OREGON CHAPTER OF FNAWS NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 OREGON CHAPTER OF FNAWS NEWSLETTER 1 Volume 15 Issue 6 February 2017 President s Message Our board of directors continues to work hard to put and keep more sheep on the mountains and canyons in Oregon. In 2016 we dedicated $34,000 through grant and aid to meaningful bighorn sheep projects plus another $20,000 to the Owyhee herd. Much of this funding is dedicated to disease related work. We approved another$12,000 at the winter board meeting for capture, sampling and collaring for bighorn sheep in SE Oregon and in Hells Canyon. We re able to do this because of everyone s generosity at our banquet and fund raiser each year. Last year s banquet was a record setter and we hope to do even better this year. Plans are well under way for this year s event. I hope to see you all in Hood River on April 8th this year. This is our only opportunity throughout the year to raise funds for bighorn sheep. We are also working on several hands on projects for the year. Our annual Juniper Cut at the Philip Schneider Wildlife Area is scheduled for Feb , We are also planning a work project for the Lower Deschutes River Ranch property which, with your help, OR- FNAWS and the WSF each donated $25,000 toward the purchase of. A survey of the Wenaha herd will provide another opportunity to get out in the field later this spring. We are also looking at working on a guzzler project in SE Oregon. As soon as we get dates confirmed for these projects we will get them posted on the web site (oregonfnaws.org) or on our face book page. These projects are a great opportunity to give back to big horn sheep or for those that have yet to draw a bighorn tag, a great way to give forward. In This Issue Hell s Canyon Big Horn Planting Seeds 2016 Sheep and Goats Beaty s Butte Big Horn Banquet Information Winter Board Meeting Steens Sheep Kris Thissell Sheep 2017 Dall Sheep Raffle This January we traveled to Reno with the booth to attend the WSF National Convention. Thank You to all that provided support. The Oregon bighorn sheep auction tag sold for $135,000 this year with these funds dedicated for bighorn sheep in Oregon. In closing I want to Thank the board and the membership for all that you do for bighorn sheep. I look forward to seeing all of you at our 2017 banquet. We can all help make this bigger and better than ever. Thank You! Larry Jacobs Upcoming Dates Feb 25-26, 2017 Juniper Cut, Dayville, OR April 8, 2017 Banquet, Best Western Hood River, OR April 9, 2017 Spring Board Meeting, Best Western Hood River, OR June 10, 2017 Youth Outdoor Day, EE Wilson Wildlife Area June 17-18, 2017 Tri-State, Location TBA July 22, 2017 Bighorn Sheep & Mtn Goat Orientation, The Dalles, OR July 23, 2017 Summer Board Meeting, Deschutes River Recreation Area

2 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 2 Hells Canyon Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Increase by Vic Coggins, October 2016 The survey results show most bighorn herd in Hells Canyon are increasing. After years of disease problems, most herds appear to be recovering and have an improved lamb survival rate. The Hells Canyon population was estimated at 1063 animals for the three states with 970 actually counted. This is the first time since Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep restoration began in 1971, that Hells Canyon herds have exceeded 1,000 animals. A summary of Oregon bighorn population estimates and lamb survival for follows: Bighorn Herd Population Estimate Bear Creek 75* Lower Imnaha 100* Lookout Mtn. 247* Lostine 91* Lower Hells Canyon 45 Muir Creek 20 Saddle Cr. 50* Upper Hells Canyon 5 Wenaha 87* TOTAL 720 *Lamb survival exceeded 35 lambs per 100 ewes. Planting Seeds in the Desert By Mitch Crouser My 16 year old son, Matt, my hunting buddy, Mark, and I inched our way up to the edge of the rocky cliff. With the blue ribbon of the Deschutes River coming into view 1000 below us, I whispered to Mark, It doesn t get any better than this. As we peaked over the rim, the spiral curl of the bighorn ram came into view so close that I could see a black fly sitting on the ram s light colored muzzle. Months of preparation had come down to this moment. Glancing at Matt, kneeling next to me, I wondered what my son would take away from this once in a lifetime experience. Matt had drawn one of Oregon s coveted bighorn ram tags and I had tried to impress upon him how fortunate he was to have drawn this hunt, but at 16 years of age, I wasn t sure I was getting through to him how special this opportunity was. I asked Matt what his friends at school thought about him drawing his sheep tag. He said, Dad I only know a few other kids out of my entire class of 400 that even hunt. Hardly anyone at school even knows what this is about. That remark really made me stop and think. With the average age of hunters in Oregon continuing to get older, if we do not get this younger generation involved in hunting, then hunting as we know it, will be gone in the generation after theirs. I had introduced Matt to hunting and fishing at a young age. He liked those activities, but I did not see the same passion for the outdoors that had taken ahold of me at a that age. I can still remember when I was 10 years old, my mom walking into my bedroom at 3:00 AM. I was sitting on my bed with the light on, fully dressed in hunting gear, too excited to sleep, waiting for my uncle Lars to come and pick me up for my first duck hunt. A well- oiled single shot.410 shotgun leaned in the corner as I inspected one of the green.410 shells for the millionth time. My new walnut Mallardtone duck call hung (Continued on page 3)

