accepts the conical nose of the rear section, which behaves like a pointed solid after nose upset.

Polymer bullet tips have replaced metal. They come in various hues, specific to bullet brand, even bullet diameter. While their contribution to BC is minimal, they make bullets look fast. In Hornady trials, Doppler radar showed tip distortion during long flights at high speeds. New polymer solved this problem. Bullet upset in any tipped bullet depends a great deal on nose cavity dimensions and the fit of the tip.

The rush to racy poly-tipped bullets inspired Hornady LeverEvolution ammunition, introduced in 2005. These bullets have conical tips of pliable, resilient polymer. They’re safe to use in tube magazines, where primers are jammed by spring pressure and recoil against the bullets behind them. New powders in LeverEvolution loads give these ballistic champs a fast start. I’ve used

them in traditional deer cartridges like the .30-30 to take game as big as elk, and on targets to 600 yards.

Are poly-tipped bullets accurate? Yes – but not always the most accurate for a given rifle or load. If tipped bullets routinely dominated matches, hollowpoints like Sierra’s great MatchKing would vanish.

“Finishing a hollowpoint’s nose is difficult,” a bullet engineer once told me. “The beauty of poly tips is that they’re so sleek, and one is the same as the next. On the other hand, a tip is an additional part, another variable.” Engineers test continually to gauge the net effect of new processes and components. A tapered heel has two angles – one more variable than a flat bullet base. But the ballistic edge of boat-tail bullets (real and perceived) has made them top sellers.

Increasingly popular with big game hunters is the all-copper hollowpoint. Unalloyed copper has a Brinell hardness (BHN) of 35; that of lead is 4.5. So copper hollowpoints can’t mushroom like lead-core bullets. They rely instead on hydraulic

G1 and G7

Ballistic coefficients show up increasingly as “G1” and “G7” in bullet descriptions. They differ because BC is a comparative number. The G1 “standard bullet” differs from the G7. In 1881, the Gavre Commission in France came up with a bullet 1 pound in weight and an inch in diameter. It was 3.28 inches long, with a 1.96inch shank. The 1.32-inch nose had a 2-caliber ogive (radius between tip and shank). Tables by U.S. Army Colonel James Ingalls, published in 1893 and revised in 1917, used this Gavre Type 1 bullet, now known as G1. The newer G7, with its tapered heel and long 10-caliber ogive, better matches the shape of modern rifle bullets. The G1 BC of a bullet is higher than its G7 BC. They’re both valid, just as the length of a rifle barrel can be stated in inches and centimeters. WS

Hornady’s FTX bullets have resilient polymer tips. Accurate, flat-shooting, safe in lever-rifle tubes!

pressure at impact peeling nose petals back into a blossom, whose increasing diameter and deceleration transfer bullet energy. Randy Brooks explored the potential of such missiles in 1985. His X-Bullet was named for its four-petal nose. The TSX, or Triple-Shock, has upstaged it. The TSX’s driving bands have improved accuracy. A Tipped TSX arrived in 2008.

Other bullet-makers list all-copper hollowpoints. But lead-core bullets are hardly obsolete. Dave Emary, now retired, was Hornady’s chief engineer. “A copper bullet is lighter than a jacketed lead bullet of the same dimensions, so it won’t retain velocity or energy as well unless you make it longer to add weight. But longer bullets force deeper seating, which cuts powder capacity. Because copper is harder than lead, you can’t accelerate all-copper bullets as fast as jacketed softpoints without boosting pressure.” He said copper is not hard enough to reduce barrel life, given ordinary use in hunting rifles. Competitive shooters still favor leadcore bullets.

“Copper hollowpoints expand properly within a relatively narrow velocity window,” said Emary. “Lead-core bullets can be made to drive through an elk shoulder or a quartering bighorn at 3,000 fps and still open in deer at speeds as low as 1,600. It’s hard to make copper hollowpoints upset at less than 2,000 fps unless the nose cavity is so big or fragile that it dissolves at Mach 3 impact. Open noses reduce BC.”

The textbook double-diameter upset of lead-core bullets is hard to achieve with all-copper bullets. But weight loss is typically less with copper, penetration often greater for bullets of equal weight. I once shot an Australian buffalo at 27 yards with

Best bullet? Hornady’s long ELD-X has the higher BC; Nosler’s Partition drives deep in tough game.

Flat noses, lead-core bullets still have fans! Wayne used this deadly load last year on a big black bear.

.338 Barnes TSX bullets. Despite the high-speed impact on a “hard” target, it kept essentially all its weight as it drove through the beast. Striking the massive knuckle of the off-shoulder, it shattered the wrist-thick bone inches from point of impact.

I’ve seen only one failure from an all-copper hollowpoint. In Zimbabwe, using a 300-grain bullet in a. 375, a friend shot an eland facing him at 60 yards. The massive bull ran off, leaving little blood from the center hit. We trailed it half a mile and found it dead. I dug the bullet from a hip. One of the petals had collapsed on entry, sealing the nose cavity and limiting the other petals to a shank diameter blossom.

Accuracy? Jeremy Millard, design chief for Hornady’s lead-free GMX (gilding metal expanding) bullet, told me that it flew as accurately as lead-core bullets. “We chose gilding metal (95/5 copper/zinc, used in bullet jackets) because it fouls bores less than unalloyed copper.” It’s more brittle too; so nixing petal breakage was a priority. “The GMX looks and flies like our SST, but its cavity tapers to a point even with the ogive-shank juncture, stopping upset there.” The velocity window for reliable upset: 2,000 fps to 3,400 fps. The GMX has been superseded by Hornady’s CX and MonoFlex bullets.

Shortly after 30-caliber GMX bullets appeared, I went off to British

Columbia to hunt moose with outfitters Lynn and Darrell Collins. In forest below the Bella Coola Highway, we eventually found a bull. At 105 yards, prone to fire under conifer boughs, I triggered my Ruger in .300 RCM. The moose toppled. The 150-grain GMX had driven through its scapula into the spine, shattering both.

Sport hunting has changed profoundly since the advent of smokeless powder, jacketed bullets and optical sights. But animals have evolved to dodge imminent threat, not distant winks of orange. Firing at game far away requires no hunting skills. A short-cut to kills memorably earned by stalking or waiting, it denies hunters the thrill of close encounters and hikes the odds of crippling hits. In truth, sending bullets across vast tracts to kill deer and pronghorns, wild sheep and Rocky Mountain goats is seldom necessary. The landform and vegetation that help these opencountry animals hide also makes them approachable!

There’s no telling how many long shots fired eagerly might have become short shots.

Still, as hunting becomes more costly and shot opportunity shrinks, high-BC bullets to make that “oncein-a-lifetime” poke to the horizon sell briskly. There’s no penalty for being over-prepared.

On the other hand, if you prefer a blunt bullet, you’re in prestigious company. And if your .30-06 likes 125-grain bullets with a miserable .300 BC, despair not. Hitting vitals isn’t a numbers game. It’s just good marksmanship! WS

More on BC

BC changes as a bullet decelerates. At high velocity, a sleek ogive fights drag better than does a tapered heel. Below 1,600 fps, say ballisticians, the boat-tail has greater effect. At ordinary hunting ranges –inside 200 yards – the profile of big game bullets from modern cartridges has negligible effect on bullet flight, retained energy and point of impact. BC affects bullet drop less than it does drag (which, as it hikes flight time, contributes to drop). Example: a 30-caliber bullet with a G1BC of .575 sent at 3,000 fps drops 36 inches at 500 yards. A .30 of similar weight and sent at the same speed, but with a BC of .425, falls 41 inches. That 5-inch disparity is pretty small, given the 26 percent change in BC! WS

These GMX copper hollowpoints came from an elk shot at 220 yards (right), then at 15. Fine results!

2024 AWARDS

From left, Jon Edwards (Schnee) and Mark Gustmiedl were on hand with Juliet and Gina Reynolds who received the G.C.F. Dalziel Outstanding Guide Award posthumously for Shane. Holding the bronze is J. Alain Smith, Awards MC, who presented the award.

G.C.F. DALZIEL OUTSTANDING GUIDE AWARD: SHANE REYNOLDS

On June 16, 2023, guide Shane Reynolds and legendary Alaskan bush pilot Jim Tweto died in a plane crash in northwest Alaska. The tragedy rocked the hunting world and robbed it of two honored leaders in their fields. This year’s G.C.F. Dalziel Outstanding Guide Award was posthumously presented to Shane Reynolds and accepted by his wife Gina and young daughter Juliet. Reynolds began guiding in the late 1990s in central Idaho. Working for outfitters such as Travis Bullock (Mile High Outfitters), Steve Zettel (Idaho Wilderness Company), Mike Scott and Louise Stark (White Cloud Outfitters) and others, Reynolds guided for big mountain game while also honing his skills as an expert fishing guide. He mastered the Salmon, Clearwater and Snake rivers of Idaho and owned Northwest Fishing Expeditions.

In 2006, he expanded his guiding career into Alaska, where he gained a reputation for getting it done in remote, rough extremes. Reynolds guided for Lance Kronberger’s Freelance Outdoor Adventures, Clint Mayeur’s Kianna Creek Outfitters and Paul Chervenak’s Kodiak Outdoor Adventures, among others.

Reynolds excelled at guiding hunters to trophy Dall’s sheep, brown bear, moose, mountain goat and grizzlies. Many of his hunters were rewarded with Boone and Crockett record book harvests, including an all-time top-20 moose in 2022. Fulfilling his wild sheep personal dream, Reynolds drew a 2008 tag and took home a fine Chugach Dall’s ram.

While guiding in the spring of 2019, Reynolds survived a brutal attack by a wounded grizzly. The mauling left him with over fifty puncture wounds, seven staples to his scalp, a broken hand and a broken rib. After four days in the hospital and a couple of months of recovery, Reynolds was back guiding grizzly hunters the very next autumn. The

first of Reynolds’ brown bear hunting clients after his recovery was amazed to find him “calm, cool and strong the whole time!” Michael Edwards, another bear hunter Reynolds guided right after his recovery, wrote in his nomination letter, “Since Shane’s tragic passing this past spring, I find myself talking to him each time I’m out hunting on my own— usually when I’m on the verge of complaining—and smiling to myself at Shane telling me to ‘buck up’ or take some ‘try-actin’ (Shane’s way of telling you to try acting like a man). . . Shane truly changed my life, and although he is deeply missed, his memory and words will be with me forever.”

Reynolds is remembered for being honest, energetic and determined, a gritty, zealous worker, and a man of few words whose dry humor and sharp wit raised morale in good times and bad. Around the clock, he remained committed to the client and was especially encouraging and fun for the kids who accompanied their parents to his hunting and fishing camps. “Dirty tough,” both mentally and physically, Reynolds expected the most from himself while kindly pushing everyone around him to be their best selves. His appreciation for the privilege of hunting big game in the world’s most epic country rubbed off on his clients and fellow guides. Impossible weather, back-breaking packouts and dark odds left him undeterred, cheerful and upbeat.

After sharing long hours on the hunt and stories around the campfire, one of his clients concluded, “In these discussions, it became very clear that Shane valued hard work, was a respecter of the land, and most of all loved his beautiful wife and daughter. They were most certainly his ‘why’ in life.” WS

FRANK GOLATA

OUTSTANDING OUTFITTER AWARD: COKE WALLACE

Established in 1996, the Frank Golata Award recognizes a North American outfitter focused primarily on hunting for mountain game and whose entire career has exemplified the honor and dignity of the outfitting profession. Winners contribute substantial time, talent and treasure to WSF and the hunting-conservation industry. This year’s Frank Golata Outstanding Outfitter is Coke Wallace of Midnight Sun Safaris. Outfitting since 2003, Wallace is alongtime Sheep Show® exhibitor whose donated hunts and other generosity has, since 2000, generated over $252,000 to advance WSF’s mission.

Over the past four decades, Coke and his greatest trophy, wife Jo-Ann, have run Midnight Sun Safaris near Healy, Alaska, as one of the state’s few horseback outfitting and guiding operations. The Wallace family lives year-round in the shadow of Mount Denali and shares the landscape with Dall’s sheep, caribou, moose, grizzlies and black bears. They run a winter trapline for wolf, lynx, wolverine and martin.

In 2023, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy appointed Wallace to the Denali National Park Subsistence Resource Commission, which devises and recommends to the Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of Alaska a program for subsistence hunting within Denali National Park. For Wallace, sustainable use of wildlife resources is a 24-houra-day vocation, well beyond any service on a board or committee. Well-known for his controversial views on a variety of political topics, Wallace admits he’s shocked that he received the Golata Award. His only suspicion that something

2024 AWARDS

was different at this year’s Sheep Show® was when Jo-Ann adamantly insisted Coke wear a “nice shirt” instead of his trademark tee to the Grand Finale Banquet where the award would be announced.

“I’m very surprised,” Coke says. “There’s always a member of the family you don’t want speaking in public. Free speech is just my way. It’s our most fundamental right.”

That free speech, and the action to back up his words, has landed Wallace in some high-profile news stories highlighting his outspoken criticism of wildlife management and particularly predator control in Alaska. Watching for decades as Dall’s sheep and caribou numbers have plummeted in the Alaska Range, especially in recent years, Wallace points to harsh winter weather events, lackluster government wildlife management and predators as the cause of the 70-80% decline of some ungulate populations in his region. Fearless of the backlash, Wallace has been a vocal advocate of managing an array of predatory species, from wolves to eagles.

“Whether you’re from Fairbanks, Phoenix or Finland, you should have the opportunity to harvest a caribou in my area,” Wallace says. “We can grow enough numbers for everyone to have a chance. But we aren’t

managing our game to the best of our ability. My kids aren’t going to have the same opportunities I did.”

With a bold knack for taking on current issues, Wallace is steeped in the old-time outfitter and guiding traditions. Some of his first memories were hanging out with his parents as they talked wildlife with Alaskan legends like his mentor, the late Urban Rahoi, and the late Bill Waugaman and John Swiss, among other famed mountain hunters and fellow Frank Golata Award winners.

“I can still hear their voices,” Wallace says. “I feel super blessed to have been in their company.”

Coke and Jo-Ann’s son Parker has been a part of Midnight Sun all his life and today is an outstanding sheep guide in his own right.

Carrying on a long tradition, Coke brought Parker from babyhood on regular treks to Fairbanks to chew the fat with the weathered mountain guides and outfitters still standing. Still standing is no short order for men and women in the profession, as Wallace can attest. He has outfoxed death a time or two, and in recent years recovered from a horse accident that easily could have killed him or left him paralyzed. Wallace is still walking tall today, taking clients into the wild and demonstrating he can talk tough and live even tougher. WS

Awards committee member, Jack Atcheson, Jr. (left) with Frank Golata Outstanding Outfitter recipient Coke Wallace holding the bronze and J. Alain Smith, Awards MC (far right).

2024 AWARDS

ARTEMIS OUTSTANDING WOMAN

CONSERVATIONIST AWARD: JANET DRAKE

For over 25 years, this year’s Artemis Award winner Janet Drake has embodied what a conservationist should be. She is a life member of the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (ADBSS) and a WSF life member. For ADBSS, she has served as a director on the board and three terms as treasurer. For over 10 years, she has worked in the cashier booth at the annual ADBSS fundraiser. In the field, she and husband Gary have participated in over 100 waterhole development projects throughout Arizona and volunteered their time at numerous Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep captures and transplants and on wildlife surveys in Arizona’s White Mountains. Recently, Janet on several occasions helped a group of volunteers that were fabricating new transplant boxes to be used for upcoming desert and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep translocations.

For many years, Janet has staffed the ADBSS booth at the Sheep Show®, and she currently chairs the ADBSS Waterhole Naming Committee, which selects devoted ADBSS volunteers and dedicates a project or two each year in their name. Since 2019, Janet and Gary have served as the co-editors of the ADBSS quarterly full-color publication, The Ram’s Horn. Janet and Gary have also donated a significant amount of time and money to purchase, install and maintain between 75 and 100 trail cameras in two prime sheep areas: Aravaipa Canyon and the upper and lower Blue River in eastern Arizona. These cameras capture valuable data that is used for population estimates, predation monitoring, herd classification and health analysis.

Monitoring most of these camera locations involves strenuous, long hikes, and each outing lasts several days and must be done several times a year. Janet and Gary have also placed and maintained an education camera in prime Rocky Mountain bighorn habitat that captures real-time photos available to view on the ADBSS website.

For a decade, Janet has served on the board of the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle, now renamed Conservation First USA. Since its formation in 2006, this nonprofit has raised over $12 million for the Habitat Partnership Committee administered by the Arizona Game & Fish Department.

One of her and her husband’s greatest accomplishments was co-founding an Arizona-based non-profit organization 1.2.3.Go in 2001. Their group immerses teens in outdoor activities to build self-esteem and engagement with nature. 1.2.3.Go participants have assisted on numerous ADBSS water development projects and sheep surveys and have learned how to fundraise to go on outdoor

adventures like a weeklong float trip on an Alaskan river and a 90-mile hike in British Columbia. Several 1.2.3.Go “graduates” return as counselors to new recruits, having learned the value of giving back. The boy-girl ratio has been even in the organization, allowing Janet to introduce dozens of young women to conservation, self-reliance and outdoor know-how.

As a hunter, Janet has diverse interests. In addition to deer, elk, pronghorn and other big game, she has harvested a Dall’s sheep and dreams of drawing an Arizona sheep tag after decades of applying. As she awaits her next wild sheep hunt, Janet continues devoting thousands of hours to their well-being and increasing populations in Arizona. And she does so, as in all things, quietly, out of the spotlight, with humility and grace.

“I’ve expressed myself best by just . . . being there for someone else,” the visibly stunned Janet said while receiving the award at the Grand Finale Banquet. “It’s all about service, it’s always all about service to others.” WS

WSF Board Member and Artemis Award Chair Jann Demaske pictured with the 2024 recipient Janet Drake.

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CONKLIN AWARD: EDUARDO NEGRETE

The Conklin Foundation, founded to honor Dr. James Conklin as the inspiration to fair-chase hunters worldwide, created the Conklin Award to recognize a preeminent hunter with a leading record of harvesting extremely challenging species and dangerous game worldwide. This year’s winner, announced at the 2024 Sheep Show® , is Eduardo Negrete.

Born in 1967 in Mexico City, Mexico, Negrete was bird hunting from a young age. In 1993, he started his first business selling wholesale shoes, but in 2000 he began working in real estate, a business he continues today. His first big game hunt occurred in 2001, when he joined his brother Gervasio in South Africa and took a Cape eland, then went on to harvest a Cape buffalo in Zimbabwe. He was forever hooked.

In the beginning, Gervasio was Negrete’s main hunting partner, and today Negrete’s son Eduardo embarks on hunting expeditions with his father all over the world. Hunting with family is one of the great blessings of his life, Negrete says.

Over the years, Negrete has tallied 178 hunts: 92 in North America, 32 in Africa, 27 in Asia, 20 in Europe, four in South America and three in the South Pacific. He has taken 237 Conklin-recognized animals in 22 years, including 65 rams and 58 billies, earning him numerous awards.

“Every outfitter I called raved about Eduardo, both as a person and as a hunter,” said Conklin Foundation President Dr. Bradford T. Black, who announced the winner.

His quiet grit and determination, sheer stubborn drive to eternally take on new challenges and deep love of the natural world are Negrete’s hallmark qualities. Negrete has been

married to his wife Julia for 28 years, and she, along with their son and daughter Julia, has accompanied him on some of his bold expeditions.

“I realized it’s possible at this day and age to be out in the wild with the beautiful creatures God created,” Negrete said. “I believe what really makes mountain hunters become mountain hunters is the suffering you have to go through, the pain you have to go through, the pressing of yourself not only physically but mentally, to have to keep going to the next mountain, to the next ridge, to cross the next river. . . . A mountain hunter has to be able to overcome everything that could go against them. And once you finally get your animal, and you have it in your hands, you start making plans for the next one, because everything was worth it.” WS

Conklin Foundation President Dr. Bradford T. Black presented the 2024 Conklin Award to Eduardo Negrette (holding bronze). Past Conklin Award recipients Past Conklin recipients and WSF Summit Life Members Renee Snider and Rex Baker were also on stage to recognize Eduardo.

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OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: VAIL BIGHORN SHEEP INITIATIVE

The Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes the Vail Bighorn Sheep Initiative for its citizen-led, community efforts to conserve the habitat of Colorado’s state symbol, the Rocky Mountain bighorn. Along the north side of I-70 near Vail, Colorado, a native and endemic sheep herd relies on a handful of acres for its winter forage and survival, where cliffs offer shelter from predators and lower snowpack allows grazing. Yet, this small patch of south-facing land on the flanks of the Gore Range is threatened by irreversible human impact that wildlife biologists say will wipe this herd off the map. Rams, ewes and lambs dig for grass in the snow beside the highway, unaware that they are standing on parcels slated for building development and housing for the local ski resort.

A group of concerned citizens formed the Vail Bighorn Sheep Initiative and rallied the town of Vail to approve a land deal to purchase the Gore herd’s 23-acre winter range. Public support was robust, with 800

letters of support and widespread community enthusiasm for saving the iconic bighorns’ winter habitat. The Vail Town Council voted yes. In July 2023, the local district court ruled Vail could proceed with the acquisition by condemnation. The court later ruled the property is valued at $17.5 million, with the total project cost amounting to around $20 million. Soon after, the town of Vail committed an additional 123 acres adjacent to the original 23, all of which would be protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement to be managed as bighorn sheep habitat. Vail earmarked $12 million for the purchase, and the Eagle County Open Space Advisory Committee recommended spending up to $5 million more for the buyout. The $3-million fundraising goal will cover the difference between public funds raised and the ultimate property purchase price. In three months, almost a million dollars were raised from nearly 670 donors. Already, various groups and agencies are planning habitat enhancement activities for the area. Yet, the fight is far from over: the developer has appealed, the property transfer and conservation easement are on hold

and Vail citizens are continuing the battle through the courts.

WSF has partnered with the Vail Bighorn Sheep Initiative on this undertaking and the fundraising necessary to see it through. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made on WSF’s website (go to www.wildsheepfoundation.org/ support/donate and click on the Vail Bighorn Sheep Initiative). You can follow the fight on Instagram @ vailbighorn.

