the journal of the mountain hunter and committed conservationist
OWN THE COLD
NEW HYPERDOWN COLLECTION
SETTING NEW STANDARDS IN WARMTH AND LIGHTWEIGHT PACKABILITY.
A RIPSTOP FACE FABRIC PROVIDES ADDED PROTECTION FROM RUGGED GLASSING TERRAIN.
model 307
Weatherby® teamed up with PEAK 44 to produce an ultra-light rifle that can own the range and dominate in the field. The Alpine™ CT features the PEAK 44 Bastion stock, weighing in at 24 ounces, and uses a proprietary 3D-Hex recoil pad to reduce the effects of recoil. The BSF carbon fiber barrel delivers unmatched accuracy and comes with Weatherby’s Accubrake DST (Directional Self-Timing). The Alpine CT is built on Weatherby’s newest bolt action rifle platform, the Model 307 ™ and it is proudly manufactured in Sheridan, WY. Learn more at weatherby.com.
The Gift Of A Ram Tag by Cody
Maurer
Altai
A 13-year-old and his father share the gift of sheep hunting in the Chugach.
Rifles On The Rocks by Wayne Van Zwoll
Sheep country can be hard on a rifle and its zero. Here’s how to maintain and restore both.
THIS ISSUE!
WSF has included a copy of our new publication focused on keeping wild sheep populations healthy and thriving in this issue of Wild Sheep® magazine. This free educational brochure delivers the science and presents various strategies for keeping wild sheep from contracting a deadly disease from animal-to-animal contact with domestic sheep, goats, and even infected wild sheep.
Visit our website or scan this QR code for more information or to order additional copies of this booklet.
Photo: Victor Trujillo
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
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
CHAIRMAN: Glen Landrus • ramslamvideo@gmail.com......................................
VICE CHAIR: Charlie Kelly • azsheepguy@gmail.com .........................................
SECRETARY: Jann Demaske • demaskes@msn.com .............................................
TREASURER: Larry Jacobs • lljacobs4@aol.com ...................................................
Clint Bentley • sheepspotr@aol.com ........................................................................
Julie Chapman • jhelmchapman@yahoo.com ..........................................................
Sam Cunningham • scunningham@quailcreekent.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 2025
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Term Expires 2027
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PRESIDENT & CEO Gray N. Thornton • gthornton@wildsheepfoundation.org
STAFF
PRESIDENT & CEO - EDITOR IN CHIEF, WILD SHEEP ® MAGAZINE: Gray N. Thornton • gthornton@wildsheepfoundation.org • Bozeman HQ
Corey Mason, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President of Conservation cmason@WildSheepFoundation.org Carrollton, TX
Kim Nieters, VP of Operations - Auction Director knieters@WildSheepFoundation.org Cody, WY
Kevin Hurley, Vice President of Conservation – Thinhorn Programs Lead khurley@WildSheepFoundation.org Boise, ID
Terry Ziehl, Finance Director tziehl@WildSheepFoundation.org Cody, WY
Keith Balfourd, Director of Marketing & Communications keith@WildSheepFoundation.org Bozeman, MT
Julie Tripp, Awards & Publications Director jtripp@wildsheepfoundation.org Lolo, MT
Paige Culver, Development Manager pculver@WildSheepFoundation.org Bozeman, MT
Maddie Richards, Membership Manager/<1 Clubs Manager mrichards@WildSheepFoundation.org Bozeman, MT
Justin Phillips, Graphic Arts & Design Jphillips@wildsheepfoundation.org Cody, WY
Megan Costanza, Banquets & Events Manager mcostanza@WildSheepFoundation.org Reno, NV
Mike Aiazzi, Expo & Exhibits Manager maiazzi@wildsheepfoundation.org Reno, NV
Jaime Teigen, E-Commerce & Office Administrator jteigen@wildsheepfoundation.org Bozeman, MT
Matt Dwonch, Marketing and Content Strategist mdwonch@wildsheepfoundation.org Bozeman, MT
Becky Layne, Exhibitor Concierge & Accounting (PT) blayne@wildsheepfoundation.org Bozeman, MT
Rebecca Anne Rebrovich, Assistant rrebrovich@wildsheepfoundation.org Bozeman, MT
Margie Forster, Registration Assistant mforster@wildsheepfoundation.org Reno, NV
CONTRACT & CONSULTANTS
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 kalt@wildsheepfoundation.org Bozeman, MT & 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 Rochelle, TX
Pat Cummings, DNWR – NTTR Project Lead Patrickcummings1002@gmail.com Las Vegas, NV
Maureen Jefferson, Conservation Permits Jm_hullinger@sbcglobal.net Las Vegas, NV
Kevin Martin, USFS & BLM Planning Kevindmartin63@gmail.com Pendleton, OR
Ashley McEnroe, Staff Writer aoliverio@gmail.com Big Sky, MT
Chester Moore, Staff Writer chester@chestermoore.com Orange, TX
Scott Morrison, Editor & Designer, Wild Sheep® magazine scott@morrisioncreative.com Livingston, MT
Shane Mahoney, Special Conservation Consultant shane@conservationvisions.com
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Steve Rosenstock, Grant Writer steve@wildsheepfoundation.org Flagstaff, AZ
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.
COME FOR THE SHEEP, STAY FOR THE PARTY™, AND TODAY, TOMORROW, & FOREVER FOR WILD SHEEP™ ARE TRADEMARKS OF THE WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION.
GRAND SLAM® is a registered trademark of Grand Slam Club/Ovis. Used with permission.
Wild Sheep® (USPS# 009-460) is published quarterly by Wild Sheep Foundation, 412 Pronghorn Trail, Bozeman, MT 59718
Periodical Postage Rate is paid at Bozeman, MT 59718 and additional mailing offices.
Gray N. Thornton, Editor in Chief
Scott Morrison, Editor/Art Director
Ashley McEnroe, Field Editor/Staff Writer
Craig Boddington, Contributor
CONTACT THE PUBLICATION PRODUCTION STAFF
Andrew McKean, Contributor
Ken Nowicki, Field Editor
Greg Schildwachter, Columnist Legislative Watch
Contributing photos, articles, stories, and research pertaining to wild sheep or the interests of the members of WSF are always welcome. Contributed material will be published at the editor’s discretion. Please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope if you wish materials to be returned.
Wayne van Zwoll, Contributor Morrison Creative Company, Inc. Magazine Design/Production Yellowstone Graphics, Graphics/Design
Advertising & Editorial Submissions
Wild Sheep Foundation Headquarters 412 Pronghorn Trail, Bozeman, MT 59718
ATTN: Editor
For more information on submission guidelines, meetings and convention information, and service, conservation and hunting award criteria, please visit our website at www.wildsheepfoundation.org. All membership dues include $28/year for a subscription to Wild Sheep® magazine.
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA, IN CONJUNCTION WITH MORRISON CREATIVE COMPANY, INC. OF LIVINGSTON, MT.
Subscription Price $28.00 All membership dues include $28/ year for a subscription to Wild Sheep® Magazine
Postmaster: Send address correction to: Wild Sheep Foundation, 412 Pronghorn Trail, Bozeman, MT, 59718
VX-6HD THE ULTIMATE HUNTING SCOPE
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
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
by Gray N. Thornton President & CEO
WFAST AND FURIOUS
hile no doubt overused, “where did the summer go?” certainly applies to the past two months as I pen this in early September. Admittedly, the summer “lull period” as we joke as staff is anything but. Summer for most of us starts after our annual second weekend in July Ram Rendezvous downtown Bozeman event held with our Schnee conservation partner. This is also during the June 30th fiscal year end activities, next year budgeting, next year goals setting, and in between other WSF Summer Event Series—which this August—included a very successful Film Premiere in partnership with SITKA Gear of 100 Rams, celebrating Lee Hart’s milestone 100th ram with Tyler Johnerson. The packed-house premiere also included showings of Blood Origin’s Lionheart which premiered at the 2024 Sheep Show® Full Curl Cinema, and a fabulous SITKA film on the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia’s Fraser River California bighorn sheep restoration project, now in its seventh year which is supported by annual grants from WSF, and in 2023-24, a generous SITKA Ecosystems Grant.
We were also busy building staff capacity over the summer with the August hires of Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President of Conservation, Corey Mason, who will work alongside Kevin and me in our respective roles, and the re-hire of longtime FNAWS
and WSF star, Becky Layne who will lead our Exhibitor Concierge Program while also supporting 37-year FNAWS/WSF tenure Finance Director Terry Ziehl. You can read more on Corey and Becky in Basecamp Dispatches as well as Corey’s introduction article in the Biologist’s Corner is this issue. It was a busy and quick summer indeed.
SHEEP SHOW HOTEL & BANQUET REGISTRATION – BOOK NOW!
We now kick into high gear for the 2025 Sheep Show® scheduled for January 16-18 in Reno, NV. The Peppermill sold out of rooms in early July, we are filling the Atlantis and Grand Sierra Resort blocks quickly, and our August launch of our online registration is filling out our evening banquets in record time. Don’t delay! This year as an incentive to book a full registration package for all (Wednesday through Saturday) night banquets, we are offering a Baldy Mountain Outfitters bighorn sheep hunt in BC as a prize just for registering. As I write this, I learned we have reached capacity for Saturday night’s Grand Finale Banquet. However, you can still book a full registration package, be in the Tuscany Friday night when we draw, and you might win a bighorn hunt! You can book your hotel and registration online at www.wildsheepfoundation.org.
A RECORD YEAR!
As we finalized our July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 fiscal year end tally of Mission Program Funding—the “what we do” for the resource—we upped our game monumentally from our prior FY record of $7.58 million in FY 2022-23. Incredibly, due to our record convention and record operational fundraising, WSF directed more than $11 Million this past fiscal year to GrantIn-Aid, education, advocacy, research, habitat, and other mission programs benefitting wild sheep. This represents a 46% increase over the prior fiscal year. As I noted in my June year end video address, no other organization in our space comes close to this level of mission funding. No one! Thank you to all our members, donors, sponsors, society members, and exhibitors who made this possible. Thank you!
NEW GIVING SOCIETIES TO BE LAUNCHED
To help WSF raise the bar even higher this 2024-25 fiscal year, and direct even more to the wild sheep resource, we will launch this fall our new Mountain Royalty, Legends, and Pinnacle Societies. These new giving societies compliment our current Chadwick Ram Society, and Marco Polo Society (now fully subscribed with 100 members), as part of our “Keep Climbing” legacy giving campaign. We are finalizing the promotional and education materials and will launch these in
early October. Also in this issue, Hunting Awards Chair ,Tony Caligiuri, introduces us to another giving society, the 1K Society that includes a very high level hunting component as part of the criteria for joining. You can read about the 1K Society in the Awards section of this issue on page 26.
YOUR VOTE MATTERS
The fall is also time for the WSF Board of Directors elections. Ballots will be mailed and emailed starting October 1st and the election concludes December 15th. WSF members have the right to choose four new directors to serve on our board and lead the policies and direction of our foundation. Please do your part and vote! Wild Sheep Matter. Your Vote Matters. Watch your online and postal mailboxes for your ballot. New this year, you can vote either via email or printed ballot…but of course only once. Like last year, we have a special
edition of WSF’s Sheep Fever podcast with five candidate interviews so you can be better informed on your vote. Candidate biographies and the podcast interviews are available on a special fall election section of the WSF website. Also new this year, and as an incentive to vote in the fall WSF elections, voters will be put in a drawing for a WSF/Weatherby Bighorn Edition rifle/Leupold scope/Boyt case drawing. Get informed, vote, and you could win! Lastly, this fall, as USA citizens are well aware, also include the November 5th USA elections for President, Congressional races, and, in some states, ballot issues. Anti-hunting, anti-gun, and animal activists continue their push to challenge, and in some cases, eliminate our way of life. The WSF board over the summer approved a $100,000 grant to help educate the public to defeat Colorado’s anti-hunting, anti-sustainable use Proposition 127. Colorado citizens,
vote! Other citizens, consider donating to the Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better campaign to defeat this anti-hunting ballot-box-biology proposition.
This fall VOTE! Wild sheep, hunting privileges, firearm and other rights, professional wildlife management, and our way of life depend on it! WS
Thank you,
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
Summit Life Member
1. Trophy Importation w/USFS & Central Asian Delegation
2. Camp Chef Culinary Corner – Chefs Joshua Schwencke & Jaime Tiegen
3. Hilliberg the Tent Maker
4. Layering for Warmth – John Barklow SITKA
5. Mtn Tough
6. Yoga for Hunters – Erika Putnam
7. Women Hunt Panel and Skills Demonstrations
8. Western States Hunting – Dan Adler
9. Lead Alternative Ammunition – Chris Parish
10. Nevada Hunter Safety Course
11. Ultra-Light for the Mountain Hunter – Stone Glacier
12. Central Asian Ibex – An Affordable Argali Alternative? – Jack Atcheson, Jr.
(As of Press Time)
Pair with MYSTERY RANCH GAMEBAG
CHAIR’S CORNER
by Glen Landrus Chair
CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Summertime is quickly feeling more like fall here in eastern Washington. Sheep season has been open for a few weeks and some amazing old rams have made many dreams come true. Not all reports from up north have resulted in a notched tag, a stark reminder our thinhorns are struggling in some areas—and we must up our game to turn the trend.
At our spring transition meeting in Reno in April, your WSF Board of Directors unanimously approved a $1 million commitment to Stone’s sheep projects in British Columbia. We can’t do this without your financial support by buying a membership, attending Sheep Week®, buying raffle tickets, exhibiting, donating or becoming a part of one of our giving societies—so thank you! It is your money that we are committing to help our northern sheep! I look forward to evaluating and approving the WSF Grant-in-Aid and then working collaboratively with the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia, Guides and Outfitters Association of British Columbia, First Nation’s, and provincial biologists to put your money to good use!
In mid-June we held another successful Chapter & Affiliates Summit, this time in Calgary, Alberta. I want to personally thank Mike Smith and Rob Kopecky for their leadership and commitment to pull off such an amazing event. The networking with C&A representatives, WSF staff and board of directors, WSF Professional
Resources Advisory members was invaluable. In addition, we raised some significant funds to support the Grotto Mountain habitat project.
Also, at our meeting in Calgary in June, we officially signed the charter to begin our new Southeastern Chapter of WSF. A group of passionate wild sheep advocates from the region are doing work to
make this happen and to host our C&A Summit in 2025! Look for more information as details become available! Let’s pack the house next June and get this chapter off to a great start and build their bank account to benefit wild sheep! A huge thank you to everyone in Calgary that accepted the membership challenge and joined the SE WSF chapter. They needed some funds to get started, and once again, our membership made it happen. I am proud to be one of the founding members of this exciting new chapter!
As you’ve likely seen in several
emails from WSF, our room block for Sheep Week® 2025 at the Peppermill is already full. This is well ahead of pace from last year so indicators are predicting another record-setting event. If you’ve not booked your room yet, don’t worry, we still have blocks available at the Atlantis and Grand Sierra, but don’t hesitate! Staff, board of directors, and volunteers have been Zooming all summer to make this the best Sheep Show® ever. I’m sure it seems in the summertime like not much is going on in the WSF world, but that is not the case! What I have always admired about Gray, our staff, board, and volunteer committees is the relentless commitment to improving and trying new things—and Sheep Week® 2025 will be no different!
In closing, I was not lucky in the sheep draws this year, nor did I have a hunt booked, so my summer and fall will be relatively quiet. I am grateful, however, to have spent a couple weeks in the Yukon in July for my summer getaway. Thank you, Spencer and Amanda Wallace, for being such great hosts. Every time I visit Canada, I am reminded of the amazing wild sheep habitat and history it holds in our industry.
As your chair, know that I am committed 100% to expanding the WSF support for our great northern sheep herds.
See you all in Reno! WS
Yours in Conservation, Glen
A. Landrus
BIOLOGIST’S CORNER
by Corey Mason Executive Vice President of Conservation Chief Operating Officer
RECORD CONVENTION AND RECORD COMMITMENT
Before I begin, I want you to know how thrilled I am to join the Wild Sheep Foundation family! Having worked alongside WSF and several WSF team members for many years, I know firsthand the incredible impact this organization has and continues to make for the conservation of wild sheep and their habitats. I am looking forward to being an impactful part of it!
Over my 25+ year career in wildlife conservation, I have worked as a guide, a state agency biologist wearing many different hats, and most recently, led a conservation organization that strongly advocated for sustainable use. Working from Alaska, across Canada, throughout the US, into Mexico, and on several other continents, I have had the opportunity to work with partners and management authorities to develop range-wide management plans, landscape scale conservation initiatives, address management challenges and needs, administer grant programs, support and deliver needed research, and work on policy matters from Washington D.C. to CITES.
As Executive Vice President of Conservation, I look forward to working closely with WSF’s team to ensure that WSF remains as efficient and effective as possible to address the pressing needs of
wild sheep across North America and Central Asia. I am eager to use my biological background and experience to support WSF’s Conservation Vision 2025, which has five overarching goals: Enhance wild sheep habitat; restore wild
our focus on the vision and to be innovative and transformational in how we meet the needs and demands of managing wild sheep.
Additionally, over the coming year, I am eager to work closely with our dedicated and passionate board of directors, chapters and affiliates, Professional Resource Advisory Board, and state, tribal/ First Nation, provincial, national, and international management authority partners to ensure that funds directed and actions taken maximize our conservation impact. From continuing to evaluate GrantIn-Aid priorities to advocating the value of conservation permits, we will be strategic and impactful.
As for WSF’s upcoming activities, we are soon holding our bipartisan annual Hill Day, where we will be meeting with members of the House and Senate to discuss WSF national policy priorities as well as meeting with the USFWS. Shortly thereafter, we are attending the annual meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, where we are holding a Directors’ Luncheon to celebrate the successes of conservation permits and discuss their continued impact.
Here’s to Putting and Keeping Wild Sheep on the Mountain®! See you at the Sheep Show®. WS sheep to suitable habitats; expand and protect wild sheep hunting opportunities; raise awareness of wild sheep challenges; and develop strategies to address wild sheep challenges. As your new VP, I will work with partners to maintain
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!
THE 2024-2025 NEW/UPGRADE
CHADWICK RAM SOCIETY ® MEMBERS
CRS MEMBERS ARE LISTED IN ALPHA ORDER BY BENEFACTOR LEVEL
Sheep Family Snapshots
Keep Climbing! My climb with the Wild Sheep Foundation started through an interest and enthusiasm for the outdoors and hunting, specifically. I attended my first Sheep Show in 2008 which quickly deepened my appreciation for wild sheep and introduced me to the conservation efforts of the WSF. In 2016, I joined the Ethics Committee and 4 years later in 2020 I joined the board of directors where I served for 3 years. In 2020, I also became Chair of the Chadwick Ram Society where I continue to serve today, as well as the Secretary of the Wild Sheep Legacy Foundation and several other committees.
I have continued to climb with the Wild Sheep Foundation, because I whole heartedly believe in the mission to “Put and Keep Wild
Sheep on the Mountain”. My membership started at the Bronze level and as I have bared witness to the dynamic changes that have occurred in the population of wild sheep as a direct result of the WSF’s efforts, I have kept climbing to Silver and eventually to Gold. As the work is far from over, I have plans to reach the Platinum level and beyond.
I am proud of the remarkable work of the Wild Sheep Foundation. We work to not only preserve and increase the current population of wild sheep, but to improve the beautiful land they inhabit to ensure a thriving population for generations to come. I answered the call to climb. I encourage others to listen, join and climb!
- Drs. Glen & Caroline Pyne, CRS members since 2013
(List is current as of press time -
PLATINUM - $50,000
Mike Borel & Roz Faugier-Borel (CA)
Rob & Lucy Cinclair (TX)
Andrew & Kymberly Pratt (TX)
GOLD - $25,000
Samuel Hays (TX)
Shane & Kim Mahoney (NL)
Terry & Mary Mick (MN)
SILVER - $10,000
Anonymous
Pat O’Neill & Kay Giannola (MN)
Charles & Rebecca Hartford (CA)
Breck Johnson (CO)
Jim Manley (OR)
Patrick Morse (FL)
Anthony Reviglio (NV)
BRONZE - $5,000
Thomas Armosino (OR)
Paul Baird (AZ)
Jeff & Kris Brant (WA)
Kevin & Lisa Fox (AK)
Joe & Kathy Hill (WA)
Douglas & Jacky Johnson (AK)
Chase & Makena Marler (ID)
David & Lisa Matthias (IA)
Bruce Mellot (PA)
Rob & Brie Register (GA)
Brian & Nikiesha Richards (AK)
Chad Riedel (AK)
Konrad Schruf II (AK)
Jesse & Lovely Simonson (HI)
COPPER - $2,500
Ed Checque (AK)
Scott & Susan Clark (CO)
Timothy & Brianne Clark (AK)
Eli Davis (WV)
Jim Elder (ID)
Will Garroutte (CA)
Ryan Hammond (AK)
Michael Hill (WA)
Jeremy Hoagland (AK)
Dave & Kris Hubbard (WA)
Loren Keisling (AK)
Shay Law (OR)
Nathan Liebl (WI)
Mary Maack (OR)
Ray Maack (OR)
James Perkett (AZ)
Steve Perrins (AK)
Bruce Perryman (WY)
Terry Radakowski (OR)
Mark Riether (NJ)
Megan Rowe (CA)
Joel Tavera (FL)
James Treeman (OK)
Dilan Worthley (AK)
Ray Wurdinger (OR)
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)
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)
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.
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)
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
X-BOLT 2 SPEED RIFLE
Browning redefines Total Accuracy yet again with the new X-Bolt 2 and Vari-Tech stock. This new stock design is engineered with three-way adjustment that allows you to customize the fit of the rifle to meet your specific needs, helping you achieve consistent, tack-driving performance while retaining the silhouette of a traditional rifle stock.
GRIP ANGLE
LENgth of pull
Internal spacers lock in length of pull. Adjustable from 13-5/8" to 14-5/8" right from the box, this system is sturdy and rattle free.
Two interchangable grip modules are available for the Vari-Tech stock: The traditional Sporter profile and the Vertical profile. Both let you optimize finger-to-trigger reach and control.
Achieve consistent eye-to-scope alignment and a rock-solid cheek weld even with large objective lens optics. Six height positions offer 1" of height adjustment. COMB HEIGHT
TODAY, TOMORROW, FOREVER
by Paige Culver WSF Development Manager
TKEEP CLIMBING
he Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) has taken up a broad and heavy mantle in caring for wild sheep needs TODAY while also making a solemn commitment to doing everything we can to create a clear and well supported path forward for TOMORROW’s WSF staff and members—your children and grandchildren. With these responsibilities in mind, the Wild Sheep Foundation has developed a linear fundraising program that gives donors the opportunity to “Keep Climbing” as their ability to give grows. Every member at every level is critical to our conservation success story. From annual members to life members, Chadwick Ram Society members, and our Marco Polo Society members. This year, we are introducing several new levels of giving which have been structured in a way that will take care of wild sheep Today, Tomorrow, and Forever. While we will continue to fund critical Grant-in-Aid projects to help sheep today, the new giving societies presented here will require that a minimum of 33% (one-third) of all new dollars be dedicated to the future of wild sheep populations and the Wild Sheep Foundation via
the Wild Sheep Legacy Foundation Endowment Fund. These giving societies will be key in hitting our target goal of building the Endowment Fund to $25 Million. This target goal would create an opportunity for an additional $1 Million to be directed to Grantin-Aid and mission and program funding every year. That’s right. $1 Million to the wild sheep resource, forever. Together, we can carry the Wild Sheep Foundation into the future.