3 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 3 from the lanyard around my neck in anticipation of the coming hunt. If I could pass on only one thing to my sons, it would be to plant a seed that would grow into a love of the outdoors- to learn how to be still, to be quiet, to find the solace that comes from being alone in wild places and the comfort that comes with knowing that you can return to it when you need to. With the modern world s sensory barrage of technology- TV, video games, social media, cell phones, computers etc. bombarding our young generation at an ever increasing pace, the quiet stillness of nature that exists in all wild places has become increasingly rare and more needed than ever before. The discovery of that solace of the wild would be the greatest gift I could give my kids. Matt and I began a regime of hiking the hill that we lived on with loaded packs and weekly shooting practice with the rifle that he would use for the hunt. The magnitude of the sheep tag finally dawned on Matt when we attended the ODFW and the Oregon FNAWS orientation class for all the lucky sheep and mountain goat tag holders in Oregon. The class did a great job of going over what the hunt would entail and impressing upon everyone that the experience was a lot more than just going out and killing a ram. Matt and I began weekend scouting trips to the Deschutes canyon in early summer. At first, we had a hard time finding the sheep, but every trip we discovered more spots that they seemed to frequent. The hours spent glassing the big canyon and its myriad side canyons with binoculars and the spotting scope revealed an abundance of wildlife- mule deer, coyotes, bobcats, badgers, eagles and hawks. Matt learned the lesson that sitting still and watching could reveal more animals than hiking up and down the steep Deschutes canyons. Our evening trips down to the river for swimming and fishing for redside rainbows after hiking and glassing in the 100 degree heat were great fun. (Continued on page 4)