“WSF—thank you for being in the trenches with us to protect the Vail bighorn,” said past Vail mayor Dr. Kim Langmaid at WSF’s Legacy Night Banquet. “Without their winter range, the Vail bighorns won’t exist.”

Calling this a “David and Goliath” battle, Langmaid lauded WSF’s involvement to aid Vail’s local bighorn conservationists. WSF’s support, she said, compelled the Vail Town Council to move forward on a favorable vote to purchase the winter range acreage. “It’s our hope that this small local precedent will serve other mountain communities to also stand up for their wildlife that is threatened.” WS

Pictured from left, Kyle Stelter (WSF Vice Chair), Kevin Hurley (WSF Vice-President for Conservation), Jann Demaske (WSF Board Member) were on stage to present the Outstanding Achievement Awards to the group representing the Vail Bighorn Initiative includes: Terry Meyers (Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society), Katie Santambrogio (Social Impact Advisers), Kim Langmaid (former Town of Vail Mayor), Gaby & Trey Milhoan (Vail BHS Initiative), Melanie Woolever (USFS retired), and Kristen Bertuglia-Gray (Town of Vail).

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OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: NEVADA CONGRESSMEN MARK AMODEI & STEVEN HORSFORD

Nevada Congressmen Mark Amodei and Steven Horsford worked together to forge compromise legislation to protect Nevada’s state animal, the desert bighorn, on the 1.6-million-acre Desert National Wildlife Refuge. Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to conserve desert creatures and habitat, it is the largest wildlife refuge outside of Alaska and contains the vastest intact habitat for desert bighorns in the world. Managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the refuge borders and shares land with the US Air Force’s Nevada Test and

Training Range.

Congressman Amodei (NV-02) and Congressman Horsford (NV-04), who also serves on the House Armed Services Committee, worked together to draft and shepherd through the US House and Senate the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law by President Biden in December. The Act’s provisions championed by Congressmen Horsford and Amodei will allow the US Air Force to place vital air-combat training equipment within small tracts of the existing impact zone of the Nevada Test and Training Range. The resulting enhanced training opportunities for servicemembers advance the Air Force’s national security mission while maintaining the Desert National Wildlife Refuge as a

national treasure and an enduring home for the desert bighorn and hundreds of other species.

In accepting his award, Rep. Amodei commended WSF for always being well-prepared, professional and fact-based in asking for reasonable, solution-based actions. “I’m your huckleberry,” said Amodei.

Rep. Horsford lauded WSF and the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn for their conservation efforts and effective cooperation with an array of entities, including the FWS, Air Force and Nevada Department of Wildlife, to safeguard both our nation and its natural heritage. We are proud to consider both congressmen members of the WSF family. Reps. Amodei and Horsford are each, in the words of WSF President and CEO Gray N. Thornton, “one of us.” WS

Pictured from left, the evening’s MC Vice Chair Kyle Stelter, Charlie Booher (WSF contract lobbyist), Patrick Cummings (NV Department of Wildlife-retired), Representative Mark Amodei (R-NV), and Gray Thornton.

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GORDON EASTMAN GRASS ROOTS AWARD: MIKE BOREL

One of the founders of the California Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation, Mike J. Borel of Alamo, Calif., is a worldwide mountain hunter of extraordinary distinction, but these feats pale in comparison to his devotion to conservation through tireless leadership and original ideas. While CA WSF was incorporated in 2001, Borel was working behind the scenes even earlier to build inspiration and drive to create the new organization.

Since its founding, Borel has held almost every position on the CA WSF board of directors, including secretary (2002-2004), president (2005-2009) and northern California vice president (2009-2013). Since 2013, Borel has served as vice president of operations. Since 2004, he has worked as the quarterly CA WSF newsletter editor, gathering stories and ensuring each issue is a thoughtful mix of hunting, science, conservation and political content. Borel created two important projects for CA WSF: the California Wild Sheep Summit and the Give a Lamb a Drink program. Over its 16-year history, Borel has organized the California Wild Sheep Summit hosted by CA WSF twice a year. Stakeholders far and wide, from federal and state agencies, educational and scientific groups, nonprofit conservation organizations and others gather at these events to share information and develop plans for the future of California’s bighorns. This past December marked the 33rd summit, and Mike led each one, with documented results. The Sheep Summit has been instrumental in assuring the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s imminent completion of the state’s Comprehensive Sheep Plan.

Give a Lamb a Drink (GALAD)

was launched by Borel in 2017 with the intent of doubling the number of wildlife drinkers in California. The vision was bold: installing substantially more drinkers while updating and repairing older ones with a goal of over 200 watering places in historic and current bighorn range. The cost was estimated at a whopping $2 million and 45,000 volunteer work hours. To date, over $600,000 has been raised, largely through Borel’s tireless efforts seeking grant funding and donations. CA WSF has committed more than half a million dollars to the effort. Meanwhile, Borel worked with the Society of Conservation for Bighorn Sheep (SCBS) to get their buy-in for doing on-the-ground work on drinker installation, maintenance and project management.

Despite two years of Covidrelated delays, the GALAD project has installed 14 water systems throughout the state with more than 12 more older systems under repair.

The number of drinker repairs, replacements and new installations grows yearly and, thanks to Borel’s dedication, more are in the planning process. Truly a legacy project, GALAD benefits wildlife, hunters and anyone who cherishes wild animals and wild places.

While accomplishing all this, Borel has run his own thriving business and supported WSF and Safari Club International for decades. Achieving great heights in the sport, Borel most recently received a Gold Award for his Nubian ibex harvested in Sudan in 2022. Wild sheep are not just Borel’s passion; they are his life’s work. Wild caprinae inspire him, and in turn he inspires countless others to conserve and love all wildlife. Or, as those who know him always say, “When anyone needs something in California related to conservation, Mike is one of their first calls, and it is often the only call they need to make.” WS

Ike Eastman presented the plaque for the Gordon Eastman Grass Roots Awards to Mike Borel (second from left) of the California Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation. Also pictured are Don Martin (far left) and WSF President and CEO, Gray Thornton (far right).

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JACK O’CONNOR WRITERS AWARD: VERN PETERS

Born in 1902, Jack O’Connor presided over the “golden age” of modern big game hunting and left a rich legacy through his writing, hunting adventures and conservation leadership. Despite his death in 1978, his work remains fresh and continues to inspire hunters of all ages, especially hunters of wild sheep, which O’Connor held so dear.

To honor him, the Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center and WSF are in their third year of presenting the Jack O’Connor Writers Award. The award recognizes the author of the best published article about wild sheep, with special focus on hunting and/ or conservation. This year, the honor went to its first international author.

Vern Peters of the Yukon received the award for his story, “Lofty Goal,” published in Outdoor Canada and

recounting his first sheep hunt in 1972.

“Jack had a special place in his heart for the Yukon and the white sheep there. . . . We think it’s outstanding that tonight’s winner of the Jack O’Connor Award is also from the Yukon,” said Tony Caligiuri of the Jack O’Connor Center board in announcing the winner at the Conservation Night Banquet.

Accepting the award, Peters, a 5thgrade teacher, regaled the room with the story behind his story. It began in 1962 when he was just a farm kid reading an Outdoor Life O’Connor sheep hunting tale set in the Yukon. A few years later, the now 19-yearold farm kid was punishing himself on the Yukon heights. In addition to a few sad groceries, he was armed with a .308 lever action, a $30 red backpack, a sheet of plastic for shelter and a 20-power spotting scope. He ended up packing out his sheep with footwear malfunctions and that pack digging into his shoulders so

severely his arms went numb. “Right then, I hated it!” Peters said of sheep hunting.

Yet, he was still a farm boy filled with “trepidation and hormones” when a group of girls from the local bible college stopped by his home and heard his heavily embellished Yukon account. After listening to it all, one of the young ladies, an “angel” with the golden hair and eyelashes fluttering “like a monarch butterfly,” moved in close, grasped Peters on the shoulder and said, “Vern, you must be very brave!”

“Three days later, I was a sheep hunter, and I was brave, and sheep hunting was hard, and I liked it and I would do it again, and I did! These things happen if you read Jack O’Connor, and even better if you pass the adventures along to your kids,” Peters concluded with a smile while flanked on the stage by his two sheep-hunting sons. WS

Vern Peters, center, with his two sons by his side, was the recipient of the Jack O’Connor Writers Award. On stage to assist in presenting the award were Shirley Phillips (far left) of the Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage & Education Center, and WSF Board Member, Tony Caligiuri (far right).

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STATE STATESMAN AWARD: QUENTIN KUJALA

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) Chief of Conservation Policy Quentin Kujala, this year’s State Statesman, has been a moving force for wild sheep and goat conservation in the Treasure State, with historic results. Kujala has spent his entire career devoted to Montana wildlife, from management and research to agency policymaking. He now serves as one of FWP’s deputy directors.

“Quentin has been critical in improving relationships between WSF and the Montana woolgrowers while jumpstarting projects like wild sheep transplants in the Little Belts, the bighorn restoration in the Tendoys and the Highlands test and remove project to combat respiratory pathogens,” says WSF Conservation Director Kurt Alt. “All of these projects started before FWP allotted an unprecedented $8 million for

wild sheep and goat research and management just last year. Quentin played a lynchpin role in making all of this happen.”

FWP’s historic $8 million commitment began in fall 2023 and will span five years. Its goal is twofold: adaptive management and sheep separation. Alt explains that adaptive management is complex, with FWP funding research into pathogens affecting Montana’s wild sheep and mountain goats, examination of predation and habitat health, and planning for future bighorn and mountain goat relocations and herd augmentation activities. The second prong of FWP’s funding focus is building up the science behind wild and domestic sheep herd separation techniques. These undertakings will involve FWP’s management and research biologists, the University of Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and Montana State University’s

College of Agriculture. MSU will work with Montana woolgrowers on wild and domestic sheep separation, Alt says, while UM will be involved in wild sheep pathogen testing and carrier removal projects such as the one in Montana’s Highland Mountains. Identifying Movi spreaders in these at-risk herds is essential, with bighorns in the Highlands never having recovered from a devastating die-off decades ago.

“Quentin has been a humble spirit working behind the scenes to get important work prioritized and moving. Among parties that sometimes are at loggerheads with each other, he facilitated cooperation and relationships that are getting serious things done for wild sheep and goats in Montana,” Alt says. WS

ANNULI PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD: MORGAN WESTBY

Wildlife photography is my true passion in life, with bighorn sheep being my favorite to capture. To sit amongst them on the mountain and witness how awe-inspiring and majestic they are is nothing short of heaven.

I am truly honored to be presented with the People’s Choice Award in the 36th Annuli Duncan Gilchrist Photo Contest. I captured this photo after hiking up and waiting for just the right moment on a brisk morning in the Ruby Mountains. I would like to thank Leica for sponsoring such a great event and I cannot wait to put my binoculars to use in the upcoming hunt season! WS

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CHRIS KLINEBURGER

MOUNTAIN HUNTER

HALL OF FAME: ALAN & BARBARA SACKMAN

Though the Mountain Hunter Hall of Fame has been a WSF institution for years, this was the first year it was renamed after the legendary Chris Klineburger (WSF’s 2008 Mountain Hunter Hall of Famer), a passionate worldwide “gamemaster” who is widely credited with opening up remote areas of the planet to Western hunters.

“This year’s winners are the true definition of a team,” said J. Alain Smith in presenting the award.

“Whether that’s defined by business success, raising a strong family, setting philanthropic goals, being leaders in conservation, or through their vast hunting achievements. They have succeeded in all aspects of life as a team.”

Alan and Barbara Sackman have been nearly inseparable in their marriage of over 60 years and joint hunting adventures spanning nearly a quarter century. To see them inducted together into WSF’s Chris Klineburger Mountain Hunter Hall of Fame was both appropriate and historic, as it was the first time WSF’s highest honor was conferred on a couple. The award recognizes a WSF member who demonstrates the highest ethical standards as an accomplished mountain hunter while contributing significantly to WSF and hunting-conservation and maintaining a sterling reputation in the hunting community. The Sackmans individually and collectively rose above all others as exemplars of excellence.

In 2020, Alan won the coveted Conklin Award and was the 2008 Weatherby Award winner in addition to holding countless other

honors for his hunting-conservation exploits. He has taken over 350 wildlife species in over 40 countries, completing all 22 Safari Club International Diamond Grand Slams and harvesting over 60 unique wild sheep and goat species.

Yet, Alan is only 50 percent of the winning team. Barbara is a fellow Weatherby Award winner (2015)— they are the first and, to date, only spouses to hold this honor, and Barbara is only the second woman Weatherby Award recipient. Her numerous other trophies include SCI’s International Hunter Award, World Conservation & Hunting Award and Diana Award. With over 30 different wild sheep and goats and more than 350 wildlife species to her credit, Barbara is far from storing her rifle away, with a Tajikistan markhor hunt this winter and more adventures in the offing.

Alan is not lagging behind. Most recently, he determined to become the first person to start and finish taking all four North American wild sheep after the age of 80. At 82, he began his quest, and at 83 he fulfilled it.

While operating Sackman Enterprises, Inc., a real estate development and management firm, the Sackmans reached the heights of hunting while also proudly standing as examples of the conservation ethic behind every hunt and the love behind every happy marriage.

“I’m a real lucky guy,” Alan said in accepting the award. “Many of you, when you go hunting, you want to have a partner, and I’ve had the greatest partner to go hunting with in my life, and that’s the truth.” The crowd cheered as Alan swept his smiling wife into an embrace on stage. As they hugged like two sweethearts, it was clear the Sackman saga is far from over. WS

Barbara (far left) and Alan Sackman (holding bronze) were inducted into the Chris Klineburger Mountain Hunter Hall of Fame. On stage with them Billie Carey, (widow of last year’s co-recipient Ron Carey) and Ron Roderick.

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On hand to

the Outstanding

OUTSTANDING CONSERVATIONIST: STEVE KILPATRICK

In his remarks about this year’s Outstanding Conservationist, WSF Vice President of Conservation–Thinhorn Programs Kevin Hurley reminded the crowd at the Conservation Night Banquet that, “If you don’t have habitat, you will not have wildlife.” No one knows this better than habitat biologist Steve Kilpatrick of Dubois, Wyo., this year’s winner. After a 33-year career working with Hurley at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Kilpatrick went on to serve as the executive director of Wyoming WSF and vice president of the board for the National Bighorn Sheep Center in Dubois. In all, his career in habitat biology has spanned 45 years.

As a Wyoming habitat biologist, Kilpatrick’s interests were wideranging, from waterfowl to big game, national forest planning on the state’s

domestic sheep grazing allotments and retiring grazing allotments to protect wild sheep herds. For Wyoming’s bighorns, Kilpatrick performed pathogen surveillance and sheep transplants. In all, his work encompassed 90 percent of Wyoming’s wild sheep and their habitat. He led the Don’t Poach the Powder program to protect Bridger-Teton National Forest big game habitat from motorized use and backcountry recreation in winter. The end result was an enforceable means of cutting stress on wildlife during the cold months when animals fight for survival.

For the Whiskey Basin bighorn herd near Dubois, Kilpatrick worked collaboratively with different agencies and organizations to improve the area’s habitat, with a focus on addressing poor lamb survival numbers. Serving the National Bighorn Sheep Center in Dubois, he has been a champion for putting kids on the mountain to learn real-world

conservation. Working with Wyoming WSF and its partner Hunting with Heroes, Kilpatrick helped make dreams come true by sending wounded veterans on successful Wyoming bighorn hunts, with sheep tags selflessly donated by hunters.

Tragically, Kilpatrick could not be present to accept the Outstanding Conservationist honor, as he is currently battling pancreatic cancer metastasized to his liver. A few weeks before the Sheep Show®, Kilpatrick sent a message to the WSF family: “Keep working for wildlife, their habitat and the kids that will inherit the world we leave them.”

The award was accepted on Kilpatrick’s behalf by Wyoming WSF Executive Director Katie Cheesbrough and National Bighorn Sheep Center Outreach Coordinator Mychailia Clark, who said, “The world needs more Kilpatricks.” WS

accept

Conservationist Award for Steve Kilpatrick were Katie Cheesbrough (Wyoming WSF), Kevin Hurley (presenter), and Mychailia Clark (National BHS Center).

WILD SHEEP

BIOLOGIST’S WALL OF FAME 2024 INDUCTEE: KURT ALT

Inaugurated in 2006 by WSF Vice President of Conservation–Thinhorn Programs Kevin Hurley and his son Kyle Hurley, the Wild Sheep Biologist’s Wall of Fame honors men and women for their impactful passion, commitment and vision for sound scientific management of wild sheep and its connection to hunting opportunities. As of this year’s Sheep Show®, 17 outstanding wild sheep biologist-advocates have received this honor, with the latest inductee wellknown to the WSF family: Kurt Alt.

“WSF recognizes and appreciates your 48-year career accomplishments toward wild sheep conservation and management in Montana, throughout the West and in Central Asia,” Hurley said to Alt at the Wall of Fame induction during the Grand Opening Banquet.

“I was blown away, because I know all the people on that Wall,” Alt now reflects. “I’m really honored to be

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part of the leading group of wildlife biologists, but I’m not sure I’m worthy of it. So, I accept with a great deal of humility.”

In 2015, after 35 years serving Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks as a wildlife area manager and wildlife biologist overseeing wild sheep and goat populations in western Montana, Alt joined WSF as conservation director of Montana and international sheep and goat programs. During his long career with FWP, Alt managed nine wildlife management areas and three congressionally recognized wildlife/ livestock grazing systems, supervised five bighorn sheep transplants and herd restorations in the Treasure State (including the Little Belts, Tendoys and Highland Mountains), and both managed and advocated for harvest opportunities in the state’s unlimited bighorn hunting areas.

Alt served as a catalyst for Montana State University’s domestic sheep respiratory disease research program and the research initiative to develop science-based wild/domestic sheep separation practices. In 2023,

Alt’s expertise helped facilitate Montana FWP’s unprecedented $8 million investment over five years to advance research, management and restoration of bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats.

From his Butte, Mont., roots, Alt spread his interests and influence worldwide. He has shared his wildlife management expertise by lecturing extensively in Europe and has fostered international wildlife management exchange programs that encompass east Africa, Europe, the Russian far east and North America, showing wildlife professionals new ways of thinking and understanding how wildlife management happens far from home.

In all, his reach has touched five continents. Pushing into even more exotic locales where wild sheep roam, Alt was a creative force in establishing WSF’s Central Asia Caprinae Conservation Initiative, forging model programs in Kazakhstan and Mongolia. He chaired the 7th World Mountain Ungulate Conference in Bozeman, Mont., in 2019—the only such conference ever held in the US. On the ground, Alt serves as an observer of conservation and antipoaching efforts in Central Asia and has been a liaison to various wildlife non-governmental agencies and organizations globally. His Central Asia efforts have encouraged grassroots wildlife management and anti-poaching work that benefits local communities in far-flung and often impoverished places where wild sheep live.

“There are so many other people out there doing incredible work for wildlife conservation,” Alt says. “It’s never just one person getting it done, though often only one gets acknowledged for it. You can’t do anything great without being immersed in a culture of great people.” WS

Wild Sheep Foundation’s contract Conservation Director for our International Programs was selected for the Wild Sheep Biologist’s Wall of Fame. Pictured here from left, Gray Thornton, Kevin Hurley, Kurt Alt, and Jack Atcheson, Jr.

CHAIR’S AWARD: HELLS CANYON INITIATIVE COMMITTEE

WSF Board Chair Glen Landrus opened his remarks about the Chair’s Award by emphasizing it has only been given seven times in the past 15 years. It is only merited by something truly extraordinary, he noted in conferring the Chair’s Award on the Hells Canyon Initiative Committee for its 30 years of relentless work. For decades, the Committee has transformed wild sheep management and disease response, resulting in bighorn herd growth, lamb survival and better hunting opportunities in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

“Never in your lifetime have there been more bighorn sheep in Hells Canyon than right now,” Landrus said at the Conservation Night Banquet. “This is my backyard, and I’ve been fortunate to have seen some of the biggest rams ever in the state of Idaho grow up before my eyes, and the state record taken a few years ago by Doug Sayer.”

Harkening back to his first sheep hunt in 1995, Landrus recalled drawing a bighorn tag in his home state of Washington for Hells Canyon along the forbidding Snake River. Just a few months after his successful ram harvest, a tri-state die-off in the canyon decimated bighorn herds. Taking action, state and federal wildlife agencies, tribal nations, the Bureau of Land Management, Washington State University, plus WSF (then known as FNAWS) and its northwest state chapters started the Hells Canyon Initiative. Its primary objective was establishing a test-and-remove program to combat the respiratory disease Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Movi).

Receiving the Chair’s Award were representatives from various key players on the Hells Canyon Initiative Committee, including representatives from the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Nez Perce Tribe,

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, Idaho WSF, Oregon WSF and Washington WSF, along with their partners: the BLM, US Forest Service and Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Using the Hells Canyon model, work is underway in Idaho, Oregon and Washington to expand and increase Movi surveys, testing and monitoring in new areas where wild sheep roam. The goal is, through data sharing, pooling resources, communicating and collaborating, the Movi threat can be removed more quickly and effectively. With multiple herds infected in the tri-state area, disease management and conservation are more critical than ever. The resources necessary are substantial. Operations to combat Movi require radio collars, pathogen testing kits, helicopters, jet boats, fixed-wing planes, staff and volunteers. Like the Hells Canyon Initiative that inspired it, today’s tri-state Movi program is a massive undertaking that cannot fail. WS

The Hells Canyon Initiative Committee were the recipients of the 2024 Chair’s Award. Pictured from left: Frances Cassirer (IDFG), Glen Landrus (WSF), Garrett Grant (WA-WSF), Paul Wik (WA DFW), Kevin Martin (OR-WSF), Don Whittaker (ODFW), Mike Schlegel (ID-WSF), Hollie Miyasaki (IDFG), and Hannah Cantu (WSF).

FEDERAL STATESMAN: USFWS INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DIVISION

At the Legacy Night Banquet conferral of WSF’s Federal Statesman Award to the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s International Affairs Division, WSF President and CEO Gray N. Thornton referred to the philosophy of indigenous scientist Dr. Leroy Little Bear. Dr. Little Bear has lectured widely on how Western science focuses on “measurement,” while indigenous science is about relationships. “This Federal Statesman Award is based on relationships,” Thornton said.