The Mountain Royalty Society will have three levels: Ruby ($125,000 and up), Emerald ($150,000 and up), and Diamond ($200,000 and up). Want to climb higher? We invite you to join our newly formed Legends Society which includes gifts over $250,000 and, finally, we offer a Pinnacle Society membership with gifts of $500,000 and above. Again, one-third of gifts raised through these new giving societies will be automatically directed to the WSLF Endowment Fund to ensure the future of WSF and wild sheep populations in perpetuity while still funding wild sheep needs today!
The “top of the mountain” moments we have as hunters and
For more information on how to “Keep Climbing” by pledging a gift to any of our giving societies, please reach out to Development Manager, Paige Culver.
The Wild Sheep Foundation and the Wild Sheep Legacy Foundation are proud to be Platinum level GuideStar participants, demonstrating our commitment to transparency.
sheep enthusiasts are possible now thanks to a singular cause; the forethought and care that our predecessors practiced to ensure the future health and vitality of the iconic North American wild sheep. The Wild Sheep Foundation and staff are mindful of our responsibility to continue to pay it forward with programs and initiatives that have a measurable impact on wild sheep populations, curbing legislation that seeks to diminish hunters’ rights, and educating the public and youth on their critical role in the North American Model of Conservation. There is not time nor space in this publication to adequately demonstrate the impact that the Wild Sheep Foundation and our faithful members have on these projects and policies. We invite each of you to explore how you can begin your climb to support wild sheep conservation for generations to come. WS
For more information on how to “Keep Climbing” by pledging a gift to any of our giving societies, please reach out to Development Manager, Paige Culver.
Wild Sheep Foundation has received a Four-Star rating on Charity Navigator based on accountability, finance, culture, and community.
Coming Soon
In 2013 WSF launched our Ensuring the Future of Wild Sheep program that included the establishment of the Chadwick Ram Society (CRS), and the formation of the Wild Sheep Legacy Foundation (WSLF) as a separate entity to manage and grow the foundation’s Endowment Fund.
To date, 488 members have joined the Chadwick Ram Society generating $2,600,000 to support WSF’s mission and purpose. And, through WSF member support, planned giving, major gifts, society contributions, and sound WSLF Board of Trustee management, we have grown the WSLF Endowment Fund from $5.7 million in January 2013 to $14.7 million in August 2024.
During this same period WSF has increased our Mission Program Funding, which are dollars to support our conservation, advocacy, and education mission, more than two-fold from $4.3 million directed to grant in aid and other mission programs during the 2013-14 fiscal year to more than $11 million during our 2023-24 fiscal year!
Additionally, a monumental milestone was achieved during our January 2024 convention when we fully subscribed the planned 100 member Marco Polo Society (MPS) when ten dedicated and altruistic Marco Polo Society members combined resources to buy the final MPS #100 membership for an astonishing $1 million bid! With this unmatched support the 100 Marco Polo Society members have contributed $11 million dollars to benefit wild sheep, their habitat, as well as support WSF’s future by building our endowment.
We reached MPS 100 goal at convention with the MPS 100 sale. With an eye to WSF’s long term future, we are pleased to announce two new programs, Today, Tomorrow, & Forever for Wild Sheep and the “Keep Climbing” Campaign.
LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
by Greg Schildwachter WSF Lobbyist
DEVELOPMENTS ON LEAD & NON-LEAD AMMO
This column returns to the lead/non-lead ammo issue covered in this column one year ago to describe significant developments since.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has issued the latest annual “Hunt Fish Rule” to expand hunting and fishing opportunities on National Wildlife Refuges. The Service has also accepted the recommendation of the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council to engage with private groups like us to learn about hunters’ interest and knowledge concerning alternative ammo.
These developments are connected by last year’s Hunt Fish Rule, which imposed bans on lead ammunition on some refuges, and which prompted negotiations over a better way to address concerns about the effects of spent lead ammo. This year’s rule proposes a compromise including no new phase-outs of lead ammo and a requirement for alternative ammo on all new big game hunts. The service’s support for the education program is related.
This episode of the ammo issue is about ammo used only on National Wildlife Refuges, but what happens on refuges matters for what happens nationwide. Proposals to ban traditional ammo are showing up in other places.
To navigate forward on the issue, it’s useful to recap how we got here.
In the 1980s and 90s, state and federal policy phased out traditional ammunition for waterfowl based on evidence that lead poisoning was limiting progress toward
management objectives.
Soon after, in 1992 when the first captive-bred California condor was released, the argument against lead ammo drifted away from measurements of the risk to the general idea that lead is toxic. This led to the simplistic idea that lead ammo should be banned. For the small population of condors, lead poisoning was still a problem for management objectives, but some hunters became interested in alternatives simply to spare themselves the worry of lead fragments in meat. Honest and notso-honest activists began pushing bans on traditional ammo.
In the Obama Administration, the service banned all lead ammo on refuges and all other service lands. The Trump administration overturned that ban in 2017.
That same year, the Oregon Zoo, Peregrine Fund, and Institute for Wildlife Studies formed the North American Non-Lead Partnership, a “coalition of hunters, anglers and other conservationists dedicated to improving ecosystem and wildlife health by choosing non-lead options.” As leaders in condor recovery, the Peregrine Fund’s push for voluntary use instead of bans is noteworthy.
Litigation against the Biden administration pushed the service back to bans as the Non-Lead Partnership grew to include several state wildlife agencies, hunting groups, hunting ranches, other groups, and companies (including ammo).
Which brings us to today. By relenting from new bans, the
service must now defend its new policy in court. Critics complain that promoting voluntary use is an excuse to do nothing. No one can show what bans accomplish ecologically, and some raptor scientists dismiss bans as ineffective. The gun industry and several hunter-conservationist groups have welcomed the educational approach, but the question remains whether and how to activate it.
There is more than one measure of success. One is defeating ill-considered (or ill-intended) proposals to ban lead ammo. Another is the reliability (and availability) of alternatives. A third is the degree of respect hunterconservationists maintain in how we deal with this issue—both within our community and between us and non-hunters.
It is a political issue not driven by facts. The only certain fact fails to answer key questions: knowing lead is a dangerous substance does not justify a policy for where it is a management problem. Important facts are hard to come by: it’s difficult to measure dispersed lead and even lead poisoning in wildlife. The issue will come and go with elections.
All we have are the most important things we ever have: respect for personal choices and other opinions, commitment to principle, and a duty of care for hunting and conservation. How this translates to next steps is a work in progress with WSF in the forefront and all members of the Wild Sheep family invited to lend a hand. WS
HUNT THE BEST OF MONGOLIA WITH EKENLER BROTHERS BUKHARAN
AWARDS
by Tony Caligiuri Chair, Ram Awards Committee
GEARING UP TO HONOR THE BEST SHEEP, HUNTERS, AND GUIDES
The 2025 Ram Awards are wrapping up quickly and the November 1st deadline for entry is right around the corner. We have some great rams already entered and accepted, so if you are one of the lucky members who killed an exceptional ram this season or last, be sure and check out the WSF website for details on how you can be honored during Sheep Week® 2025.
In addition to the North American Ram Awards, Mountain Monarchs and FNAWS recognition, this year we will be kicking off one new giving society and two new award programs. The first is the 1K Society which will includes a qualification that to join, WSF members must have taken a Dall’s, Stone’s, desert bighorn, Rocky Mountain bighorn, California bighorn and Fannin sheep with a combined score of 1,000 B&C gross or SCI points. The new society requires an initiation fee of $10,000 and will be a true conservation society with members voting on wild sheep conservation projects that will be deserving of the funds that the society generates. The initiation fee can be paid as a lump sum amount or spread over ten annual installments and will be tax deductible. Emeritus members over 75 years old can elect to have the initiation fee waived at their discretion.
While the 1K Society is not an awards program but rather a compliment to our giving societies, both Bob Anderson who originated the concept of the 700 Club, and the Grand Slam Club/ Ovis have given their blessings to the new 1K Society.
To qualify as a California bighorn, the hunter will need to provide documentation that the ram was taken on a specified California bighorn state or provincial hunting license—these are the same guidelines that we use for our individual California sheep ram awards.
In the case of Fannin sheep, determination of what qualifies and what does not is a bit more nebulous. We have elected to use the same guidelines that Grand Slam Club uses which basically states that Fannin sheep are primarily found in the Ogilvie Mountains of the Yukon Territory and a small pocket in Alaska near the Yukon border, and they are occasionally encountered in the southern part of NWT’s Mackenzie Mountains. For purposes of the 1K Society, a Fannin should have some distinguishable gray body or leg color in addition to a black tail and be taken in the Yukon, Mackenzie Mountains of NWT, or in Alaska in a close proximity to the Yukon border. I’m sure questions and issues will arise from time to time
and the awards committee will make determinations using all resources available to them. The traditional range of Stone’s sheep eligible for registration will remain British Columbia and the southern Yukon.
An online entry packet is available on the WSF website. Members who complete their entry packets by December 1st will be recognized at this year’s convention.
CENTURION AWARD
The Centurion Award, proposed by Josh Martoglio of Shoshone Lodge Outfitters will recognize sheep guides who have led clients in taking 100, 200, and 300 North American rams. To qualify, they need to have been physically on the hunt in an active capacity as a guide or assistant guide. Since no definitive database exists for this award, it will be self-policed by the inductees. Guidelines and application packages will be rolled out at convention.
AWARDS LUNCHEON
Lastly, make sure to sign up for the Thursday Awards luncheon when you register, there is no charge but we are limited to about 700 seats.
Until then, safe travels to Reno and see you at the 2025 Ram, FNAWS and Mountain Monarch Awards! WS
2025 RAM AWARDS LUNCHEON
Thursday, January 16 from Noon – 2:00 p.m. FREE Admission Including Lunch | Cash Bar | FREE Give-Aways Mt. Rose Ballroom | Reno-Sparks Convention Center
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES – NOVEMBER 1, 2024 See page 30 for details.
ONE MORE FOR FOUR
Drawing to be held at the 2025 Sheep Show®!
2024-2025 DESERT BIGHORN
Brent Adams – Parkland County, AB
Jacob Adams – Bend, OR
Ron Andrews – Emporium, PA
Jamie Arnett – Calgary, AB
Steve Arnett – Sedgewick, AB
Jacobo Artee – Nogales, AZ
Jim August – Portland, OR
Mike Baer – Henderson, NV
John Ballantine – West Simsbury, CT
Chris Barker – LadySmith, BC
FJ Barrett – Central Point, OR
Steve Bate – Cascade, ID
Daniel Baugher – Taneytown, MD
Bruce Berger – St. Louis, MO
Duane Bernard – Rainier, OR
TJ Best – Black Forest, CO
Paul Bianchi, Jr. – Loomis, CA
Carl Black – Rozet, WY
Joe Bloomquist – Wolf Creek, MT
Mike Bouton – Chaska, MN
David Bull – Pocatello, ID
Dick Callahan – Downers Grove, IL
Mark Campbell – Fort Collins, CO
Scott Carter – Darwell, AB
Bob Cassell – Wasilla, AK
David Clark – Albion, ID
Marvin Clyncke – Boulder, CO
Jerrell Coburn – Fort Worth, TX
Calem Coleman – Ft. Steele , B.C
Dallas Cota – Red Deer, AB
John Coulter – Tracy, MN
Larry Currey – Washington, WV
Joe Curry – Boise, ID
Richard Dahm – Mead, WA
Steve Davie – Bezanson, AB
Scott DeMars – Red Lodge, MT
Rick Dignan – Dallas, TX
Doug Dolph – Billings, MT
Michael Edall – Okanagan Falls, BC
Charles Eddy – Solgohachia, AR
Richard Edelen – Thornton, CO
Kurt Eisenach – Sheridan, WY
Jim Elder – Eagle, ID
Russell Elms – Baker City, OR
John Eyster II – Seven Valleys, PA
Fred Fanizzi – Condon, MT
John Fear – Big Piney, WY
Tom Fischer – Meridian, ID
JD Fitterer – Spokane, WA
Dylan Forsyth – Sparwood, BC
Jim Gabrick – Fountain City, WI
Rod Garland – Antioch, IL
Sandy Gelzer – Litchfield, AZ
Dwight Gochenaur – York Springs, PA
Chris Gonfiantini – Reno, NV
Marcus Gores – Milwaukie, OR
Tony Grabowski – Whitehorse, YT
TJ Grantham – Haines Junction, YT
Robert Gray – Drayton Valley, AB
Tom Grimes – Sheridan, MT
Harold Grinde – Rimbey, AB
Matthew (Skip) Halmes – Cascade, MT
Bill Hanlon – Sparwood, BC
Terry Hansen – Moses Lake, WA
Bradley Hanson – Westminster, CO
Joe Hardy – Soldotna, AK
Lee Hart – Gallatin Gateway, MT
Jeremy Hatala – Rimbey, AB
Stan Henderer – Pendleton, OR
Dennis Henderson – Bargersville, IN
James Henderson – Hattiesburg, MS
Wayne Henderson – lodgepole, SD
Willie Hettinger – Harlowton, MT
Larry Hicks – Baggs, WY
Dana Hodges – Belding, MI
John Holbrook – Yuma, AZ
Brian Hope – Bragg Creek, AB
Ralph Hope – Red Deer, AB
Don Horne – Odem, TX
Robert House – Houston, TX
Bryce Hubbard – Havillah, WA
John Jobe – Hood River, OR
Breck Johnson – New Castle, CO
Ed Johnson – Bozeman, MT
Edward Joseph – Burbank, CA
Harvey Kadlec – Turtle Lake, WI
Robert Kellogg – Longview, WA
Andy Kelso – Graham, WA
Bryan Kemble – Carbondale, KS
Mike Kemery – Clearfield, IA
Glenn Kennedy – Odessa, TX
Lester Kish – Bozeman, MT
Steve Kline – Superior, MT
Craig Kling – LaPorte, CO
Tim Koerner – Coeur d’ Alene, ID
Rob Kopecky – Edmonton, AB
Terry Koski – Calgary, AB
Lance Kronberger – Eagle River, AK
David Lakich – Richfield, WI
Chuck LaMar – Rockport, TX
David Lancelot – Weston, FL
Kevin Langlois – Mt. Pleasant, MI
Karl Lansing – Creston, BC
Mike Larson – Rexburg, ID
John Legnard – Conifer, CO
Brian Leibold – Orwigsburg, PA
Michel Letourneau – Bristol, CT
John Lewton – Belgrade, MT
Ernest Lokey – Salida, CO
Dion Luke – Hotchkiss, CO
Leverett Lunceford – Athens, GA
Shawn MacDonald – Cranbrook, BC
Tim Magness – Billings, MT
Jim Marshall – Basalt, CO
Robert Marshall – Sheridan, WY
Kevin Martell – New Hampton, NY
Chris Maxwell – Okotoks, AB
Robert McCormick – Chehalis, WA
Nathan McElroy – Rimbey, AB
Jim McEnroe – Big Sky, MT
George McGhee – Cranbrook, BC
Ron McMillen – Ames, IA
Jeff Mees – Denver, CO
Mike Menke – Kalispell, MT
James Miller – Sparks , NV
Matt Mitchell – Sedro Woolley, WA
Noel Moore – Central Point, OR
Thomas Moore – Lancaster, OH
William Morris – Canon City, CO
Mark Morton – Muleshoe, TX
Kevin Muir – New Meadows, ID
Barry Musil – Sparwood, BC
Scott Newman – Petersburg, AK
Colin Niedmeyer – Telkwa, BC
Ken Nowicki – Cranbrook, BC
Mark Nucci – Montgomery, TX
Bill Obeid – Wilkes-Barre, PA
Billy Obeid – Wilkes-Barre, PA
Aaron Olson – Bismarck, ND
Chase Oswald – Dawson Creek, BC
John Ottman – Missoula, MT
William Padilla – Cheyenne, WY
David Paganucci – Fresno, CA
Greg Pallister – Charlie Lake, BC
Shane Pallister – Charlie Lake, BC
David J. Palmer – Green River , WY
Armen Papazyan – Calgary, AB
Rick Parker – Crescent City, CA
Dave Parten – West Fork, AR
Bill Pastorek – Canyon, BC
Brian Pelczar – Billings, MT
Terry Phillips – Kerrville, TX
Ken Pierce – Ketchum, ID
Clayton Podrasky – Sparwood, BC
Richard Ponterio – Santa Ana, CA
Tom Powers – Stevensville, MT
Earl Pulliam – Phoenix, AZ
David Putnam – Glenns Ferry, ID
Craig Rath – Red Deer County, AB
Thomas Rea – Berthoud, CO
Allan Reishus – Craig, CO
Daniel Reynolds – Dawson City, YT
JH Rhea – Roswell, NM
Dave Rivers – Kimberley, BC
Jim Rough – Port Coquitlam, BC
Nathan Saar – Red Deer County, AB
Michael Salomonson – Berthoud, CO
Lance Schneider – Drayton Valley, AB
Mark Schwartz – Eagle River, AK
Wayne Selby – Cranbrook, BC
Gary Sessions – Flora Vista, NM
Robert Shaw – Davenport, IA
Tim Shinabarger – Billings, MT
Kyle Shoman – West Fargo, ND
Larry Shuey – Annville, PA
Flint Simpson – Canmore, AB
Ray Sindlinger – Fort Dodge, IA
Don Sitton – Rockport, TX
Steve Skold – West Des Moines, IA
Houston Smith – Kings Mountain, NC
Daniel Soliday – Perkasie, PA
Maurus Sorg – Saint Marys, PA
Wild Sheep Foundation is once again giving away a FREE sheep hunt to one of the members listed below to help them complete their F.N.A.W.S. (Four North American Wild Sheep). Drawing will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2025. Must be present to win.
LIST CURRENT AS OF AUGUST 15, 2024.
Doug Speight – Kemp, TX
Edward Spies – Watertown, SD
Jon Stanek – McMurray, PA
Lance Stapleton – Salem, OR
Jerry Stefanitsis – Bronx, NY
Richard Stock – Pineville, LA
James Stormer – Ridgeway, WI
Ronald Strathearn – Ashcroft, BC
David Swank – Paxinos, PA
Darryl Sword – Canal Flats, BC
Justin Taylor – Canal Flats, BC
Jason Teeples – Lander, WY
Neil Thagard – Clarkston, WA
Darren Thomson – Okotoks, AB
Troy Tidwell – Bellevue, WA
Charlie Todd – San Jose, CA
William Treichel – Green Valley, AZ
Ken Trudell – Green Bay, WI
Brandon Turley – Redmond , OR
Derek Tymchyna – Cranbrook, BC
Dave Van Belleghem – Calgary, AB
Andre Van Hilten – Nanton, AB
Kyle Van Valkenburg – Cora, WY
Joe Vander Poel – Pixley, CA
Dave Vanderhoff – Klamath Falls, OR
Bern Vetter – Kaysville, UT
Waylon Vipond – Pouce Coupe, BC
Les Wall – Coaldale, AB
Brian Walter – Dallas, TX
Rodger Warwick – Billings, MT
Stanley Wasserfall – Dix Hills, NY
Adam Weatherby – Sheridan, WY
Scott Widdifield – Calgary, AB
Kelly Wiebe – Nanton, AB
Dillon Williams – Hillcrest Mines, AB
Brent Williamson – Powhatan, VA
Dan Witthuhn – Appleton, WI
Edd Woslum – White Bird, ID
Justin Wright – Pinedale, WY
Gary Younkin – Hume, VA
2024-2025 BIGHORN SHEEP
Dale Ableidinger – Yakima, WA
Harold Alexander – West Richland, WA
Kelby Anderson – Friday Harbor, WA
John Arnold, Jr. – Zionsville, PA
John Arnoldi – Rock Springs, WY
Brad Baryenbruch – Spring Green, WI
John M. Bedlion – Las Vegas, NV
John Behrns – Wabasha, MN
Jim Billingsley – Winnemucca, NV
Amy Blackstone – Aberdeen, SD
Pete Carlson – Maple Plain, MN
Michael Clark – Kingman, AZ
Scott Clark – Colorado Springs, CO
Jon Cordova – Sparks, NV
Farley Daniels – College Station, TX
Kelly Davis – Mead, WA
Wayne Deason – Floresville, TX
Alisha Decker – Juneau, AK
Terry Dieren – Rock Rapids, IA
Mathew Dominy – Mesa, AZ
Murray Fain – Surrey, BC
Ryan Foutz – North Salt Lake City, UT
Steve Fowler – Boiling Springs, SC
David Frasher – Oak Grove, MO
Mike Frings – Tulare, CA
Ron Frugoli – Darby, MT
Dustin Gilbertson – Lamoille , NV
Colton Giles – West haven , Ut
Mike Gleason – Morgan, UT
John Green – Oxford, MS
John Greer – Boise, ID
Paul Grundman – Rio Dell, CA
Mark Gutsmiedl – Larsen, WI
Garth Hardy – West Jordon, UT
Ron Heidemann – Hayden, ID
John Hendrix – Anchorage, AK
Stacey Hunt – Ritzville, WA
William Jensen – Wellsville , UT
Jay Johnson – Castle Pines, CO
Robert Kappe – West Chester, PA
Mark Kenny – Pittsburgh, PA
David Kidder – Hesperia, MI
Blaine Kitzul – Vernon, BC
Edward Lande – Yakima, WA
Jeff Lindgren – Mebane, NC
Joseph LoMonaco – Anchorage, AK
Chris Lyon – Nicholasville, KY
Richard Manly – Augusta, GA
Mike Marinelli – Alpharetta, GA
Richard Mitchell – Mechanicsville, IA
Kenneth Moran – Tuba City, AZ
James Morehouse – Tucson, AZ
Geof Moss – Star Valley Ranch, WY
Robert Musser – Aspen, CO
Robert Naugle – Visalia, CA
Loren Nielsen – Casper, WY
Thomas Opre – Columbia Falls, MT
Blake Patton – Tomball, TX
Mike Perchetti – Lamoille, NV
Todd Peterson – Denver, CO
William Pettett – Hart, MI
Earl Petznick, Jr. – Paradise Valley, AZ
Ryan Powell – Olds, AB
Evan Pritchett – Johns Creek, GA
Taylor Raats – Las Vegas, NV
Mason Rogers – Austin, TX
Marc Rue – Fargo, ND
Paul Schultheis – Clovis, CA
Cody Shoman – Hardwood, ND
Neal Skinner – Sun Lakes, AZ
Larry Spillers – Ennis, TX
Jeff Staley – Servance, CO
Angelo Tiberti – Las Vegas, NV
Scott Tilzey – Reno, NV
Eric Torgerson – Ethridge, MT
Justin “Bo” Tripp – Reno, NV
Kurt Turner – Burleson, TX
Jared VanLanen – Greenville, WI
Richard Vogl – Huntington Beach, CA
Zachary Walton – Rocklin, CA
Darwin Watson – Hudson Hope, BC
Gerrick Weakley – Vancouver, WA
Sean Whipple – Concord TWP, OH
Kenneth Womack – Fallon, NV
Mark Young – Augusta, MT
Gary Zunino – Spring Creek, NV
2024-2025 STONE’S SHEEP
Mike Anderegg – Cortez, CO
Ed Anderson – West Sacramento, CA
Robert Anderson – Casper, WY
Bob Barlow – Story, WY
William Barrickman – Anchorage, AK
Alan Brock – Alpharetta, GA
Jason Carter – Cedar City, UT
Marvin Davis – Reno, NV
Toby Deputy – Winnemucca, NV
Keith Fine – East Greenwich, RI
Jim Fitzgerald III – Orange Cove, CA
Jared Hemmert – Gunnison, CO
Eric Hunt – Wickenburg, AZ
Kent Jeffries – Gillette, WY
Travis Jessop – Sparks, NV
Steven Johnson – Calgary, alb
Stephanie Lough – Ponoka, AB
Gary Lundstrom – Rapid City, SD
Joseph Maddock – Bryn Athyn, PA
Randy Martin – North Logan, UT
Anthony Martinez – Cerrillos, NM
Kyle McGovern – Bozeman, MT
Mark McVeigh – Reno, NV
Craig Mitton – Pleasant View , UT
Dan Montgomery – Wasilla, AK
Blaine Nimer – Huntsville, UT
Jason Pierson – Cambridge, MN
Jim Pinello – Falcon, CO
Tom Saad – Glendale, AZ
Bill Samuelson – Anchorage, AK
Thomas Sellin – Eagle, ID
Tyler Shanks – Reno, NV
Brian Solan – Helena, MT
Donald Stogdell – Scottsdale, AZ
Thomas Van Diepen – Baker City, OR
Remi Warren – Reno, NV
Fredrick Williams – Davie, FL
Rocky Yardas – Lander, WY
Dave Ziehlke – Medford, WI
2024-2025 DALL’S SHEEP
Todd Anderson – Sycamore, IL
Dave Aranguena – Winnemucca, NV
Kevin Cheng – Redwood City, CA
Dale Madsen – Mountain View, WY
Jake Reed – Spring Creek, NV
Alexander Sharif – Calgary, AB
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT REGISTERING FOR THE ONE MORE FOR FOUR DRAWING, PLEASE CONTACT JULIE TRIPP AT JTRIPP@ WILDSHEEPFOUNDATION.ORG.