Concerned by argali importation permit denials by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), WSF built a coalition that included Jeff Crane of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and FWS Director Martha Williams. Conversations expanded to include various organizations across the conservation and hunting realms.

Through steady and respectful dialog and communication,

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SPECIAL RECOGNITION OF EXEMPLARY SERVICE: KIM NEITERS

During the Wednesday Night Grand Opening Banquet as well as

relationships and trust grew to support FWS in clearing the backlog of wildlife import permits, especially those for argali and ibex from Central Asia. In 2023, Thornton said, FWS made concerted efforts and real progress in accelerating the review of the 30,000 permits considered annually, resulting in positive decisions on permits that have languished for years.

Deputy Assistant Director Don Morgan of the FWS International Affairs Division accepted the award

the Saturday Grant Finale Banquet, WSF staff veteran Kim Nieters was recognized for her 36 years of service to the Foundation.

Kim joined FNAWS in August of 1988 and has held and excelled in nearly every staff position in her service of FNAWS, WSF and our Mission and Purpose. In 2022 Kim was promoted to the position of Vice President of Operations in addition to her Auction Director position, and as such, serves as second in command of staff operations.

On Wednesday Kim was presented a Special Service plaque with the inscription at right, and on Saturday, she was presented a Tim Shinabarger World Record bighorn sheep bronze bust before an appreciative membership.

on behalf of FWS.

“To ensure Central Asian wild sheep and wildlife will continue to benefit as an importable resource, WSF recognizes the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Don Morgan and his International Affairs team for their diligent work to assure that trophy import permitting promotes conservation of the wild sheep and wild goats of the world and sees them thrive as a valuable, sustainable resource,” Thornton said. WS

SERVICE AWARD 36 YEARS

Presented to KIM NIETERS

The Wild Sheep Foundation appreciates, recognizes, and salutes your thirty-six years of exceptional service to our membership, exhibitors, donors, and our organization, and applauds your leadership and mentorship of fellow staff which has enabled the Foundation to conserve, restore, and enhance wild sheep in North America and around the globe.

Your service for more than three decades has helped “Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain®.” WS

Don Morgan (second from left) Deputy Assistant Director of the International Affairs Division of the US Fish and Wildlife Service accepted the Federal Statesman award on behalf of the Service. Also pictured from left are Kyle Stetler (WSF Vice Chair), Kurt Alt (WSF Conservation Director-International Programs), and Gray N. Thornton (WSF President and CEO).

BASECAMP DISPATCHES

ANNOUNCING THE JACK O’CONNOR WRITERS AWARD

Jack O’Connor was the undisputed dean of outdoor writers, a world class big game hunter, wildlife conservation pioneer and influential gun editor. Born in 1902, he presided over the “golden age” of modern big game hunting and left a rich legacy through his writing and leadership. Despite his death in 1978, his work remains fresh and continues to inspire hunters of all ages. His special contribution, in a wide and long list of accomplishments, was in educating hunters about wild sheep and sheep hunting.

To honor Jack, the Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center and the Wild Sheep Foundation are presenting the Jack O’Connor Writers Award. This is an annual award to be presented to the author of the best published article about wild sheep, with special focus on hunting and/or conservation. The winning author will receive a bronze bust of the legendary writer, sculpted by world renowned sculptor Jack Logozzo, especially for this contest. It will be personalized to the recipient with the winner’s name and contest date. The presentation of this award will be at the Wild Sheep Foundation “Sheep Week,” in Reno, Nevada, January, 2025.

Contest Rules and Regulations

Sponsored By the Jack O’Connor Heritage and Education Center and the Wild Sheep Foundation Contest Purpose: To promote ethical hunting and conservation of

North American Wild Sheep.

Preferred Content: Non-fiction articles including photo essays related to sheep hunting and/or sheep conservation in North America. Articles about hunting gear, rifles, etc. will not be considered. The content should reflect the standards of the award’s namesake, Jack O’Connor, widely acclaimed sheep hunter and celebrated writer.

Preferred media: As Mr. O’Connor was first and foremost a magazine writer; articles written for national and major regional magazines will be given preference.

Entry Fees: No entry fee is required. All rights will remain the property of the author.

General Rules: By submitting to the Contest, the entrant agrees to abide by all Contest rules.

All entries must be original works by the entrant under his or her name, in English. Plagiarism, which includes the use of third-party written or spoken works, without written permission, will result in disqualification.

The Contest is open only to those works which have been professionally published (at least 1,000 copies), produced for payment (at least 10 cents a word) or donated a conservation organization that does not normally pay for contributions to enter.

Entries must be works of nonfiction, up to 4,000 words in length. We cannot consider poetry, or works intended for children.

Submissions: Entries submitted

in hard copy must be typewritten or a printed by computer, doublespaced in black ink on white paper. Pages must be numbered, using one side only. Each entry must have a cover page with the title of the work, the author’s legal name, a pen name if applicable, address, telephone number, e-mail address and approximate word count. Every subsequent page must carry the title, but the author’s name must be deleted to facilitate fair, anonymous judging. Entries submitted electronically must be double-spaced and include the title on each page, but not the author’s name. Electronic submissions will separately include the author’s legal name, pen name if applicable, address, telephone number, e-mail address and approximate word count. Each entry must include an original copy of the published article preferably the entire magazine with proof of publication date. Electronically submitted entries must include a scan of the article in published form, including the publication cover.

Mail-in entries should be submitted to: Greg Betzold, Director Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center P.O. Box 394 Lewiston, Idaho 83501

Electronic entries should be submitted to: Greg Betzold at director@jack-oconnor.org

Returns and Delivery: Manuscripts cannot be returned after judging. We accept only entries that do not

require a delivery signature for us to receive them.

Contest Deadlines and accepted publication dates: Entries must be received no later than November 1st, 2024. The winners will be notified no later than December 1st, 2024. The winner will be announced and publicly recognized during the 2025 Wild Sheep Foundation Convention January 2025, in Reno, NV.

Articles/essays published between January 1st, 2016 and October 1st, 2024 are eligible for entry in the 2025 contest.

Judging: The judging panel will comprised seven individuals, including professional writers, appointed jointly by the Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center and the Wild Sheep Foundation. The decisions of the judges are their own, and final and binding.

Void by law: The contest is void where prohibited by law.

Prizes: The winner will receive a bronze bust of Jack O’Connor, sculpted by world renowned sculptor, Jack Logozzo especially for this contest and engraved with winner’s name and contest date. No other monetary consideration is implied or offered. There will be one overall winner each year.

Preserving our hunting and conservation heritage as inspired by the legacy of Jack O’Connor. WS

BASECAMP DISPATCHES

WE GIVE CAMPAIGN UPDATE

At the request of WSF supporters and consistent with the 2% for Conservation program of which WSF is a Founding Partner, we have launched the WSF Conservation Revolving Fund “We Give” campaign. Watch for WSF “We Give” partners who proudly include the “We Give” logo in their advertisements and/or promotions as those advertisers, exhibitors and businesses give a percentage or portion of their sales to the WSF Conservation Revolving Fund. 100% of WSF Conservation Revolving Fund contributions are directed to initiatives benefiting wild sheep and the habitat they call home.

Proceeds are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law and are directed to Grant In Aid and other specific

Without the financial support from sportsmen, fish and wildlife agencies would have little to no conservation and management programs dedicated to wild sheep. There is no other durable funding model, let alone one that has contributed at this level.

Whether you are a sheep hunter, hope to be, or want to see this opportunity for your children, this map is your legacy. JOIN

406.404.8750

*TOTAL INCLUDES: $1,377,655 - International

& $3,237,213 - Multi-State Projects

BASECAMP DISPATCHES

Gustavo Arvelo

Clayton Atkinson

Tash Baycroft

Ted Beach

Robert Beall

Dave Beeler

Jesse Bone

Rob Borcherding

Tyler Boschma

T. Phillip Bowers

Bradford Boyce

Louis Braddi

Zach Broome

David Brugioni

Lowell Burris

Jason Busat

Ginny Caligiuri

Stephanie Caligiuri

David Campbell

Conner & Clint Capurro

Van Carlson

Thomas Carter

Royal Caswell IV

Sonja Chrysler

Larry Clark

Scott Clark

Susan Clark

Christopher Clark

Logan Claus

Kirk Cleland

Glenn Colville

Ben Conway

Richard Cousineau

Rob Cragoe

Camryn Cunningham

Stormy Cunningham

Jerad Dabney

Michael Devore

Anthony DiBrito

Lee Downing

William Dresen

Ian Dudley

Will Duryea

Gordon Dyal

E.D. Edwards

Gabriel Elliott

Scott Erickson

Katelyn Erickson

Craig Eudy

RT Evans

Brett Evans

Ryan Faehmel

Joel Faestel

James Finstad

Tessa Fowler

Windermere FL

Casper WY

Nanaino BC

Lenore ID

Weatherford TX

Hartford WI

Cumberlain BC

Scottsdale AZ

East Helena MT

Livingston MT

Durango CO

Monte Sereno CA

El Paso TX

Denver CO

Columbus MT

Lacombe AB

Osceola IA

Osceola IA

Eagle River AK

Reno NV

Meridian ID

Elizabeth CO

Ann Arbor MI

Fairfield ID

Florissant CO

Colorado Springs CO

Colorado Springs CO

Corpus Christi TX

Anchorage AK

Grosse Pointe Woods MI

Houston TX

Arras BC

Spring Lake MI

Dripping Springs TX

Dripping Springs TX

Houston TX

Cheyenne WY

Lolo MT

Columbus GA

Park City MT

Fate TX

Quincy IL

Bedford NY

T or C NM

Ault CO

Sundre AB

Sundre AB

Raleigh NC

Alpharetta GA

St. Matthews SC

Montney BC

Parker CO

Clifton TX

Cody WY

NEW LIFE MEMBERS

Mike Frings

Ron Frugoli

Scott Gahringer

Colton Giles

Shane Gilthvedt

Brenna Goings

Darren Groshek

Jake Hanning

James Harned

R.T. Herrington

Scott Hillard

BJ Hockenberry

Jake Hoffman

Chuck Howe

Kevin Howie

Michael Hruska

Maureen Jefferson

Joshua Jenkins

Brandon Johns

Craig Johns

Kenneth Jones

Robert Kathary

James Kesteloot

Ryan Kopp

Tory Kowalczyk

Robert Kroger

Jeffery Larsen

Shay Law

R. Mark LeFaivre

James Leonhardt

Steve Lewellen

Jane Link

Guy Litt

Ray Lozier

Daryl Lutz

Athena Lyons Antley

Ray Maack

Mary Maack

Cory Mahan

Donald Manley

Daniel Massey

Michelle Massey

Ben May

Molly McCarthy-Cunfer

Matthew Mcclanahan

Cody McLauchlin

Dan McLean

Jon Means

Jeff Moye

Michael Nelson

Joel Nelson

Art Newcombe

Justin Nicholes

Joey Olivieri

David Ollivier

Tulare CA

Darby MT

Rathdrum ID

West haven UT

Davenport WA

Fallon NV

Amherst Junction WI

Terrebonne OR

Louisville KY

San Mateo FL

Longmont CO

Somerset CO

Bemidji MN

Billings MT

Billings MT

Rock Springs WY

Las Vegas NV

Twin Falls ID

Great Falls MT

Verdi NV

Cordova AK

Fort Lauderdale FL

Holly MI

Brookville IN

Conway WA

Collierville TN

Big Falls MN

Oregon City OR

Rock Springs WY

Penngrove CA

Queen Creek AZ

Vero Beach FL

Laramie WY

Cody WY

Lander WY

Klamath Falls OR

Cloverdale OR

Cloverdale OR

Elko NV

Klamath Falls OR

Marshall AR

Marshall AR

Provo UT

Jber AK

Crossville TN

Elko NV

Redmond OR

Van Horn TX

Ripon CA

University City MO

Monument CO

Miami FL

Anaconda MT

Coleman AB

Bakersfield CA

NEW SUMMIT LIFE MEMBERS

Natalie Orrell

Brogan Oswald

Andrew Otten

Stephen Perez

Barry Peters

Sal Piazza

Jeff Pralle

Ross Precord

John Mark Prewitt

Timothy Price

Jon Pynch

Monica Pynch

Anthony Ransom

Adam Ratner

Ben Rawls

Michael Richmond

Jake Richter

Mark Riether

Christopher Root

Robert Rose

Curtis Ruppal

Collin Russell

Jake Russell

David Schaad

Rusty Schultz

Aaron Seehawer

Jason Sherman

Jerrit Slater

Adam Smith

Michael Soper

Burton Speckman

Ulric Sullivan

Matthew Sullivan

Scott Swasey

Tim Tate

Anthony Tavella

John Tecca

Ruby Jean Tenbrink

Ken Theiss

Hailey Thompson

Billy Van Ness

Joe Vander Poel

John Ware

Joshua Watts

Brenda Weatherby

Adam Weatherby

Lawrence Weckerle

James Westfall

Echo White

Scott Williams

Christine Williamson

Robert Willocks

Rob Willoughby

Ted Zmak

Ty Zumach

Joseph Adams

Eric Ahlgren

Ron Amack

Gavin Antley

Drew Bardenwerper

Dallas Cota

Kevin Countryman

Josh DeLong

Shane Gilthvedt

Scott Hillard

Dylan Hitner

Butte MT Cave Creek AZ

Mankato KS

Klamath Falls OR Tuscaloosa AL

Red Deer AB Hicksville OH Boise ID

Davenport WA Longmont CO Myrtle Point OR USA USA USA USA USA CAN USA USA USA USA USA

Craig Johns

James Kavanaugh

Joshua Martin

Dennis Mayhew

Eric Meyer

Laci Nelson

Michael Nelson

Joel Nelson

Art Newcombe

Natalie Orrell

Verdi NV

Gilbert AZ Pueblo CO

Kalispell MT Auburn IN Stockholm WI

University City MO

Monument CO Miami FL

Bellingham WA

Jon Pynch

Monica Pynch

Ben Rawls

Rob Register

Alex Russell

Jeremy Schaad

Ryan Showalter

Mark Streissguth

Frank Tritz

Anthony Wyatt

Bellingham WA

Jefferson OR

Houston TX

Modesto CA

Montague CA

Dalton Gardens ID

Wasilla AK

Colorado Springs CO

Dallas TX

Fort Johnson LA

Dayton OR

Dayton OR

Selma CA

Boise ID

Bellingham WA

Slingerlands NY

Oroville CA

Williamstown NJ

York PA

Coral Gables FL

Grand Rapids MI

Sherwood OR

La Pine OR

Pinedale WY

Satsuma AL

Meridian ID

Redmond OR

Philomath OR

Skagway AK

Bakersfield CA

Caldwell TX

Riverside CT

Prescott AZ

Alturas CA

Casa Grande AZ

Etobicoke ON

Livingston MT

Fairfield CA

Sparks NV

Rocky Mountain House AB

Steamboat Springs CO

Pixley CA

Grantspass OR

Wells NV

Sheridan WY

Sheridan WY

Gardnerville NV

Ketchum ID

Elko NV

Rawlins WY

Powhatan VA

Burlington WY

Heber UT

Lewiston ID

Wenatchee WA

Dayton OR

Dayton OR

Bellingham WA

Roswell GA

Bozeman MT

Cheyenne WY

Easton MD

Ennis MT

Lemars IA

Ponca City OK

Lewiston ID USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA CAN USA USA USA USA USA CAN USA CAN USA USA USA USA CAN USA USA USA CAN USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA CAN USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA CAN CAN USA USA USA CAN USA USA USA

Stephen Perez

Modesto CA

Ted Zmak

GUIDELINES

The 2024 Lottery Tag is valid for use in any open controlled bighorn hunt, including Unit 11 .

“Tickets” are controlled hunt applications.

Ticket purchasers and persons named on tickets must be eligible to hold a hunting license in Idaho.

All controlled hunt rules apply.

This tag (and hunting license if needed) will only be issued to an eligible applicant (the person named on the ticket drawn).

The tag is non transferrable.

Drawing will be conducted July 26, 2024.

Once in a lifetime rule is waived for this tag. Need not be present to win.

Tickets are void where the ticket/tag sale is prohibited.

No limit to number purchased.

Any insufficient funds for tickets and/or incomplete forms will invalidate a ticket(s) immediately.

Additional rules apply. See official rules at www.idahowildsheep.org.

Deadline to enter is July 22, 2024.

1 FOR $20

6 FOR $100

14 FOR $166.75

25 FOR $250

No limit.

BASECAMP DISPATCHES

WSF PARTNERS WITH WESTERN HUNT FEST

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) has joined as the title sponsor of Western Hunt Fest, a community of mountain game hunters committed to next-level preparation and the thrill of the chase.

“Preparation, readiness, and confidence are everything, especially on backcountry hunts,” said Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “When you combine this off-season process with a sense of community, friends, family, and fun, it’s the perfect way to get to the next level. It’s a perfect fit for our Wild Sheep Family.”

On location across three western states, with more states being added in 2024, Western Hunt Fest offers more than a 3D archery shoot. It incorporates mountain fitness workouts and skills challenges, such as an Elk Pack Out Challenge as a timed solo and team event, a timed weight drag and archery shoot Sprint Challenge, an adult and youth Elk Calling Competition, and a 3D archery. tournament. Other activities include expert-led seminars, vendor booths, and family entertainment.

As outdoorsmen and women, we owe it to the animals we pursue to be our best before we hit the field, explained Guy Duplantier co-owner of Western Hunt Fest. “Our preparation should not begin and end with a few hours of range time before the season. A commitment to our way of life, ethics, and efficacy as sportsmen and women means setting out to test more than our proficiency behind the string or precisely repeating that cheek weld to the stock of our favorite rifle. We are honored to have a partner with the same passion and reverence for our way of life and look forward to

a long-lasting partnership with The Wild Sheep Foundation and the Women Hunt® program.”

WSF’s Women Hunt® program is also supporting as the title sponsor of the women’s division of the Pack Out Challenge and Elk Calling Competition and the women’s 3D

archery event. “This opportunity to support Western Hunt Fest and its exceptional events was brought to our attention by an alumna of the Women Hunt® Class of 2021 New Hunter Course. It is a perfect fit for WSF and our Women Hunt® programs.” Thornton noted.

To date, WHF events are scheduled for:

April 13 Raton, NM

NRA Whittington Center

May 4 & 5 Palisade, CO

Cameo Shooting and Education Complex

May 25 & 26 .... Reno, NV

Silver Arrow Bowmen Archery Club

June 1 ................ Colorado Springs, CO Air Force Academy

July 27 ............... Bailey, CO American Bowmen Club

“Workouts at the gym or on the trail and dialing in your bow in the backyard are great,” Thornton added. “Combining the two in realistic hunting conditions before the season with family and friends is next level. We’re proud to be a part of this community and add these gatherings to our summer event series.”

Duplantier added, “As sportsmen and women, we should be hyperfocused on the guarantee to our quarry that not one piece of this invaluable resource goes to waste. Our physical

and mental preparation, the fit and function of our gear, and continued education should be constant and tested before going into the field. Western Hunt Fest is the proving ground. Bringing together like-minded sportsmen and women, building a community event focused on personal growth, ethics, etiquette, and commitment to our way of life and the animals we pursue.” WS

SUMMER EVENT SERIES!

April 1st Q4 Membership Drive Begins

May 4th – 5th Western Hunt Fest Palisade, CO 25th – 26th Western Hunt Fest Reno, NV WSF Smoker

June 1st – 2nd Western Hunt Fest Colorado Springs, CO 13th – 15th C&A Summit XVI Calgary, AB 30th Q4 Membership Drive Ends

July 12th Ram Rendezvous III Bozeman, MT WSF Smoker 27th Western Hunt Fest Baily, CO WSF Smoker Championship

August

CHAPTERS & AFFILIATES

NOTE: bold/italics font denotes a joint WSF membership Chapter/Affiliate. Membership in these chapters and affiliates include membership in Wild Sheep Foundation.

CHAPTERS:

ALASKA WSF

Kevin Kehoe, President 907-441-6323

kevin.kehoe@alaskan.com

Molly McCarthy-Cunfer, Executive Director 907-615-2104

executivedirector@akwildsheep.org

WSF ALBERTA

Mike Smith

tel:403-700-7746

mike@wsfab.org

www.wsfab.org

WSF ALBERTA Chapter Office

Deena Arychuk, Chapter Staff info@wsfab.org 403-845-5544

CALIFORNIA WSF

Donald C. Martin, President 310-766-3921 Don-martin@earthlink.net

CALIFORNIA WSF Chapter Office

Beverly Valdez, Chapter Staff 650-472-3889

forthesheep@gmail.com

www.cawsf.org

EASTERN CHAPTER WSF

Henry Noss, President Noss-s.mt.redbones@olive.com 610-223-8798

EASTERN CHAPTER WSF

Donna Gaugler, Office Manager info@ecwsf.org

610-704-1704

www.ecwsf.org

IDAHO WSF

Josh Miller, President Joshmiller65mm@gmail.com

575-749-8859

Tracy Rowley, Chapter Staff 208-345-6171 tracy@rtmmagt.com

www.idahowildsheep.org

IOWA FNAWS

Craig Nakamoto, President 402-650-1383

nakamoto01@sbcglobal.net iowafnaws@gmail.com www.iowafnaws.org

WSF—MIDWEST CHAPTER

Gregg Boeke, President rockprogb@gmail.com

507-491-4429

www.midwestwildsheep.com

WSF—MIDWEST CHAPTER

Mike Bouton, Executive Director 612-940-1979

mikwbouton@hotmail.com

www.midwestwildsheep.com

MONTANA WSF

D.J. Berg, President 406-366-1849

dj@montanawsf.org

Ty Stubblefield, Executive Director 406-696-3003 ty@montanawsf.org www.montanawsf.org

MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

STUDENT CHAPTER OF WSF

Janessa Kluth, Chapter contact 208-420-4240

montanastatewsf@gmail.com facebook.com/MSUWSF

NEW MEXICO WSF

Bryan Bartlett, President (575) 635-3499 BartleBC@yahoo.com newmexicowildsheep@gmail.com

OREGON WSF

Kevin Martin President, OR WSF (541)969-6744 Kevindmartin63@gmail.com www.oregonfnaws.org

UTAH FNAWS

Travis Jenson 801-641-5453 tjenson@xmission.com www.utahfnaws.org

WASHINGTON WSF

Garrett Grant grant16garrett@hotmail.com www.washingtonwsf.org

WYOMING WSF

Zach McDermott, President 307-752-1212 zach@wyomingwildsheep.org

Wyoming WSF Chapter Office

Katie Cheesbrough, Executive Director 307-399-4383 katie@wyomingwildsheep.org www.wyomingwildsheep.org

YUKON WSF

Spencer Wallace, President 867-689-2074 yukonws@gmail.com www.yukonwsf.com

AFFILIATES:

2% For Conservation

Jared Frasier, Executive Director 406-221-3102 contact@fishandwildlife.org www.fishandwildlife.org

Alaska Professional Hunters Association

Deb Moore, Executive Director 907-929-0619 Deb@alaskaprohunter.org www.alaskaprohunter.org

Alberta Outfitters Association

Kevin Stanton, President 403-762-5454 aoa@albertaoutfitters.com www.albertaoutfitters.com

Alberta Professional Outfitters Society

Jeana Schuurmaan, Executive Director 780-414-0588 jeana@@apos.ab.ca www.apos.ab.ca

Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, Inc. T.J. Baehre, President 602-663-7871 t.j.baehre@centurylink.net www.adbss.org

Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society Office

Tracey Martin 480-854-8950 admin@adbss.org

Association of Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters

Tavis Molnar, President 867-633-4934 info@arcticred-nwt.com

Bear Trust International

Logan Young, Executive Director 406-595-6583 logan@beartrust.org

www.beartrust.org

Cody Country Outfitters and Guides Association

Lee Livingston 307-527-7416

Livingston@tctwest.net

Colorado Outfitters Association

Kelly Nottingham, Office Manager 970-824-2468 office@coloradooutfitters.com

www.coloradooutffiters.org

Custodians of Professional Hunting & Conservation—South Africa

Adri Kitshoff-Botha +27 0 83 6500442

ceo@cphc-sa.co.za

www.thecustodians.co.za

Dude Ranchers Association

Colleen Hodson 307-587-2339 colleen@duderanch.org www.duderanch.org

Elko Bighorns Unlimited

Cory Mahan, Vice President 775-397-4465 cmahan@ram-enterprise.com

European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE)

David Scallan

00353-879504563

David.scallan@face.eu www.face.eu

Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn Patrick Cummings, President Patrickcummings1002@gmail.com

Michelle Mercer, Treasurer mercerlvnv@yahoo.in

www.desertbighorn.com

Fundacion De Vida Silvestre En Sonora, A.C

Jacobo Artee, President 011-52-662-212-5510, 011-52-662-217-4119 jacoboartee@prodigy.net.mx

Grand Slam Club/Ovis

Jason Price, Executive Director 903-466-2195 gsco@wildsheep.org

www.wildsheep.org

Guide Outfitter Association of BC

Scott Ellis, CEO 604-541-6332 ellis@goabc.org

www.goabc.org

International Caribou Foundation

Cheryl Lind, Executive Director 406-404-1297

cheryl@internationalcariboufoundation.org

www.internationalcariboufoundation.org

Kazakhstan Wildlife Foundation

Orynbassar Shaimukhanbetov, President acbkarlan@mail.ru

Lubbock Sportsmans Club, Inc.

Dan Boone, President 806-733-0590

dfb@sonoramfg.com

Montana Outfitter & Guides Association

Mac Minard, Executive Director 406-449-3578

moga@mt.net

www.montanaoutfitters.org

National Bighorn Sheep Center

Amanda Verheul, Executive Director 307-455-3429 amanda@bighorn.org www.bighorn.org

Navajo Nation Department of Fish & Wildlife

Jeff Cole, Wildlife Manager jcole@nndfw.org 928-871-6595

Nebraska Big Game Society

Jim King (402) 430-6566 jim@glsbinc.com www.nebiggame.org

Nevada Bighorns Unlimited

Tom Fennel, President 775-250-6600 tfennell@dicksoncg.com

www.nevadabighornsunlimited.org

Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, Fallon

Jay Lingenfelter, President jay.lingenfelter@cccomm.co 775-427-1254

Northern BC Guides Association

Craig Kiselbach, President terminusmtn@gmail.com 250-442-7103

Northern Nevada SCI Chapter

Gavin Chodera, President 916-960-8518 gchodera@nnsci.com www.nnsci.com

Northwest Guides & Outfitters Association

Colin Niemeyer, President 250-306-8624 hunting@kawdyoutfitters.com

Northwest Sportsman’s Club

Nate Perrenoud 509-994-6795 www.northwestsportsmansclub.com

Purkersdorfer Jagdklub

Gunther Tschabuschnig, Vice President 011-43-676-496-6691 info@jagdklub.eu www.jagdklub.eu

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe

Donna Noel, Director of Natural Resources 775-574-0101 Ext: 17 www.plpt.nsn.us

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society

Jeff Mees, President 303-304-6597 jdmees@hotmail.com www.bighornsheep.org

Terry Meyers, Executive Director 970-640-6892 meyers.terry@gmail.com

Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance

Marvin Kwiatkowski, Chairman marvin@goatalliance.org

www.goatalliance.org

Contact: Kendrick Chittock, Fundraising Coordinator

kendrick@goatalliance.org info@goatalliance.org

Safari Club International 520-620-1220

info@safariclub.org

www.safariclub.org

Sheep Hunters of the World (SHOW)

Billi Carey, Administrator 480-292-1674

www.sheephunters.com

Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep

Steve Marschke, President 310-339-4677

info@sheepsociety.com

www.desertbighorn.org

Tahltan Guide Outfitters Association

Rudy Day, President 250-235-3395

Dayrudy84@gmail.com

Spanish Professional Hunters Association Diego Satrustegui, President +34 618 621 690

Direccion.aptce@gmail.com

www.spanishprofessionalhunters.com

Taos Pueblo

Michael Martinez, Hunt Manager 575-758-7410

hunting@taospueblo.com

Texas Bighorn Society

Dr. Sam Cunningham, President 806-262-6889

scunningham@quailcreekent.com

www.texasbighornsociety.org

Wildlife Stewardship Council

John Henderson, President sirjohn55@gmail.com

wildlifestewarship@gmail.com

www.wildlifestewardshipcouncil.com

Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia

Greg Rensmaag, President 604-209-4543

Rensmaag_greg@hotmail.com

Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia Office & Staff

Kyle Stelter, CEO 250-619-8415

kylestelter@gmail.com

www.wildsheepsociety.com

Michael Surbey, Executive Assistant 604-690-9555 exec@wildsheepsociety.com

Wyoming Outfitters & Guides Association

Jeff Smith, President 307-265-2376

wyoga@wyoga.org

www.wyoga.org

Yukon Outfitters Association

Mac Watson, President 867-668-4118 (Office) info@yukonoutfitters.net

www.yukonoutfitters.net

Yukon Outfitters Association Staff

Shawn Wasel, Executive Director 780-213-4301 (Cell)

swasel@mcsnet.ca

Brenda Stehelin, Office Manager info@yukonoutfitters.net

Photo Credit: David Wetzel

2024 BANQUET DATES

NOTE: Dates noted are as of press time. Please check C&A websites for updates.

WSF CHAPTERS:

WSF AFFILIATES:

CHAPTERS & AFFILIATES

by Jim Collins

GLET’S MAKE A BIGGER POT

etting pretty long in the tooth, I tend to reminisce on our great Wild Sheep Chapter, and it never fails to put a smile on my face. But then I realize that with all our efforts, we are drawing from a smaller pot of ram tags than we were 20 – 30 years ago. This is despite the fact we have added three new, mostly thriving sheep herds, removed all domestic sheep from forest allotments in the core native herds and dumped every dime we can on habitat and disease issues.

So, what’s up? Simply put, we keep having all-age die-offs caused by multiple pathogens and/or poor nutrition.

Most of our members are aware of the now famous Wyoming Plan. Since its inception in 2004, sheep biologists and our knowledgeable members understand the defined risks we have agreed to when it comes to commingling in partnership with domestic sheep producers. At the same time, Wyoming’s disease risks

to bighorn sheep by commingling with domestic sheep are scientifically documented and well understood by our Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Given these facts on top of domestic sheep producers doing their part, why the h*** can’t we keep our herds healthy and thriving? Bluntly put, we are not doing our job!

For Wyoming to have a successful bighorn sheep program, we must keep the herds at or below objective and the ram-to-ewe ratio low enough to discourage young rams from wandering. We need to be able to implement proper use of ewe licenses and must establish a way to harvest a percentage of these younger age-class rams. The problem is that for many of our members and many Wyoming hunters, these are fighting words.

Sheep Area 7, the Gros Ventre Herd, is cycling through a pattern of population growth beyond the objective (400-500 sheep), followed

by an all-age die-off; over several years, the population is able to recover beyond the objective, and the herd repeats the cycle. A consensus is emerging that at a certain population level, there simply isn’t enough forage or habitat to maintain the nutrition for a healthy bighorn herd. Whether this is simply a nutrition issue or a compounding of several other factors, history has revealed that when this herd reaches a certain point, we incur a very significant loss of the herd. A few ewe licenses were added for the last two years with resistance.

Sheep Area 12, Devil’s Canyon, has become a jewel, raising some great rams. Used as a source herd for transplanting and supplementing other herds because it was one of the cleanest herds in the state. Being over objective for a number of years, last year Area 12 had an all-age die-off of over 50%. Good chance that somebody went wandering, commingled, and came back.

Additionally, biologists now understand that commingling is not just an issue with domestic sheep, but also between different bighorn herds. Understanding how mixing pathogens causes problems is way past my pay grade, but studies conducted in Hell’s Canyon have shown the issues that can arise from mixing bighorns from different areas. Needless to say, bighorn sheep disease problems are complex.

Areas 17 & 26, in the Ferris/ Seminoe and Bennet Mountains, are home to our newest bighorn herd. This area is producing Boone & Crocket rams and, as of last year, has reached objective. With another successful lamb crop this spring, this herd could be over objective by over 100 sheep. Just this last summer, 4 rams were removed by Game and Fish on a Chapter 56 permit, many miles north in the Pedro Mountains dangerously close to domestic

sheep. I see big problems if we don’t proactively and drastically decrease numbers to or below objective. These biologists need support if they request

a significant increase in ewe licenses next year!

Twisting Einstein’s quote, if we are going to expect better results, let’s not keep making the same mistakes. Ewe license numbers are likely going to need to increase a lot in the near future to make an impact. We need to understand why this is an important management tool and be able to explain and justify these actions to those who don’t understand. Without our support, it’s difficult for biologists to request and implement these types of licenses.

Stay engaged and informed as the Wyoming Game and Fish Department works through the season-setting process, public meetings, and Commission approvals to harvest both ewes and sub mature rams; your help and engagement will see to it that we get it done right.

Let’s make the pot we draw our ram licenses from bigger! WS

12 day guided Bighorn Sheep Hunt in Alberta with Total Outdoor Adventures

September 15 - 26, 2025

Tickets: $250 each ONLY 600 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD

Drawing will be held when the last ticket is sold but not later than May 1, 2025 Need not be present to win Southwest Montana Chapter HUNT

WOMEN HUNT®

by Jana Waller

WSF GOES BEYOND BONDS FOR WOMEN

The beginning of any new year always means one thing… it’s trade show season time. I attend numerous hunting-related conventions and expos during the first quarter of the year and the Sheep Show® is always a highly anticipated event for myself, my husband, and many of our friends. It stands out as a personal favorite for a multitude of reasons. It’s a big, elaborate show with a small town feel and I always walk away after the weekend with a stronger sense of community and a deeper passion for protecting what I love – our country’s deep hunting heritage.

I’ve been passionate about conservation ever since I was a teenager when my dad let me tag along to his various local banquets in Wisconsin. Whether it was a Pheasants Forever or Ducks Unlimited fundraiser back in the 80s, I quickly discovered the amount of fun hunters have when surrounded with like-minded people, guns galore and the exciting chance of taking home some beautiful artwork or a hunt-of-a-lifetime. I currently belong to over a dozen conservation groups but I admit, The Wild Sheep Foundation is quickly becoming a favorite. One look at their mission statement and values listed on the

website and it’s easy to want to get involved. “We enhance wild sheep populations, promote scientific wildlife management, educate the public and youth on sustainable use and the conservation benefits of hunting while promoting the interests of the hunter.” And our country would be better off if their values could be displayed and discussed in every classroom and work space in this country…“Honesty, teamwork, accountability, integrity, positive attitude, stewardship, respect for others, respect for wildlife, loyalty and hunting ethics.”

Like the half dozen Sheep Shows® I’ve attended, this year’s event in

Beyond Bonds: A Women Hunt Story was part of this year’s Full Curl Cinema at the 2024 Sheep Show®. I co-hosted the world premiere with Robbie Kröger, Blood Origins.

Reno did not disappoint. In fact, they simply get better every year and I attribute that to the deepening of the friendships I’ve made through the WSF. I was honored to host a Women Hunt® film event alongside my friend Robbie Kröger, Founder of Blood Origins, a nonprofit that aims at telling the truth about hunting. The film Beyond Bonds – A Women Hunt® Story, was premiered in the new theater room, which beautifully showcased the plethora of emotions that hunting evokes and the bonds created through our journey as hunters. The room was packed, and the energy was palpable. Women outnumbered the men at the film event, a testament to WSF’s Women Hunt® program that’s growing by the minute. The candid Q&A after the film was an excellent way to engage with the attendees and help share, solidify, and inspire others to get involved and help share in our passion for the hunt.

The Women Hunt® program is definitely gathering steam and it’s so wonderful to see the attention it’s getting from the public and from companies that want to support women, the largest demographic purchasing new hunting licenses. Women’s presence in this traditionally male-dominated field is not just a trend, but a powerful movement that signifies empowerment, freedom, and breaking boundaries. The Women Hunt® program is the brainchild of Renée Thornton, and it’s so wonderful to see the program’s strong presence at this year’s Sheep Show®! I was lucky enough to meet a bunch of the recruits of the program at the film event as well as at a breakfast get-together hosted by Renée one morning in Reno. It was a wonderful idea to have a few of us veteran hunting industry ladies meet for a very personal breakfast with the program participants so we could have some nice one-on-one time. We got to hear more about their thoughts and experiences on being a new

hunter and talk about goals or plans for their hunting futures. The kind of insight and passion for the program that Renée possesses is so impressive.

One of my favorite parts of the entire Sheep Show® experience is the Ladies Luncheon! The popular event always has a theme and this year’s was a groovy one – a 70s bellbottom, tie-die, retro wearin’ party where the costumes were flowing as good as the champagne. From the decorations and 70s music to the wonderful food, great silent auction items geared towards the ladies and entertaining auction,

it’s a MUST!

Wednesday night’s kick off dinner was followed by the well-known musicians Jimmy Herman and Chris Hennessee. I’ve seen Jimmy and Chris perform dozens of times before and their music is such a perfect match for this crowd, a mix of bluegrass and old school country. It’s impossible not to feel a connection between our deeply-engrained roots of hunting and our passion for the great outdoors when you hear these two perform!

The live auctions during the

Myself, Rachel Ahtila and Julie McQueen proudly sporting our retro 70s vibe for the Ladies Luncheon.

Jimmy Herman and Chris Hennessee jamming with the crowd on Wednesday night.

evenings are worth the price of admission alone. Although I’m a bit biased since my husband is one of the amazing auctioneers, it’s the consensus by everyone in attendance that the auctions are exhilarating! The conservation tags, hunts from around the globe, breathtaking artwork, furs and exotic adventures always bring a welcomed high dollar amount that goes towards the mission of the WSF. A couple of the highlights that stood out for me this year were the incredible opportunity to hunt with falcons and the impressive metal sheep skull on a pack frame hand welded by the artist Jen Phillips.

There are always auction items at the Sheep Show® that are rare and never seen before – and that’s coming from an auction aficionado.

Last but not least, the show room floor was, as always, bustling with vendors unveiling their exciting new products, featuring foreign and domestic hunts, and the most amazing artwork and taxidermy that would rival any outdoor expo. In fact, I’d show up just to see the taxidermy since I’ve been called an addict many times in my life. From hand-carved, painted longhorn steer mugs and metal sculptures to unique jewelry and paintings, it’s an art collector’s paradise. It’s also nice to shop for hunting adventures and be able to chat face-to-face with the guides and outfitters.

The showroom is large, but not too big that you can’t have personal conversations with the vendors and see all of them in the course of a few days.

That’s MY TAKE AWAY on the 2024 Sheep Show® in Reno. I hope I’ve convinced you to visit the show next year or return again to

experience the splendid events, visit the showroom floor, and deepen your love of the hunt. There’s nothing like being surrounded by like-minded outdoorsmen and women, and the bonds we make at shows like Sheep Show® only make us stronger as a whole in defending our passion for the hunt, wild sheep, their habitat, and the other species that roam our amazing country. WS

Renée Thornton, Chair

Rachel Ahtila

Julie Chapman

Linda Demmer

Sara Domek

Brandi Love

Rebecca Peters

Sue Skold

Meet the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Women Hunt® Committee

Bios and photos at: www.wildsheepfoundation.org/about/ women-hunt-committee

https://www.wildsheepfoundation.org/womenhunt

womenhunt@wildsheepfoundation.org

The artist Jen Phillips and her mother with her beautiful sheep pack frame sculpture, “Going Home Heavy”, which was part of the Friday Night Auction.

Trying on new pieces at the Kryptek booth.

OUR MISSION

DSC’s mission is to ensure the conservation of wildlife through public engagement, education and advocacy for well-regulated hunting and sustainable use.

OUR VISION

The vision of DSC is a society that values wildlife, engages in its conservation and understands and supports the role of well-regulated hunting in the sustainable use of wild resources.

To become a member or learn more about DSC, head to biggame.org.

CULINARY CORNER

by Joshua Schwencke WSF & Women Hunt® Executive Chef in Residence

LOW AND SLOW

In between the frozen-solid layers of protein and fat of that whitetail hind quarter you have in the game freezer sits the building blocks of culinary magic. Though this may be a little hyperbolic, it’s far from being false.

Many of the inquiries I receive as a wild game chef rest on the questions of how to utilize those tougher, more fibrous cuts of protein that end up in your trim destined for ground meat. These parcels of muscle structure that encase the femur as well as it’s neighboring bones the fibula and tibia contain a large amount of ligament or connective tissue. Fascia, also in the connective tissue

family is the slightly opaque, almost plastic-like layer that separates the muscle groups.

These important building blocks above are not only the focus of this article, but also your secret weapon to adding body, flavor, and texture to your game cooking and beyond. Disclaimer: if you should take this knowledge and become a BBQ king or queen, I will soon arrive for my cut of the profits.

However, I digress. The muscle groups making up this hind quarter, or “hams” of your large game utilize the strong connective tissue within to aid in animals’ athletic-like

movements. Because of their strong and fibrous nature, they require a different type of cooking method than the backstrap or tenderloin. The latter’s obligation to the animal is much less, thus giving them their tenderness.

A good rule of thumb for understanding tenderness in your animal is remembering that the farther you move from the backstraps towards the hooves and neck, the less tender and more connective tissue you will encounter. I belong to the camp of those who believe these fibrous cuts offer far more flavor.

We have all had beef brisket or

Scan here for the Mountain to Plate Video Series with Chef Josh Schwencke

fajitas that have slapped us in the face while attempting to eat it. Besides being illegal in my home state of Texas to cook and prepare these treasured cuts in this fashion, it’s a failure in utilizing the connective tissue within. Though the first part of that sentence is not true, the cooking down of connective tissue is the welcome introduction of gelatin into the recipe. This gives ribs, brisket and other larger cuts their trademark texture and is that extra “something” that coats your palette while enjoying them.

When paired with the fat from the same cut of protein, gelatin offers a spike in texture that can only come from the slow and low cooking process these cuts demand and deserve. This is by far the most important method of cooking such things and is known as “patience.”

This connective tissue needs a long and low cooking process in order to melt. The unfortunate scientific conundrum is that the muscle groups around this tissue cook at a much lower temperature and begin to break down sooner than their ligament counterparts. This is why a shank or Osso Buco cut on your wild sheep cooks and eats much different than the sirloin.

This long and low cooking method can be done in multiple ways with each technique offering its own ease of use and introduction of flavor.

• BRAISING IN A DUTCH OVEN – braising is the searing of

protein while finishing the cooking process in a flavorful liquid to break down the tougher tissues. Searing creates texture, adds flavor and seals the outer edges of the protein. The liquid can be wine, stock, beer, or anything else that imparts flavor. Cook in an oven set at 275°F (135°C) until the protein falls apart.

• SLOW COOKER – you may only use this for queso dip, but the slow cooker is the secret weapon of most seasoned game cooks. It offers a hassle free method in finishing the braising process and has the option to keep warm in most models.

• INSTANT POT® OR PRESSURE COOKER –somewhere a bearded and flannelclad hunter is reading this, scoffing at the notion of using his wife’s Instant Pot® for his elk hind quarter pieces. What he fails to see is the ease of use in harnessing the pressure and control to break down those tough connective tissues in shorter time than the methods above. Follow the searing method above, add flavorful liquid, and set the timer for 55 minutes and one hour.

• SMOKING – by far the oldest method of cooking in our lineup, smoking offers a ton of flavor in the process through breaking down fat and ligaments while imparting the flavor of your favorite hardwood. Fat itself is a wonderful conductor of flavor from smoke and other ambient scents. We know this because butter left uncovered in a refrigerator

will take on the aroma of other, sometimes undesirable scents.

Though the majority of the muscle groups from the hind and shoulder of your animal do amazing with these cooking methods, within them hides fibrous ligaments. This silver skin acts as a rubber band, storing up energy and releasing it into the muscle group. For this reason, this becomes inedible when cooked. Removing this silver, almost aluminum looking part of the muscle is a must during the butchering process. Failure to do so will result in a tough and undesirable cut of meat.