Images courtesy
(L to T)
David Fort / Mckenzie Sims / Mike Schmid / Tyler Nielson
2025 Hunting and Trophy Awards
EXCELLENCE, DEDICATION, AND COMMITMENT DESERVE TO BE RECOGNIZED.
WSF’s Hunting Awards honor the game animals we hunt while recognizing members’ accomplishments in harvesting North American sheep with ri es or bows under Fair Chase conditions, as well as international species of sheep and goats. Our FNAWS recognizes those members who have harvested the Four North American Wild Sheep. Completion of a FNAWS is one of the most sought-after and respected accomplishments among North American sheep hunters.
The 2025 Ram Awards luncheon will be held on Thursday, January 16 from noon to 2:00 p.m. in Reno, Nevada at the Sheep Show® If you haven’t already submitted your entries, now is the time to do so! All entries must be received by the November 1, 2024.
between August 30, 2021 – August 30, 2024. See complete list of eligible categories on the WSF website.
RAM AWARD
RULES & REGULATIONS
■ An o cial Boone and Crockett Club or Pope and Young Club
Measurer must score North American rams. Only o cial 60-day dry scores will be considered. Green scores will not be accepted.
Entries can be submitted in several ways: On-line Hunt Reports through the WSF website, E-mail a completed PDF of your Hunt Report along with a copy of your score chart
and eld photograph, or mail your Hunt Report along with a printout of your o cial score chart and eld photo.
ELIGIBILITY DATES
RAM AWARDS
North American sheep taken between August 30, 2022 – August 30, 2024, that haven’t already received an award.
MOUNTAIN MONARCHS
International sheep and goats taken
■ O cial score charts must include all the measurements and nal score, along with the date and location information and be signed by the o cial measurer.
■ A eld photograph of the sheep must accompany the entry.
■ All entries must have the name of the out tters and guides, if they were used.
■ Hunters entering a ram must be a WSF member in good standing PRIOR to the harvest.
■ California bighorn sheep must have certi cation from the Fish and Game Department that identi es the ram as a “California Bighorn.”
YOUTH AWARDS
Youth Awards recognize WSF members under 18 years of age who have legally and ethically harvested North American sheep in a free-range environment regardless of whether the ram meets the required minimum scores. If a ram harvested by a youth exceeds the minimum scores, it will also be eligible to receive a Ram Award, however an o cial score chart is required.
MOUNTAIN MONARCHS RULES & REGULATIONS
■ These awards will only be given for outstanding trophies. The International Awards Committee will annually determine the minimum sizes to be considered.
■ A completed SCI score sheet. The score must be certi ed by the hunter’s signature; it is desirable that an o cial SCI measurer also certify the score.
■ A completed WSF Hunt Report form.
■ A high-quality eld photograph.
FNAWS RECOGNITION
A Wild Sheep Foundation FNAWS recognizes those members who have harvested the four north American wild sheep. The deadline for submissions for the 2025 Sheep Show® is November 1, 2024.
COMPLETING YOUR FNAWS
To qualify for a FNAWS a WSF member must have legally and ethically harvested all four sheep in a free-range environment. Each sheep harvested must be recorded with WSF using the WSF Hunt Report Form and include a photograph, preferably
RAM AWARD MINIMUM SCORES
DALL’S SHEEP
160 B&C points (rifle)
120 P&Y points (archery)
STONE’S SHEEP (FANNIN)
160 B&C points (rifle)
120 P&Y points (archery)
CALIFORNIA BIGHORN*
165 B&C points (rifle)
140 P&Y points (archery)
DESERT BIGHORN
165 B&C points (rifle)
120 P&Y points (archery)
ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN
175 B&C points (rifle)
140 P&Y points (archery)
IMPORTANT DATES
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
November 1, 2024
AWARDS LUNCHEON
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Noon – 2:00 p.m.
*California
a eld photo. No o cial score chart is required for a FNAWS ram.
AWARD RESOURCES
Scan this QR code to go directly to the Awards page on the WSF website. You will nd a complete list of details as well links to the on-line Hunt Reports and a PDF version you can download. If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact Julie Tripp, Awards & Publications Director at jtripp@wildsheepfoundation.org or 406.602.8138.
bighorn sheep are not recognized as a species in record-keeping by either B&C or P&Y, therefore the minimum scores are established by the WSF Awards Committee.
Melodrama in the high Altai
a gift from the land of genghis khan
BY ALEXANDER SHARIF
In life, some things are just meant to happen regardless of the circumstances that precede them. On June 10th, 2023, as I stood on top of an unnamed peak in the Canadian Rockies, I got a call from my long-time pal Carl asking me how much a hunt for an Altai ibex costs in Mongolia. I was joyous and knew I would start inquiring as soon as I got back home.
This joy was ruined by an abrupt snapping noise coming from my right knee as I cartwheeled my legs across a rock to avoid a short jump. In agony, I made it down the mountain in about four hours. An MRI showed a complete rupture of my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) plus some other damage. This basically killed any chance of attempting an overseas hunt for the fall—or even hunting at home. For a person whose life revolves around the mountains and motion in general, this was a very hard pill to swallow, and it wasn’t the first time, as in years past, I had lost two hunting seasons while in recovery from back and left knee surgeries.
After the initial swelling had subsided and in the three months that followed, I ramped up my daily gravel biking exercise to around 200 kms per week, and by early September, I was able to do moderate hikes using a full-on ACL brace sans reconstructive surgery. It was also at this time that I got a message from Riza of Caprinae Safaris, telling me that a couple of cancellation tags had come across his desk for a lateseason Altai ibex. I immediately called Carl and before we knew it, we had bought our plane tickets, sent in our deposits and were counting the days until our departure.
At this point, as I do in all stories, I’d like to touch on the physical and geographic characteristics of the species I am after. The Altai ibex, aka Siberian ibex or Mongolian ibex, carries the master gene hence his Latin name Capra sibirica sibirica. They are sturdy animals, standing roughly 42” at the withers, weighing roughly 250 lbs. on the hoof. Their geographic distribution spans the Altai mountains of northwestern
The centuries-old tradition of eagle hunting from a horse is well and alive in Mongolia.
Mongolia into Russia and China. The current CITES status for this beautiful member of the Capra family falls under Appendix III and the population estimation according to Gerhard Damm and Nicolas Franco is around 9,000 animals. The males carry massive scimitar-shaped horns, some with wide and others with tighter formations. The maximum recorded horn length is 55 inches around the curve. Horns on the females are short and rarely exceed 16 inches. Unlike sheep, with ibex, the males and females generally stay in herds for security. They are extremely aloof and will demand a predator to go the extra mile to infiltrate their habitat. Clinal populations exist with morphological differences such as a reddish coat and absence of the dark dorsal ridge in areas adjacent to the Russian Altai. In my opinion, the small population inhabiting the high Altai mountains have the most elegant capes. As winter approaches, they sport a mosaic blend of salt and pepper colors, resembling our own Stone’s sheep of Northern British Columbia. It is important to state here that the government of Mongolia issues only 60 tags for this animal per year, making it one of the most sought after of all ibex subspecies.
After three legs of intercontinental travel, Carl and I landed in Ulaanbaatar, Outer Mongolia in the early morning hours of October 8th. The sky was clear, and the air was brisk. With the season closing on Oct 15th and the logistics of getting to our hunting area with everything
Moments before the ACL tear…
working according to plan, we realistically would only have five days to hunt. After clearing the customs formalities, getting our rifles checked, and meeting our outfitter Suika, we hit a delay. Our domestic flight to Bayan-Olgii, which would be our gateway to the Altai mountains, had been cancelled, forcing us to overnight in the capital. I was a little ticked off as that would mean another lost hunting day because the flight on the day after was to Altai city and not Bayan-Olgii making it 700 kms away from our main camps. This, however, is one of those nuisances that a mountain hunter seeking adventure in faraway places must expect, ignore and soldier through. A bit of touring near the main square followed by a
meal at a Turkish restaurant ended the day, allowing us plenty of time for sleep in a bed versus a sardine seat on a jet. Maybe the recovery day wasn’t such a bad thing after all, given what was to come.
The next morning, we boarded the Brazilian-made Embraer and landed in Altai city after a 90-minute flight. From the sky, there didn’t appear to be lots of snow on either the Hangay or the south part of the Altai mountains. This was reassuring as it meant easier travel to our main camps. We quickly boarded our Land Cruiser after meeting another of the guides named Hurdelé. He appeared to be a seasoned guide whose skin looked like chapped leather, and he had an almost whimsical demeanor
that amused me. In retrospect, this 700-km drive was another blessing, allowing Carl and I to witness Mongolia’s heartland and its nomadic life from the back seat of our comfortable Land Cruiser.
The highway was paved, in great shape and every 10 kms or so, we would see a Mongolian shepherd on his motorbike maneuvering herds of goats, sheep or cows.
The landscape was dotted with Mongolian-style gers, those sturdydome shaped lattice structures sometimes called yurts. They are covered by felted wool and have been in use for over a millennium, not only in Mongolia, but in most parts of central Asia and beyond.
We also saw herds of Mongolia’s double-humped Bactrian camels and a large predatory bird called
Mongolian Kazakh hospitality at its very best.
the Cinereous vulture that resembled a flying barn door.
Around 5 pm, we arrived in the small mountain town of Tolbo which was my outfitter home. We were greeted warmly by his parents and guides before sharing tea, bread, Lagman noodles with horse meat and other regional delicacies. The hospitality of the Mongolian Kazakhs is exemplary. This was also where Carl and I would split up to go to our individual hunting areas. Carl travelled due northwest towards Russia with his entourage, and I travelled due south towards China with mine. The drive to camp was absolutely Double-humped Mongolian camels.
Bayon-Olgii, the gateway to Mongolia’s Altai mountains.
astounding, going over medium rise passes, descending to valleys and rising again. The temperature was around -5C and very pleasant. Along the way, we used the remaining daylight hours to stop and glass for ibex to no avail. Around 10 pm we arrived at our camp.
There are big differences in hunting between Mongolia and other Asian countries due to the ease of access to the main camp; it was possible in a Land Cruiser rather than horses. Our camp consisted of two gers, one for myself and my two guides and the other for the chef and her kitchen. Shortly after our arrival and a quick supper, a few of the locals who live in the hunting concession arrived to greet us and brainstorm a plan for the next day. One guide named Naurizkbek resembled a Cossack warrior out of Tolstoy’s War and Peace with his Stalin-style mustache, tall, navy-blue wool coat
tightened around his waist by a brass belt emblazoned with a sickle and sporting a dagger. He told us that he had seen a group of 11 ibex with a couple of good shooters amongst them over a week ago,
which lifted my spirits.
The next morning Suika and I joined a couple of local elders named Sairat and Khaisa, got into the Land Cruiser, and travelled to the area where the group
The Toyota Land Cruiser is the real king of the Mongolian steppe.
The locals gathered in my ger for an ibex strategy session. Check out Naurizbek’s attire which reminded me of a Cossack soldier from Tolstoy’s War and Peace novel.
of ibex had last been seen. A couple of one- to two-hour hikes glassing the upper slopes with the spotter revealed only nannies and immature billies. We then drove to other finger valleys south of our main camp, walked up the canyon and set up the spotting scope to glass. These two elders had binoculars predating WWII, but nonetheless, could locate and grade ibex far better than me with my Swarovski SLC’s. By 6 pm, we hadn’t seen any shooter ibex and decided to return to camp. While we were away, Hurdelé had climbed a separate drainage on his horse and by fluke had located the band of 11 billies. My heart rate went into overdrive with this news, and we made plans to go after them the following day. All through the night, the sight of large scimitar-horned ibex filled my
dreams and every time I woke up, I realized it was a dream.
The next morning, I arose to the smell of coffee and fried eggs. Because of the location where the billies had gone, it would make sense for us to drive to the adjacent valley and meet our guides who were bringing the horses for us. I am not a big horse fan, but accepted. We drove to the end of the agreed valley and started climbing on foot. About 1 pm, two of the guides with horses showed up. Our plan was for two other guides to climb with their horses on the peak across the glen where the ibex had been spotted, with the guides carrying a radio and keeping them under check while we climbed towards them.
We sorted our gear, checked the wind, and decided to get on the horses. I am no cowboy, and have
around 150 hours of total saddle time, hence had asked for a tame horse. The Mongolian horses are of somewhat a smaller stature and look mellow. I strapped my ACL brace around my right leg and as I inserted my left toe in the small and mangled stirrup and swung my right leg over the horse’s back, something spooked him. He started bucking. My left foot was stuck in the stirrup, and it took him 30 yards of vigorous bucking and several backward kicks to dislodge me. When I was finally jettisoned, I landed on my right leg with the broken ACL and felt an excruciating pain, far worse than when I had torn my ACL in the first place.
The whole world was dark as I laid flat on that cold Mongolian dirt with my mind racing in every direction and a feeling of sadness
Dawlat with the horse that bucked me off!
This was by and large the most important shot of my whole life as the success of my entire Mongolian expedition hung on it.
settling in, telling me that my hunt was over. After taking two Aleve pills and a couple of prayers, the guides who were in disbelief asked me when we were going back to camp. Here is when I thought to myself that I had come all the way across the world to this foreign land, investing a lot of time and hard-earned money and wasn’t going to give up. Knowing that the ibex could potentially be up behind the peak ahead, I decided to grab my ice axe and told the guides we were going to we were going to hike 5km with an elevation gain of 700 meters to see if we could get above them for a chance at a shot.. The guides didn’t believe me at first but when they saw me hobbling up the valley on one leg with my ice axe, they started following suit. I was in
pain but didn’t let the pain rent any space in my head. It was roughly 3 o’clock in the afternoon and the sun would set in about three hours. Slowly and steadily, I looked for weakness in the terrain and scaled up the mountain one step at a time. Hurdelé tried to convince me to stab across and come up to the ibex from below, but I was not to listen to anyone at this point as I held to my own judgement.
We were nearing the top of the ridge, some 500 yards away when suddenly, we got a radio signal from the guides that we had sent to the adjacent peak saying that the ibex had gotten up and were going to cross on the skyline above us. I was in disbelief as to how the good Lord had intervened for a divine intervention of sorts,
persuading the game to walk across the skyline and potentially giving me an opportunity for a shot. I have faith in God, but this miracle alone would have converted an atheist into a priest. I immediately told all the guides to stay flat on the ground, keep quiet and let me do what was needed. I didn’t need any advice at this point and as I was fidgeting my body left and right to find a comfortable position, I realized I was slipping downhill because of the steep slope. Hurdelé held my heels while I laid flat with my Lilja-barreled custom 300WM pointing towards the ridge.
The rangefinder read 430 yards with a compensated horizontal distance of 395. I dialed in the turret, put my binoculars away and The spectacular Altai mountains of NW Mongolia.
awaited the ibex to start appearing on the skyline. It took roughly 10 minutes for the first billy to appear on the ridge. He was immature and stared in our direction to look for predators. My heart was virtually coming out of mouth as I was anticipating an opportunity to kill a billy that I had not even spotted, but I kept telling myself to cool my jets. The second billy stepped out from behind a rock and stood still. His shadow was reflected on the hillside, an image that I wish I could have captured on a camera. However, at this moment, I was here to kill an ibex and only photograph a dead one. The ibex were appearing one by one in between two large rocks which were roughly 10 meters apart and then slowly going over out of sight.
A quintessential High Altai ibex in its winter coat. It doesn’t get any better.
By and large, one of the best and most hard-earned trophies of my entire life.
I was getting anxious as to where the two big ones might be. Had they crossed behind the ridge, or had they been spooked? Finally, they both appeared in that opening but in tandem with the darker/ older one behind, preventing a shot. What the heck! I calmed my nerves and prayed for a separation before they would go over. The front billy suddenly slowed down for a nibble of exposed grass and the dark one continued on his slow trot. With the crosshairs centered on his left shoulder, I sent a prayer to the creator and launched the 200-grain spicy Nosler spitzer towards his shoulder. As my rifle spoke, the blast echoed from mountain to mountain. The shot had been true, and even though the recoil of the rifle had nicked my
forehead, I could see him tumbling down like a rolling stone. My guide Suika and others were in disbelief as to how I had found the opening to administer the shot with surgical precision. I guess lady luck sometimes shows up at the right moment. This was by and large the most important shot of my whole life as the success of my entire Mongolian expedition hung on it.
I can’t begin to describe how I felt at that moment and broke into tears. How lucky and blessed I had been for the stars to line up for this miracle and how persistent and cool I had kept my head to do what was called for. I felt relief and at the same time overjoyed. The air was still, and the sun was glittering on the peaks
Yours truly with the entire staff.
as it set across the horizon. We dragged the billy to a relatively flat spot for pictures and I bent down to kiss his horns and thank the good Lord for a blessing beyond my imagination. He was a mature 11-year-old specimen with a magnificent winter coat and colossal scimitar horns that swept back like a half-moon towards his back. I also took a moment to not only remember my old man and uncle who were in ibex heaven, watching me from above—those who had had introduced me to the wonderful world of hunting—but also my living friends who were praying for my success. I recorded a long spiel to share them with upon my return to Canada. Since darkness was approaching, I grabbed my ice axe and slowly
UnparallelED Success on Harvest & Adventure
started descending towards the valley bottom. The guides started dragging the billy whole, using snow as much as possible for a glissade. Around 7:30 pm I climbed into the Land Cruiser’s front seat for a ride back to camp. The entire set of events that had taken place today was playing in front of me once again like a movie and I was rubbing my eyes to make sure it was not another dream.
Upon arrival at the main camp, the staff came to shake my hand and congratulate me on our success. A scrumptious supper of ibex tenderloins with trimmings satisfied the entire crew. I had the sleep of the dead that night, but every time I woke up, even though I was in pain, I giggled and was proud of not giving up despite testing my moxie and finally making it happen.
The next day after the locals had caped the billy and packed all the meat, I shook hands with everyone, thanked them for their hospitality and tipped them generously. A small boy whose picture you see in this report had captured my heart and I gave him all the chocolate bars I had brought along.
a hunt, I laid down and squeezed an imaginary shot towards the bigger one. It felt good!
Upon our return to Tolbo and then Bayan-Olgii, I met up with Carl and found out that he also had connected with a mature billy. We gave each other hugs and felt blessed. We spent the next day in
This was truly an experience of a lifetime, one that many would never even dream of.
The day that followed, we flew to Ulaanbaatar and visited the tribunal monument that had been built to honor Genghis Khan and bought some wonderful cashmere sweaters from the Gobi store for family gifts. A supper of khorkhog, the great Mongolian-style meat cooked on the rocks at the Modern Nomad restaurant was to be our last meal in Mongolia.
We hopped inside the Land Cruiser once again, travelling in the direction of Tolbo. I had asked Suika, if time allowed, to detour on our way back to the area where the Altai argali camps are located to see if we could spot an Altai argali ram. He of course was kind enough to take me there to see the area and to meet the concession manager Asghar. We drove towards the Blue Ibex National Park and spotted two beautiful Altai rams. Knowing that I would never be able to afford such
Bayan-Olgii, walking the bazaar and the souvenir shops, picking up a few memorabilia items from this Kazakh-dominated part of Mongolia. We also went for a visit to the house of the 2023 eagle hunting champion of Mongolia, an affable man by the name of Khairol. He spent over an hour explaining his style of hunting with his eagles, his gear and his birds and gave us the pleasure of holding these magnificent birds of prey perched on our arms.
The next morning, as the two Pratt and Whitney engines of the Boeing 777 reached their 20,000 rpm and the plane soared above the capitol’s buildings, I once again counted my blessings and prayed that someday, I would get an encore opportunity to come back here for a crack at a Gobi ibex.
On finale, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the government of Mongolia for doing a splendid job of managing their natural resources, and in particular, their sheep and ibex by issuing a limited number of tags and benevolently granting me permission to come here and collect an Altai ibex. I also want to express my love and gratitude towards my family for supporting me and allowing me to live through this wonderful experience in the land of Genghis Khan who ruled the Asian world for more than a century.
There is an old fable that says every mountain hunt should end with a hobbling hunter coming home. That was certainly the case in this hunt! WS
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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.
THE GIFT OF A RAM TAG
BY CODY MAURER
As soon as the ram sky-lined himself, we were in disbelief at the massive horns glistening in the sunlight. This was an incredible Dall’s sheep. This old mountain warrior became our sole focus.
My dad tells me I’ve been coming to the Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska since I was just a one-yearold kid. He says it’s where I learned to walk. We come here every chance we get to have fun and to hunt. In 2003, my dad drew a Dall’s sheep tag in the Chugach, and
he drew one again in 2023. Then he gifted the tag to me. I couldn’t believe it—a 13-year-old hunting for a Dall’s sheep!
Before our Dall’s hunt even began, my dad wanted to fill a musk ox tag he had drawn. I lucked out and got a leftover over-the-counter tag for a cow. We both tagged out,
but that’s another story! We arrived at sheep camp several days before the season opener and took advantage of the time to learn the country and identify the sheep around us. It was tricky since we also didn’t want to blow out any rams hanging close to our camp.
We found several bands of sheep in the surrounding mountains, but there was one ram that we quickly nicknamed Stud. He was hanging out with three other rams that were really impressive, too. We were hunting a “full-curl only” unit, and I was completely committed to only hunting Stud.
We surprised the team with a pile of fresh musk ox steaks. We ate like kings waiting for opening day. The night before the opener, I couldn’t sleep. Our guide, Stephen, kept saying he thought Stud was something special. I was beyond excited.
On opening morning, we loaded our packs and planned on hiking to the remote basin where we had been watching Stud. As we crested the first pass, I looked to my right and whispered, “sheep.” We all hit the dirt. We couldn’t believe we got caught in the open like that! We crawled to cover and glassed them. It was Stud and his buddies. My body was shaking with excitement.
These rams were close, but we were pinned down in the open. Thankfully, the rams kept feeding around the ridge. We shimmied down the rocks on our butts, doing our best to stay out of sight. We stayed low and unseen while we closed the distance.
We belly-crawled up the backside of a knoll. When we reached the top, the rams were visible. Stephen kept describing what Stud was doing and what direction he was facing. My dad ranged the rams, dialed the scope, and told me how to hold for wind. I slid a 140-grain bullet into my 6.5 PRC and tried to steady my breathing.
The ram turned perfectly broadside, looking down the valley. My dad said the magic words. “Whenever you’re ready, take him.” The rifle barked, and the ram didn’t move. He stood there shaking his head. “Again,” my dad said. I cranked back on the bolt and slammed another shell
in the chamber. “Shoot!” The gun barked again. The ram started to wobble. Stephen and my dad yelled excitedly as I was relocating Stud in my scope. I hadn’t seen him tumble yet, so I kept yelling, “Where is he?” My dad told me to look lower down the mountain and watch the ram to see if he stood up. When I finally found him in the scope, he was done.
I rolled over on my back, feeling a wave of emotion. I could barely move, and my legs felt incredibly heavy. I was in disbelief about what had just happened. I was so close to blowing it, yet Stud was down the mountain. It took several minutes for me to calm my rattled nerves. We gathered together and gave thanks for such an incredible animal.
It was a challenge to get to where the ram had tumbled and came to a rest. We were thankful for awesome friends who could help us out. As soon as I put my hands on Stud’s
massive horns, I said another quick prayer of thanks. I was so grateful once we had the meat and horns off the mountain and back at camp. Stud was a gorgeous ram that lived in one of the prettiest remote basins I’ve ever seen. Stephen was correct—Stud was something special. He had horn lengths over 40 inches each and bases over 13 inches. His official B&C score is 164-6/8 points. He was an absolute stud.
Editor’s Note: Cody’s ram will be part of the 2025 Ram Awards Luncheon held on Thursday, January 16th at Sheep Show® 2025 in Reno, Nevada.
About the Hunter: Cody Maurer lives with his parents in Denver, Colorado. They live for hunting, fishing, and adventure travel. Check out some of Cody’s adventures @mountainkidcody.
BY BO MAURER
As a side note, we ran into one of the other tag holders in the unit, Butch Kuflak. To say Butch is a very accomplished sheep hunter is a huge understatement. To give you an idea, he was inducted into the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Mountain Hunter Hall of Fame in 2018. Butch also connected on a beautiful ram in the same area we hunted, which was his 50th North American Sheep. Butch was such a gentleman with Cody and was incredibly supportive of Cody’s future hunting adventures. It was a special moment to have Cody with his first sheep and Butch with his fiftieth sheep. We were beyond blessed! WS
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RIFLES ON THE ROCKS
SHEEP COUNTRY CAN BE HARD ON A RIFLE AND ITS ZERO. HERE’S HOW TO MAINTAIN AND RESTORE BOTH.
BY WAYNE VAN ZWOLL
From the hatchet ridge, an apron of scree falls steeply north to a cliff 100 yards below, still well above tree-line. As if gathered and tied, the apron narrows near the crest. Still, deer skirt it through a pass to a south face ledge. I’ve bounded across the apron where mountain game could cross. A leap from a running start brings me halfway. Momentum and a quick second spring land me on solid rock beyond.
This morning, Vern and I saw no deer on the sunny mother ridge where we’d shot bucks in other Octobers. After a turn toward the apron, we paused to eye-ball
footing. Then, day-pack snug, rifle slung, I sped forward. My boot landed well but stayed a half-second too long. The scree swept me away before I could spring again. Instantly belly-down in a river of pebbles, I clawed for purchase. Rifle barrel banging against the face. I gathered speed. My canteen tore from my belt to hurtle over the cliff and break apart on rocks below.
A pulse-beat from the precipice, a couple of bloody fingers caught a small crevice; the toe of a boot found another. With so little holding me, even breathing seemed a risk.
“Want to shed that rifle?” Vern
had climbed down ledges beside the apron, dry humor intact. With no way to slip the sling and loath to release a hand, all I could do was inch sideways a finger-hold at a time, toes pressed to the rock. Long minutes later, bending toward him, I put the muzzle within his reach.
Surely my finger-prints remain on that face. My rifle was scarred but functional. I remember crawling to a flat place before I dared stand. Keeping your footing in high rock is the first step to keeping your body and rifle intact. Verily, it’s a good idea in low places too. I once broke an ankle after a day in the steeps, in a meadow flat as a billiard table.
How you carry a rifle affect its fate in a fall. I often cradle mine in the crook of my left arm. For a change, or on loose rock, it rides loosely in either hand by my side.
Where
Walking along a creek, I stepped on grass overhanging its bank and plunged an unimpressive four feet. But my ankle had buckled under. I heard the bone snap. Without help, it would have been a long crawl to a road.
How you carry a rifle affects its fate in a fall. I often cradle mine in the crook of my left arm. For a change, or on loose rock, it rides loosely in either hand by my side. When I’m making a long approach or just spooling out distance, the rifle hangs from my right shoulder, slinged muzzle-up, steadied by my right hand at the butt.
Still, accidents happen. A rock that rolled underfoot on a pre-dawn march brought me to earth so fast, I had no time to keep my rifle from landing hard. Fearing the blow had compromised its zero, I declined a 300-yard shot that morning—my only chance of the season.
Horses and mules are more surefooted. They can help you reach and hunt from remote camps. They gain nothing by tumbling down a pitch, brushing you off with a low limb, scraping your rifle against a rock or unseating you in a sudden fright. But as I’ve endured these indignities and others, you’re wise to make your mount a friend.
During the middle of the 19th century, when the unsettled West was just about everything between St. Louis and San Francisco, trappers and mountain men carried Hawken rifles across the saddle, essentially in their laps. A Hawken I examined had long suffered life on the pommel; its stock belly forward of the lock had been dished by wear almost to the underside of the barrel!
treacherous footing needs help from one hand, keep your rifle high in the other, not on your shoulder.
Many scabbards for lever-action carbines with metallic sights were rudimentary boots with no hoods. They were strapped vertically up front. The carbine came quickly to hand when the rider had to fire horseback coursing buffalo or escaping hostiles. Shooting from the saddle makes less sense when you’re out to stalk a single beast and your scalp isn’t at stake. Also, most rifles now span over 40 inches. Suppressors add length. Vertical carry up front can put the muzzle low enough to interfere with the horse’s gait or lift the butt-stock high enough to snag branches you can duck. Long hours of bouncing can stress a scope and its mount; and if the animal falls, your rifle is better aligned with its torso than at right angles to it. My scabbard, sewn decades ago by a saddle-maker on a pattern from Jack O’Connor, rides under my right leg, muzzle angled down to the front, scope up. It has a removable hood. The rifle counters my weight when I mount; it’s not in the way of a hurried dismount. Butt to the rear, it’s easy to grab when I’m on the ground. If the horse then pivots or wants to leave, the rifle is a quick tug from the scabbard.
While many outfitters provide scabbards that can be hung this way, and that accept long, scoped rifles, I’ve hunted with others who have only age-stiffened boots that won’t swallow even small scopes. I’m gentle but firm in requests to put my scabbard or theirs under my right leg. Of course, a roll-over is hard on a rifle no matter how it’s strapped on. Once, dismounting to lead my horse up a hill, I found the pitch steeper than it had looked. Reins in one hand, gripping bushes with the other, I was tugged off my feet when the animal tumbled backward, rifle still in its scabbard.
A right-side scabbard that carries the rifle with butt angled up to the rear is Wayne’s choice on horseback hunts.
Horseback to camp, consider packing your rifle in a padded soft case, in a plastic garbage bag under canvas.
full curl leather logo items
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
The horse wasn’t injured. The rifle escaped with a cosmetic scuff. The scope’s eyepiece, though, was bent tight to the bolt knob. I had been foolish to try to bring the horse up that pitch, with no hand free for the rifle.
On the road and in commercial air travel, use a hard case big enough that its foam cushions the scope’s bell and turret dials. If a scope won’t fit without flattening foam, consider packing it separately. A safari-bound friend pulled the scopes from his three rifles. Re-attaching them in Africa, he found none needed adjusting. Talley’s QD rings and bases are so precisely machined, you can expect return to zero. Ditto for rings Blaser provides for its R8 rifles. The QD option so handy if your scope goes bonkers in the field can also protect it in transit.
Bringing a rifle to and from a remote camp horseback, consider slipping it in a soft case, and strapping it in the “V” formed by cargo straddling a pack-saddle.
While most hard polymer rifle cases will fit there, few outfitters I know who use stock or airplanes like to pack these stiff, space-eating capsules. Some won’t fit in the confines of a Super Cub. A heavilypadded soft case is more welcome. I snug the cased rifle in a couple of black garbage/leaf bags to keep it dry, even if the outfitter promises a tarp to cover. At trailhead, packing and unpacking horses, that soft case is otherwise exposed to whatever the sky dishes out.
To keep ammunition clean and dry, and because cardboard boxes fall apart when wet or mashed in a pack, you’re smart to bring cartridges to camp in snap-lid polymer boxes from MTM CaseGard.
Not that rain or wet snow
On the road or in the air, use hard cases for both rifle and ammo. Of course, double-check airline requirements.
Scope assembly now can require a “clean room” and tweezers! Still, modern scopes are sturdy, zero shifts rare.
TOOLS
(or condensation on a cold rifle brought into a warm cabin) will immediately put your rifle out of service. But eventually water brings rust. While stainless steel battles rust better than does chrome-moly, neither is rust-proof. A hard freeze can “ice up” wet snow on the trigger, sear and firing pin. Keeping your rifle as dry as practical, and cold under shelter instead of exposed to sudden warmth, makes sense. Metal enjoys a wipe with an oily rag; small parts like a film of dry lube. Oil sparingly! Oil picks up grit. Congealed oil can affect sear action and firing pin impact. The bolt release of a used Remington 722 I bought was stuck open by old lube.
A small piece of electrician’s tape over your rifle’s muzzle will keep the bore dry. Unlike a slug of mud or snow, it won’t act as an obstruction or hike pressure. Air pressure and the bullet easily will rupture it.
Oil-finished walnut rifle-stocks appreciate a thin coat of boiled linseed oil before a hunt. Rub it in until it’s hot to your hand; towel off excess. To protect stock wood at and forward of the butt-plate when you set your rifle butt-down in the snow, use a Pachmayr slip-on recoil pad or a classy leather pad with Velcro closure from Galco.
Fussing over a rifle to the point that you limit its use can hamstring your hunt. Like a hunter, a rifle pressed to perform will get scratched and bruised. “Scars are character!” you say. Still, I wince when my rifle bangs against a rock. In the Arctic once, a camp-mate handed me his Savage. “You’re on license for caribou. Take this!” The 99 Savage, of 1950s vintage, looked new. No dings. No blue wear. It had never been scoped! Gingerly, I carried it out on the tundra. Charitably, a low, dark ceiling held its rain.
Cycle every cartridge you’ll take, from the bottom of a full magazine. Practice re-loading without looking.
Galco’s classy leather recoil pad has a sleeve to secure it and protect the stock. It’s on and off Velcro-quick.
Mid-day, I spied a set of antlers far away across an immense flat. There was no cover between us. The big loop that brought me behind the bedded animal took most of an hour. I finished on my belly, closing to 80 yards for a sure shot with the open sights. Struck fatally by my first shot, the caribou wilted to a second. The antlers were shy on points but wider than the rifle was long, with a foot to spare. A grand bull, fairly taken.
“Would you consider selling that Savage?” I asked that evening. “I’ll pay fair in cash, give it a good home.”
He smiled. “Son, I hadn’t planned to take it back with me. But I promised it to my guide. Gotta honor that.” OK. But the thought of that pristine rifle bungeed to the back of an Inuit sled or the handlebars of a four-wheeler, or rattling about in salt-water splash in canoes, gave me chills. An offer of my scoped bolt rifle went nowhere, so I had to leave the .300 to its fate. It has no doubt killed more caribou.
Wet weather affects scopes more noticeably than it does rifles. Before nitrogen replaced air in scope tubes after WW II, fogging clouded aim. Now hygroscopic and hydrophilic exterior lens coatings (those that “bead” and “sheet” water) clear the view. With scratch-resistant coatings, these may be the best news about scopes in decades. You can still mar lenses with a hurried swipe from a shirt sleeve or thumb, especially if the lens, sleeve or thumb is dirty. Gentle circular strokes of a clean lens cloth removes dust; but a few Kleenex from a Zip-Loc bag can better dab off rain or snow.
Scope caps are protective, but no cap opens or comes off instantly. I prefer tucking the rifle under my arm in a shower. If game jumps
Ah, tradition. Leather lens covers suit this fine Rigby rifle. But they’re slow to remove, must then be pocketed.
No pampering! Inuit hunters subject rifles to salt spray and rough rides in canoes and on snow machines.
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from cover then, I won’t delay a shot fussing with caps. Hinged, spring-loaded caps are fast. Pressing the thumb latch handy to your trigger hand flips the rear cap open. The front cap pops up to a nudge from your forward thumb. But open, these caps are vulnerable and often in the way. The rear cap may spin on the eye-piece and block the rifle’s bolt handle. Up front, the cap and the ring holding it add to objective bell diameter, making scabbard fit tight, and testing gun case zippers.
A one-piece sock that covers the scope is a good alternative. But it and caps joined by elastomer that vaults them forward when released aren’t fool-proof. One rainy day a friend’s scope cover landed atop the barrel and his forward hand. He quickly swatted it off, but just as he got his hand back on the rifle, the deer vanished in cover.
In my youth, some hunters in
rainy places used Weaver caps that in the ‘60s sold for $2. Their soft plastic sleeves fit snugly over the tube. Their clear ends afforded aim clear enough for hurried shots at game. Hinged or fixed, I like clear plastic windows. They also protect the lenses.
While scopes get ever-more complex, they’ve also evolved to take a beating on hunts. In 50-odd years of hunting, the only scope I’ve seen damaged was the 3x bent under my upended horse. Genuine failures are so rare, Leupold has collected a few for its archives:
When a canoe swamped, a scoped rifle fell into 9 feet of water. Dug from the gravel some weeks later, the action was welded shut by sand and rust, but the scope hadn’t fogged.
Five years after another hunter lost his rifle overboard in a lake, a fisherman pulled it out. The rifle was in “poor condition,” but the
scope afforded clear aim.
Mountains can also be hard on scopes. When one hunter’s horse tumbled 400 yards down a rockslide, the rifle slipped its scabbard and clattered on stone under the animal. The rifle emerged bruised, but with zero intact.
The eruption of Mount St. Helens buried yet another rifle. Dug from the remains of the house in 12 feet of mud, the scope was said by the owner to perform “very well.”
A Kahles scope I inspected had weathered years in the Alps after a hunter lost the rifle. Optically it seemed good as new.
With modern scopes, even zero shift is rare. Muffed shots blamed on a scope that “got knocked about on the airplane” (in foam in a hard case in baggage?) more likely reflect an imperfect zero or poor marksmanship.
Still, an occasional zero check makes sense. A bump that causes no apparent damage can affect zero. On a long-ago hunt, I called a good shot, but heard the “whup” of the bullet striking paunch. After a half-mile of trailing, I finished the beast with a spot-on hit. But my next shot at game was again off the mark. A zero check sent a bullet through target’s center. Then I saw a windage screw on my Redfield scope mount had backed off a nickel’s width. Recoil was bouncing the scope between opposing screws. Every other shot was on the money! My zero check was late, and I should have fired two shots.
The only way to make a rifle “shoot to the sight” is to fire it yourself. Two savvy shooters can see metallic sights differently and send bullets from the same rifle to different places. A scope limits disparities in sight pictures but doesn’t eliminate them. And how the rifle is held also affects shot
Hinged scope covers can get in the way when open. Clear plastic covers, hinged or not, make sense for fast aim.
placement. During my time guiding hunters, I was surprised at how many asked me to check zero on their rifles. One fellow employed in the shooting industry assured me his colleagues had zeroed his. When a fine buck appeared at 120 yards. I expected it to wilt. A couple of shots later, it left. Asked if he’d like to check his zero, the man demurred. The next day he missed another deer four times. To his credit, he wrote me after the season, admitting he had fired the .30-06 at home and found it shot 13 inches high at 100 yards!
Tweaking zero shouldn’t require tools. But a compact cased screwdriver set belongs in every hunting camp. Mine are from
Brownells and Real Avid. You’ll want hollow-ground magnetic bits to fit your rifle’s guard screws and scope mount. Include allen and/ or Torx wrenches for scope rings, turret dials and the trigger. Better to nix a problem before it begs a fix. To get hitch-free response from your rifle on a hunt, clean the action of excess lube, ensure guard screws are tight, then step out in rain, snow and wind at home. Set your scope at the magnification you expect to use afield. Fire at paper targets from field positions, feeding from the magazine. If you’ve a detachable box, remove it, fill it and insert it without looking. Cycle the action briskly. Spill fired brass. However dispiriting, the results can
show problems that beg solving. If you “dial to the distance” with your scope, see if your bullets land where the dial predicts.
It’s unlikely more groups from the bench will improve your field accuracy. Even refining zero, I fire from prone with a sling, as few rifles shoot to the same place from all positions. Game country has no benches.
Before packing cartridges for a hunt, run each from the bottom of the rifle’s magazine through its chamber, cycling the bolt as if firing at a records-book animal. Pack enough ammunition for a zero check and to re-zero, in the unlikely event you fall with the rifle.
On the mountain, keep the rifle in hand as much as you can. And watch your step! WS
Cleaning in Camp
Reaching and living in sheep country, you’ll do without one-piece cleaning rods and a cabinet full of bore-cleaners. Otis kits travel in a zippered bagel-size canvas case. The Ripcord’s pullthrough cable has an integral 10-inch cleaning section with rigid Nomex synthetic fibers that “trap fouling better than nylon.” A molded rubberized core centers them in the bore and keeps them engaged. Like other Otis cables, the Ripcord has brass ends with 8-32 threads. Basic Otis kits can’t clear a plug of snow or mud after you face-plant; but they clean and protect bores, .22 to .45, in wild places. The Otis Elite, a base camp kit, has 40 pieces, with obstructionclearing tools. WS
This tight 100-yard group is in the right place for a 200-yard zero. Don’t “farm out” zeroing! Do it yourself!
BASECAMP DISPATCHES
YOUR WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION’S 2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION
IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY LAST NAME
Attention WSF Members: Soon, you will have the opportunity to exercise your right as a member to help us select four new directors for the WSF Board of Directors in an upcoming Fall election.
Four current director terms expire April 30, 2025. Candidates for the four open director positions were reviewed by the director candidate evaluation committee and approved by the nominating committee before
BRALLI CLIFFORD
As Jack O’Connor said, “a man is either a sheep hunter or he isn’t.” At nine sheep hunts, and counting, I think it is safe to say that I fell head first into the “sheep hunter” category. Except, it isn’t just sheep hunting really, is it?
As an adult onset hunter, I didn’t really know what to expect on my first big game hunt. As the years have passed and I have continued to hunt, the meaning of hunting for me has also evolved.
It is about conservation, foodsourcing, travel, people, experiences and pushing the limits of both your body and your mind—and it is about community. To date, I have traveled six continents and 13 countries (eight of which I have also hunted in). I have made lifelong friendships around the world with guides, wranglers, outfitters and conservationists. I have seen some of the most amazing places in the
being placed on the fall ballot. Candidate biographies are included below for your review. These will also be mailed and emailed to WSF members with their ballot and will be on the WSF website. This year the election will include both email and paper ballots. Voting will open on October 1st and close on December 15th.
Successful candidates elected by the membership will serve a three-
world, eaten some of the most delicious cuisines and pushed myself to and beyond any physical and mental limits I could have imagined. I was born, raised and continue to live in the amazing state of Wyoming. My husband and I both work in the healthcare field and together own and manage four
year term commencing May 1, 2025, and expiring April 30, 2028.
As a special thank you to all WSF members who vote in this fall 2024 election, our independent election vendor, YesElections, will randomly draw one name to win a $5,400 WSF Weatherby Bighorn Edition rifle package.
Thank you for participating in this year’s election.
Wild sheep matter. Your vote matters. WS
businesses, ranging from ranching to residential real estate to a physician owned ER company. I have been blessed to be married to my best friend and adventure partner and together we raised one daughter and two sons. We are now empty nesters enjoying the high energy of a black lab puppy who joins us on all of our domestic adventures.
Volunteering my time with many nonprofit organizations, the majority being hunting and conservation groups has become a passion and one that I spend a considerable amount of effort doing. Currently I serve as the treasurer for the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation and volunteer 100% of their bookkeeping management. I have a very strong desire to use my time to promote, enhance and share the world of wild sheep with both the hunting and the non-hunting communities in order to “Put and Keep Sheep on the Mountain®.” WS
LARRY JOHNS
Throughout Larry’s life, his passion for hunting and wildlife conservation has been a driving force, and he’s committed over 35 years to various conservation organizations.
Larry began his work with conservation in the late 1980’s working with Safari Club International as a national banquet coordinator, and chapter developer. He started a residential and small commercial construction company in 1990 covering California and Nevada, and continued his work with SCI, serving eight years as a national director-at-large, and co-chairing their ethics committee for four years. Larry also helped form the SCI Sutter Buttes chapter, serving as president for eight years. Moving to Reno Nevada in 2008, he became president of the SCI’s Northern Nevada chapter, serving two terms.
Larry brings years of personal and professional experience and knowledge of chapter and
KEVIN KEHOE
Kevin was born and raised in Western New York along the Alleghany River. Precious days spent hunting ruffed grouse and small game with him is how his hunting passion began.
A career in the Army taught Kevin about leadership, strategic thinking, and the power of teamwork. He served in multiple demanding leadership positions as a special forces officer. His greatest experience was being selected for one of the Army’s elite special mission units. Kevin retired from the Army in 2001 as a lieutenant colonel. He is a combat veteran whose awards and decorations
membership development and fundraising to WSF assisting with widening the awareness of the foundation and its mission. He currently serves as chairman of the WSF’s ethics committee and manages the annual Sheep Show® Raffle, a program he will resign from if elected to the WSF board, required within the Conflict-ofInterest Policy listed within the WSF by-laws. He is a member of WSF’s Chadwick Ram Society, a WSF Summit Life Member, and a life member of numerous WSF chapters and affiliates. WSF
include the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star.
Following his Army career, Kevin worked for several corporations managing and starting several
honored Larry in 2022 presenting him with the President’s Award for his service.
Larry was nominated for the WSF director position by The Northern Nevada Chapter of SCI, receiving letters of recommendation from,past WSF chairmen, Doug Sayer and Brett Jefferson, along with Stanford Atwood, Denis Dale, Sandra Fields, John Bair, Albert D. Seeno, Billy Paganetti, and Lew Webb. Larry himself was bitten hard by sheep fever in 2018, harvesting a Dall’s sheep, and in 2019, he created many memories during a father/son British Columbia mountain goat hunt. He is committed to working with WSF to protect our hunting and conservation fronts while “Putting and Keeping Sheep on the Mountain®”. He resides in Reno, Nevada with his wife Gay. Together they have three children who have gifted them with nine beautiful grandchildren, many of whom enjoy hunting themselves. WS
small and medium businesses, eventually starting and running his own business until his retirement in 2016.
In 2014, he was asked by a good friend, Jack Atcheson Jr, to restart the Wild Sheep Foundation in Alaska. The organization is thriving today with annual revenues approaching $2.0M. The chapter has also donated over a million dollars since the restart. Kevin’s service as a full-time volunteer and president of the Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation resulted in being recognized by the WSF Outstanding Achievement Award in 2019 and by the governor of Alaska with Conservationist of
BASECAMP DISPATCHES
the Year Award in 2022.
Kevin is fortunate to have hunted the four North American wild sheep, the North American 29, and all but one of the Dangerous Seven of Africa. “Funny thing is, I started out to collect trophies and I ended up collecting wonderful friends,” he says seriously. Kevin now hunts with his daughter, Erin, who is an
KYLE STELTER
Kyle Stelter is a conservationist with a profound passion for wildlife conservation, particularly wild sheep. As a loving husband and devoted father, he embodies a deep commitment to preserving the natural world for future generations. With a unique blend of roles as an advocate for wild sheep, a hunter, and a conservation leader, he is making a significant impact in the field of wildlife conservation. Kyle has previously served on the board of directors of the Wild Sheep Foundation including as vice-chairman for two years. Since October of 2021, Kyle has been the chief executive officer at the Wild Sheep Society. The society has experienced remarkable membership growth of over 400% over the past seven years, which is inspiring to see the engagement by members in conservation efforts. Through initiatives like the Monarch Membership program, substantial funds have been directed towards mission programs, with $1.35 million allocated in the past two years alone. In addition to his roles within the Wild Sheep Foundation and Wild Sheep Society, Kyle also serves as the president of the Mountain Wildlife Conservation Society, a Canadian charity dedicated to preserving wildlife habitats. Through collaborative efforts with various conservation organizations,
avid hunter and outdoorswoman, and his grandson, Landen, who is about to start big game hunting himself.