The last knowledge to understand is muscle grain. This is the direction a muscle’s texture will flow within the group. Cutting in the direction of the grain of muscle will result in a tougher cut. This is due to the need for our front teeth to tear the muscle fiber. Cutting against the grain aids in this creating shorter muscle strands, thus offering a more tender cut that is easier to chew. Ensuring that the cuts are done properly prior to cooking will help your final result be both tender and flavorful.

These important and often overlooked cuts of protein are yours to utilize and harness. Spend time studying the protein prior to cooking, looking for the layers of fat and connective tissue. This will add the extra quality everyone at your dinner table will enjoy as long as you are willing to be patient with the low and slow process. WS

CONSERVATION EDUCATION

by Ryan Brock, Ph.D. WSF Youth Education Coordinator

LUCKY THIRTEEN

Would you think it weird if I refused to travel on a Saturday that falls on the 23rd of the month? How about if I lobbied the school board in my local school district to skip including classroom number five in the new construction plans for a school being built, and instead go right from classroom number four to number six? It is highly unusual to fear the number 16, so yes, it would be appropriate to see me as a bit odd. But what if more than 40 million people shared the same aversion to a number?

According to a Gallup Poll, that is exactly correct when it comes to the number 13 and how many Americans it would bother to stay on the 13th

floor of a hotel.

Even the Otis Elevator Company reports that for all the elevators they have installed, for every building that includes a “13th” floor, six other buildings pretend it doesn’t exist and jump right to the 14th floor from the 12th. That number, 13, is viewed as unlucky and something to stay away from for many Westerners. However, when it comes to this year’s Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience, the youth component of the Sheep Show®, 13 is anything but unlucky!

This past January marked the thirteenth year of holding a Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE) as part of our national convention. And on so many levels it

was a complete success.

The YWCE first made its presence in January 2012. Due to “unlucky” circumstances of wildfires canceling some busloads of students coming in from Carson City, the three-day event only involved 120 youth. Year by year though, that number kept increasing, hitting over 1,000 youth in 2016. Even during the Covid years, a digital version of it was put in place which was able to include a record number of involved youth through classrooms all over the US. It wasn’t always perfect, as a dip in participation was seen when a new strain of Covid emerged right before the Sheep Show® of 2022, decreasing numbers that year by about 500 kids

from the previous year. The all-time record was just last year, where 1,835 youth attended and participated in the various learning aspects of conservation and outdoor activities. That record was shattered this year, as we were able to reach more youth, teachers, and the general public than ever before. We’ve always attempted to fit in as many kids as we could while still delivering a top-quality experience. The issue isn’t space, as the youth event takes place in 93,000+ square feet of convention space. Although this year, with 42

different hands-on stations, it was the first year where considerable planning of the layout was important to fit every station. This problem in the past with involving the most school group students possible situates around how many students can be seated to hear the keynote presentations and the break-out seminars on outdoor related careers. There is only so much room to have effective educational presentations and room for the school groups to eat lunch.

A work-around this January

BIGHORN SHEEP CURRICULUM KIT

DO YOU KNOW A TEACHER WHO TEACHES LIFE SCIENCE, OR THEMED UNITS ON WILDLIFE?

The Wild Sheep Foundation has put together an educational kit that includes a variety of information and hands-on items that teaches about bighorn sheep and their conservation. The kit can be checked out for week-long segments for free and shipping is paid for.

Kit includes a ram skull, GPS collar, hide sample, curriculum book with over 20 lessons, Ovisopoly game, consumables to hand out to the students, a curriculum book and a USB drive with PowerPoints and movies for lessons with an optional “talk to a sheep expert” through Skype or Zoom class meeting.

To reserve your week, contact:

Ryan Brock Youth Education Coordinator

Rbrock@wildsheepfoundation.org

allowed us to educate almost 1,000 kids more than in any year in the past. The solution? Reaching out to charter schools and private schools, as well as home school networks, and inviting them to partake in a portion of the YWCE similar to the experience offered to the public on Saturday. On both Thursday and Friday this year, a few extra hundred kids each day attended, but had a somewhat different experience than other older students who participated in the keynote presentations and seminars. While the seminars were

CONSERVATION EDUCATION

going on, extra classes toured the exhibit hall. Of these, about 100 each day then had a private experience with the National Bighorn Sheep Center and Nevada Department of Wildlife’s Operation Game Thief trailer. When the bused-in school groups finished their final keynote and were released to the hands-on stations that began about noon, the other students were able to enter the YWCE area and participate in the stations as well. A win-win for all. During the school group days of Thursday and Friday, a record 893 kids participated. This is pretty much double what we have been able to do in the past.

Saturday, the event opened to the public. For six hours, the line never stopped at the registration, where families sign a waiver and officially

register their children. During this day, no keynotes or seminars took place. The entire area just focused on educating families through hands-on experiences. At the end of the day Saturday, when the final calculations took place, it was realized that 1,771 youth were registered and took part in the YWCE on that one day. This one day alone almost beat the any prior top year’s total attendance.

With forty-two different stations, there was something for everyone. This year WSF purchased their own kayak pool, ensuring that every future year will incorporate some boat safety and the fun of kayaking in a 13,000 gallon pool that measures 50 feet by 20 feet. For the first time, archery didn’t place as the most popular activity among the school groups based on their post survey data, even

though there were five different stations involving archery. Duck calling came out on top! Archery was actually bumped to the third most popular activity, most likely due to three stations involving pellet guns and bb guns, which this year was the second most popular event. We’ve always had a few stations involving shooting safety and allowing youth to shoot. This year however, the Boy Scouts of America really got involved and brought a range where youth rotated through a session of safety and then moved twelve youth to the range where all could shoot at the same time. Other popular stations, based on student surveys included: eating bugs, climbing the rock wall, and casting challenges.

The Tracks Program was back once again, a special program for

Dedicated to education, Dedicated to education, supporting the research & supporting the research & conservation of mountain goats conservation of mountain goats

Memberships available through Memberships available through WSF for $40 per year. WSF for $40 per year.

CONSERVATION EDUCATION

youth ages 12 to 17. They could opt to receive a special raffle card that was taken through the exhibit hall to different vendors. Following the sheep tracks on the showroom floor, they ventured from participating vendor to vendor, learning something new at each station before getting the card punched. A special thanks to Leica, Kenetrek Boots, Sitka, and Stone Glacier for helping to provide some great raffle prizes for the youth. More youth participated in the Tracks Program than in any previous year, and every table was filled in front of the main stage with hopeful youth when the raffle took place.

Six months of planning, one day of loading up a storage shed, and three days of setting up the YWCE paid off. Thanks to every one of the 367 volunteers of the youth area who ran stations or presented for which I printed name badges for. Without this type of volunteer super-power, it would be impossible to make such an educational impact on the 2,754 youth who attended the experience this January.

would take up archery, and 65% said the shooting sports. Our kayak pool wasn’t wasted, as over 50% showed interest in getting into some form of kayaking. Forty percent of the families had kids who had never camped, and 70% said they would get their kids camping.

The YWCE allowed many youth to experience their “first.” For example, fifty-two percent of the kids shot a bow for their first time (most likely would have been 53%, but one kid

about until now?” The Wild Sheep Foundation was a new name to 23% of the attending families. Over 11% of the families had NEVER heard of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. That is over 1-in-10 families! Hopefully the messages coming out of the “Youth” Wildlife Conservation Experience are also getting reached by many of these parents, as it could certainly help with management of wildlife when more of the public understands how wildlife is actually managed. Coming from an outdoor family, it was still surprising that over 8% of the families had never heard of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

How impactful was it? Another post survey, completed by 139 families who attended on Saturday, revealed some exciting findings. Fifty-five percent of those families came for the YWCE for the first time. When asked if they saw their family taking up any of the outdoor hobbies their kids explored with at the YWCE, only one family said no. In fact, 80% said their family would most likely take up fishing, 77%

was “too young” his parent wrote). Thirty-eight percent had never fished, and remember that fishing scored as one of the favorites with school group kids the prior days. When looking at our pellet and BB gun ranges, about 39% shot one of these for the first time in their life. Instead of my slogan I often throw out about the YWCE being designed to excite and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife conservationists, perhaps it could almost be simplified to “Making Memories.”

Some of the most intriguing data came from the question to parents, “What organizations helped put on the YWCE had they never heard

While reflecting on the YWCE, and its success from year to year, I calculated the other day that I’ve been involved with the YWCE for over one-fourth of my life. I truly believe that I have been blessed for these years. The high-quality volunteers and expertise that have aligned themselves with this event has enabled me to morph this youth experience into what it has become. This 13th year of the YWCE has been anything but unlucky or cursed. In fact, I think quite the opposite. And although many airlines around the world have “skipped” including a 13th row in their planes, I am not so fearful of that number, and am glad I didn’t skip the 13th year of the event, as this year turned out to be stellar. No triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number 13, for me! WS

What separates posers from the real deal?

This badge.

GEAR TIPS

by Jeremy Bryant

PICKING THE BEST BACKPACK SHEEP HUNTING TENT

When I first started sheep hunting, I worked for a small non-profit organization. Cash was tight and my ‘hunting fund’ never had more than a few hundred bucks in it. I would always laugh when I’d hear people say, “It’s best to have multiple tents.” I can appreciate different tents fill different roles, but the reality for me was that my budget allowed one good tent, period. Since then, I’ve tested and used 10+ tents; here are the best do-it-all tents

for the discerning sheep hunter. And for the record, I still own just one tent!

The non-negotiable criteria I used when selecting sheep hunting tents to test was 1) must fit two men, 2) cost less than $650, and 3) weigh less than five pounds. If any of these were missing, I didn’t try, buy, or include the tent in this testing.

Once the initial benchmarks were met, the other

Stone Glacier SKYSCRAPER 2P - $645 USD, 4.5 pounds

The Skyscraper stood head and shoulders above the rest of the tents in terms of build quality and durability. It uses an impressive WebTruss design for it’s poles, and has 16 guyline points for a rock-solid setup on the windiest of mountain tops. Its materials and stitching are robust and impressive. I slept easy in a winter storm and didn’t worry at all about the tent, even with a snow load building up on it. Beyond the quality, it’s a pleasure to spend time in – it has the most usable interior and vestibule space. There are eight mesh pockets in the tent for organizing gear, as well as internal guylines that help tension the tent and work great for drying gear. It was the most versatile of the tents – you can attach trekking poles to the ridgepole for increased strength and stability in storms. Or, if you don’t expect bad weather, you can save weight by using their lighter Mesh Insert, or ditching the interior tent altogether and just use a bathtub footprint and fly.

Due to the burley construction, there is one downside to the Skyscraper – at 4.5 pounds, it comes in close to a pound heavier than the other options.

If you can handle the extra ounces in your pack, stop reading right now and get out to the mountains in your new favorite tent. WS

things I considered were: weather resistance, build quality, versatility, and livability (height, size, pockets, entryway, setup).

The results are in, and here are the best backpack sheep hunting tents:

All four of these tents are fantastic options for sheep hunters and you won’t likely be disappointed in any of them. I hope this will help you pick the perfect tent for

Seek Outdoors Eolus (with Nest) - $450 USD, 2.7 pounds

When I first received my Eolus, I thought “Wait, I paid $450 for this?! There’s hardly anything to it…”. Exactly. The Eolus is an incredible little shelter – it’s so lightweight and small, you’ll hardly notice you’re carrying it. It uses trekking poles to set up, so there are no tent poles that you need to carry in with you. It’s very roomy and has fantastic headspace. The big vestibules keep your pack and gear dry. The optional interior mesh ‘Nest’ makes it easy to use as a classic double-wall tent, or you can cut the weight in half by just bringing the tarp. It also uses an innovative zipperless system for its entryways: although they are a pain during rain, they save weight and eliminate the risk that a zipper blows in the backcountry.

The disadvantages stem from its benefits; being so lightweight, it isn’t ideal for really gnarly weather – only four guyline points means it’s not the tent I’d want on a ridge in a windstorm! It uses trekking poles to pitch, so you’ll be without those when the tent is set up. And finally, there is a steep learning curve to getting it properly pitched and tight. The first couple times you set it up, it’ll look like a saggy mess and you’ll wonder why they ever made such a tent, but you’ll get the hang of it soon!

For folks who are counting ounces and willing to make some sacrifices in terms of how and where to setup camp, the Eolus is your ticket – and your back will thank you while packing it around! WS

your hunting style, and that you’ll find success on your next hunt!

Jeremy Bryant is a fifth generation Albertan who lives in Edmonton with his wife. When not looking over ridges for the next great adventure, Jeremy runs No Story Lost, a company that helps families record their own great memories and stories.

GEAR TIPS

KUIU Mountain Star - $500 USD, 3.6 pounds

When I first picked up the Mountain Star I thought it might the perfect tent that I’d been searching for! And I think for some guys, it could be just that. It’s light, it’s got a small footprint, and the sleeved exterior pole design means it’s sturdy with an interior that stays dry during setup and takedown.

With all that said, it’s not the tent for me. I took the Mountain Star on two hunts, and on both trips a section of the carbon poles broke – not ideal while 50km deep (note: since then, KUIU has updated their sleeved pole design which should help with durability). Putting aside my experience with the poles, the tent is on the tight side for two men – the interior head height is low at just 38 inches, and our feet and heads rubbed on the ends of the tent which meant our bags got wet from the condensation. The vestibules are also small for full bags and gear.

If you’re a solo hunter, if you and your hunting partner are both small individuals, or if you plan on hunting with your kid, the Mountain Star could be a great option. WS

MSR Hubba Hubba - $550 USD, 3.25 pounds

The Hubba Hubba has been dominating the backpacking market for 20 years, and for good reason; the tent is a work horse! It’s not flashy, and it’s not the best at any one thing, but it’s pretty good at every single thing. It’s not as strong or as well built as the Skyscraper (a buddy of mine learned this the hard way when his Hubba Hubba exploded in a windstorm while on a goat hunt!). It’s not as light or small as the Eolus, and it’s not as nice to set up as the Mountain Star. But, it is well built, it is lightweight, and it is comfortable and easy to use.

One big advantage to the Hubba Hubba is that there are plenty of used ones for sale online because they’ve been so popular among the hiking community. You can get one in good shape for ~$250.

For a sheep hunter on a tight budget, I don’t think you could do better than a used Hubba Hubba. WS

CORRIE II

COMPLETE COMFORT AND CONTROL WHEREVER YOU GO...

Fifteen years of testing, modifying boots and listening to our customers led us to create a light hiker that feels agile, protective and handles like a dream. We started with our tough Mountain Boot Last atop the light and grippy Grapon™ outsole, and added K-Straps tying the base of the heel to the seven inch, double and triple stitched, padded upper, securing you in for the ride.

1,700+ PHOTOS FROM SHEEP SHOW ON OUR FLICKR PAGE

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

Kevin & Lauri Gilbert

LIFE MEMBER BREAKFAST

CONVENTION APPEALS

Take One Put One Back

$95,000

$47,000 - Blake Sartini

$25,000 - Stanford & Pamela Atwood

$10,000 - Dan & Jean Smith & Dan & Cheryl Smith

$10,000 - Mike Opitz

$10,000 - Mesara Family Foundation

$5,000 - Terry Rathert

$5,000 - Robert E. Rose Foundation

$5,000 - Samuel Hays

$5,000 - Denise & Tom Hoffman

Kurt Alt

John and Jane Babler

Paul Baird

Max Banwell

Craig Boddington

Mike Borel

Peter Burchfield

Oscar Carlson

Julie Chapman

Sam and Tracy Cunningham

Wes Curry

Denis Dale

Sandra Fields

Brian Fienhold

$5,000 - Darin & Tonya Fiedeldey

$3,000 -

$2,500 - Kevin & Lauri Gilbert

$2,500 - Renee Snider

$2,000 - Denise Swanson

$1,000 - Jeff Haynie

$1,000 - Kris Kohlhoff

$500 - Shad Hulse

$500 - Darryl Williams

$250 - Darla Fiedeldey

$5,000 - Hank Ratts (Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund)

$2,500 - Jaco Oosthuizen

$1,000 - Renée & Gray Thornton

$1,000 - Ricky Wilcox (Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund)

$500 - Neil & Sheryln Clayton (Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund)

COPPER SPONSORS

Brett & Maureen Jefferson

Cole & Elaine Benton

BUCKLE SPONSORS

Chris Dianda

Dyrk Eddie Family

Daryll Hosker

James Lines

Mike Opitz

Steve and Sue Skold

Kevin & Tuesdy Small

LIFE MEMBER PATRONS

Cameron Foss

Ryan & Tiffany Foutz

Dale and Donna Gaugler

Kevin Gilbert

Alan C. Hayes

Jeff Haynie

Martin and Jeanne Hendrix

Zach Higgins

Denise & Tom Hoffman

Shad Hulse

Bailey & Landrus Hunting Co.

Kevin Hurley

Beverly Valdez and John Ware

Larry and Gay Johns

Bobby Theis

William “Bill” Tittle

Dave & Joanne Turchanski

Scott Widdifield

Lyle Wood

Gary & Penny Young

Kris Killorn

Kevin Klumper

Dan and Jessica Kluth

Kip Kochevar

Jeff Lindgren

Bob & Marion Logan

Dr. Gordon Lyons

Larry and Joanne McGovern

Kyle & Joanne Meintzer

Midwest Chapter WSF

Zackery Moorman

Brian Nelson

Don Perrien

Drs. Glen & Caroline Pyne

Steve Quisenberry

Hank Raats

Dustin and Heather Roe

Lou Rupp

Steve and Sue Skold

Kip & Sue Slaugh

Kevin & Tuesdy Small

Jim & Alisia Stager

Gray & Renée Thornton

William Tittle

André Van Hilten

(Willow Creek Outfitters)

Robert Wallock

Aislyn Ward

We invite you to become a sponsor of the 2025 Convention in Reno. For sponsorship opportunities or more information contact:

Gray N. Thornton

• 406.404.8750

• gthornton@wildsheepfoundation.org

Keith Balfourd 404.404.8750

• keith@wildsheepfoundation.org

Happy 70th Birthday Craig Phillips!

Sponsored by:

EXHIBITOR RECOGNITION

Fernando Saiz Spain - 40yrs

Schnee - 35yrs

Arctic Red River Outfitters - 35yrs

Shikar Safaris - 30yrs

Oregon WSF - 25yrs

Trophy Hunting Spain - 25yrs

Midnight Sun Outfitting - 25yrs

DONOR RECOGNITION

Zimmerman Wildlife - 25yrs

Ultima Thule Outfitters - 25yrs

Katmai Guide Service - 35yrs

Sponsored by:

1st Place: Joey Dianda, Fred Fanizzi, Chris Welch & Mike Dianda

2nd Place: Team "Forester's Gun Dogs Lost the tie breaker on a card draw!

Sponsored by:

Sponsored by:

NEW WEST DISTRIBUTING

Brett & Maureen Jefferson

Kevin & Tuesdy Small Jeff & Jann Demaske

<1iCLUB HUNT DRAWINGS Eric Smith, Ian Finger, Tristan Richter <1 CLUB WINNERS Brian Flowers, Steven Meinders, Cody Wilkinson

Sponsored by:

Jamie Gonzalez winner of the early bird registration desert sheep hunt with Sierra El Alamo

2024 Conklin Award Winner – Eduardo Negrete with Brad Black, Renee Snider and Rex Baker

Sponsored by:

Sponsored by:

KEVIN & LAURI GILBERT

Reg Collingwood winner of the La Palmosa desert sheep hunt and Wildlife Gallery mount

Justin Nichols winner of the Weatherby Bighorn Edition rifle

Jim Craig winner of the Aoudad hunt with Craig Boddington

Sponsored by:

Tasting Sponsored by:

Sponsored by:

Annuli Photo Contest People's Choice winner Morgan Jessica Westby with John Bedlion of Leica.

Kim Nieters being recognized for 36 years of service with WSF.