Kevin hopes to bring his strategic planning ability, leadership skills, business acumen, and passion for wildlife conservation to the Wild Sheep Foundation board. His believes that WSF is a super
significant contributions to conservation initiatives in British Columbia highlights partnerships for a common cause.
Kyle currently serves as the Wild Sheep Foundation Membership and Marketing and Communications chair. This has
DR. PEREGRINE (PERI) WOLFF
I am a veterinarian and have worked with wildlife throughout my career. For 15 years I worked for the states of Oregon and Nevada as an agency wildlife veterinarian. In both jobs I was involved in both their wild sheep and mountain goat programs. This experience provided a broad appreciation of the many challenges, whether disease, habitat loss, a changing climate, invasive species or just roads and cars that
organization that epitomizes the continuous improvement model. It is well staffed with excellent employees and is blessed with a bounty of passionate and talented volunteers. All this combines to give the foundation virtually limitless potential. WS
been an incredible opportunity to connect with and serve the foundation’s dedicated members. WSF has experienced tremendous growth over the past six years, and for Kyle, it is truly a privilege to serve the membership base. Given the opportunity by the Wild Sheep Foundation membership, it would be an honor for Kyle to serve as a director once again.
With a vision to expand the conservation footprint of North America and elevate the Wild Sheep Foundation as a leading conservation organization, Kyle Stelter continues to drive impactful change in the field of wildlife conservation. Through his leadership roles and unwavering dedication, Kyle is actively working towards a future where wild sheep are protected and thriving worldwide. WS
they are facing.
My goal is to help the WSF family, and the public understand the key threats that can impact wild sheep and are aware of the many ways they can help to preserve a future for iconic animals. I have worked closely with the professional resources board, (PRAB) the conservation committee and the legislative affairs committee to create presentations and brochures on the issue of disease and am excited to continue to expand these projects.
I am a nonhunter, but fully
support the role that hunters play in funding and supporting, with their actions, voices and votes, the preservation of and access to, wildlife and wild places. As a board member I have an opportunity to engage with nonand anti-hunters and educate them that to be preserved, nature must have a value, and hunting is an important and sustainable way to make that happen!
To be effective, WSF must be fiscally sound. This includes money to run the business, and to continue support for on-the-ground conservation projects no matter what economic crisis, pandemic or whatever else that may come along to upend global markets. I feel that every member of the wild sheep family should contribute at any level they can to achieve full funding of the endowment. As a member of the budget and the membership committees, I want to continue the excellent efforts that these committees are making in membership growth and retention as well fiscal responsibility.
If elected to another term on the board of directors, I pledge to serve the foundation with my time, treasure, and talent to the best of my abilities. There’s a lot more work to do to keep happy and healthy sheep on the mountain. WS
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WSF WELCOMES NEW STAFF
COREY MASON
Corey Mason joined the Wild Sheep Foundation in 2024 as executive vice president of conservation and chief operating officer.
Prior to joining WSF, Corey served as CEO of Dallas Safari Club and DSC Foundation for seven years, where he led all staff, programs, growth, and mission execution. He worked extensively with federal and international delegations, policy makers, and like-minded organizations to support conservation programs and sustainable use of our natural resources. Further, he helped develop range-wide conservation plans and harvest management strategies, including communitybased natural resource management.
Prior to his work at DSC, he had a 16-year career with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department where he held the positions of regional director, program leader, and management area biologist.
Corey served on the national Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council and serves on the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation board and is state program committee chair, DSC Frontline Foundation board, state advisory committees for bighorn sheep, mule deer and whitetail deer, and is a member of IUCN’s Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Group. He is a past president of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society.
Mason is a member of numerous
hunting and conservation organizations around the world and is a past recipient of the Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia President’s Award.
Corey is a published author, including both popular and peer-
reviewed scientific articles. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® and holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in wildlife management.
Corey lives in Texas with his wife, Karyn, and daughter, Kate. WS
BECKY LAYNE
Becky was born in Missouri but grew up in Wyoming where she and her family spent most of her childhood camping in the Bighorn Mountains and fishing and boating at Yellowtail Lake. Becky and her mom became hunting buddies and have shared many outdoor adventures over the years.
In 1991 Becky started her career with the Wild Sheep Foundation. It was a journey that spanned 26 years. During that time, she held many titles including exhibit manager, meeting coordinator, retail store manager and auction coordinator.
“Aside from participating in telemetry studies in Hells Canyon
and a helicopter net-gun operation in New Mexico, the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of at WSF is my participation in the <1 Club® formation at WSF. ( P.S. I’m still waiting to get kicked out)
From 2018 through 2024, Becky worked in the dealer services department for Stone Glacier backpacks in Bozeman.
Becky is looking forward to being a part of this organization once again as the exhibitor concierge.
In addition to her daughters Ashley and Emily, Becky is a proud dog mom of Charley and Fin, but her grandson Watson is the light of her life! WS
2025 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTICE
Notice is hereby given for the 2025 Wild Sheep Foundation Annual Membership Meeting to be held Friday, January 17, 2025 from 9:00 am –10:30 pm in Room A6 of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
BASECAMP DISPATCHES
by Chester Moore
“BE SURE” CAMPAIGN MAKES IMPACT IN NEW MEXICO/TEXAS
Squeezing the trigger on an aoudad hunt demands more than a clean shot and a steady shooting position.
If it’s in a state where bighorn sheep roam, aoudad hunters must be 100 percent confident it’s actually an aoudad (Barbary sheep) they are putting the crosshairs on.
According to Bryan Bartlett, President of the New Mexico Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation (NMWSF), several incidents dating back to 2019 involved hunters killing bighorn ewes while thinking they were bagging a Barbary sheep.
In response to the issue, the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), in partnership with NMWSF and the Texas Bighorn Society (TBS), produced the “Be Sure” brochure, which explains the differences between aoudad and bighorns.
“We are aware of a handful of cases, so there could be more of this happening than we know. We were excited this project came together so quickly, and the response in New Mexico has been very positive,” Bartlett said.
NMWSF members have distributed “Be Sure” tri-fold pamphlets to all New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) offices that offer overthe-counter Barbary sheep tags, as well as to other businesses that sold them in 2023.
Additionally, further steps have been taken to ensure that the message reaches hunters.
Fifty specially-designed outdoor signs highlighting the differences between bighorn and aoudad have been purchased by NMWSF and strategically placed in the Sacramento Mountains area, particularly in Lincoln National Forest, in collaboration with the NMDGF and the Bureau of Land Management.
“David Heft, a long-time WSF
Life member and a field officer with NMDGF, spearheaded this particular project,” Bartlett said.
According to WSF Vice President of Conservation, Kevin Hurley, even small numbers of ewe deaths can harm populations in fragmented herds.
“In small, fragmented populations that have limited interchange with other herds, breeding-age adult ewes are crucially important to herd dynamics; you cannot build a small bighorn population if reproductive ewes are accidentally removed. Adult ewes drive daily and seasonal movements of bighorn sheep, especially where free-standing water sources may be few and far between.”
With predators, disease and drought all having an impact on desert bighorn sheep herds in this region, illegal and unaccounted for ewe harvest must end.
Sounding The Call In Texas
If anyone understands the importance of keeping desert sheep in remote, isolated herds alive and healthy, it’s WSF board member and TBS President Dr. Sam Cunningham.
In five years, Texas has lost two-thirds of its bighorn herd to Mycoplasma ovipnemonaie (MOVI), and researchers believe it’s directly linked to aoudad, which have recently been proven to be a carrier.
In a meeting on the forthcoming restoration of desert bighorns to
the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Cunningham distributed “Be Sure” brochures and discussed the importance of proper education on the issue.
“Aoudad live where every one of our remaining Texas bighorn herds roam so we were happy to be involved. It’s slightly different in Texas since most Trans-Pecos aoudad hunts are with outfitters, and there are more public hunts in New Mexico. But still, every hunter needs to be sure before they take the shot, and this campaign helps drive that home.”
The Franklin Mountains are currently the only mountain range in Texas without aoudad, and Cunningham hopes this will provide a sanctuary for desert bighorns.
“This is a significant restoration, and it’s good to see so much positive happening simultaneously in Texas and New Mexico with the ‘Be Sure’ campaign,” Cunningham said.
Non Governmental Organization (NGO)Agency Collaboration
At the August NMDGF meeting, David Heft updated the commission on these ongoing efforts. In response, Mike Sloane, the director of NMDGF, publicly thanked NMWSF for their proactive approach to addressing this issue.
Big Game Program Manager NMDGF Nicole Tatman said the agency is grateful for the grassroots support from the hunterconservationist community.
“The department appreciates the partnership with all groups and individuals here to notify the hunting public of this issue. We are working on multiple options internally to expand outreach with the goal of avoiding similar situations in the future,” Tatman said.
Corey Mason, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President of Conservation at WSF, worked as a biologist for the Texas Parks
ATTENTION BARBARY SHEEP HUNTERS
BIGHORN SHEEP IN THE AREA KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!
wildsheepfoundation.org/ field-identification-desert-bighorn-aoudad
& Wildlife Department early in his career.
He said organizations like WSF have been valued resources for state agencies for many years, from providing critical financial support to serving as a fastresponding partner to meet the agency’s needs for managing wild sheep and their habitats.
are also present in California, Oregon, and Oklahoma. All of those states, even Oklahoma, have bighorns.
“At WSF we greatly value and appreciate our state, First Nation, provincial, national, and international management authority partners and greatly value the ability to work alongside and support their conservation programs. This educational effort is just one example of these impactful state agency and NGO relationships.”
Aoudad Expansion
Aoudad are most abundant in Texas and New Mexico, but they
Aoudad are undoubtedly magnificent animals that are challenging to hunt, but they do impact desert bighorn sheep through the spread of disease and competition for food and water sources.
Learning to navigate and manage this popular exotic hunting species while keeping in mind its value to landowners, guides, and hunters is an ongoing challenge.
The “Be Sure” campaign is quickly proving to be a positive, educational way to address the subject and remind people that desert bighorn sheep are the iconic and native species of the American Southwest. WS
Bighorn Sheep Barbary Sheep
BASECAMP DISPATCHES
by Kurt Alt Conservation Director, International Programs
ARGALI IMPORT PERMIT UPDATES AND CACI IS GLOBAL IN REACH
GREAT NEWS! STRONG MOVEMENT FORWARD IN ADDRESSING ARGALI IMPORT PERMIT PROCESSING!
In processing import permits from Central Asia countries the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Branch of Permits
identified information and translation needs that greatly aids them with the three-plusyear backlog in important permit processing. In close collaboration with the USFWS and the Mongolian and Kyrgyzstan Ministries through WSF’s Affiliates, WSF is directing funding support through our affiliates to translate key documents identified
by the USFWS needing English translations. Our affiliates work in close collaboration with their respective ministries.
Under Mongolian law, each argali hunting management area must have a current Argali Management Plan. In addition, the need to obtain implementation reports for the management plans provided to the ministry was also
large files of all the Mongolian Argali Management plans in Mongolian, but did not have the resources to translate these documents. Working closely with the USFWS, the ministry and the Mongolian Wildlife Association (WSF Mongolian Affiliate), WSF directed funding to the Mongolian Wildlife Association to translate over 70 Argali Management Plans to English. About 50 have been translated and uploaded into a folder with both the USFWS and the Mongolian Ministry having direct access. In addition, hunters and import brokers were also made aware of the need to obtain the Implementation Report.
Again, working with the USFWS and the Kyrgyzstan Ministry through the Ilbirs Foundation (WSF Kyrgyzstan Affiliate), 14 key documents were identified that needed translation. WSF directed funding to the Kyrgyzstan Ilbirs Foundation to translate these 14 key documents to English. These translations should be completed by the end of September and again will be shared with both the USFWS and Kyrgyzstan Ministry.
In addition, the USFWS is obtaining needed translations for Tajikistan from their own internal resources. In summary, in close collaboration with the USFWS, argali import permit processing of Central Asia countries is proceeding!
We now have four Central Asia WSF Affiliates: Arlan Foundation, Kazakstan; Mongolian Wildlife Association; Mongolia Argali Research Cente; and; Ilbirs Foundation, Kyrgyzstan.
GLOBAL PRESENCE!
Orynbassar Shaimukhanbetov, president, Arlan Foundation, Kazakhstan (WSF Affiliate in Kazakstan) and Aibat Muzbay, wildlife biologist, Nature and
Biodiversity Conservation Union, Germany (NABU e.V.) will be presenting and discussing the Kazakhstan Argali Conservation Initiative during the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, September 2024. This initiative with the Arlan Foundation has been fostered and supported by WSF.
WSF is developing funding sources to have a first-of-its-kind meeting of biologists from five CA countries, spring of 2025, followed by argali surveys in Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, fall of 2025/26. This effort represents the beginning of a CA wild sheep and wild goat working group composed entirely of CA biologists.
WSF has been collaborating with the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) representative in Uzbekistan to seek funding and support for argali conservation efforts there. They have a proposed budget waiting internal approval.
WSF entered a formal MOU with CIC (International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation), centered on collaborative work in Central Asia. One of the efforts will be argali pathogen and genetic monitoring across the region. The President of CIC is offering a Conservation Hunting Permit in Austria to be auctioned during the 2025 Sheep Show®, with all proceeds dedicated to this program. Additionally, we are working to get the Caprinae Atlas in forms that can be shared digitally.
Finally, FACE (European Federation for Hunting and Conservation) has become a WSF Affiliate in Europe. FACE represents hunting associations from 37 European countries. WSF is looking forward to developing funding through the auction of conservation hunting opportunities developed by FACE and its hunting associations to help fund alpine ibex and chamois conservation projects in Europe.
WS
Southwest Montana Chapter
BIGHORN SHEEP HUNT RAFFLE
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
HUNT ENTRY FORM
Name:
Address:
City:___________________State:______________Zip:
Phone:
Email:
Tickets: Tickets are $250 each
______Number of Tickets desired
NO limit to number of tickets purchased. Need not be present to win. Online order form available at www.scimontana.com. Some restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Orders received after the last ticket has been sold will be refunded and void. Completed forms can be emailed to info@scimontana. com or mailed to SWMT SCI c/o Evete Copeland, 136 Cook Ct, Bozeman, MT 59715. To receive a receipt/confirmation, please use the online order form.
If you have any questions, please call Evete (512) 773-8898
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 conservation projects to Put and Keep Wild Sheep on the Mountain®
Participants to date include:
1. Jack Atcheson & Sons
2. The Journal of Mountain Hunting
3. The Wildlife Gallery
4. Backcountry BC and Beyond, Ltd.
5. Stone Glacier
6. RPS Bancard, LLC
7. YETI
8. SITKA Gear
9. Benchmade Knives
10. Kenetrek
11. Full Curl Spirits
12. RMP Rifles
13. 5.11 Tactical
14. Best of the West/Huskemaw Optics
15. Clarke – “1% For Tomorrow”
16. Brown Precision
17. Diamond Outfitters of Arizona
18. Black Rifle Coffee
19. Eventgroove
20. iHunt Apparel
NEW LIFE MEMBERS
For more information and to become a part of the “We Give” team, please contact Gray N. Thornton at 406-404-8750 or gthornton@ wildsheepfoundation.org
Abby Atol
Bralli Clifford
Gregory Clifford
Vance DeMars
David Downey
Max Ekenberg
Elena Fiedeldey
Brian Flowers
Tim Garey
Casey Garey
Richard Gourash
Richard Griffiths
Weston Hardan
Holly Hardan
Dax Hinton
Herbert Janhsen
Kelly Kaye
Hayden Kelly
Bozeman MT Lander WY Lander WY Sparks NV Elkton VA Vancouver WA Cincinnati OH Vestavia AL Cleburne TX Cleburne TX Orlando FL
Martins Ferry OH Palmer AK Palmer AK
Tuscaloosa AL Priest River ID Elkford BC Belgrade MT
Scott Lerich
Rusty Lewellen
Chris Loeffler
Meredith Lunceford
Hunter Lunceford
Kevin Martin
Kelcie Martin
Karyn Mason
Kate Mason
Mary Mason
Paul McAllister
Steve McIntire
Jason McKenzie
Maven Middlestadt
Chandler Mitchell
Blake Moore
Nick Nolte
Timothy Osborn
Carlsbad NM Queen Creek AZ Littleton CO Athens GA Athens GA
Pendleton OR Pueblo CO
Carrollton TX Carrollton TX Rio Verde AZ
Livingston MT
Colorado Springs CO
Virginia Beach VA
Casper WY
Billings MT
Omaruru
Bakersfield CA
NEW SUMMIT LIFE MEMBERS
Maxime Page
Charles Peeling
Percy Pyra
Fritz Richards
Carter Riecks
Emma Riggleman
Dawn Riggleman
Jenna Riggleman
Cody Simons
Flint Simpson
Crystal Smith
Sterling Spilinek
Harold Vine Springs
Todd Vande Griend
Paco Velez
Jacob Vickers
Gary Youngblood
James Ziemer
John Anderson
Russell Bolton
Claude Howard
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.
*TOTAL INCLUDES: $1,377,655 - International & $3,237,213 - Multi-State Projects
CLIMB TO THE PEAK
Become a Ramshorn Life or Life member and be entered to win! Each time the chapter gets 10 upgrades a winner will be drawn. Raffle ticket holders may win more than once. Winners may select from any of the prizes below. Allow 90 days lead time for delivery. Our donors will ship the winner’s choice at no expense to the winners. You will receive two tickets if you purchase a RHS life membership and 1 ticket for purchasing a life membership or upgrading from Life to Ramshorn membership.
Maven Back Country Guide Bundle
Maven Yellowstone Spotting Scope Bundle
Weatherby Mark V Hunter Rifle Your choice of any caliber from the Weatherby website.
Weatherby 18i Deluxe. 12 or 20 gauge shotgun
Learn More & Register Now!
WIN A DALL SHEEP HUNT
Friday January 17, 2025 • Reno, NV
The best odds on the face of this planet to win a Dall Sheep hunt! MTNTOUGH is pleased to present the TOUGH SHEEP workout during Sheep Show 2025! This will be the largest workout event in the hunting world, and it will raise significant funds for wild sheep conservation. Plus, one lucky participant will be randomly drawn to win a 2025 Dall Sheep hunt!
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:
CHAPTERS & AFFILIATES
NOTE: bold/italics font denotes a joint WSF membership Chapter/Affiliate. Membership in these chapters and affiliates include membership in Wild Sheep
FOR COMPLETE CONTACT INFORMATION GO TO: www.wildsheepfoundation.org/memberships/chapters-and-affiliates
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
Bill Carter, Office Manager info@ecwsf.org and bill@ecwsf.org 814-656-1831 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 Al Holland, President 651-492-2985 caholl@msn.com 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 (541)969-6744 Kevindmartin63@gmail.com www.oregonfnaws.org
SE CHAPTER WSF
Patrick Morse, President 415-559-2270 Southeastwsf@gmail.com
UTAH FNAWS
Travis Jenson, President 801-641-5453 tjenson@xmission.com www.utahfnaws.org
WASHINGTON WSF
Garrett Grant, President 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
Argali Wildlife Research Center
Bamgalanbaatar Sukh, Game Biologist and head of “Argali Wildlife Research Center” +976-99176580 amgalanbaatarsukh@gmail.com
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
Ilbirs Fund
Zairbek Kubanjchbekov, Director +996 558271081 zkubanychbekov@ilbirs.com www.ilbirs.org
International Caribou Foundation Cheryl Lind, Executive Director 406-404-1297 cheryl@internationalcariboufoundation.org www.internationalcariboufoundation.org
Lubbock Sportsmans Club, Inc.
Dan Boone, President 806-733-0590 dfb@sonoramfg.com
Mongolia Wildlife Association Magsarjac Erdenebat, Executive Director mongolwildlife@gmail.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 Ben Ramaker (785)760-1374 benramaker@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
Shoshone & Arapaho Fish and Game Arthur Lawson, Director lawson@windriverfishandgame.com www.windriverfishandgame.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
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWS) Camille Brooks 541-553-2029 Camille.brooks@ctwsbnr.org https://warmsprings-nsn.gov
The International Council of Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) Sebastian Winkler office@cic-wildlife.org https://www.cic-wildlife.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
TECHNICAL/ ADVISORY AFFILIATES:
Northern Wild Sheep and Goat Council Kevin Hurley, Executive Director 307-899-9375 info@nwsgc.org www.nwsgc.org
Desert Bighorn Council
Patrick Cummings, Chair
Nevada Department of Wildlife (Retired) (702) 486-5127 patrickcummings1002@gmail.com www.desertbighorncouncil.com
Photo Credit: David Wetzel
CHAPTERS & AFFILIATES
2025 BANQUET DATES
NOTE: Dates noted are as of press time. Please check C&A websites for updates.
Sheep Week® ................................ January 13-18 ..................... Reno, NV
Sheep Show® ................................. January 16-18 ..................... Reno, NV
WSF C&A Summit XVII........................ June 5-7 ............. Ft. Lauderdale Westin, Ft. L’dale
WSSBC Jurassic Classic .. August 22-24, (2024) ............. Chilliwack, BC
WSF CHAPTERS:
Alaska WSF ............................................................ April 12 ............................ Anchorage, AK
California WSF ...................................................... April 26 ......................... Sacramento, CA
Eastern Chapter WSF February 14-15 Lancaster PA
Idaho WSF March 22 Boise, ID
Iowa FNAWS ................................................ March 28-29 ........................... Des Moines, IA
Midwest Chapter WSF ................................ March 14-15 .........................Minnetonka, MN
Montana WSF March 7-8 Bozeman, MT
MSU Student Chapter WSF N/A
New Mexico WSF .............................................................................................................. TBD
Oregon WSF.......................................................... April 26 ...................................... Bend, OR
Southeast Chapter June 7 Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Utah WSF March 22 Salt Lake City, UT
Washington WSF .................................................. March 8 ................................ Tacoma, WA
WSF Alberta ................................ February 28 - March 1 ............................... Red Deer, AB
WSF Alberta – Yellowhead TBD
Wyoming WSF June 6-7 Casper, WY
Yukon WSF............................................................................................................................ TBD
WSF AFFILIATES:
Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society May 10 Scottsdale, AZ
Elko Bighorns Unlimited .................................................................................................... TBD
Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn ....................... May 17 .............................. Las Vegas, NV
National Bighorn Sheep Center November 1 Dubois, WY
Nebraska Big Game Society March 20 Lincoln, NE
Nevada Bighorns Unlimited ................................. April 5 ......................................Reno, NV
Nevada Bighorns Unlimited - Fallon ............................................................................... TBD
Nevada Bighorns Unlimited - Midas TBD
Northern Nevada SCI Chapter March 8 Reno, NV
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society ............. May 16 & 17 .............................. Loveland, CO
Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance......................................................................................... TBD
Society for the Consv. of Bighorn Sheep N/A
Texas Bighorn Society June 21 San Antonio, TX
Wild Sheep Society of BC – Northern Jan 31 & Feb 1 .................... Dawson Creek, BC
Wild Sheep Society of BC – Salute to Conservation Feb 20-23 ............ Penticton, BC
The mission of the Southeast Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation is to build a community of conservationists to raise resources in support of scientific wild sheep management practices and habitat improvement. This is to ensure healthy populations of North America's sheep herds for future generations to enjoy. We are a volunteer organization dedicated to sharing our passion for mountain hunting, educating the public and youth about the sustainable use of mountain resources and the important role hunters play in wildlife conservation, regardless of where we live.