Carl Black winner of the "Bernie Fiedeldy One More for Four" with Denise Swanson and Paige Culver

Sponsored by: Tasting Sponsored by:

Morgan Jessica Westby

2023 DIGITAL PHOTO CONTEST RESULTS

HUNTER IN FIELD (HIF)

1st Stephen Cunic

2nd Jared Fox

3rd Casey Johnson

HUNTER WITH TROPHY (HWT)

1st Courtney Young

2nd Brooke Watson

3rd Jim Urban

LIVE SHEEP (LS)

1st Sonny Parker

2nd Victor Clark

3rd Bob Strong

OPEN (O) 1st Glenn Connally 2nd Greg Rensmaag 3rd

RAFFLE & GIVEAWAY WINNERS

SHEEP WEEK GENERAL RAFFLE

Dall’s Sheep Hunt - Gana River Outfitters LTD

Matt McCabe - BC

Alberta BH Sheep - Hunt Carter Outfitting LTD

Ray Maack - OR

Stone’s Sheep Hunt - Terminus Mountain Outfitters

Brian Solan - MT

Desert Sheep Hunt - Rancho La Guardia

Tom Fischer - ID

Mtn. Goat Hunt - Ultima Thule Outfitters

Chad Jacobs - CA

Alaskan Brown Bear Hunt

Alaska Hunting Expeditions LLC

Sean Bingham - NV

AK Caribou Hunt - Alaska Hunting Expeditions LLC

Alyssa Tenbrink - CA

Muskox Hunt - Canada North Outfitting

Scott Albright - CA

Mtn. Lion Hunt - Canyons West Guide Service

Kansas Whitetail Hunt

Bell Wildlife Specialities/Dirt Nap Ooutdoores LLC

Jim Bowers - NV

Black Bear Hunt - Kap River Outfitters

Scott Clark - CO

Boswell Custom Rifle - Boswell Custom Rifles

Eric Jeffres - ID

Louis Vuitton Ladies Package - WSF

Erich Schwab - CA

FL Alligator & Tarpon Trip - Bienvenue Outdoors

David Colclough - CA

Women Hunt Package - WSF

David Colclough - CA

YETI ENDOWMENT SURPRISE WINNER

Sierra El Alamo Desert Sheep Hunt

Frank Tritz

Weatherby Rifle, Boyt Gun Case

Arthur Newcome

WEATHERBY WALL OF GUNS

Weatherby 6.5 WBY RPM Hunter

Aaron Langslet - CA

Weatherby 7mm Hunter

Joseph Humpries - CAN

Weatherby 6.5 WBY RPM WeatherMark

Breck Johnson - CO

Weatherby 6.5-300 WeatherMark

Lee LaRussa - NV

Weatherby 243 Camilla Wilderness

Justin Waugh - NV

Weatherby MKV Hunter Bronze 6.5

Albert Seeno - CA

Weatherby 270 WIN VGD Badlands

Dylan Hitner - OR

Orion 12GA 28”

Dan Kluth - ID

Orion O/U 20 GA 28”

Mario Hernandez - ID

Weatherby 12 GA Element Synthetic

Butch Van Leuven - NV

LADIES LUNCHEON

Kimber Micro

Jacilyn Wallace

Glock “We The People” 9mm

Allie Schoessler

(Women Hunt) Glock - Red/White & Blue 43x9mm

Shari Martinez

(Women Hunt) Sig Sauer P365 380 ACP

Tracy Copeland

Card Raffle Winner

Allie Schoessler

50/50 Raffle Winner

Ladane Smith

Schnee Boot Certificates:

Toketee Reid

Jinny Caliguiri

Elizabeth Demaske

Stellane King

Gisele Abhaeb

LIFE MEMBER BREAKFAST

La Palmosa Desert Sheep Hunt & Wildlife Gallery Custom Pedestal Mount

Reg Collingwood - BC

PATRON PRIZES

Ruger SFAR 7.62 Semi Auto

Dan Kluth

Lancaster Archery Bow

Kurt Alt

Ruger American Ranch .223

Steve Skold

Couple’s Registration/Hotel Stay to Sheep Show 2025

Steve Quisenberry

Vortex Fury HD 10x42 Range Binos

Sam & Tracy Cunningham

Max Banwell

Don Stevenson Knife

Oscar Carlson

Schnee Boots

Denise & Tom Hoffman

WSF Decanter Set

Hank Raats

“Ole Chip Horn” Metal Photo

Jeff Lindgren

Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42 Binos

Kevin Gilbert

Kip Slaugh

Bill Tittle

Mike Borel

Jim Stager

Stone Glacier Avail Pack

Robert Wallock

Badlands Backpack

Shad Hulse

Peter Burchfield

Badlands Bino Harness

Alan Hayes

Sandra Fields

Denis Dale

WEATHERBY BIGHORN EDITION

Justin Nichols

AOUDAD HUNT WITH HIGH WEST OUTFITTERS & CRAIG BODDINGTON

Jim Craig – IN

HAT RAFFLE - $2,500 Floor Credits

KUIU – James Higgins

SITKA – Paul Baird

Kryptek – Mark Campbell

Stone Glacier – Scott Hushbeck

Barney’s – Eddy Corona

RAFFLE & GIVEAWAY WINNERS

1 MORE FOR 4

Sponsored by: Bernie Fiedeldey

Carl Black - WY

FLOOR CREDITS

THURSDAY - 5 x $1,000

Alex Russell - MT

Billy Van Ness - CO

T.J. Grantham - YK

Jennifer Derley - NV

Larry Jacobs - OR

FRIDAY - 2 x $2,500

Tim Riesche - CA

Brooke Watson - OR

SATURDAY - 1 x $5,000

Jacob Brandt - CA

50/50 GRAND FINALE - $46,629

Blake Sartini - NV

FRIDAY EVENING RAFFLE

$10,000 Auction Credit

Tim Haught - MT

Early Bird

$2,500 Raffle Ticket Prize #1

Mike Perchett - NV

Early Bird

$2,500 Raffle Ticket Prize #2

Billy Dunbar - AK

Sierra El Alamo Desert Sheep Hunt

Jamie Gonzalez - MX

<1 CLUB HUNT DRAWINGS

1st Raven’s Throat – Brian Flowers - AL

2nd North Curl – Cody Wilkinson - CA

3rd AMMO – Steven Meinders - IA

<1iCLUB HUNT DRAWINGS

1st Pyrenian Chamois - Iberian Hunting Exp.

Ian Finger - CA

2nd Iberian Mouflon - Herederos Hunting

Tristan Richter - MT

3rd Cantabrian Chamois - ATP Hunt

Eric Smith - NV

<1 BUCKET RAFFLES

onX Lifetime Elite Membership

Chance Butler

SITKA Jacket & Pants

Tanner Morgan

Sig Sauer P229 Pistol 9mm

Steve Nelson

MKC Knife

Melanie Weakley

YETI GoBox Set

Benny Martinez

WSF Decanter Set

Jay Smith

Schnee Boots

Curtis Vandenberg

YETI 100L Panga

Pear Clark

PEAX Headlamp and Trekking Poles

Jeep Johnson

$25K Auction/Floor Credit Winner

Art Newcombe

THURSDAY EVENING RAFFLE

$10,000 Auction Credit

Justin Walker - WY

SITKA GEAR PACKAGE

David Lynn - CA

RAM AWARDS

Aoudad Sheep Hunt

Rowdy McBride Hunting Services

Terry Mehlhaff - NV

Weatherby Bighorn Edition .300 Mag.,

Zeiss Optics, Boyt Gun Cases

Julie Chapman - IN

MEMBERSHIP BOOTH

Glock 10mm

Tanner Morgan - NV

SATURDAY

SATURDAY EARLY BIRD

$5,000 RAFFLE TICKET PRIZE

Daniel Gates - NV

$10,000 AUCTION CREDIT

Tim Humes - NV

WOUNDED WARRIOR

LOCKED AND LOADED SAFE

Craig Mueller - ID

Wild Sheep Foundation’s 2024 Awards Luncheon a Success!

The anticipation of seeing some of the biggest wild sheep and goats in the world cumulated with the everpopular Wild Sheep Foundation Ram Awards Luncheon on Thursday during the 2024 Sheep Show®.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 RAM AWARD BELT BUCKLE SPONSORS: CHRIS DIANDA, DYRK EDDIE FAMILY, DARYLL HOSKER, JIM LINES, MIKE OPITZ, STEVE & SUE SKOLD KEVIN & TUESDY SMALL, BOBBY THEIS, WILLIAM “BILL” TITTLE, DAVE & JOANNE TURCHANSKI, SCOTT WIDDIFIELD, LYLE WOOD, AND GARY & PENNY YOUNG

AND OUR 2024 RAM AWARD SPONSORS!

TYLER RIDENOUR – DALL’S SHEEP

The WSF Ram Awards are the most prestigious and best attended awards program in the wild sheep hunting arena –and this year’s festivities were no exception. The new photo plaques were a big hit, and a first-ever “dream ram” yearbook provided a take-home keepsake for all the winners and the 700 spectators in attendance.

Thanks to the tremendous organizational skills of our new awards director Julie Tripp and our on-stage MCs and presenters, Mike Opitz and Alain Smith, this year’s program ran seamlessly and on time. As always, there were some giant sheep and goats that were entered prompting some lively conversation amongst those in the audience.

Sheep Show® is about conservation first and foremost, and our awards presentation echoes those priorities while paying honor and respect to old rams that have successfully contributed their genetics to the advancement of their respective species. Sheep are one of the very few game animals that can be aged before they are killed. The quest for high-scoring rams typically coincides with the quest for an old ram. The harvest and subsequent documentation of older rams provides a baseline that can hopefully be used in sheep research in the future. With more than 40 years of harvest location and score information from the Ram Awards, we continue to build our one-of-a-kind database.

The protocol for entering an award is simple and straight forward. First off, to be eligible a hunter must be a member of the Wild Sheep Foundation prior to their hunt. That alone creates a great opportunity for members of our outfitter community to include a membership to WSF for all their booked hunters who are not current members. A WSF Hunt Report must be submitted which includes hunt information, an official score chart, and a field photograph. North American rams must be measured by an official Boone and Crockett measurer. International sheep and goats are measured under the Safari Club International scoring system which is slightly different from B&C. Full details about submitting an animal to the WSF Awards can be found within the Awards section of our website.

The Ram Awards committee is already at work with plans to make next year’s awards an even bigger and better all-star event and create new awards for guides and outfitters. I can think of no better way to congratulate a friend who draws a coveted sheep tag than buying them a membership to commemorate what is often a once-in-a-lifetime event. In short, it is up to us all to get out and spread the word!

Tony Caligiuri RAM AWARDS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

DALL'S SHEEP RIFLE

↑ GOLD AWARD

KYLE LUCAS

B&C Score: 172 1/8

Alaska 2023

Alaska Trophy Adventures -

Dan Montgomery

Luke Hammond & Casey Johnson

← SILVER AWARD

EDWARD GARDNER

B&C Score: 166 7/8

Alaska 2023

Alaska Trophy AdventuresDan Montgomery

Mike Gray & Hank Frank

← BRONZE AWARD

BEN VAN ALSTINE

B&C Score: 163 1/8

Alaska 2023

Self-guided

ADAM R. BRONSON

B&C Score: 162 4/8

Alaska 2022

Ultima Thule Outfitters | Jay Stanford

BUTCH KUFLAK

B&C Score: 162 3/8

Alaska 2023

Alaska Trophy Adventures

Loren Karro

Rick Parker & Mark Schwartz

TAYLOR RAATS

B&C Score: 160 6/8

Alaska 2022

Alaska Outfitter | Blake Trout

DYLAN FORSYTH

B&C Score: 160 3/8

British Columbia 2023

“It was an 11-day grind! We spotted this ram on Day 1, glassed him again on Day 4, and finally got the opportunity to take a shot on Day 9, which was an 18-hour day, putting us back in camp in the middle of the night. This will go down as one of my most epic hunting memories I have."

— KYLE LUCAS

“I was fortunate to travel and share camp with my father-in-law on this hunt. It was my first sheep hunt and ended up being his hunt for his FNAWS. A flood of emotions came over me when I finally harvested my ram. Relief, gratitude, joy, and immense respect for these animals and the places they call home. We took a single ram off the mountain but the Mackenzie’s gave me so much more.” —TYLER

STONE’S SHEEP ARCHERY

STONE’S

STONE'S SHEEP RIFLE continued...

↑ SILVER AWARD

ROBERT BARRY KING

B&C Score: 162 2/8

British Columbia 2023

Golden Bear Outfitting

Ross Milton

CALIFORNIA BIGHORN ARCHERY

← BRONZE AWARD

DANIEL MASSEY

B&C Score: 160 4/8

British Columbia 2023

Last Frontier Hunting Company

Logan Hodson

“My wife, Michelle, wanted to book me a sheep hunt for my 40th birthday, but since most of the outfitters were booked out for several years, we had our doubts that we would be able to go. Then in April, Logan Hodson called with an opportunity. We found a band of rams two days before the season opener. The large ram we wanted to pursue was always hanging around a heavy double broomer—when we saw one, we'd see the other. But once the season opened, we only get glimpses of the double broomer. However, on my 40th birthday, Logan located him. We made a successful stalk and, I was able to harvest my first Stone's sheep with my bride by my side for support!”

—DANIEL MASSEY

← GOLD AWARD

WILLIAM TITTLE

P&Y Score: 173 1/8

Washington 2022

Bailey & Landrus

Hunting Co.

Wayne Clouse/Garret Gurr

“I hunted the early opener in September, but the temperatures were over 100 degrees. It was a tough week with a couple of missed shots. I waited until the rifle season passed before we found ourselves back on the hunt. The top half of the mountain was covered in fog and snow, so we hunted the bottom half of the mountain. It wasn't long before my guides Wayne and Garrett spotted an old trophy ram chasing ewes. Garrett kept an eye on the ram while Wayne and I made our way up the mountain. The old trophy ram crossed 40 yards in front of us. We both heard the ‘thwack’ and saw the ram stumble. We walked up to the ram with big smiles.”

— BILL TITTLE

DESERT BIGHORN ARCHERY

SILVER AWARD →

ROB LANE P&Y Score: 169 5/8

Sonora 2022

Candaleria Ranch

Martin Leon

BRONZE AWARD → THOMAS GALLEGOS III

P&Y Score: 169 2/8

Nevada 2022

Self-guided

← GOLD AWARD AND ARCHERY AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

RANDY LILJENQUIST

P&Y Score: 176 2/8

Arizona 2021

Guide: Matt Liljenquist

“After 40 years of applying in Arizona, I was able to draw this tag. I told my son Matt that I wanted to take an old ram. We scouted hard but found mostly young rams. Two days before the opening day we were fortunate to find an old ram that I decided to chase. On the tenth day of the hunt, we located our target ram. I put a stalk on him and closed to 20 yards, but he got my wind before I was able to get a shot. After two more days we were able to relocate the ram. Matt gave me hand signals from across the canyon and I crawled into the cliffs above them. I waited patiently for a few hours and was finally able to get a 32-yard shot.”

—RANDY LILJENQUIST

CAITLIN STANTON

P&Y Score: 168

Nevada 2021

Glenn Stevens

THAREN SOROKA

P&Y Score: 155 1/8

Sonora 2022

Alcampo Hunting Adventures

DESERT BIGHORN RIFLE

↑ GOLD AWARD

ROBERT E. MAYS, JR.

B&C Score: 180 3/8

Sonora 2022

Alcampo Hunting Adventures

Jorge Artee

← SILVER AWARD

TAYLOR RAATS

B&C Score: 179 5/8

Sonora 2022

Derick Lopez Outfitters

Derick Lopez

← BRONZE AWARD

CLEVE HOLLOWAY

B&C Score: 179 2/8

Chihuahua 2022

Rancho La Guarida

Jose Vallina

MIKE CARPINITO

B&C Score: 178 7/8

New Mexico 2022

Frontier Outfitting | G.T. Nunn

MARK WAYNE

B&C Score: 174 5/8

New Mexico 2022

US Outfitters

BILLY TRAXLER

B&C Score: 174 1/8

New Mexico 2022

Frontier Outfitting | G.T. Nunn

GRANT SMITH

B&C Score: 174

Sonora 2022

Derick Lopez Outfitters

Derick Lopez

RICK GARZOLI

B&C Score: 173 7/8

Arizona 2023

Dieringer Outfitters

Sam Dieringer, Todd Carver, Wade Eckel, Dave Scott

BRETT JEFFERSON

B&C Score: 170 6/8

Coahuila 2023

La Palmosa | Emilio Espino

ALAN MEANS

B&C Score: 168 6/8

Chihuahua 2022

Rancho La Guarida

Jose Vallina

TIM RUSHING

B&C Score: 168 6/8

Sonora 2023

Timber King Outfitting

Brian Loper

TERRY RATHERT

B&C Score: 167 1/8

Baja California Sur 2023

Mexico Hunts | Gaspar Bautiste

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN ARCHERY

YOUTH AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

SILVER AWARD JEWEL SIMPSON P&Y Score: 167 3/8 Alberta 2022 Chase Simpson

WSF Awards Committee Chair Tony Caligiuri presented Jewel with the Youth Award of Excellence during the Friday Banquet.

GOLD AWARD RICHARD A. (“RICK”) SMITH, JR. P&Y Score: 175 5/8 New Mexico 2023

G.T. Nunn (center) of Frontier Outfitting and Bobby Duran (left) of Taos Pueblo Hunting were on hand to accept Rick's award on his behalf.

This was Rick’s fourteenth ram taken with a bow—all of which made the Pope & Young record book and six are in the B&C record book. He took this 2023 sheep on the first day of the hunt in the first few hours with a 35-yard shot. He noted that it was just as thrilling as his first sheep hunt in 2009.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN RIFLE

RIFLE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Ben Rawls was presented the Rifle Award of Excellence during the Friday Banquet.

← GOLD AWARD | BEN RAWLS

B&C Score: 196 5/8 | Oregon 2023

Sheep Mountain Outfitters

Dan Blankenship, Calvin Halladay, and Scott Coe

“I wanted to complete the North American 29 and FNAWS during the same hunt, so I went after the Oregon state raffle tag… Sheep Mountain Outfitters helped us to complete this milestone. Being able to do it in our own backyard and sharing it with close friends made it that much more meaningful.”

— BEN RAWLS

↑ SILVER AWARD SULTAN

MUHAMMAD V

B&C Score: 195 4/8

Montana 2021

MT Bighorn Outfitters

John Lewton

← BRONZE AWARD

STAN HENDERER

B&C Score: 191 1/8

Montana 2022

John Lewton

MICHAEL J. CARPINITO

B&C Score: 187 7/8

New Mexico 2023

Frontier Outfitting | G.T. Nunn

KEVIN SMALL

B&C Score: 186 6/8

Nebraska 2022

Bailey & Landrus Hunting Co.

Glen Landrus, Bryan Bailey & Hank Flatow

ANTHONY WYATT

B&C Score: 186 2/8

Montana 2022

RYAN SHOWALTER

B&C Score: 184 3/8

Washington 2022

Bailey & Landrus Hunting Co.

Glen Landrus, Bryan Bailey, Hank Flatow & Wayne Clouse

MELANIE SHAW

B&C Score: 184 1/8

New Mexico 2023

One on One Adventures

Bill Lewellen

MICHAEL WIECK

B&C Score: 178

Colorado 2022

Hill Ranch | Mike Powell

MATTHEW FARQUHAR

B&C Score: 176 5/8

Alberta 2022

Self-guided

2024 FNAWS RECOGNITION

The FNAWS recognizes those members who have harvested the four North American Wild Sheep. Completion of a FNAWS is one of the most sought after accomplishments for North American sheep hunters. In 2024, WSF recognized 58 FNAWS recipients. Each was presented a custom plaque and lapel pin with details of their hunts presented to the audience by Mike Opitz, WSF Awards Committee North American Co-chair.

Jeff Demaske TENTH Howard Deters RIFLE

James (Keith) Finstad RIFLE

Scott Albright RIFLE Michael Ambrose RIFLE

SUBMIT YOUR HUNT REPORTS NOW FOR THE 2025 AWARDS! www.wildsheepfoundation.org/awards

Jeff noted that his first sheep hunt was in 1983 on a non-resident tag, which he drew the first year he applied. Jeff completed his FNAWS with a desert sheep hunt he won in a Sheep Show® raffle with Sierra El Campo and the Artee Family. Jeff was one of a handful of hunters who demonstrated great determination by completing their FNAWS over a span of four decades or more.

Ben Rawls RIFLE Brian A. Rimsza COMBINATION

Rick L. Robertson RIFLE

Rick L. Robertson SECOND Jon Roth SECOND Tim Rushing RIFLE

Curt Thompson RIFLE

Garret Uehara RIFLE Dr. Tony Weber RIFLE

Mark Wells RIFLE Kelly Wesner RIFLE

Michael Wieck SECOND

Pat Sewall RIFLE

Grant Smith RIFLE

Bret Wursten RIFLE

Rick M. Young RIFLE

Wild Sheep Foundation Board of Directors Chair Glen Landrus (right) was in attendance to congratulate FNAWS recipients, shown here with WSF Life Member Jeff Morton.

MUSK OX RIFLE

← GOLD AWARD

CHARLES MONSON

SCI Score: 81 5/8

Nunavut 2023

Canada North Outfitting

Kenny Avaala

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT ARCHERY

← GOLD AWARD

FRANK NOSKA IV

SCI Score: 48 2/8

Alaska 2023

Self-guided Noska is pictured above with WSF Award Committee member and SCI representative Steve Skold.

“I attended my first Sheep Show® in 2002 and have attended just about every Sheep Show® since. I have been a Life Member for many years. I love the challenge of bowhunting mountain goats. As you know, they inhabit some of the steepest and toughest terrain. When I harvest a billy with my bow, the feeling of success and accomplishment is extra special. This was my fifteenth Rocky Mountain goat with my bow.”

— FRANK NOSKA IV

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT RIFLE

← GOLD AWARD

ROBERT BARRY KING

SCI Score: 47

British Columbia 2023

Golden Bear Outfitting

Ross Milton

NEW ZEALAND TAHR RIFLE

CHAMOIS ARCHERY

↑ GOLD AWARD | ALLYN LADD

PYRENEAN CHAMOIS

SCI Score: 22 5/8 | Spain 2022

Spain Hunting Ibex | Inigo Folache

← GOLD AWARD

MARCUS GORES

SCI Score: 44 1/8

New Zealand 2023

Awatare Safaris

BRONZE AWARD | THAREN SOROKA →

PYRENEAN CHAMOIS

SCI Score: 15 4/8

France 2023

Africa/Eurasia Wildlife Mng. Con.

Renaud Desgrees Du Lou

↑ SILVER AWARD

JAMES HAMILTON

SCI Score: 43 2/8

New Zealand 2023

Southern Peak Safaris

“I want to say to everyone if you have ever had the dream to chase tahr in New Zealand, don't let anything stop you. Once you get to the mountain tops the whole world opens up to you. Shoot straight and hike harder than anyone else!”

— JAMES HAMILTON

↓ SILVER AWARD | THAREN SOROKA

ALPINE CHAMOIS

SCI Score: 17 2/8 | France 2023

Africa/Eurasia Wildlife Mng. Con. | Renaud Desgrees Du Lou

CHAMOIS RIFLE

URIAL RIFLE

↑ GOLD AWARD

JASON SOULLIERE

AFGHAN URIAL

SCI Score: 124

Pakistan 2022

Inferno Outdoors

Mohammad Shifa

AMMON AMMON

BUKHARA URIAL

SCI Score: 112 1/8

Tajikistan 2023

Shohin M | Muhammed Mirzoaliev

← GOLD AWARD

JASON SOULLIERE

CHARTREUSE

CHAMOIS

SCI Score: 28 2/8

France 2021

Inferno Outdoors

Vincent Willems

↑ SILVER AWARD

CASEY JOHNSON

ALPINE CHAMOIS

SCI Score: 27 1/8

France 2023

Teicher Outfitting

Charly Doguet

↓ SILVER AWARD | LARRY B. HIGGINS

BUKHARA URIAL

SCI Score: 123 | Tajikistan 2022

Ostbye’s Hunting Tour | Ansten Ostbye

↑ BRONZE AWARD | JASON SOULLIERE

PUNJAB URIAL

SCI Score: 124 3/8 | Pakistan 2022

Inferno Outdoors | Mohammad Shifa

RED SHEEP RIFLE MOUFLON RIFLE

MARKHOR RIFLE

←

GOLD AWARD

ALAN W. MAKI

SCI Score: 126 1/8

Texas 2023

McBride Hunting Co.