WOMEN HUNT®
by Renée Thornton Founder & Chair, WSF Women Hunt®
IMPACT, RELEVANCE, INNOVATION, TRANSFORMATION AND LEGACY
At the end of August, the Women Hunt® committee met at the Wild Sheep Foundation’s (WSF) World Headquarters in Bozeman, Montana for strategic planning meetings to guide our path for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, and into the foreseeable future.
The committee was joined by Derek Blake, chairman of the Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund, which forms a part of the Women
Hunt family of programs and communities. WSF President & CEO, Gray N. Thornton, opened the meetings with a WSF overview and directed the committee to be guided in our discussions by the following principles: How can we increase our impact and remain relevant? What can we do to be more innovative? How can we transform our existing programs and committee structure? What
must we do to build a legacy for Women Hunt®, Women in Hunting® and the Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund? The committee accomplished a tremendous amount of work over the course of the two days and are energized and excited for the continued programming of Women Hunt®, as well as the innovative and new programs and resources we’re currently developing.
Women Hunt® 2024 Strategic Planning Meeting (from l to r:) Brandi Love, Renée Thornton, Gray N. Thornton, Derek Blake, Sue Skold, Julie Tripp, Rachel Ahtila. Not pictured: Julie Chapman, Linda Demmer, Kim Nieters.
OVERVIEW
The Wild Sheep Foundation’s Women Hunt® program engages, educates, empowers and inspires more women to enter the hunting and conservation space.
Women Hunt® offers skills-based hunter training programs with a strong focus on ethics; support through mentorship to guide you after your skills training; and we instill and promote the principles of Giving Back. We are focused on wildlife conservation founded on the seven principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
Our Women in Hunting® community is an exciting and vibrant component of our program where women who embrace wildlife conservation and the critical role hunters play in it engage with each other. Join us to build relationships, access resources, develop strength and knowledge, and celebrate and support one another.
NEW! SHEEP SHOW ® EVENT
by Women Hunt®, Women in Hunting® and the Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund. We’re excited to invite all women of any age to join the Women in Hunting® community by scanning the QR code above and uploading your photos and a short story of yourself doing what you love in the outdoors.
Activities could include anything from hunting, shooting (firearm or archery), scouting, fishing, camping, hiking, cooking game meat, working on a wildlife conservation project, or anything else that aligns with activities celebrating our shared love of wildlife and the wild places they inhabit!
The mission of our Rubye Mayflower Blake Legacy Fund is to empower women recovering from traumatic experiences by fostering healing through the transformative power of nature. Our goal is to help them rediscover their inner strength and lead fulfilling, empowered lives.
Meet the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Women Hunt® Committee
Bios and photos at: www.wildsheepfoundation.org/ about/women-hunt-committee
In the Summer 2024 issue of Wild Sheep®, Women Hunt committee member Rachel Ahtila introduced a new event taking place at the 2025 Sheep Show® to launch our Women in Hunting® community. Our Beers & Bubbly Event is open to all attendees of the Sheep Show®! Mark your calendars now and join us on Thursday, January 16, from 5 pm to 6 pm in the foyer outside of the Tuscany Ballroom at the Peppermill Resort. While you’re waiting for the banquet doors to open, enjoy a free glass of beer, bubbly, or non-alcoholic alternative, and mix and mingle with your friends and make some new ones!
This event will be hosted
Women Hunt® wants to hear from you!
All women who submit a photo and story will be automatically entered to win one of our spectacular prizes and have their photos featured on the big screens in the Tuscany Ballroom foyer during this fun and energizing onehour event!
We are growing, evolving, and expanding into new areas to fulfil our mission to engage, educate, empower and inspire more women to enter the hunting and conservation space. JOIN US! WS
Renée Thornton, Founder & Chair
Brandi Love, Secretary
Sue Skold, Treasurer
Rachel Ahtila
Julie Chapman
Linda Demmer
Kim Nieters, WSF Staff Liaison
Julie Tripp, WSF Staff Liaison
https://www.wildsheepfoundation.org/womenhunt womenhunt@wildsheepfoundation.org @womenhunt @women_hunt @womenhunt
NEED ONE MORE SHEEP TO COMPLETE YOUR F.N.A.W.S.?
Bernie Fiedeldey has once again generously offered to match donations (up to $25,000) to the “1 MORE FOR 4” drawing for a FREE sheep hunt of qualified individuals needing one more ram to complete their Four North American Wild Sheep (F.N.A.W.S.)
Become A Sponsor!
You can help keep the tradition going for the 2025 Convention “1 MORE FOR 4” Drawing and have your contribution matched by Bernie (up to $25,000.)
Our sincere appreciation to Bernie Fiedeldey and the “1 MORE FOR 4” participants for making this drawing and hunt of a lifetime possible!
For more Information Contact: Paige Culver: 406.404.8758 PCulver@wildsheepfoundation.org
Receive one of these beautiful medallions commemorating the “1 MORE FOR 4” Challenge. Donations of $500 receive a bronze medallion and contributions of $1000 or more receive a 1.75” silver medallion (2 Troy ounces of .999 pure silver) in a presentation case.
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
ANCIENT CULINARY WITCHCRAFT
Iwas never a lover of science in my youth. Like many at a young age I had little context on the awe and wonder it meant for my every day life. It could be the way it was presented, pressed between the over-used pages of a textbook, only to be doled out by someone overworked and underpaid in a classroom.
It wasn’t until culinary school that the significance of the interworking science of our world, more importantly my world of cooking, made its debut to my interest. I spent time excited about the “discoveries” I would find in the pages of James Beard’s cookbooks and others as if these foundations of cooking didn’t exist long before me. My scribbles of insight, drawings and flourescent sticky notes still live within the bindings of these books and are revisited frequently.
This application of using natural science in the ever-important task of feeding ourselves is something I feel is lost on our current culture. Only when a viral video becomes a topic of discussion are we reminded of the importance of science in our cooking.
The task of using science to better our cooking or maximize flavor should be second nature in our American gastronomy. With so much ground to cover in this topic, it would only make sense to separate this knowledge into two parts. The first of which will focus on the aid of ancestral culinary witchcraft such as aging and curing, to be followed by a second
article on the more high tech modern applications.
Aging
Long before a refrigerator was a mandatory fixture in our home, the need to keep food safe and edible was the work of the smallest of counterparts. Microbes did most if not all the heavy lifting in the category of both aging and curing. Introducing an environment that is perfect for heavy growth of good pathogens while expelling the bad is the name of the game.
Aging wild game can be done easily by placing the cuts of protein into an outdoor shed, under a tree or hanging in the garage. All these options are predicated in the ambient temperature being 34-37 degrees. Most of my fellow Texan’s have at this point figured I have lost my mind seeing as this only happens one day out of the year. Truth withstanding, setting a refrigerator at its lowest setting (highest temperature) will aid in reaching the best environment needed.
Air flow is also a must. Drying of the meat helps in the lowering of moisture in the protein that could act to harbor the bad pathogens. For the cool-climate garage and shed option, an indoor fan works well. A smaller clip on “dorm fan”, as my father called them, will fit nicely in your retrofitted refrigerator. If going the fridge option, it’s best to use wire racks in place of the glass shelves. This helps with air flow and is easier to clean.
Other notable steps in aging are to hang with the hide intact as well as bone-in if possible. The skin will prevent the protein from over drying while the bone will aid in the structure of the meat as well as help with tenderness.
Aging for a week to two weeks will give enough time to allow science to play a major roll in the texture and flavor of your wild game protein. Smaller animals, either in breed or age, should only age a day or two. Complete the processing by trimming any rotten, foul smelling protein off and continue breaking down the animal.
Curing
Curing introduces sodium in many forms to help in not only the prevention of harmful microbes, but also bringing flavor to the party. Nitrates and nitrites are ancient ingredients found in leafy greens such as spinach and lettuce. These work together in making the habitat that is in between the protein molecules unpleasant for pathogens that look to harm us.
Both nitrates and nitrites are used in meat cures for tenderness. Adding these will expedite the flavor and textures you are wanting in your sausage preparation. I use 1g of cure per 25 pounds of sausage mixture for this exact reason.
A salt cure can also be just that, salt. As a chef, I typically use salt cures for seafood where I can control the texture and flavor over a short amount of time. Something frequent on my menu is Tex-Mex cured steelhead trout. This cure
Scan here for the Mountain
to Plate Video Series with Chef Josh Schwencke
is as simple as mixing a good amount of kosher salt and sugar with Mexican spices. Laying the filets skin side down with the cure covering the flesh for 24 hours in the fridge offers a delicious addition to a charcuterie board or bagel. Finish by rinsing of cure and slicing thin, very thin. [Recipe Picture]
Canning
This method, though not the sexiest in our line-up, offers multiple opportunities to add flavor. It also offers a shelf-stable food supply for whatever life may throw at you.
Canning is very much a forgotten technique. Widely used in early American cookbooks, this protocol was a staple of home cooks utilizing their wild game. These methods would seem foreign to most culinary-savvy meat eaters today. Working with sanitized tools and equipment is paramount in preventing the spread of bacteria. Boiling jars in clean water for 10 minutes and working with clean hands goes a long way.
Start the process by searing trimmed cuts of protein in a small amount of fat. Cook to rare or an internal temperate of 120°–125°F (48.9°– 52°C). Place game meat into a sanitized, sealable jar with one teaspoon of salt per quart of protein. Finish by topping the jar off with broth or pan drippings, leaving one inch of head space. Wipe clean the “lip” of the jar, tighten the sealable
band, and place into a pressure cooker for 90 minutes with three to four quarts of water.
Once pressure is released, carefully remove jars and allow them to reach room temperature while resting upside down on a counter. The pressure from the inside of the jars will have created a seal that if remains intact, will prevent spoilage of the protein. This final step aids in the jared meat
from culinary school that were etched into the margins of the books above and wonder what methods and practices are yet to be discovered. These ancient methods as well as the modern offerings in our next article are a gift to wild game cooking. It’s my hope you find the joy in applying them this next hunting season. WS
CONSERVATION EDUCATION
by Ryan Brock, Ph.D. WSF Youth Education Coordinator
THE NEVADA OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE: INSPIRING FAMILIES IS BECOMING A TRADITION
If you look up what it takes for something to become a tradition online, one can easily become overwhelmed by the variety of the definitions found. Wikipedia states that “at least two transmissions over three generations are required for a practice…to be seen as traditional.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary says it includes “cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions”. How Stuff Works contributes by saying that once a habit has grown beyond an individual to a group and has been repeated, it just needs one more component—time.
Beyond the Wild Sheep Foundation’s national Youth
Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE) that occurs alongside Sheep Show® each January, the Nevada Outdoor Experience is the second oldest and continuous youth event that WSF puts on. The event has grown over time and perhaps is on the path to becoming a tradition in Northern Nevada.
It all began in the fall of 2012 when Mike Borg with USA Youth Education in Shooting Sports (USAYESS) reached out to WSF to see if we wanted to partner on an outdoor style of expo to introduce kids into the shooting sports and conservation. The first event occurred in August of 2013 in Reno at Sage Hill Gun Club just weeks
before the iconic shooting range closed its doors after 24 years of being the only clay shooting range in Washoe County. The following year, Capital City Gun Club in Carson City agreed to be the new location for what was then simply called the “Youth Outdoor Experience”. After a few years, WSF’s expo was combined with Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s “Calf Camp” to make one solid event. A new name evolved from the joint venture, the Nevada Outdoor Experience. The combined efforts of the two organizations allowed for more core volunteers to run registration and cook a free hotdog lunch for all attendees.
After about four years, the state coordinator for RMEF retired and the joint efforts to run the event fell apart. The Wild Sheep Foundation once again was solely putting on the event. As the participation grew, the free hot dog lunch was cut from the experience as it was becoming too difficult manage lunch and run the outdoor expo at the same time. This was also a time that youth involvement went from about 250 to over 350, also making it more difficult to feed families.
In June 2021, as Covid was decreasing, we saw our largest year ever in terms of participants, as families were anxious and looking
for things to do with their kids. We had 541 youth attend the event that year. This is still the all-time record. This past June saw the Nevada Outdoor Experience holding its twelfth event. The goal of the event has stayed the same since inception, to simply excite and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife conservationists. This year saw the largest number of participating organizations, with forty-two different organizations participating in the outdoor expo— each organization inspiring youth and introducing them to aspects associated with their mission relating to the outdoors.
The format is quite simple. Families can pre-register or register on the day of the event. Goodie bags are given out to all preregistered youth with some extra bags being available for youth who register on site, until they are all gone. Families rotate around on their own from one side of the gun club to the other, participating in stations as little or as long as they like. In order to participate in any of the shooting stations (pellet gun, trap, skeet, etc.) youth first need to visit the firearm safety station. Once complete, a green wristband is earned and shown at the shooting stations to participate.
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
CONSERVATION EDUCATION
Stations this year include: archery, gold panning, metal detecting, fly fishing, pellet guns, trap and skeet, and a huge number of conservation and animal-related stations. According to post survey data, the most popular station for youth this year was the live reptiles put on by a 4H club. Families got to see up close and hold a variety of live snakes and reptiles. Following this station, about 42% of youth liked the metal detecting, pellet guns, and gold panning the most. Archery, shooting trap, and learning about conservation and animals came in as the third most popular stations.
One aspect that goes beyond the introduction of skills and outdoor concepts taught is the introduction of outdoor organizations in the area. In the post survey, we ask parents which groups who helped put on the Nevada Outdoor Experience they had never heard of until the event. Ten percent had never heard of the Nevada Department of Wildlife, twenty-three percent had never heard of Capitol City Gun Club (where the event was held), forty-eight percent had not heard of Backcountry Horsemen of Nevada, and twenty-three percent had not heard of the Wild Sheep Foundation (the organizer and sponsor of the event). This is just a sample of the data, and it is always surprising of the high number of groups families have not heard of before. Ninety percent of parents thought they would reach out or get involved with one of the 42 organizations who attended and helped out this year.
The free youth raffle is always a key aspect of the event. Each youth receives a certain amount of raffle
tickets at registration. Items such as tents, fishing poles, metal detectors, bows, hammocks, gold pans, and BB guns line the raffle tables. This year, Legacy Sports International donated a shotgun and raffle tickets for the 28 gauge were sold for $10 each to help pay for the event. The raffle paid off and enough was made to offset about half of the charges. The NRA Foundation also awarded us a grant for some shotgun shells, hearing and eye protection, and some funds to pay for the clay targets.
As events grow, new problems must be solved. This year, we ran into a lack of spots for people to park. We had so many volunteers, that pretty much the entire parking lot was full before the event opened. Next year we have a plan for volunteer parking which will free up spots for families. This is a good problem to have, as it shows the event continues to grow both with participating families and with organizations who want to be a part of inspiring the community.
The four-hour event perhaps
hasn’t hit the status of being a tradition yet, according to some sources. However, several families showed up with kids, parents, and grandparents. Does this count as “transmissions over three generations”? The “continuity of customs” has certainly occurred year after year, with similar and growing outdoor-related activities youth can participate in and learn from. I guess it may come down to time. The event has occurred over a decade, and over all this time, more than 3,400 youth have been impacted. Regardless if the Nevada Outdoor Experience has truly become a tradition according to strong definitions, it certainly has become something Northern Nevadans participate in each year. Organizations don’t just show up to help, they reach out to be a part of it. We have created something that positively impacts the community while also helping families understand wildlife conservation and the shooting sports a little more. WS
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Memberships available through
Memberships available through WSF for $40 per year. WSF for $40 per year. Join our efforts today!
SHEEP SHORTS
by Caleb Rose
ANOTHER POINT
When it came time to put in for Washington Special permits, I didn’t give bighorn sheep much thought. I only had three points. It took me all of five seconds to put in. I noticed the unit I had been putting in for had no tags this year. I looked at the sheep units. I saw Chelan Butte, knew where it was, and selected it. I only filled in two of four choices for sheep. It didn’t’ matter. I was just getting another point.
June 14th, 2023, two days before my 38th birthday, and after a long day of work, I decided to look at my phone before making the walk to the house. I noticed online everyone complaining about not drawing anything. I figured I might as well check. I got to “Bighorn Ram” and almost dropped my phone, my hands were shaking so bad. It said, SUCCESSFUL. I sped from the truck to the house. My poor wife happened to be coming out the door as I reached it. I screamed in her face, “I drew a bighorn sheep tag!”
This kicked off a summer full of memories I’ll cherish as long as I live. I was going sheep hunting. California bighorn to be exact. Every two weeks I made the threehour trip to the Butte to look for
sheep. I would sleep in the back of the truck and eat PB&J sandwiches all weekend. Every weekend I was home was spent preparing for the hunt and shooting my rifle. I practiced shooting off sticks, my pack, uphill, downhill, prone, kneeling, about any way I could think to shoot. I had bought a brand-new rifle at the end of last hunting season. I wanted to shoot enough to either break it or prove its reliability.
Chelan Butte is a very accessible unit. The butte sits between Lake Chelan and the Columbia River. This is not a backcounty unit. The town of Chelan at the bottom of the hill is a major tourist destination in Washington. There is a road all the way to the top of the unit. You can see Walmart from the top. If it gets too hot, you can drive down the hill and rent jet skis. But don’t let the location fool you, this is a very good sheep tag. It was the number one unit in the state for a lot of years.
My first thought was I should hire a guide for this once-in-alifetime tag. But I decided that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to do this on my own. I wanted to really hunt sheep, not just shoot one. I wanted all the pressure of
the hunt to be on me. I knew that probably would mean a smaller ram. I was okay with that. This was the pinnacle of Western big game hunting, the icon of the West. I had to know if I could do it. Whether I was successful or failed, I wanted it on my shoulders. I would really come to question that decision. I would see rams two minutes into my first trip scouting and then not again till the day before season. Maybe I should have just written a check to Bailey & Landrus Hunt Co. after all.
I assembled a world-class crew to help me on the hunt. My 70-year-old father and my older brother would be coming on the hunt, along with two best friends of 30+ years and 20 years. To round it out, my uncle and cousin would be driving out from North Dakota for the hunt. Every year my dad and I drive east to chase whitetails in North Dakota with them. It was their turn to come west. We actually had someone in the group with sheep hunting experience. My 77-year-old uncle drew a North Dakota once-in-alifetime tag in 1991. So, we had that going for us. What we lacked in sheep hunting knowledge, we made up for it in….? I’m sure
Photo: Duncan Gilcrest
there was something. I showed up on Monday to start scouting. Everyone else came in Thursday, the day before season.
Finally, the day before the season I found a group of nine rams. There were three or four, not big, not small rams in the group. I would have been happy with any of them. But one ram in the group stood out to me. He may have been the biggest, he may not have. For amateurs, judging rams is hard. But I really liked the looks of him. While his buddies all bedded up together, he laid down all by himself about 50 yards from the rest. I just liked him. He would make it hard if he was still there opening morning.
Of course, five minutes into the hunt opening morning we had the rams at 180 yards. It was
just too early in the hunt. I didn’t want it to be done that early. We watched them for a few hours and decided to go see if we could find some more rams. While glassing another area I was flagged down by a passerby. He wanted to show me some rams. We went to take a look. There was several in the group larger than what I had seen.We put the rams to bed and decided to get a closer look in the morning.
Temps were forecasted to be over 100 degrees that day and it was about a five mile hike into these rams. My brother and I got up at 3 am and left the truck at 4 am. If I was going to do this, it would have to be just after daylight. The rest of my crew would drive around to the other side to bring in a boat if needed to help us retrieve my ram. We were sitting above them
waiting for daylight. We moved right in on them and had them at 100 yards. I wasn’t even the tiniest bit excited. I didn’t want to have someone show me rams. I wanted the best ram I could turn up. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice what I wanted just to say I shot a bigger ram. I took out my phone, snapped a picture, said bang, and told my brother lets get out of here.
I got a call on the hike out from my friends and cousin. They gave me the “oh what’s your plan for the rest of the day. It’s too hot to shoot anything, right?” It was over 100 degrees out. I have no experience hunting in temps that high. I didn’t want to put the meat or cape at risk. I smelled mutiny. I gave them the go ahead to go play some golf. I was going to do some glassing and thinking in the air
conditioned inside of the truck.
After looking over all of my pictures, I decided that in the morning we would go back to the top and look for the rams we had been seeing. If they were there I was going to take one.
We got to the glassing spot at daylight and nothing showed. We spent an hour or so looking around the top for them. Nothing. Finally my buddy waves me over. He spotted a ram working down the draw though the rocks. He hit the bottom of the draw and we lost sight of him. I moved down the ridge to were the group of rams had been working over hill a few days before and there was nothing. He didn’t come up the hill. We figured it had turned and went down the hill. I hiked back to the top and decided to work down the ridge to where the ram came from to see if I could find the rest of the group of rams. I dropped my pack and headed down the trail. My brother and cousin came after me. After awhile of going down, I decided it was time to turn around and head back to the top. I turned to say something to my cousin and there was the ram across the draw. I have no idea where he came from. Was he laying there? I may have walked right by him and never saw him. Hey, I never claimed to be a good sheep hunter.
I pulled up my binos. It was one of the bigger rams from the group. Got a range. 426 yards. I grabbed some grass and checked the wind. I can make this shot. I dialed my gun. I had left my pack with my rear support at the top of the hill, so I tore off my bino harness to use. I got under the gun and made sure the ram I saw in the scope was the right sheep. He was quartering away pretty good. I put the crosshairs right on his front shoulder and sent it. WHACK.
The bullet hit right where I was aiming. He moved about 15 yards and fell on his forearms and nose. He was able to push himself back up, which I didn’t like. I got back under the gun and fired another shot. The bottom fell out and he was rolling down the hill. I hope I never forget the mental image of that ram rolling down the hill.
It’s one of the top moments of my hunting life.
I went back to the top to get the rest of the crew and get the stuff we would need for the retrievel.
When we finally got to my ram, it turns out it was the one I had picked out of the group as the one I wanted. I’ve processed a lot of animals but I’ve never done the gutless method. Or skinned for a full body mount. I did what any smart person would do. I watched YouTube videos, got the jist of it, and hoped my experience would get me through. It took awhile, but we got it done. We had to get him up 1,000 vertical feet in three-quarters of a mile, which, by itself, doesn’t sound too bad until I had to strap a 70lb pack to my 142lb body. Good thing I brought the pack mules. Their names where Clint, Kendal,
Bacon, and Jordy: my brother, cousin, and two best friends. My hunt was everything I dreamed it would be. I got everything I wanted out of it. When you draw one of these tags you hear a lot of “if I had that tag….” Very few people will ask you “what do you want out of your hunt?” Luckily I met a few great people that wanted nothing but for me to have the hunt I wanted. Specifically, people involved with the Wild Sheep Foundation and its Washington WSF chapter. The size of the ram wasn’t important to me. I haven’t scored him and probably never will. What was important? First was sharing this hunt with my friends and family. I did that. I’m thankful I drew such an accessible unit so my dad and uncle could enjoy the hunt with us. I wanted to do it with the same group of guys I hunt with every year. Secondly, it was important to do this hunt without expert help. When I’m an old man, I want to be able to look up at that sheep on my wall and know that’s my accomplishment up there. Thirdly, was don’t mess it up. There is a lot of pressure with an OIL tag. I spent a lot of nights laying in bed worrying about missing, wounding a sheep, or something else stupid.
Fourth thing might seem pretty silly, but I wanted a picture with my sheep wearing a red bandana just like Jim Shockey.