Rowdy McBride

GOLD AWARD →

LARRY B. HIGGINS

TYRRHENIAN

MOUFLON

SCI Score: 74 4/8

France 2022

Club Faune | Jean Bernon

GOLD AWARD

←

AMMON AMMON

BUKHARA MARKHOR

SCI Score: 127 7/8

Tajikistan 2023

Safari Dashtijum

Shirali

KUBGOLD AWARD →

MARCUS GORES

KUBAN TUR

SCI Score: 149 1/8

Russia 2023

Profihunt

Alexander Petrushenko

TUR RIFLE

“This was a really neat experience getting to travel back to Russia for hunting as opposed to tourism. Alex was a great guide and ProfiHunt is an outstanding outfitter. This isn't your normal mountain hunt as your elevation gain is quick and steep. I would suggest folks go on this hunt before it's too late and their body can't take them where the tur are!”

— MARCUS

GORES

WILD GOAT ARCHERY

←

GOLD AWARD | TOM FOSS

BEZOAR IBEX

SCI Score: 108 1/8

Turkey 2022

Wild Hunting in Turkey and Asia | Temir Ekenler

WILD GOAT FIREARM

↑ BRONZE AWARD

MIKE J. BOREL

KRI KRI IBEX

SCI Score: 78 2/8

Greece 2021

Greek Mountain Hunting

← GOLD AWARD

STEVE SKOLD

SINDH IBEX

SCI Score: 107 5/8

Pakistan 2023

Zoon Safari Ali Shah

“This animal was in a group that had obviously played the game before. As they came by on a run the instructions to ‘shoot the one by that rock’ didn't mean much as there were fifty rocks out there! I think I got the one they wanted me to but then they said that there was a bigger one out there. Next time!”

— STEVE SKOLD

← SILVER AWARD

ROGER A. KENNER

BEZOAR IBEX

SCI Score: 112

Turkey 2022

Shikar Safaris

←

SINDH IBEX

SCI Score: 106 2/8

Pakistan 2022

Inferno Outdoors

JASON SOULLIERE

| Mohammad Shifa

Roger (center) is pictured here with guide Ali Gun Benadam (left) and WSF President & CEO Gray Thornton.

Paulo Skalidis Mountain Monarch Award recipients Steve Skold (left) and Jason Soulliere (right) who were both recognized for their Sindh Ibex at the 2024 Awards Luncheon.

IBEX ARCHERY

GOLD AWARD →

BEN SALLERAS

MID-ASIAN IBEX

SCI Score: 101 4/8

Kyrgyzstan 2022

Guide: Ruslan Miyaev

“Hunting Mid-Asian ibex with the bow is an extraordinarily difficult undertaking. I first went to Kyrgyzstan in 2019, and while I had the privilege of watching one of my best friends stalk and shoot a great ibex, I didn't have any luck.

I couldn't wait to get back—Kyrgyzstan had stolen my heart. It wasn't until October 2022 I was able to return. After hunting hard for five days and witnessing some friends take beautiful rams and billies with rifles, I hadn't come close to getting within archery range. My outfitter and guide, Ruslan, proposed the idea of trying a different area where he believed the terrain might be more conducive to hunting with the bow.

SILVER AWARD

WILLIAM TITTLE

GREDOS IBEX

SCI Score: 83 3/8

On the first day in the new area, I couldn't comprehend the number of animals we were seeing. After two failed attempts in the morning, I managed to get into position for a perfect stalking opportunity just after lunch. I was able to approach to 72 meters, and took a steep downhill shot, landing my arrow almost perfectly. It was a surreal feeling walking up to my mature Mid-Asian ibex! This was definitely one of the most special moments of my hunting life so far.”

— BEN SALLERAS

←

WILLIAM TITTLE

SOUTH EASTERN IBEX

SCI Score: 75 2/8

Spain 2021

Giuseppe Carrizosa Spain

Spain 2021

Giuseppe Carrizosa Spain

BRONZE AWARD

WILLIAM TITTLE

BECEITE IBEX

SCI Score: 76 6/8

Spain 2022

Giuseppe Carrizosa Spain

“I had one ibex left to complete the four Spanish ibex and that was a Beceite ibex. On December 6, 2022, in the heat of the rut, I arrived in Spain. Guiseppe Carrizosa met me at the airport and we drove to an area near the village of Villarluengo.

Late that afternoon we put a stalk on a tremendous Beceite. Unfortunately there were too many other eyes and noses from surrounding ibex. He was gone long before we could get in bow range.

The next morning, Guiseppe, with the local guide, spotted another large Beceite in a perfect spot. We approached the ibex from above to 17 yards, hidden by large stones on the landscape. I drew back, moved from behind the stones, and let the arrow fly. The ibex never knew we were there.” —

BILL TITTLE

IBEX RIFLE

← SILVER AWARD

CHRIS DIANDA

ALPINE IBEX

SCI Score: 119 6/8

Austria 2022

Great European Hunts

Ignacio Navasores

← GOLD AWARD

MIKE J. BOREL

NUBIAN IBEX

SCI Score: 87 2/8

Sudan 2022

Kush Safaris Abdelrahman Osman

“Abdelrahman had excellent equipment, knowledge of the areas, and most importantly, relationships with the tribes in each area. We hunted a different mountain every day. I got my billy the morning of my fourth day at 275 yards. This is my fourteenth specie of ibex.”

— MIKE BOREL

JOHN MONCRIEF

GREDOS IBEX

SCI Score: 81 7/8

Spain 2022

Nacho Arias Spanish Hunt

Nacho R. Arias

← BRONZE AWARD

ALAN W. MAKI

ALPINE IBEX

SCI Score: 90 5/8

Austria 2022

Caprinae

Martin Scheuchel

Julie Chapman was the winner of the Weatherby Bighorn Edition rifle package including a pair of Zeiss 10x40 SFL binoculars and two Boyt Harness gun cases.

ARGALI RIFLE

GOLD AWARD →

JAMES LINES

SEVERTZOV ARGALI

SCI Score: 143 1/8

Uzbekistan 2022

Wild Hunting in Turkey and Asia

Kursat Ekenler

“The hunt was wild! We got into the area where we were hunting after some hiking and climbed up the side of the mountain. From there, we were glassing the other side of the mountain across the valley. Suddenly, this sheep climbed up the same side of the mountain that we were on. It was a scramble, but I shot the sheep as he was running at about 200 yards using my guide Kursat's shoulder as a rest.”

— JIM LINES

← SILVER AWARD

JASON SOULLIERE

TIAN SHAN ARGALI

SCI Score: 197 7/8

Istanbul 2021

Inferno Outdoors

Max Vorobiev

BRONZE AWARD →

LARRY B. HIGGINS

PAMIR ARGALI

SCI Score: 188 7/8

Tajikistan 2022

Ostbye’s Hunting Tours

Ansten Ostbye

“This is one of those hunts where you get lucky and unlucky at the same time. We spotted a very nice argali after looking at numerous rams. There was no way to close the distance with the open country, so I would take a 700-yard shot. Normally not a problem—I got the information from my G7 and set my turrets. Boom… I watched through my scope as dirt flew over the ram’s back! What the heck? I reloaded as the ram ran toward us. I quickly adjusted my turret and dropped him.

Unfortunately, my guides hadn't hobbled the horses. As we celebrated, all the horses ran back to our camp...10 miles away! The best part was my backpack with my passport, cell phone, GoPro, cash and everything else a person may hold dear on a hunt like this, was attached to the saddle. For two days we scoured the path of those horses to find anything we could. Fortunately, I found my phone and passport plus most of my cash, but the drone and GoPro were destroyed.

Why the missed shot? The culprit—which is usually me—was a G7 profile for another rifle that had been loaded. Expensive lesson to learn. Something you should check each time you leave camp!”

— JASON SOULLIERE

SCAN TO SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE AWARDS LUNCHEON

The Conklin foundation board is pleased to announce the 2024 winner of the Conklin award. Eduardo Negrete, is the 22nd winner of the “Tough Man” award, named after the late Dr. James Conklin, a Weatherby award winner, who liked to pursue difficult animals throughout the world.

Eduardo, began his big game hunting in 2001 at the age of 33. Since then he has been on over 170 hunts throughout the world taking over 580 animals including 237 Conklin animals. This includes taking 65 sheep and 58 goats.

Eduardo has been married for 28 years to Julia and has a son and a daughter. He lives in Mexico City and has a commercial real estate company.

sponsored by:

2024 Conklin Award Winner

Eduardo Negrete

The Conklin Foundation would like to gratefully acknowledge and thank the following businesses and individuals for their generous donations.

The support of donors makes it possible for the Conklin Foundation to continue its efforts to educate youth about hunting.

Go with Bo

Giuseppe Carrisosa

Iberian Hunters

Laser Shot

Brilliant Stars

Point Blank Hunts

Finstincts

Hunt Conexion Mexico

Champion Ranch

Spanish Mountain Hunts

Baranof Jewelers

Vidale Safaris

MJ Miller & Company

Legelela Safaris

Salvaforcaza

Renaud Desgrees du Lou

Fernando Saiz Spain

Caprinae Safaris of Turkey

Canada North Outfitting

Deron and Suzie Millman

Alan and Barbara Sackman

Renee Snider

Rex Baker

Great Mouflon Rams in Hungary. 40 incher

Hunt 4 di erent Chamois species around Hungary

We organize the biggest Wild Boar & Pheasant driven hunts in Hungary

Enjoy bagging large quantities & go after the very best Roe Bucks

Very special Alpine Ibex in Austria

Outstanding European Red Stags in Hungary

Hunt first class Fallow Buck trophies. Hungary o ers the World largest Fallow Buck population.

Women’s Geo Mountain T-Shirt $22

WSF Half Ram YETI Cocktail Shaker 20oz $60

Bighorn Sheep Plush Toy

$12

Ram Skull Hat

$25

WSF Leather Wrapped Copper Flask $65

Sheep Camp T-shirt $25

PUTTING AND KEEPING WILD SHEEP ON THE MOUNTAIN®

Your purchases not only show your support wild sheep conservation, the proceeds actually help WSF enhance wild sheep populations, promote scientific wildlife management, educate the public and youth on sustainable use and the conservation benefits of hunting while promoting the interests of the hunter.

Visit the Sheep Store at www.wildsheepfoundation.org or scan →

SHEEP SHORTS

by Thomas Kelly

A DALL’S SHEEP HUNT POEM

With every step, a challenge embraced

Ascending mountain peaks at a brisk pace

The toil, the struggle, a test of will For in hardship’s grip, my spirit is filled

Amidst the crags, where sheep I seek

A sight for sore eyes awaits on yonder peak

That of a full curl, majestic and grand

A symbol of resilience, in an untamed land

Its horns, curved and weathered with age

Telling tales of survival on this wild stage

In its gaze, wisdom and strength embrace

A symbol of beauty in nature’s showcase

I pause in awe, my heart beats increase

As the wilderness whispers its secrets of mountain peace

For in these moments, I truly understand

The love for nature, the guiding hand.

So, let me roam, in mountains steep

Embracing challenges, both tough and deep

For the joy of wilderness, I hold dear

In every moment, chasing sheep

Photo: Duncan Gilcrest

ADVENTURE PROFILES

Russell Bolton

SPECIES: Stone’s Sheep

Brady Jardine

SPECIES: Bighorn Sheep

OUTFITTER: Scoop Lake Outfitters

GUIDE: Nick Fabish and Will Pinckney

EDITOR’S NOTE: In the fall issue of Wild Sheep®, this hunt report was stated as “self-guided,” WSF would like to apologize for the oversight and re-run this for Russell Bolton and Scoop Lake Outfitters...

After two days of pre-season scouting through smoke and haze from the fires, we awoke to a foggy opening day where we were busted by a band of rams with a mature, lighter-colored ram, and then a second day of steady rain. I was fortunate to take this beautiful dark Stone’s ram on the third day of the 2023 season, my fifth day in sheep country. We stepped out of the tent at 4:30 a.m., and for the first time, could clearly see distant peaks in every direction. As we hiked up, we spotted sheep feeding in every direction. We had just reached a saddle that would take us around the side of a mountain with several bowls on the back side. As we glassed the first bowl, we saw this ram with a ewe and two younger rams. They were over 500 yards away, but luckily, they fed right to us, and I was able to take him at 120 yards as he stepped onto a bluff just below us. Taking this Stone’s ram was easily the highlight of my hunting career, and taking it with the .270 my dad gave me in 1996 for Christmas (three years before he passed away) put an exclamation point on how special this hunt was, and this ram is to me. WS

HUNTING PARTNER: Jason Nutini

LOCATION: British Columbia

My final leg to finish up my FNAWS was nothing short of spectacular. I decided that I wanted to hunt my bighorn in a true “wild north experience.” Through a couple of great friends, I was introduced to Jason Nutini in southern BC. After talking with him several times, I felt that he would be able to provide the experience I was looking for to pursue my bighorn. Jason followed through on every commitment. We hunted some of the nastiest mountains I have ever hunted in. Huge rocky cliff faces, mountain glaciers and big views were part of the daily experience. We looked over more than 30 rams. On our fourth day we found a group of six rams, one of which was exceptional for the area. We climbed down through the cliffs to close the distance to 460 yards. After watching the bedded rams for over four hours waiting for them to stand for a shot, a coyote decided to put a stalk on them on his own. He proceeded to sneak on the bedded rams and then attempted to jump on the back of one of the smaller rams! All the rams jumped and ran down the valley another 100 yards. We knew this would be our only chance before the rams left the valley for a new hideout. I dialed my rifle and made one perfect shot to put down the ram of my dreams and my final of the four to finish my FNAWS! With 16-inch bases and awesome mass, he was everything I had hoped for! WS

Ryan Showalter

SPECIES: Bighorn Sheep

OUTFITTER: Bailey & Landrus Hunting Co.

LOCATION: Washington

On this trip, I realized and experienced a 30-plus-year dream. There were three clear highlights: 1) Spending days observing lots of bighorns in beautiful, southeastern Washington; 2) Sharing time in the field and in the evenings with true gentlemen who happily shared stories and information about sheep biology and conservation, the Wild Sheep Foundation’s role and successes in sheep conservation, and hunting sheep and other big game throughout the US, Canada and Asia; and 3) Spending an afternoon at the Jack O’Connor Hunting & Heritage Education Center, learning about a writer who played a prominent role in igniting my passion for hunting and seeing some of his trophies, rifles, and other belongings.

Those aspects, alone, would have made this a trip-of-a-lifetime for me. Harvesting my first sheep, a Boone and Crockett ram, was an incredible capstone. I owe a great deal to WSF for the sheep population and the Washington raffle tag that made this trip possible – and am now a life member of WSF and the Washington, Eastern and Yukon chapters. WS

Randy Martin

SPECIES: California Bighorn Sheep

OUTFITTER: Self-guided

LOCATION: Utah

My good friend, Dave Heft (at left in photo), and I had a standing agreement – whoever first drew a bighorn tag, the other would come along and help out on the hunt. After way too many decades, I came out on top, specifically for the California subspecies in Utah’s Newfoundland Mountains. After three scouting trips throughout the summer and three days of scouring the mountains with Dave during the latter half of the hunt, we had a group of six rams chasing a hot ewe at 300 yards. But before the happy ending, I have to confess to actually shooting over the back of same ram at roughly the same distance. Wisely, we took some time that evening and re-zeroed my trusty .30-06, and the next morning we fortunately had another opportunity. This time, when the older ram briefly separated himself from the chase, the shot went where it was supposed to. I am now officially eligible for WSF’s One-More-For-Four drawing. WS

Ben Salleras

SPECIES: Tian Shan Ibex

OUTFITTER: Ruslan Miyaev

LOCATION: Kyrgyzstan

I finally managed to stalk a billy to a distance of 72 meters and made a great shot with my bow!” WS

James Hamilton

SPECIES: New Zealand Chamois & Tahr

OUTFITTER: Southern Peak Safaris

GUIDE: Sam Radovonich

LOCATION: New Zealand

James Hamilton (WSF Life Member) was hunting with Southern Peak Safaris on South Island, New Zealand when he harvested a great chamois and a stunning tahr. “I saw this big bull from across the canyon and decided to make a play on him and was able to connect with a great trophy.” He also noted one of the highlights was, “…hunting with two great guys and making a friendship that will last a lifetime.” WS

Justin Shaffer

SPECIES: Stone’s Sheep

OUTFITTER: Spatsizi River Outfitters

GUIDE: Shawn Gilson

LOCATION: British Columbia

This was a great trip with a phenomenal outfitter. I consider it a trip-of-a-lifetime. This ram completed my FNAWS. WS

Michael Sherman

SPECIES: California Bighorn Sheep

OUTFITTER: Self-guided

LOCATION: Nevada

I drew one of four non-resident tags for a California bighorn for Nevada’s 2023 season. I hunted 15 days and it was initially very difficult to find sheep. This unit is primarily a wilderness area, so access is limited. I ended up finding a nice ram and harvested him in early October. WS

George McGhee

SPECIES: Dall’s Sheep

OUTFITTER: Self-Guided

LOCATION: British Columbia

My buddy and I were fortunate enough to draw a coveted LEH tag for Dall’s sheep. We had one of those early season hunts with excessive heat, many sheepless days, grizzlies, and bugs, but both came out with absolutely nextlevel rams. The pain and suffering is worth it! WS

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Mike Borel

SPECIES: Desert Bighorn

OUTFITTER: Jose Vallina, La Guarida Ranch

LOCATION: Tinaja Verde Mountains, Chihuahua

I was met at the airport by Jose and Esparanza Vallina. We arrived at the lodge right at dark. It is remote and beautiful. On the first two days of the hunt we saw so many rams that I lost count. We also saw several of the water catchments built to support the bighorns. On the third day we rode to a different area. Around 10 a.m. we spotted a ram with two ewes about 1,200 yards away across the canyon. They fed along the top and eventually went over. We decided to pursue. Our plan was to ride as far as possible, then climb to the top and hopefully find the ram in range.

Well, as plans go, when we were within 30 minutes of where we planned to be, they came back over the top. We bailed off our horses and climbed to a viewing spot. The ram and ewes were across a small canyon at 247 yards. I was able to set up on a large rock. The shot felt perfect, but the ram turned and moved a few yards. I shot again and down he went. My first shot hit the ram in the lower jaw! I am still trying to figure out how this happened. Based on entry and exit I believe the ram was swinging his head to scratch and itch while I was squeezing. The ram was heavy horned and looked old and depleted. His spine showed prominently. After pictures, I witnessed one of the best skinning jobs I’ve had the pleasure to see.

Thanks to Jose Vallina, Esperanza Vallina, Jorge Monge, Jesus, Juan, Antonio, Nikko and Rojo (my horse). The experience was superb – great hunting and lodging, incredible food and socializing, expert skinning, caping and preparation of the trophy. WS

Ron Frugoli

SPECIES: Desert Bighorn

GUIDES: Self-Guided

LOCATION: Muddy Mountains, Nevada

This was a hunt that I had waited 41 years for and finally drew my tag at 67 years of age. I was unable to find anyone that was willing to hunt with me – like most sheep hunters we all get old – so I trained and hunted alone.

I was very fortunate to find and harvest this mature nine-year-old ram two miles from my UTV. I managed to do complete life-size cape on a very nasty cliff face. I packed the head and cape out and made it to my ride just as it got dark. The following day I hiked back in for the meat that I had bagged the day before. WS

Darryl Williams

SPECIES: Desert Bighorn

OUTFITTER: La Palmosa

GUIDES: Juan & Enrique

LOCATION: Coahuila, Mexico

What a fantastic place! La Palmosa is simply magical. We saw over 50 sheep in two days of hunting. We also saw numerous mule deer and elk. Huge thanks to Emilio Rangel, Emilio Espino and Rafael Villarreal for making our stay at La Palmosa a fantastic memory we’ll never forget. WS

Sean Whipple

SPECIES: Stone’s Sheep

OUTFITTER: Terminus Mountain Outfitters

GUIDE: Clayton Cairns

LOCATION: British Columbia

I had an amazing stone sheep hunt with Terminus Mountain Outfitters. The guides/wranglers were top notch and I truly appreciate them putting up with me down to the wire! The result was a nineyear-old ram that I will never forget, in some of the most beautiful country I have ever had the opportunity to witness. I have confirmed that horses and I still don’t enjoy each other’s company much, but we put on lots of miles and saw lots of sheep, and even got close to a few goats.

I even had the opportunity to share a plane ride with a couple of my hunting idols! It was a great hunt with a great group of folks. One more for four! WS

Daniel Sanders

SPECIES: Altai Ibex

OUTFITTER: Mongolia Hunts

LOCATION: Mongolia

WSF Summit Life Member Daniel Sanders had an incredible adventure hunting in Mongolia in the fall of 2023, where he harvested this Altai ibex. WS

www.wildhuntingoutfitters.com

• info@wildhuntingagency.com

•

@wildhuntinginturkeyasia

HUNT THE BEST OF MONGOLIA WITH EKENLER BROTHERS

The following <1 Club® or <1iClub® members have LOST their membership status by taking their first wild sheep rams! Congratulations!

$25entry (includesT-shirt)MUSTjoinorbeacurrent member of WSF & win your FIRST sheep hunt!

sign up to win your FIRST sheep hunt!

$25entry (includes T-shirt) MUST join or be a current member of WSF & NEVER

$25entry (includes T-shirt)

sheep hunt will be given to two <1 Club members

Daniel Massey

Stone’s/BC

After days of heavy smoke and constant thunderstorms, the target ram was spotted the day before the season opener. Then, after several long days of chasing the band of rams he was with, Massey harvested his 40-inch Stone’s on the morning of his 40th birthday, with his wife by his side. The best birthday yet! WS

Happy Birthday Daniel, but you are Kicked Out!

Rob Lane Desert/Mexico

November 26, 2022, is a day that I will never forget. I was blessed to be able to hunt with Martin Leon on his Candelaria Ranch in Sonora, Mexico. I have always wanted to take a desert bighorn, and the day after Thanksgiving I was on my way to Mexico.

I arrived at the ranch late in the day, got settled in, and had a wonderful dinner. Sleep did not come easy that night as I knew would be chasing rams the next day. Before dawn, we had a nice breakfast and as the sun was just starting to climb over the horizon, I was able to take a few practice shots to make sure my bow had made the trip unscathed.