Last, but certainly not least, was I wanted to feel like I really got to hunt sheep. I joined the club. Mr. Shockey, Teddy Roosevelt, Jack O’Connor, J. Alain Smith and myself all have something in common. We are sheep hunters. To be able to say I have something in common with such great hunters, conservationists and men is pretty damn special. WS
A1
ONE-OF-A-KIND LOST WAX ORIGINAL BRONZE OF THE BUYER’S CHOICE (100% FULLY DONATED)
JUSTIN YOUNG FINE ARTS
Justin Young P: 719.336.2556
E: jyoungfineart@hotmail.com
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A2
“ROCKY” EDITION #26
WILDLIFE BRONZE ARTIST
FRANK ENTSMINGER
P: 907.883.2833
E: bronzeart@aptalaska.net
W: www.frankentsminger.com
A3
BIGHORN RAM BUST (100% FULLY DONATED)
JUSTIN YOUNG FINE ARTS
Justin Young P: 719.336.2556
E: jyoungfineart@hotmail.com
W: www.justiniyoung.com
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P: 250.428.8614
E: klansing@shaw.ca
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WILDLIFE BRONZE ARTIST
FRANK ENTSMINGER
P: 907.883.2833
E: bronzeart@aptalaska.net
W: www.frankentsminger.com
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FRATERNITY OF THE DESERT BIGHORN
Paul Dixon & Ron Luries Estate
Contact: Brett Jefferson
P: 702.461.2996
W: fraternityofthedesertbighorn.com
A7
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E: terry.marquis@outlook.com
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ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING BIGHORN SHEEP PORTRAIT
JOSHUA SPIES
E: spies@joshuaspies.com
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“SPEED KILLS” 20X30” LIMITED EDITION CANVAS GICLEE THE DEVINE GALLERY
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P: 406.827.3702
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AS1
3 - DAY FREE RANGE BALKAN CHAMOIS OR EUROPEAN GRAY WOLF HUNT IN MACEDONIA FOR 1 HUNTER (Trophy fee for Balkan chamois or European gray wolf included, hunters choice)
THE HUNTING CONSORTIUM LTD.
Robert Kern
P: 540.955.0090
E: hunt@huntcon.com
W: www.huntingconsortium.com
AS2
3 - DAY SINDH IBEX (UP TO 39”) HUNT IN PAKISTAN FOR 1 HUNTER(TROPHY FEE UP TO 39” IS INCLUDED -$1,000 PER INCH OVER 39)
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P: +90.532.583.9108
E: info@caprinae.com
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5 - DAY MID-CAUCASIAN TUR HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN RUSSIA (Trophy Fee Included for 1 Mid-Caucasian Tur) PROFIHUNT LTD
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E: hunt@profihunt.com W: www.profihunt.com
BIRD HUNTS
B1
3 - DAY WATERFOWL & SAND HILL CRANE HUNT IN ALBERTA CANADA FOR 1 HUNTER (100% FULLY DONATED)
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E: ameri.cana@shaw.ca W: www.ameri-cana.com
B2
2 - DAY/2 - NIGHT UPLAND BIRD HUNT W/LICENSED FALCONER FOR TWO HUNTERS (100% FULLY DONATED) THE PEREGRINE FUND
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E1
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E2
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CIC- INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR GAME & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
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E3
4 - DAY IBERIAN MOUFLON SHEEP HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN SPAIN (Trophy fee included for 1 Iberian mouflon)
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Giuseppe Carrizosa
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E: giuseppecarrizosa@gmail.com
W: www.giuseppecarrizosa.com
E4
5 - DAY SOUTHEASTERN IBEX AND BALEREAN BOC HUNT FOR 2 HUNTERS (Trophy fees included for 2 bronze medal southeastern ibex, and 2 bronze medal Balearean boc)
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E5
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Yogi Rausch
P: 49.172.666.7400
E: info@jrhunting.com W: www.jrhunting.com
E6
4 - DAY IBERIAN ROE DEER HUNT FOR 2 HUNTERS AND 2 NON-HUNTERS
IBERIAN HUNTERS
Luis Ruiz Del Olmo
P: +34.620.28.3418
E: luisruizdelolmo@outlook.es W: www.iberianhunters.com www.iberianhunters.com THE CONKLIN FOUNDATION
E7
3 - DAY IBERIAN MOUFLON HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER
(Includes trophy fee for 1 Iberian mouflon) (100% FULLY DONATED)
SMC SPAIN HUNTING IBEX
Salva Monforte
P: +34.670.765.336
E: info@spainhuntingibex.com
W: www.spainhuntingibex.com
E8
4 - DAY FREE RANGE CUSTOMIZED HUNT - IBERIAN RED DEER OR ROE DEER FOR 1 HUNTER (Trophy fee for Iberian red deer or roe deer is included) EUROHUNTS SPAIN & ALVARO VILLEGAS
Alvaro Villegas
P: +34.670.90.86.55
E: info@eurohunts.es
W: www.eurohunts.es
E9
4 - DAY CANTABRIAN
CHAMOIS HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER CANTABRIAN MOUNTAINS OF SPAIN IBERIAN HUNTERS
Luis Ruiz Del Olmo
P: +34.620.28.3418
E: luisruizdelolmo@outlook.es
W: www.iberianhunters.com
E10
5 - DAY EUROPEAN MOUFLON HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER AND 1 N0N-HUNTER IN MACEDONIA (Trophy fee for 1 European mouflon and daily rates for 1 non-hunter is included and daily rates for 1 hunter) (100% FULLY DONATED)
SAFARI INTERNATIONAL MACEDONIA
Zlatko & Toma Sokolik
P: +389.71.346.994 or US 239.331.1611
E: safariinternacional@gmail.com W: www.interhunts.com
E11
5 - DAY IBERIAN RED STAG HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER AND 1 NON-HUNTER (100% FULLY DONATED)
SPAIN SAFARIS
Luis Berga
P: +34.66.981.4458
E: luis@spainsafaris.es
W: www.spainsafaris.es
FIREARMS
F1
COLT SAUER SPORTING RIFLE .300 WIN MAG W/CUSTOM ENGRAVING OF A BIGHORN SHEEP (Made between 1974-1985) (100% FULLY DONATED)
JIM MILLER
P: 916.804.9225
FIREARMS
F2
SIG SAUER - CROSS-MAGNUM
SAWTOOTH 7 PRC WITH TANGO -DMR RIFLESCOP
SIG SAUER
P: 603.418.8102
E: samantha.knight@sigsauer.com
W: www.sigsauer.com
F3
CUSTOM BUILT INTER ARMS .375 H&H MAG WITH 6X32 ZEISS SCOPE
JIM TRAVIS
P: 520.241.0641
E: jtravis17@hotmail.com
F4
“SPECIAL FNAWS EDITION” REMINGTON 700 7MM MAG (100% FULLY DONATED)
DALE & DONNA GAUGLER
P: 610.909.6000
E: gauglerd@aol.com
F5
CUSTOM BUILT SHEEP SHOW EDITION 7 PRC RIFLE HIGH VOLTAGE ARMORY
Troy Sturgill
P: 541.260.1751
E: hvarmory@aol.com
FURS
FU1
BLUE FOX BOMBER JACKET
(This fur is non-exchangeable, roomy size small)
WILLIAM FURS
Caline Asmar
P: 775.828.0995
E: williamsfurs@yahoo.com
W: www.williamfurs.com
FU2
SHEARED MINK VEST - DARK BROWN/RED (This fur is non-exchangeable, medium)
WILLIAM FURS
Caline Asmar
P: 775.828.0995
E: williamsfurs@yahoo.com
W: www.williamfurs.com
FU3
MAHOGANY MINK FULL LENGTH FUR (This fur is non-exchangeable, size roomy large)
WILLIAM FURS
Caline Asmar
P: 775.828.0995
E: williamsfurs@yahoo.com
W: www.williamfurs.com
FNAWS LOGO ON REVERSE OF STOCK
M1
FNAWS HORN MUGS ORIGINAL ART ANTLERED ART
Todd Strupp P: 715.642.3937
E: toddstrupp@gmail.com W: www.antleredmugworks.com
M2
TWO HORN GOBLET ORIGINAL ART ANTLERED ART
Todd Strupp
M3 (2) WOLF HIDES FOR AUCTION
JIM TRAVIS
P: 520.241.0641
E: jtravis17@hotmail.com
M4
HOME THEATER SIMULATION
HUNTING PACKAGE - INCLUDES WEAPONS AND MULTIPLE GAMES
LASER SHOT
Alan Winslette P: 281.240.1122
E: tradeshows@lasershot.com W: www.lasershot.com
M5 CALIFORNIA KING SIZE SHEARED BEAVER BEDSPREAD
JIM TRAVIS P: 520.241.0641
E: jtravis17@hotmail.com
M6
WSF - VIP TABLE FOR 2026 LADIES LUNCHEON IN RENO WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION - LADIES LUNCHEON COMMITTEE P: 406.404.8750
M7
WSF - UPGRADED VIP TABLE 2026 SHEEP SHOW Sold at Each Live Auction!
M8 SINGLE SHEEP HEAD
JUNIPER CHANDELIER
WYO BACKCOUNTRY DECOR
Josh & Jenny Taylor
P: 307.899.4553 or 4645
E: wyobackcountrydecor@gmail.com
W: www.wyobackcountrydecor.com
SAMPLE OF WORK
SAMPLE OF WORK
MERCHANDISE
M9
WYO BACKCOUNTRY CUSTOM REPLICA OF YOUR NA WILD SHEEP WYO BACKCOUNTRY DECOR
Josh & Jenny Taylor
P: 307.899.4553 or 4645
E: wyobackcountrydecor@gmail.com
W: www.wyobackcountrydecor.com
M10
DALL SHEEP HORN VASE ON A ROCK BASE WYO BACKCOUNTRY DECOR
M11
BIGHORN SHEEP SKULL
EMBEDDED IN TREE - FOUND BY STANLEY POTTS - IDAHO (100% FULLY DONATED)
JIM PARKER - PARKER TOYOTA
P: 208.661.0806
M12
THE PEARLS OF ORHID (100% FULLY DONATED)
SAFARI INTERNATIONAL MACEDONIA
Zlatko Sokolik
P: +389.70.219.080
E: safariinternacional@gmail.com
W: www.interhunts.com
M13
THE TACTICAL - T-4-16-HD
CUSTOM SERIES
TACTICAL HEARING
Tim Sparks
P: 801.822.6888
E: tim@tacticalhearing.com W: www.tacticalhearing.com
M14
TROPHY ROOM CLEANING (100% FULLY DONATED)
HEADHUNTER TROPHY CARE LLC
Wade West
P: 817.988.2312
E: trophycare@rocketmail.com
M15
KENETREK BRIDGER HIGH HIKER
KENETREK
Jim & Christine Winjum
P: 406.556.5780
E: jim.w@kenetrek.com
W: www.kenetrek.com
M16
KENETREK MOUNTAIN EXTREME 400 MEN’S BOOT
M17
KENETREK MOUNTAIN EXTREME 400 WOMENS BOOTS
M13
M12
M10
M11
M14
M15
M16
M17
NA1
10 - DAY DALL’S SHEEP/ ARCTIC
GRIZZLY/BARREN GROUND
CARIBOU HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN ALASKA’S ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE OR (Hunter’s Choice) 10 DAY DALL’S SHEEP/ BROWN BEAR/BLACK BEAR IN THE LEGENDARY SOUTH WRANGELLS (Wrangell St. Elias Preserve)
ALASKA OUTFITTERS UNLIMITED
Aaron Bloomquist
P: 907.982.2471
E: bloomya@hotmail.com
W: www.alaskaoutfittersunlimited.com
W: www.huntalaska.net
NA2
10 - DAY SPRING GRIZZLY BEAR & WOLF HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER
MIDNIGHT SUN SAFARIS
Coke Wallace
P: 907.978.0929
E: info@midnightsunsafaris.com
W: www.midnightsunsafaris.com
NA3
12 - DAY MOUNTAIN GOAT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR 1 HUNTER (100% FULLY DONATED FOR WSF THINHORN INITIATIVE)
GOLDEN BEAR OUTFITTING
Blake Williams
P: 250.794.8350
E: gbowilliams@gmail.com
W: www.goldenbearoutfitting.com
NA4
5 - DAY ARIZONA MOUNTAIN LION HUNT WITH HOUNDS FOR 1 HUNTER
DIAMOND OUTFITTERS
Dan and Terri Adler
P: 520.730.8147
E: Dan@DiamondOutfitters.com
W: www.DiamondOutfitters.com
NA5
5 - DAY COUES DEER HUNT FOR 4 HUNTERS (with free mountain lion bonus) IN ARIZONA
DIAMOND OUTFITTERS
Dan and Terri Adler
P: 520.730.8147
E: Info@DiamondOutfitters.com
W: www.DiamondOutfitters.com and www.ZeroOutfitterFees.com
NA6
2 PERSON/2 HOUR
HELICOPTER HOG HUNT
HELIBACON
Chris Britt
P: 281.802.0397
E: chris.britt@helibacon.com
W: www.helibacon.com
NA4
NA5
NA6
NA7
12 - DAY SPRING KODIAK ISLAND
BROWN BEAR HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER
ROHRER BEAR CAMP
Sam Rohrer
P: 907.486.4074
C: 907.539.1828
E: sam@kodiakbearcamp.com W: kodiakbearcamp.com
NA8
10 - DAY ALASKA-YUKON
MOOSE HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN NORTHWEST ALASKA FREELANCE OUDOOR ADVENTURES
Lance Kronberger
P: 907.854.2822
E: freelanceOA@mac.com
W: www.freelanceoutdooradventures.com
NA9
2 - DAY HUNT FOR HYBRID EUROPEAN MOUFLON/HAWAIIAN
SHEEP FOR 1 HUNTER AND 1 DAY DEEP SEA FISHING FOR UP TO 3 PEOPLE
(100% FULLY DONATED)
MAUNA LOA OUTFITTERS
Colin Onaka - WSF Life Member
Steven Onaka
P: 808.960.7373
E: MaunaLoaOutfitters@gmail.com
Capt. Mark Bartell of the Ambush
P: 808.366.4808
NA10
10 - DAY MOUNTAIN CARIBOU HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN NWT CANADA (100% FULLY DONATED)
RAVEN’S THROAT OUTFITTERS
Griz & Ginger Turner
P: 867.332.7286
E: hunts@ravensthroat.com W: www.ravensthroat.com
NA11
4 - DAY MULE DEER HUNT FOR 2 HUNTERS
SHOSHONE LODGE OUTIFTTERS & TRAILS WEST OUTFITTERS
Josh Martoglio
P: 307.899.4673
E: shoshonelodgeoutfitters@gmail.com W: www.shoshonelodgeoutfitters.com
NA12
10 - DAY ALASKA YUKON MOOSE BACKPACK HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER NWT OUTFITTERS
NAHANNI BUTTE OUTFITTERS
Jim & Nadine Lancaster/Clay Lancaster
P: 250.847.1855
E: jladventures@xplornet.com W: www.lancasterfamilyhunting.com
NA8
NA11
NA10
NA12
NA9
NA13
10 - DAY LA PALMOSA DESERT SHEEP HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER AND 2 NON-HUNTERS (100% FULLY DONATED)
LA PALMOSA - HUNTING OUTFITTER
Emilio Espino
P: +521.811.916.4668
E: info@lapalmosa.com
NA14
6 - DAY ALBERTA WHITETAIL DEER HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER (100% FULLY DONATED)
CARTER OUTFITTING LTD.
Scott Carter
P: 780.977.8188
E: carteroutfitting@gmail.com W: www.carteroutfitting.com
NA15
12 - DAY DALL’S SHEEP/WOLF/ WOLVERINE HUNT IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES FOR 1 HUNTER & 1 NON-HUNTER
GANA RIVER OUTFITTERS LTD.
Harold Grinde
P: 403.357.8414
E: ganariver@pentnet.net
W: www.ganariver.com
NA16
3 1/2 - DAY AOUDAD HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN WEST TEXAS HIGH WEST OUTFITTERS
Jim Breck Bean P: 915.526.3001
E: highwestoutfitter@yahoo.com W: www.highwestoutfitter.com
NA17
12 - DAY STONE’S SHEEP HUNT IN NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA (100% PROCEEDS TO SUPPORT NW BC STONE’S SHEEP INITIATIVES) SPATSIZI RIVER OUTFITTERS
P: 250.847.9692
E: mike_gilson@bcsafaris.com
E: admin@spatsizi.com
W: www.spatsizi.com
NA18
5 - DAY COLUMBIA BLACK-TAIL DEER & COASTAL BLACK BEAR HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER (100% FULLY DONATED) SPOON CREEK OUTFITTERS
Ken Wilson
P: 541.396.2726
E: spooncreek13@gmail.com
NA14
NA16
NA18
NA17
NA15
N. AMERICAN HUNTS
NA19
5 - DAY COLUMBIA BLACKTAIL DEER AND BLACK BEAR COMBO HUNT IN OREGON FOR 1 HUNTER (100% FULLY DONATED) EDEN RIDGE OUTFITTERS
John McCollum
P: 541.290.2671
E: edenridgehunts@gmail.com
W: www.edenridgeoutfitters.com
NA20
9 - DAY ALASKAN HUNT FOR 2 MOUNTAIN GOATS AND 1 SITKA BLACKTAIL DEER FOR 1 HUNTER KODIAK OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Paul Chervenak
P: 907.486.3008
E: paul@kodiakoutdoors.com
W: www.kodiakoutdoors.com
NA21
14 - DAY SPRING ARCTIC GRIZZLY BEAR ADVENTURE (Tag and license are included)
CANADA NORTH OUTFITTING
Tony Mudd
P: 775.690.6300
E: Tmudd@canadanorthoutfitting.com
W: www.canadanorthoutfitting.com
NA22
7 - DAY WALRUS ARCTIC ADVENTURE HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER (Tag and license are included)
CANADA NORTH OUTFITTING
Tony Mudd
P: 775.690.6300
E: Tmudd@canadanorthoutfitting.com
W: www.canadanorthoutfitting.com THE CONKLIN FOUNDATION
NA23
5 - DAY BULL ELK HUNT IN NEW MEXICO FOR 1 HUNTER AND 1 NON-HUNTER (PROCEEDS OF THIS HUNT WILL GO TO BENEFIT THE RANCHITOS DE LOS NINOS CHILDRENS HOME IN NEW MEXICO) FOUR DAUGHTERS RANCH
Mike Mechenbier
P: 505.388.2902
E: accounting@4dcattle.com W: www.elranchitonm.org
NA24
5 - DAY COUES DEER HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN ARIZONA LET’ER RIP OUTFITTER & GUIDE SERVICE
Bill Babiash
P: 520.370.5457
E: badbullz@aol.com
NA20
NA21
NA23
NA22
NA24
N. AMERICAN HUNTS
NA25
7 - DAY SITKA BLACKTAIL DEER AND SEA DUCK HUNT FOR 4 HUNTERS ON KODIAK ISLAND
DEREK BLAKE - ENCHANTRESS EXPEDITIONS
Derek Blake
P: 907.830.8528
E: akderek@gmail.com
WOMEN HUNT
RUBYE MAYFLOWER
BLAKE LEGACY FUND
NA26
5 - DAY AOUDAD SHEEP HUNT ON THE WILLIAMS RANCH IN TEXAS FOR 1 HUNTER
ROWDY MCBRIDE HUNTING SERVICES
Rowdy McBride
P: 432.837.2047
C: 432.553.4724
E: rowdymcbride@sbcglobal.net
S. AFRICA HUNTS
SAF1
3 - DAY BLESBOK & BLACK WILDEBEEST HUNT AND 2 DAYS OF FISHING FOR 1 HUNTER IN SOUTH AFRICA (100% FULLY DONATED)
J P BIG GAME SAFARIS
Dean & Juan Pace
P: +27.732.137.902
E: jpsafaris@outlook.com W: www.jpsafaris.com
SAF2
3 - DAY COW BUFFALO HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN SOUTH AFRICA (100% FULLY DONATED)
J P BIG GAME SAFARIS
Dean & Juan Pace
SAF3
5 - DAY WATERBUCK HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER IN SOUTH AFRICA (100% FULLY DONATED)
J P BIG GAME SAFARIS
Dean & Juan Pace
SAF4
7 - DAY SOUTH AFRICAN HUNT FOR 4 HUNTERS ($1,000 credit towards trophy fee, single hunter can be entitled to one credit) (100% FULLY DONATED)
IBAMBA SAFARIS
Johan & Zelda Pretorius
P: +27832261690
E: johan@ibambasafaris.com
W: www.ibambasafaris.com
S. AFRICA HUNTS
SAF5
5 - DAY HUNT FOR RED HARTEBEEST, BLUE WILDEBEEST, ZEBRA, BLESBUCK, WARTHOG & IMPALA FOR 3 HUNTERS
(Trophy Fees for 6 mentioned species to be split between 3 hunters) SUPERIOR AFRICAN HUNTING SAFARIS
Eli Van Der Walt/Jeffrey Austin P: 830.313.8724
E: rancho1024@yahoo.com
W: www.superiorsafaris.com
S. AMERICAN HUNTS
SAM1
3 - DAY/3 - NIGHT DOVE HUNT IN ARGENTINA FOR 4 HUNTERS AND 4 NON-HUNTERS (100% FULLY DONATED) NORTE HUNTERS
Paula Cardelle
P: 972.528.4770
E: nortehunters@gmail.com
W: www.nortehunters.com
S. PACIFIC HUNTS
SP2
5 - DAY HIMALAYAN BULL TAHR HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER AND 1 NON-HUNTER IN NEW ZEALAND REAL KIWI HUNTING LIMITED
Maddie Brennan
P: 64.27.506.7316
E: contact@realkiwihunting.com W: www.realkiwihunting.com
SP3
5 - DAY NEW ZEALAND RED STAG HUNT FOR 1 HUNTER AND 1 NONHUNTER (Trophy fee for 1 red stag scoring up to 550” SCI included) SPEY CREEK TROPHY HUNTING
Wyatt McBride
P: 830.444.2128
E: hunt@sctrophyhunting.com
W: www.sctrophyhunting.com
SAM1
SP2
SP3
TAX1
LIFE-SIZE NORTH AMERICAN SHEEP MOUNT (100% FULLY DONATED) THE WILDLIFE GALLERY
Dan & Charlotte Catlin P: 989.561.5369
E: dan@thewildlifegallery.com
W: www.thewildlifegallery.com
TAX2
LIFE-SIZE WILD SHEEP MOUNT WITH HABITAT AND BASE DEER CREEK WILDLIFE STUDIO
Josh Hunt P: 307.272.3718
E: deercreekwildlife@icloud.com
W: www.deercreekwildlifestudio.com
TAX3
LIFE-SIZE WILD SHEEP MOUNT WITH HABITAT (100% FULLY DONATED) CEDAR MOUNTAIN TAXIDERMY
Donny & Rachel Paul
P: 307.250.8918
E: cedarmountaintaxidermy@gmail.com
TRIPS/ADVENTURES
TR1
WINE TASTING FOR 50 PEOPLE ANYWHERE IN THE CONTINENTAL USA
(2 of these Wine Tasting will be available for auction)
AFRICAN TRADITION
Clive Botha P: 561.379.8243
E: blksem7@aol.com W: www.sabestwine.com
TR2
(2 TRIPS FOR 2025 SHEEP SHOW) 8TH ANNUAL WILD SHEEP
JURASSIC CLASSIC STURGEON FISHING TOURNAMENT • 2 - DAY TRIP FOR 2 ANGLERS JURASSIC CLASSIC COMMITTEEWSSBC AND GOABC
Trevor Carruthers
P: 250.919.5386
E: trevor.carruthers@shaw.ca
TRIPS/ADVENTURES
TR3
5 - DAY ALL INCLUSIVE FRESHWATER FISHING ADVENTURE FOR 2 ANGLERS AT THE BEAUTIFUL AYLMER LAKE LODGE - NWT CANADA (100% FULLY DONATED) CANADIAN WILDLIFE ADVENTURES
Kevin McNeil
P: 780.536.7290
E: kevin@canadianwildlifeadventures.com W: www.candianwildlifeadventures.com
TR4
5 - DAY/4 - NIGHT LODGING FOR 6 PEOPLE IN CABO 2 - DAYS FISHING MAR VIDA
Nicole O’Neil
P: 512.966.2004
E: stayandplay@redrumcabo.com W: https://marvidacabo.com
TR5
ONE WEEK STAY IN A MOUNTAIN CABIN IN THE BEAUTIFUL BIGHORN MOUNTAINS OF WYOMING (100% FULLY DONATED)
JEFF GEIGER
P: 614.668.8222
E: jeffrey_geiger@ml.com
TR6
6 - NIGHT/5 - DAY HALIBUT & SALMON FISHING TRIP FOR 2 ANGLERS IN KENAI, ALASKA SALMON CATCHER LODGE
Justin & Gloria Hilgendorff
P: 518.965.5264
E: salmoncatcherlodge2001@gmail.com
W: www.salmoncatcherlodge.com
PERMITS
ALASKAN CHUGACH
DALL’S SHEEP TAG
ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH & GAME
Thomas Lohuis
P: 907.267.2412
E: thomas.lohuis@alaska.gov
PERMITS
ALBERTA MINISTER’S SPECIAL LICENCE, ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP
ALBERTA PROFESSIONAL OUTFITTERS
Jeana Schuurman
P: 780.404.0588
E: jeana@apos.ab.ca
W: www.apos.ab.ca.com
ARIZONA DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP
ARIZONA GAME & FISH DEPARTMENT
Callie Cavalcant - Terrestrial Wildlife Branch
P: 623.236.7355
E: ccavalcant@azgfd.gov
ARIZONA GAME & FISH
COMMISSIONER’S SPECIAL PRONGHORN TAG
ARIZONA GAME & FISH DEPARTMENT
Callie Cavalcant - Terrestrial Wildlife Branch
P: 623.236.7355
W: www.azgfd.gov
ARIZONA ANTELOPE FOUNDATION
E: info@azantelope.org
W: www.azantelope.org
BRITISH COLUMBIA MOUNTAIN SHEEP SPECIAL HUNTING PERMIT
BC FISH & WILDLIFE BRANCH, MINISTRY OF FORESTS AND THE HABITAT CONSERVATION TRUST FOUNDATION
Michael Burwash
P: 250.312.7305
Alicia Bates
P: 250.739.8683
PERMITS
COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN
BIGHORN SHEEP LICENSE
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
BIGHORN SOCIETY
Terry Meyers, Executive Director - RMBS
E: meyers.terry@gmail.com
P: 970.640.6892
(2 Navajo Tags Available for 2025 Sheep Show)
NAVAJO NATION DESERT BIGHORN
NAVAJO NATION DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE
Jeff Cole
P: 928.871.6595
E: jcole@nndfw.org
NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION
BIGHORN SHEEP PERMIT
NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION
Todd Nordeen
P: 308.763.2940
STATE OF NEVADA NELSON
DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP TAG
STATE OF NEVADA
DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE
P: 775.688.1556 – Mike Cox
STATE OF NEVADA PRONGHORN TAG
STATE OF NEVADA
DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE
P: 775.688.1659 – Cody Schroeder
2025 OREGON BIGHORN SHEEP TAG OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE
Don Whittaker
P: 503.947.6325
don.whittaker@state.or.us
2025 OREGON SPECIAL PRONGHORN ANTELOPE AUCTION TAG
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE
Don Whittaker
503.947.6325
don.whittaker@state.or.us
TAOS PUEBLO ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP PERMIT
TAOS PUEBLO DIVISION OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Michael A. Martinez- Hunt Manager P: 575.779.4105
E: hunting@taospueblo.com
STATE OF WASHINGTON
CALIFORNIA BIGHORN SHEEP
STATE OF WASHINGTON
DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
Kyle Garrison
Ungulate Section Manager
Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
P: 360.584.3315
E: kyle.garrison@dfw.wa.gov
PERMITS
NEW MEXICO DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP
NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF GAME & FISH - WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT DIVISION
Nicole Tatman
C: 505.469.3966
Katie Piecora
C: 505.538.0825
Caitlin Ruhl
C: 505.414.5029
NEW MEXICO ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP PERMIT
NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF GAME & FISH WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT DIVISION
Nicole Tatman
C: 505.469.3966
Katie Piecora
C: 505.538.0825
Caitlin Ruhl
C: 505.414.5029
NEW MEXICO BIG GAME ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE
NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF GAME & FISH WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT DIVISION
Nicole Tatman
C: 505.469.3966
Katie Piecora
C: 505.538.0825
Caitlin Ruhl
C: 505.414.5029
COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT LICENSE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT ALLIANCE
Carla Rhyant
E: info@goatalliance.org
STATE OF MONTANA
BIGHORN SHEEP LICENSE
MONTANA FISH
WILDLIFE & PARKS
Emily Cooper
P: 406.444.2663
E: Emily.Cooper@mt.gov
WYOMING GOVERNOR’S
SHIRAS MOOSE LICENSE (2 FOR 2025 SHEEP SHOW)
WYOMING GAME & FISH DEPARTMENT
Tim Thomas (WGFD)
P: 307.752.0659
E: tim.thomas@wyo.gov
Kurt Eisenach (WY-WSF)
P: 307.751.6251
E: keyes555@msn.com
WYOMING ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP LICENSE
WYOMING GAME & FISH DEPARTMENT
Daryl Lutz - WGFD
P: 307.332.2688
E: daryl.lutz@wyo.gov
Kurt Eisenach - WY-WSF
P: 307.751.6251
E: keyes555@msn.com
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF WARM SPRINGS BRANCH OF NATURAL RESOURCES - CA
BIGHORN SHEEP PERMIT CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF WARM SPRINGS BRANCH OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Austin Smith Jr - Branch of Natural Resources General Manager
P: 541.553.2046
E: wildlifetags@ctwsbnr.org
JAN . 16 -18
SPONSORS ARE CURRENT AS OF PRESS TIME
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2024 People’s Choice winner MORGAN WESTBY
Women Hunt
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Deron Millman
The Conklin Foundation board is pleased to announce the 2025 winner of the Conklin Award. Deron Millman is the 23rd 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.