Once I knew my bow was dialed in, we headed out to look for rams. It did not take long, and we saw a couple ewes and lambs, followed by a young ram. By mid-morning things slowed down, but at noon, we found a band of sheep and they were headed our way. Before long, my ram was standing broadside at 18 yards and the arrow was on its way. My ram made it about 50 yards and tipped over. As I stood there taking in what had happened, I could not help but think that I was just kicked out of the <1 Club® and had taken such a magnificent ram. My ram was later measured at 169 5/8 points, which made him not only qualify for Pope and Young but also for the Boone and Crockett Club! WS

You are Kicked Out in style Rob!

JJ Adams

Dall’s/NWT

Having been in the industry for 14 years as a guide and cameraman, I spent another 15 years working “real jobs” and saving up for my first sheep hunt.

For this hunt, I drove 30 hours to Fort Simpson, NWT to hunt with South Nahanni Outfitters and guide Brent Sinclair. The weather was warmer than usual and one of the two roads to Fort Simpson was closed due to wildland fires.

The hunt was very well organized and we quickly took a 13-year-old ram. When Brent asked what I’d like to do next, I asked if we could keep sheep hunting and maybe go help another hunter? A couple days later, we got word that one of the other guides had an injured knee and we were able to do just that – help another hunter complete his second FNAWS at 72 years old. It was a great trip and I look forward to finding my way north again soon. WS

Way to help a brother JJ, but you are Kicked Out!

Nathan Hirtle

Rocky Mountain Bighorn/Montana

After tagging along on a sheep hunt in British Columbia with a very good friend, I was bit by the sheep bug, and hunting sheep quickly became a dream. The odds of drawing a sheep tag are so low that I had to find another way. The Montana Unlimited Units are where I filled the tag with great ram. After hunting one unit for two years, I decided to switch to a different unit in 2023 and learn some new country. Two days before season, I found this ram, I watched him until opening morning. At 11am opening morning he presented a shot at 450 yards, and…ram down! I would like to thank two very admirable fellow hunters for their help and generosity in taking this ram. I have never met as many excellent sportsmen in the field as I have while being in the Unlimited Units hunting sheep. Sheep hunters are truly one of a kind! WS

Nathan, you are now unlimited to continue hunting sheep because you have been Kicked Out!

A once-in-a-lifetime experience with Raven’s Throat Outfitters in the Mackenzie Mountains. Griz and Ginger Turner are top notch in every category, as well as their whole crew! This was the best experience Colby and I could ever have hoped for...and all was possible because we drew the lucky ticket from Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation’s sheep drawing. We purchased the winning ticket in Reno, NV at the Sheep Show® . Thank you for the Most amazing experience of my life. WS

Way to go Debbie, you are Kicked Out!

Debbie Stemmerman

Dall’s/NWT

sign up to win your FIRST sheep hunt!

$25entry (includes T-shirt)

MUST join or be a current member of WSF & NEVER harvested a wild Ram

$25entry (includesT-shirt)MUSTjoinorbeacurrent member of WSF &NEVER harvested a wild Ram

sheep hunt will be given to two <1 Club members

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Bryce Kelly

Stone’s/BC

Over 300km hiked in three years equals one Stone’s sheep harvested. I think that’s probably average. Conventional wisdom states that the first ram harvested is born the year of your first hunt. In my case, I was fortunate to hunt with very experienced partners and I think that helped reduce my time frame to three years. I found out quickly these guys are seriously conditioned, and I trained hard so I could keep up for the duration of our extended backpack hunts. This hunt was cut short by virtue of finding rams early and climbing to a great position for a good clean shot only three days in. Three hours of caping and de-boning on a scree slope and I was headed back to camp with my first ram. Even better, my hunting partner managed to fill his tag the next day. We each had the distinct pleasure of packing up our own rams and after only 90 km of hiking, including over 130 creek crossings and four pants-off river crossings, we came out heavy. As with all addicted sheep hunters, we briefly acknowledged how much wet boots and heavy packs suck – and started planning next year’s hunt. WS

Great job Bryce, but you are Kicked Out!

Shad Hulse

Stone’s/BC

It happened on day 9 of 14 of the adventure-of-alifetime. The day before the opener we were fogged in, so on opening day we were able to fly out that afternoon to base camp just in time to get the horses packed and head to spike camp. It seemed to rain everyday, but my spirit was high knowing that everything is what you make it. We saw sheep every day except for one. The wilderness is very unforgiving and having the mental toughness means more than anything to be successful at the end of the adventure. I was ready to just enjoy what I had seen when it all came together on a very exceptional hunt with Kinaskan Lake Outfitters. WS

Enjoy being Kicked Out as well Shad!

LAST SHEEP CAMP

Sue Steffy

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Sue Steffy, a beloved wife and mother, who peacefully left this earth on February 28, 2024, at the age of 65. Born on April 21,

1958, Sue graced the world with her warmth, kindness, and unwavering love for her family. She leaves behind her devoted husband, Scott, and their cherished children: Shelby J. S. Buckwalter (Shawn) and three granddaughters of Lititz and Sean M. Steffy (fiancée Sarah Stewart) of Altoona. She is also survived by her mother Fannie (Sharp) Frey, of Lititz and her brother Kris Frey (Annette) of Ronks.

Sue found purpose in her community as an active member of Calvary Church. An advocate of the arts, Sue’s spirit soared on the stage, a beacon of creativity and passion that illuminated every production she graced. Sue was deeply involved in various community organizations and activities, demonstrating her commitment to serving others and making a difference. Her contributions included: Performing on stage at Servant Stage, Promise Players, St. James Players, Lebanon Valley Community Theatre, and

The Fulton Opera House. Creative contributions to The Eastern Chapter Wild Sheep Foundation, Masthof Press Mennonite Heritage Tours, and Calvary Church Choir, where she shared her many musical talents.

Most of all Sue enjoyed spending time with Family. She cherished her loved ones, particularly her granddaughters, and nurtured very strong family bonds. She and Scott enjoyed traveling to explore new destinations and creating lasting memories together.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Servant Stage, a cherished organization close to Sue’s heart, at 201 West Main Street, Strasburg, PA 17579.

A Public Visitation will be held from 2-5 p.m. with Private Celebration of Life to follow on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Calvary Church, 1051 Landis Valley Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. WS

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Gene Holloway

Marvel Eugene (Gene) Holloway passed away peacefully December 16, 2023, doing something he loved to do.,Traveling...on his annual trip to

the NFR in Las Vegas.

Gene was born January 19, 1935, in Haslet, Texas to Ed and Eva Holloway. Gene lived in several Texas towns while growing up, but mostly in Saginaw, Texas, where he met and married Patricia Lemons. He attended North Side High School and graduated in 1953, going straight into the Army. During high school he learned many trades, one of which was welding. Immediately after being discharged from the Army, he went to work for Gorbett Brothers Tank Manufacturing as a welder. He worked his way up to foreman, becoming friends with Cleon Gorbett. Under his mentorship, Gene and Pat stepped out in faith and started Holloway Crane Service in 1971. In just a few years, that grew and expanded into Tanks

and Structural Rolling known as Holloway Co., Inc.

Gene and Pat shared a deep love for family, hunting, conservation, and traveling the world. They made friends everywhere they went, which led to many wonderful adventures. Gene’s generosity wasn’t widely known because he believed in anonymity when helping others. In later years, he helped establish the Texas Bighorn Society from the ground up. He remained active in the organization until his death. He and Pat were instrumental in getting ambulance service started in San Carlos, Mexico; which is now an emergency clinic named after Pat. For several years Gene and Pat sponsored the Wounded Warrior Fishing Tournament. These were just a few of his favorite charities. WS

Dixie Day Yeats

May 5, 1939 - Dec. 17, 2023

The hunting and conservation community, those involved in educating youth in the joys of the great outdoors and field sports, and especially those youth who benefited from her leadership, lost a giant with the passing of Dixie Day Yeatts in December 2023.

Dixie was born in Eastland, Texas and epitomized the pull-up-your-boots, can-do, and get-it-done Texas ethic, as well as exemplifying the class and grace of a lady from the Lone Star State. Loved by all whom she befriended, respected by those she led, Dixie poured her heart and soul into her life

Charles Stricker

Charles was born in Prosperity, AB on August 8, 1937 to Charles and LaVerne Stricker. He passed away after a long adventurous life on December 18, 2023 in Princeton, BC.

Charles was a sharp and successful businessman with a passion for the outdoors and making money. He was

and those she cared about.

After graduating from Texas Christian University with a degree in education Dixie started a career in elementary school education where she developed her often noted quip of “I taught sixth graders for over 30 years –nothing scares me.”

Dixie wed her soulmate William Yeatts in April of 1965, and together they enjoyed a life of adventure and travel, including wing shooting and deer hunting in their home state, as well as several safaris to Africa. Dixie loved to teach, to travel, to hunt, to fish, and to drive fast cars including her beloved 911 Porsche.

When Bill passed in 1997, Dixie not only lost her husband but some of her purpose as well. Her passion and purpose were reignited through volunteering for Dallas Safari Club, and soon, leading the fledgling youth education program that would become a giant and impact young lives nationwide.

Characteristically, Dixie poured herself into her volunteer work, most especially planning, executing, and developing the annual Shooting

as determined as a person can get and was always the pioneer of his own path and ventures. He worked hard and played just as hard. He grew up in Athabasca, AB on the family homestead. He moved to Edmonton as a young man, where he worked as a street photographer and steam engineer, but it didn’t take long for him to follow his dreams and entrepreneurial spirit to build his outfitting business and a lifelong career. He started in Alberta, and eventually moved into the Yukon, British Columbia, then back to Northern Alberta before he finally retired in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. He lived the life he wanted, he was bold and brave and can be described as “True Grit” to many. He shared many of stories and sang made-up songs around countless campfires that will not be forgotten.

If you and Charlie had ever crossed

Archery Field Excellency Trails for Youth or S.A.F.E.T.Y. Extravaganza. This became a favored event not only for “her kiddos”, the thousands of young men and women who were participants, but to the hundreds of volunteers who gave of their time, talent, and treasure to teach them.

A masterful judge of character and honesty, I considered Dixie the gatekeeper of DSC’s values and noted that DSC was in good hands with her in that position during my farewell address during their 2008 convention. She was my guiding conscience for my eleven years of service to that fine organization.

While Dixie was not a volunteer for WSF due to the distance between Texas and Wyoming/Montana, she remained an inspiration and a confidant when I needed counsel, a gut check, and an advisor on our youth programs. As such, she is and was very much a part of the WSF family.

You were loved Dixie and will be missed. WS

– Gray N. Thornton

paths it was typically a time that you would remember. He was a colourful character who lived and enjoyed life with reckless abandon on most occasions. He has likely cheated death more times than we can count, though honestly he would not have lived any other way. He will be missed. Should you have a campfire story you would like to share, please send it to the email included below.

As per his request, a service to celebrate his life will be held during the summer of 2024 near Peace River, AB. Should you wish to be on the mailing list for further details, please email us at topguide100@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to either the Heart and Stroke Foundation at https://www. heartandstroke.ca/donations or to Willmore Wilderness Foundation at https://willmorewilderness.com/ donations/donate/ WS

Patricia Shawver

Patricia Somers Evans Shawver departed this life peacefully on December 2, 2023. She was born into two, legacy West Phoenix farming families on December 19, 1928, the daughter of John Henry Evans and Bertina Brooks Evans.

In July 1947, she married W.N. “Jack” Shawver. The couple made their home in Glendale and were the parents of two daughters, Brenda and Karen. Following Jack’s death in 1982, Pat became president of

Over 40 years of Arctic experience.

Sunora Development Co. along with other real estate interests.

In addition to her loving devotion to her family, Pat was a gracious hostess and a fabulous cook known for her homemade pies, fried chicken, and holiday fare. Pat enjoyed reading, exercising, and spending time at the family cabin in Oak Creek Canyon and in Montana. Her love of travel took her to all the world’s continents except Antarctica.

The family extends grateful thanks to caregivers Andrew, Crystal, Ellie, Maria, Mary, Michele, and Veronica of Seniors Helping Seniors.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by West Resthaven Funeral Home, 6450 West Northern Avenue, Glendale. Services were held on December 18, 2023: visitation – 9:00 a.m., funeral – 10:00 a.m., and a reception followed. Graveside service was private. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Pat’s memory can be made to Hospice of the Valley, hov.org/donate, or to a charity of your choice. WS

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ON THE ADVENTURE TRAIL

by Ken Nowicki

A FEW GOOD MEN

You can’t handle the truth*

*Jack NicholsoN

he truth is,” said Lead-On Highfee, “You can’t trust what people tell you.”

“Nope, boy, and you can’t believe what you read, neither,” exclaimed Packtrain MacNamee.

“Nor see,” said Lead-On. And Packtrain nodded and followed with, “Nor see.” Was it an echo?

I was puzzled. I had just asked my old outfitter pals if they knew where Doctor Morley Skybucks shot his ram last fall. Skybucks bought nearly all the tickets on the lottery tag. That pretty much guaranteed he would win. (I felt pretty small after finding out the odds I had with my little ten-dollar donation). The doctor had plastered his pictures on Faceplace and Tweetler mugging his big ram. He also entered it into the Bones and Best Awards Book as “self-guided” when we all knew he hired a bunch of spotters and guides.

“Look lad, you put hunter on the stand and depose him. He won’t tell you the truth.”

“No-sir,” said Packtrain. “You could repose hunter and clamp on the alligator clips and flip the switch. He won’t talk.”

“You could put him under the spotlights and have a dozen lawyers chewing on his hide. You could assemble a congressional hearing –he’d just clam up.”

“But if he was under oath?” I asked. “Wouldn’t a hunter have to tell the truth?” I threw them the question. I was raised to tell the truth.

“Why you innocent lamb,” chuckled Lead-On. He clamped me into his gnarly old arm and tightened the pressure. I was gagging from the smell of his armpit. “Youse sure are gullible.”

“O.K. I believe you,” I gasped and wiggled out of the half-Nelson.

“You’d fold like a deck of cards, hee hee.” Then the two of them snarked at me for a good minute with spittle flying, a good portion of which appeared to be Copenhagen chew mixed with pieces of Ruby’s pie. I was trapped on the seat between them and I spun around for fresh air.

“Hunter won’t say nothing you can believe,” says Packtrain finally. “There’s no way he is going to tell you where he shot a ram.”

“Shucks, boy, I won’t tell where I got rams 30 years ago in my outfitting days,” gurned Lead-On. “I got lots of secrets.” He was smiling like a Cheshire cat.

That stopped me in my tracks. Now I had one hard truth – they weren’t ever going to help me. It dawned on me that I might never get a really big trophy ram.

See, I’ve been spending money on coffee and pie and trying to curry favor from these old reprobates for years. I always figured they would give me some tips on where to find giant rams. The Skyline Outfit run by Packtrain got sheep from hell canyon to creation over a forty-year run as a first-class horse operation.

Lead-On used planes and boats

and bikes and pioneered all sorts of ways to get his hunters into sheep country. His tally was close to 100 rams personally guided during his long career. Both these legendary guides took hunters in just about every province and state, and even down in Mexico.

I suddenly realized something. Doc Skybucks was treating Packtrain for impetigo. (claimed he caught it from an old Jenny he had in his retired pack string) I bet the doctor squeezed information out of the crusty old outfitter.

And Lead-On, he was starting to limp, and he needed a new knee and hip from all the heavy packs he toted over the years. Maybe he tried to curry favor from his doctor by spilling the beans and telling Skybucks where to go. Skybucks shot a ram for the records and I was sure curious about it.

I had to ask. “Did you guys tell the doctor where to go for his ram?”

Silence. They were looking at me like I owed them money. Indignation would also describe it. Or contempt or heaven forbid, anger, and could they start throwing punches? I’d seen them rumble with each other and I had no desire to get in a fight with the old scrappers. Even a play-fight. I touched my face where the buttons on LeadOns shirt had poked a red welt.

“Ruby, I think we need more coffee,” I gestured for help. “Everyone could use some more pie too.” We were of course down at her café on Kootenay Street and had our regular

seats at the counter with our wranglers polishing the round cushioned stools. I needed to placate them for my impudence and fast.

It took an uncomfortable minute or two while they slurped and chewed but they suddenly turned on me from both sides and started in.

“Boy, I told you I seen rams down on the islands on Big River Flats. And I told you I saw big rams rubbing the tie-downs on Tower Ridge.”

“Me, I told you about those wheat field rams out on the Sweetgrass Hills. I figured them for the lost tribe of Audubon sheep.”

“Don’t you remember I mentioned that herd out on the Y-There ranch? They was filling their faces at the feed trough. It’s miles from the mountains.”

“What about those coal mine rams? I seen some riding in the back of the big trucks one time. They had shiny black horns.

“And what about those rams living in an underpass on the Cut-off Creek road?”

“And the Trestle Herd. Licking spilled grain from the railroad tracks by Exshaw.”

“The Richardson Dall’s up in the N.W.T. Monsters that nobody has touched.”

“Glacier Stone rams on Icicle Mountain in BC. The ones with razorsharp feet.”

“Boy, I even told you about the Cave and Basin rams with the corkscrew horns. Oh, and the Muskeg rams up on the Prophet River east of the Alaska Highway, too.”

“I told you about the Goldenhorned rams, and the Unicorn rams. And rams that live on the Salt Flats.”

They were getting breathless. LeadOn looked at Packtrain and they both appeared a bit contrite. Then he said, “I have told you lots of places to go.”

He is a smart man and he knew how I was feeling. He shook his head and pulled off his wool Newsboy cap. It was sweat-stained and smelled like Brylcreem. (Packtrain wears a Stetson and I’ve never seen him take it off)

“We’ve tried to help you boy. We’ve told you where to get a ram lots of times.”

“Ok, Ok, I guess you guys have given me some tips.” Now I was sorry I asked a question about their doctorpatient confidences. But the fact of the matter was that all of the tips they mentioned were about places where there is no hunting allowed. And, I was never sure I believed some of the stories – Unicorn rams and such.

Come on, I’m not that gullible!

“I tell you another thing, boy. You remember you heard it from me first.” He shook his bent old finger at me. “Sheep hunting is a precious thing. There’s lots of rough times ahead.”

I knew he was talking about the damned sickness hitting the Hell’s Canyon herd, not to mention the Alberta Sheep Sanctuary slaughter last spring of some of the best genetics in the bighorn world. A world record head came out of that country not so long ago.

And then there is the news that the last open bighorn hunting areas in British Columbia are going to Limited Entry in 2024. Worse still, the rumors are that Stone’s sheep hunting will follow. Nobody seems to know what the facts are. Are these changes science-based or some kind of political cancer that is spreading through the ranks of the game departments and portending the ultimate elimination of hunting?

Down at Ruby’s Café we meet

every week and dissect the news and ponder the regulation changes and try and make sense out of everything from sheep hunting to politics to the fake media. I write for the Kootenay Tattler and I can assure you that all my columns are fact-checked and up to snuff, as Packtrain says they got to be.

“Why don’t you catch the bill and

Editor’s Note:

Nowicki advises at press time that public forums are springing up in British Columbia because regulation change notifications have been released from government agencies. These proposals to reduce the opportunity for hunting sheep and restrict access have hunters in the Kootenays buzzing. The lead time for these changes has been short and a sense of fatalism is creating apathy among the local sporting gentry. The attitude seems to be that nothing can be said or

maybe we’ll get you next week,” said Lead-On as I got up to leave. “And remember boy to read Wild Sheep® magazine. You’ll find everything you need to know about hunting rams in there.”

“Now ain’t that the truth,” I said to mimic my old friend as I dropped a nice tip for Ruby on the counter. WS

done that will change things. Nowicki is hoping that he can convince more participation in the Wild Sheep Foundation projects locally and globally. It is the best way to make a true and meaningful impact and preserve and conserve sheep and provide for future hunting for rams. He is writing a feature opinion article for the Kootenay Tattler and hopes it will get published in Wild Sheep® magazine.

WSF’s Legacy Society recognizes individuals, families and foundations making testamentary bequests or contributions of major gifts, gift annuities or other charitable-giving instruments. Since inception of the Ensuring the Future of Wild Sheep (ETFOWS) campaign, 47 Legacy Society members have been recognized through WSF’s Legacy Society for contributions or pledges of future gifts.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Lee & Penny Anderson

Jack, Jr. & Cindy Atcheson

Derek W.O. Berry

Mike Borel

Cabela’s Outdoor Fund

David W. Campbell

Rick & Heather Carosone

Dr. Robert W. & Cynthia Cassell

David & Sona Combs

Monty & Becky Davis

Howard & Mary Deters

Doug & Patty Dreeszen

Buddy DuVall

Tom Grimes

Eric & Sue Hansen

Robert & Arlene Hanson

Dr. Paul F. & Kathy J. Havey

Zach & Amber Higgins

John R. & Mary Ann Justus

Blair A. & Victoria M. Kenewell

Robert M. Martin, Jr.

Robert and Lisa Mays

Bequests made through the New Beginnings Campaign* or other bequests may be recognized through the Legacy Society by contacting WSF. For more information on the Legacy Society or Estate Planning resources available through WSF, please contact Paige Culver at 406.404.8758 or PCulver@WildSheepFoundation.org.

Roger McCosker

Kyle & Joanne Meintzer

Chuck Middleton

David Mode

John & Leslie Pearson

Brad R. Plaga

Robert L. & J.P. Puette

Kevin & Janine Rinke

Lanny Rominger

Louis & Pauline Rupp

SCI Foundation

- Hunter Legacy Fund (HLF-100)

Roger Segebrecht

Kasie and Jason Sheridan

Tim & Roxane Shinabarger

Steve & Sue Skold

Curt & Marcia Thompson

Gray & Renée Thornton

Jim Travis

Tim & Ruth Van Der Weide

The Estate of Robert B. Johnson

Zachary Walton

Wayne W. Webber

The William H. Donner Foundation, Inc

I choose Hilleberg tents. I choose Hilleberg tents.

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Young, passionate, accomplished archeryonly sheep hunter. Youngest hunter to earn the archery FNAWS. Gets after it no matter the weather or the terrain. Can’t wait for the next hunt. Uses Hilleberg tents, including the Rogen.

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