Deron has been married to Patricia for 33 years. They reside in North Canton, Ohio. They have twin children, Anthony and Taylor, and a granddaughter, Bailey. At age 28, Deron started and developed one of the largest commercial land survey companies in North America.
Proud Partner of Conklin Foundation
Deron started hunting at age 10 with his grandfather. He has 39 different Ovis species and 39 different Capra species. He has taken over 500 animals and has been to Asia over 36 times.
Deron persevered over the other challenging finalists: Jeff Demaske, Gervasio Negrete, Wayne Farnsworth, Lee Anderson, and Jan Dams.
Hunt first class Fallow Buck trophies. Hungary o ers the World largest Fallow Buck population.
Great Mouflon Rams in Hungary. 40 incher
Hunt
Chamois species around
ADVENTURE PROFILES
Jonah Stewart
Brian Ham
SPECIES: Rocky Mountain Bighorn
OUTFITTER: Frank Simpson
GUIDE: Charlie Rogers
LOCATION: Alberta
Being an avid bowhunter, I had heard stories of the Canmore Bow Zone since I was just a little kid. It seemed only fitting that this was the place to try and finish my archery FNAWS. I booked my hunt through legendary outfitters, Frank and Cindy Simpson. I drove to Canmore and met Frank and Cindy.
The next day, Frank packed me in on horseback to his wall tent camp where I met my guide Charlie Rogers. Charlie was everything you could hope for in a sheep guide! He was tough as nails and never had a shred of doubt that we would make it happen, no matter how many times I messed it up! The ram we dubbed “Blonde” was the biggest ram on the mountain that we knew of, and we hunted him hard for eight days before one of my arrows finally found its mark! WS
SPECIES: Wild Goat – Kri Kri Ibex
OUTFITTER: Safari Season Ltd
LOCATION: Greece
I hunted with Safari Season Outfitters on the Island of Sapienza for mouflon sheep and Kri Kri ibex. I had first-day success on the mouflon and second-day success for the Kri Kri ibex, both with a shotgun shooting slugs, as that is the only weapon allowed.
We climbed to the top of the mountain on the first day after some ibex, but they disappeared in the thick brush as we arrived. Looking back down the valley below, two nice mouflon sheep were feeding in a small meadow. We hurried down to the downwind side of the meadow to have three nice rams feed out of the brush in front of us. The slug dropped the bigger one in his tracks.
The next morning, we stayed on the trail glassing for ibex on the rocky peaks above. Nice ibexes were seen but nothing of the caliber we were looking for. We veered off the trail and headed toward a known freshwater spring. As we watched a young male walking the rocky shoreline towards us, we heard a noise behind us. By the time I got turned around the ibex had seen or scented us and was hightailing it out of Dodge. The first rushed shot missed the mark, but a second, 80-yard follow-up just before he was out of sight hit the mark. The early success left lots of time for enjoying the sights of Greece. WS
Jay Johnson
SPECIES: Desert Bighorn
OUTFITTER: Lancaster Expeditions
LOCATION: Sonora
After years of dreaming, I finally pulled the trigger and went to Sonora, Mexico in February of 2024 to chase desert sheep. I chose to hunt with Clay Lancaster of Lancaster Expeditions. We spotted this sheep from a pretty significant distance and had to make a stalk of several hours, and then, once in place, wait for over an hour for the ram to feed into a position for a shot. While watching him, we could tell he was old with a beat-up nose, and a good ram. I was lucky to have my dad, Danny, along for the trip and he got to watch the entire stalk and shot unfold.
Clay and his crew of Beau Lancaster and Ryan Harder were a blast to hunt with. Everything was well organized and exceeded expectations. This hunt gets me to three out of four for my FNAWS. WS
Jeff Morton
SPECIES: Wild Goat – Balearean Boc
OUTFITTER: Iber Hunting Spain
LOCATION: Spain
After locating several good rams, my guide Antonio insisted we could find a larger one if we kept looking. We continued to move and glass until we both spotted this buck about the same time. It didn’t take long to decide this was the one we were after. We hiked for 45 minutes to get closer to the ram and in position to make the shot. I had no idea he would end up being so high in the record book and have only Antonio to thank for my success. WS
Anna Vorisek
SPECIES: Rocky Mountain Bighorn
OUTFITTER: Alberta Bighorns
GUIDE: Michael Simpson
LOCATION: Alberta
This ram completed my second FNAWS, both by archery. We teased this ram down the mountain by milling around like another sheep and then disappearing four different times. We knew when he committed to come it would be fast and it was. I shot him at 20 yards as he walked past us! WS
Peter Spear
SPECIES: Rocky Mountain Bighorn
OUTFITTER: Flat Tops Wilderness Outfitters, Jimmy Oswald
LOCATION: Colorado
This was an epic, 15-day hunt with over 65 miles of hiking between elevation 10,000 -14,000 feet—in thin air! There were several missed shots, blown stalks, friendships earned and adventure aplenty. It took 23 years to draw the tag in unit S-11. It’s not an easy unit, although it does have plenty of rams! WS
Robert Wallock
SPECIES: Stone’s sheep
OUTFITTER: Gundahoo River
Outfitters
LOCATION: British Columbia
I had a perfect hunt with Gundahoo River Outfitters. I had hunted with them two years ago and shot a great mountain goat, but was unable to find a legal ram. This year, thanks to my awesome wranglers Fern, Georgie, and Anna, and my spectacular guide, Shale DeSchipper, we located this ram two days before the season opener. I harvested this beautiful ram on opening day and then spent another week scouting and seeing as much of British Columbia as I could. I came home with the meat, cape, and horns, but the experience will be etched in my mind forever. I can’t thank Quintin and Hailey Thompson and their great staff enough. WS
In my life I have noticed two constants: I have an uncanny knack for bad timing and I never go halfway when I commit to something. When the two culminate, I am always guided by my wife Kelcie saying, “Just go for it, and it will work out.” My sheep experience was one of those times. I decided to embark into the world of sheep hunting in 2019 and immediately got on a couple of waiting lists. Then that whole pandemic thing happened. Flash forward to Sheep Show® 2022 and my name was still down on the lists with no good news. That’s when I met Tim & Jen Mervyn and knew my wife was right, it had worked out.
The hunt was booked and another flash forward to August 2024, and the floats of my bush flight skimmed to a smooth landing on an alpine lake in the Yukon Territories.
Eight hours into the first day we had crawled into range of my ram and I couldn’t help but think, my wife was right again...and just like that, I was out of the club.
I’d like to thank my family for all of their support in this dream of mine and also guide, Brodie, and wrangler, Otto of Mervyn’s Yukon Outfitting who are as topnotch of a team as you could ask for. WS Joshua, good timing—because you are Kicked Out!
Afghan urial, Iran Total score of 1356/8 Mohammad Hesami
Himalayan ibex, Pakistan 527/8 inches Hesham Khan
Marco Polo argali, Tajikistan Total score of 2112/8 Eben Espach
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PAYMENT INNOVATIONS FOR A CHANGING WORLD.
OUR VALUES
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Quarter Century Celebration! Join our team at Bear Trust International in celebrating our 25th Anniversary of Youth Education and Bear Conservation! After an incredible 25 years of bear projects and striving to educate the next generation our core values still remain the same.
Joshua J. DeLong
(208) 401-2023 main | (855) 299-8675 toll-free delongj@stifel.com www.dhwealthadvisors.com 800 W. Main Street, Suite 1260 | Boise, Idaho 83702
“Helping Mentor Kids Into The Great Outdoors”
Bear Trust has an effective, common-sense conservation policy based on four basic values:
1. Conservation should be based on sound science and make economic sense; the result of conservation action should help ensure the long-term sustainability of bear populations and economies.
2. Conservation should care for both public and private lands.
3. Nations, communities and people have a shared responsibility to conserve bear populations and their habitats for present and future generations.
4. Hunting is part of the world’s natural heritage and should be used as one of many tools for effective wildlife management.
Travel & Gear TRAVEL & GEAR
Photo: Tim Shinabarger
RIVER OUTFIT TERS INC.
WE HUNT: Stone Sheep, Moose, Goat, Caribou, Elk, Black Bear & Wolf
FISH: Lake Trout, Bull Trout, Arctic Grayling, Dolly Varden, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout & White Fish
www.muleshoeoutfitters.com
muleshoe@wbaccess.net
Meade & Andrea Dominick Cody, WY | Outfitter: WY BG -122 307.899.1490 or 307.587.9885 www.7dranchoutfitting.com meadedominick@hotmail.com
Photo: Tim Shinabarger
Advertiser’s Index
ON THE ADVENTURE TRAIL
by Ken Nowicki
THE JASPER DISASTER
“NERO FIDDLED WHILE ROME BURNED”
“
You can’t beat the beetles, Boy,” opined Lead-On Highfee. “Nothing works but slash and burn.”
“Start lopping and topping,” added Packtrain MacNamee. “Pile with style.”
I was down at Ruby’s café with my old outfitter friends. It was hot—so hot that I was sure that ice cream would adorn our pies, and I was right. Both Lead-On and Packtrain asked for huckleberry pie served “alley mode”.
I was curious to find what these old sheep guides thought about the Jasper Park fires where so many homes were destroyed by a monster wildfire. I also hoped to pry a tip or two on where to find big trophy rams and I knew that part of their long careers were spent running bighorn outfits in the Alberta front ranges, some adjacent to Jasper Park.
The Alberta Rockies trend south to north from the border with the USA at the Waterton/ Glacier International Peace Park. In the early 1970s around 20 outfits were handed four allocations in various zones up and down the mountain front. The two big national parks, Banff and Jasper, backed most of these areas on the west side.
It became standard practice for outfitters to locate a camp on the edge of one of these parks. Hunting
consisted of sitting and watching a pass or a trail where rams were known to move out of the parks and into the open zone.
The area named Jasper Park came from the name-sake town of Jasper, after a trading post manager
anything but untracked wilderness. Eventually, a railroad was built through the mountains and a town was established —and finally a National Park in 1907, on the heels of Banff Park which was developed in 1885.
Jasper Haws who worked for the Northwest Company in the 1800s.
The Athabasca River and the Yellowhead Pass were a natural trade route through the mountains long before Canada existed as
A grand outfitting tradition followed the railroads and famous hunters like Jack O’Connor, John Batten, and the landed gentry from eastern states and around the world came in by train and departed for the hunting grounds, often staging in Jasper, Banff or Lake Louise. In later years, the hunters began to fly and drive to the hunting areas.
“Them beetles have killed every pine tree in and out of the Park,” said Lead-On. “I never saw them things in my early years in the mountains. Then they started bringing in the cheap junk made in the Orient. I think them bugs were mutants came in from China, like that virus. They hitch-hiked in with the oranges.”
“They come from the west,” added Packtrain. “I know for a fact.”
“You drive that famous road from Banff to Jasper and all you see is bug-kill. It looks like cayenne pepper sprayed on the mountains, just waiting to burn.”
The Icefield Parkway got chiseled out of the rocks and through the
scenic Columbia Icefields in the 1940s. It gained a reputation for one of the most beautiful roads in North America and is a mustsee detour through the Canadian Rockies. Countless sheep hunters have driven up through the parks on the way to Alaska and the Yukon. Jasper Townsite has always been a favorite spot to stop for gas and a gander at all the scenery and the wildlife.
“It was obvious that a fire was coming,” said Lead-On. “In the past few years we lost Lytton in B.C., and parts of Slave Lake and Fort McMurray and all over the American West you see homes getting burned.”
“It’s stupidity. Anyone could see Jasper was sitting on a tinderbox. They should have cleared out a buffer zone around that town.” Packtrain was edging into my face. “They should have thinned out all those dead trees within five miles of Jasper. It should be cut like a lawn around the town.”
“But what about the Lake Louise case,” I stammered. “The ski hill just got fined $2.1 million a few years ago for whittling down some whitebark pines? The parks take cutting trees really seriously. I don’t think they would allow any endangered species to get cut.”
“Boy, a pine is a pine, and them beetles eat them all. There’s a million of them whitebarks in the USA and just because we only got a few up here in Canada don’t make them special. The lodgepole pine is my favorite for making tent poles and the ski bums cut some of them too. Maybe they was using them for ski poles,” he giggled.
Incredibly, the ski hill had to pay the outlandish fine for cutting a
few pine trees to make some more room on the runs. With that as a precedent, you can bet the park brass would never cut a tree around Jasper, or Banff or anywhere, even if everybody could see a disaster coming.
“The way they manage those parks is real hard on the sheep as well,” said Lead-On. “They let those forests get mature and build up a dangerous fuel load. All in the name of some misguided hands-off management plan by the federal parks. Meanwhile, the sheep and elk got nothing to eat with the timber encroaching on the range. That’s why you see so much game in the ditches when you drive through the parks.”
“Correction,” said Packtrain. “We used to see a lot of game. The caribou in Jasper are extinct in the last 20 years, the elk are depleted to a fraction of the old days, and the sheep are in sorry condition. And that’s the truth.”
“Well, maybe the fire will open it up for the game,” I ventured.
“At the cost of all those homes in Jasper, and a billion bucks and the life of a brave firefighter,” snarled Lead-On. “I don’t understand why there is no common sense anymore. They could have saved the town with some controlled cutting and burning for the protection of Jasper and for the benefit of the wildlife both.”
“And as for the sheep,” said Packtrain. “Let me tell you about those sheep. It will take decades for there to be a benefit from this fire in Jasper. They need to torch the park for a hundred miles in every direction. That way there won’t be a bunch of game crowding into the predator sink.”
“You got that right,” injected Lead-On. “Any extra grass in one location will bring the wolves and the bears running. That’s all there is now in the parks. The griz and the wolves and the cats have rubbed out most of the game.”
“Back when I had my outfit in north B.C. we used to light fires to improve the range,” said Packtrain. “We burned thousands of acres to enhance the grass for all the mountain species.” He knew this was a softball for his old friend who quickly took the bait.
“Yeah,” snarked Lead-On, “You enhanced it for your horses, too.”
“I always had a first class operation, and you know it. Horses is part of the landscape in outfitter country. And so is lots of game. I did my share of culling the wolves and bears too.”
“And you had a pretty good business selling horses for the glue factory,” snidely mentioned Lead-On.
I didn’t want the codgers to get to arguing about who was better or best. I had to get them talking about rams. I asked, “What do you think about hunting around those burns?”
“Burns are a magnet for sheep for sure. But you need lots more than a few hundred acres. You need them spaced out so that there is more feed than sheep to fill it. Don’t forget that a healthy herd likes to travel far and wide and never stay in the same place too long. Rams especially.”
“Rams can take a notion to move, Boy. You want to find a group of ewes munching on the green grass and then swivel your head and look around for the highest roughest ground in the area.”
“Think of it like a sniper looking
for a good clear shot. It will be up on the mountain top with a good panoramic view of the low country. That’s where the rams will be— setting up there watching from up high. Then they move to look over the next rally in the valley where the green grass grows.”
“Do you know where I can find a place like that? Maybe in one of your old areas?” I was hoping I would get a tip I could use. These oldtimers loved to give me advice on how to hunt sheep, but they were real stingy about telling me where to find rams.
“I’ll tell you where to start,” quipped Lead-On. “Get yourself up to Jasper and look straight east. That’s the way the wind blows, and there will be where the fire goes.”
“That’s right,” said Packtrain. “There’s nothing to stop that fire between the Park and Hinton and Cadomin. That’s the country where the biggest rams have been taken
over the past 30 years. When that blaze comes over the mountain there will be rams running like rabbits.
Then you go smoke jumping.”
“But won’t it be too smokey to find the sheep?” I was puzzled about the obvious problem. Smoke, I knew, makes it impossible to glass.
“If you can’t see them, they
Editors Note
can’t see you, Boy. Just get up that mountain and stay out of the fire and creep around and you might stumble on to them.”
“I guess I will try it. Thanks for the tip.” I paid for the coffee and as I went out the door I heard them call me.
“Don’t forget your chainsaw.” WS
Nowicki advises he has recently been to a conference in Alberta where the benefits of controlled burning and hand clearing were extolled as a technique for improving winter range. Apparently, one of the problems with these projects is controlling the fires to keep them from spreading into urban areas. Improving the habitat for ungulates is not wise if it draws them into conflicts with highways, railways, and human developments. Unfortunately, the national parks are run by the federal government and they consider any tinkering with the bug problem to be against the philosophy called “Let Nature Take Her Course”.
This woke Nowicki to the nexus between entomology and zoology as exemplified by the life of wild sheep in the pine belt of the northern Rocky Mountains. He promises to report on his findings in a future issue of Wild Sheep® magazine along with his success in smoking a ram out of the trees.
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
Adam Foss
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.
“
i love my rogen for long, multi day trips. I do a lot of my mountain hunting with a partner, so the Rogen’s two door/two vestibule design is ideal, as is its amazingly light weight and impressive strength. Since it’s a 3-season tent, I wouldn’t take it if I were going up super high or when there’s likely to be snow, but for early season sheep hunts, it’s outstanding!
”for over 50 years, Hilleberg has been making the highest quality tents and shelters available. Developed in Sweden, manufactured in Europe, and used worldwide, Hilleberg tents and shelters offer the ideal balance of high strength, low weight, ease of use, and comfort.
When you set out to exceed the limits of what is expected of hunting ammunition, you don’t do it by guessing what should happen. You test, evaluate and refine until you arrive at Hornady ® Precision Hunter ® ammunition, loaded with our ballistically advanced ELD-X® bullet with Heat Shield® tip. Engineered specifically to deliver match accuracy and lethality at all practical ranges, Hornady ® Precision Hunter ® ammunition is the best ALL-RANGE hunting ammunition.
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