4 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 4 One evening as we were hiking back to the truck after a day of exploring and glassing some side canyons, Matt stopped, bent over and picked up a couple rusty beer cans and put them into his pack without saying a word. He was starting to get it. As early September approached, I felt we were well prepared for the hunt. We had spent many hours searching for and observing the magnificent bighorns and I felt confident that we knew their daily habits and haunts. Matt had talked to his teachers and had gotten all of his homework for the week that we planned to be gone. On the eve of opening day, Matt and I picked up my friend Mark, who had experience helping on a couple of previous sheep hunts and we all headed for the Deschutes canyon. That evening we found a couple of nice rams in their usual places and we went to bed confident that the next morning would be a good one. We got up before first light and hiked out to where we had seen the rams the previous evening, but after two hours of glassing, we were unable to locate the rams. We hiked out to our #2 spot, slowly working our way along a side canyon for a couple hours, but again, we couldn t find any mature rams in the spots where we had consistently found them in our summer scouting. It was a little disconcerting to have used up our two best spots without finding a ram. We were into late morning when we decided to hike out along a ridge that would overlook the main canyon. We hadn t gone far when I spotted three rams bedded below us on the grassy sidehill. We carefully crept down the hill and made our way to a rocky outcrop, knowing we had to be very close to the rams. As we peaked over the edge, we were surprised to find them bedded only 35 yards below us. We glassed the rams for a few minutes from our unseen vantage point directly above them. One ram was much bigger and darker colored than the other two, with a full curl on one side and the other side broomed off. Mark thought we should take him, but Matt and I weren t sure. It was only opening day and it was hard to compare him to other rams we had seen the past couple months from hundreds of yards away- this one was so close. Suddenly, the big ram got up looking in our direction and took off with the two smaller rams following close behind. As we watched the rams run away, we realized we should have taken him. He was as big as anything we had seen all summer. We hiked up over the ridge and spotted the three rams looking in our direction a little over 200 yards away. Matt sat down with his shooting sticks, but the grass was too tall to get a good shot. I was proud of him for waiting for a clear shot, because by now it was obvious how bad he wanted that ram. The rams took off again, dropping below a ridgeline. After an hour of walking slowly and glassing, we relocated them on an extremely steep hillside. We ranged them at 300 yards, a longer shot than we had planned on. We decided to wait and see what they would do. Lying in the hot desert sun for a couple hours was tough. Finally, the rams bedded down on a small rocky shelf on the sidehill. Matt and I began slowly sliding down through the dead grass on our backs while Mark stayed back and watched. After 30 minutes, we had closed the gap to under 200 yards. Matt carefully dug out holes for his feet to steady himself on the steep slope and set up his shooting sticks. It was brutally hot lying there in the intense sun waiting for the rams to get up. Finally, the big ram stood up and Matt was ready, hitting him perfectly behind the shoulder, but instead of dropping back down into the grass, he began to roll down the hill. Matt exclaimed Oh no! as he ran to the edge and watched the ram continue rolling and finally drop over a shelf out of sight. All I could think of was what kind of damage that fall had done to him and how far had he fallen before stopping. Mark came down and met us and we carefully made our way down the canyon side, spotting the ram where he had come to rest in a small pile of rocks. When we finally got to the ram, he was magnificent, even better than we had thought. The broomed side of his horns had splintered slightly in the fall and there were a few nicks and dings in his horns, but that only added to his character. After quartering and caping the ram, we loaded our packs and began our steep climb back to the top on all fours. A couple hours later, we crested the rim and were greeted to a spectacular sunset going down alongside Mt Hood in the west. It made for a heavenly picture and capped a day that I will never forget. Matt s great smile in the photo said it all. Those seeds that had been planted in the desert every weekend the past summer had taken hold.

5 Tony Reviglio connected with his Look Out Mountain Rocky on opening morning. We saw over 30 rams and 70+ ewes in two days. Thank you OR FNAWS for your efforts to keep these amazing animals on the hill! Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS Rams Tony Reviglio from Yerington Nevada with Lookout Mtn Ram, guided by Jon McCullum of Eden Ridge Outfitters Tom Teague with his California Bighorn from the East Whitehorse Unit, 1st Season Carol Jansen with her Hat Point Billy Goat. 2nd Season 3 1/2 years old Billy taken opening day Hat Point 2nd season. Early June I found out I was pregnant with twins to be due in December, I then found out I drew my Mt. Goat tag, along with 2 other tags. Couldn't decide if I was cursed or blessed, but after 2 scouting trips & being given Dr's clearance to go (even though I told them one way or another I was going on this hunt) & then being able to take this dandy opening day, I decided I was blessed. Especially with the amazing support/pack crew of family & friends that came along with me. Now after I have my twin boys, I can tell them they have already been on a successful antelope hunt & a successful once in a lifetime Mt. Goat hunt. Tanner Cassens. E. John day 2nd season Carol and husband Scottie welcomed twin boy on December 8th. Parker Albert 5lb 1oz and Jase Thomas 5lb 8oz. All are doing well.

6 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 6 Kegan Gilstrap 2016 Beatys Butte Big Horn We started our hunt the opening day on August 20. That morning we hunted around Alvoid peak and we saw nothing but ues. The next morning we went out to the wet pueblo mountains and and glasses Some spots and saw nothing and then we continued to follow the shade around to the east and as we were moving we saw 4 of them on the skyline and as we sat there and looked at them we slowly watched a heard of 50 work their way over and started Working their way down the mountain, it was about 11 am. So me and my brother in-law Chris Nay started our hike to get over, up, and above them. So as our spotters stayed back and were our eyes on the other side. We continued to hike for 6 hours and as we dropped down onto them we ended between 2 nulls. We couldn't see them as we waited For an hour to see if they would move into our view. But scared that not being able to see them and waiting for so long being anxious, we got antsy. So I had my Chris go up and and around the null to see if he could push them over in front of me, as he did that I hunkered down behind some rocks. I heard him yelling from up above in the other side of the null. I heard all of their "baaaahs" and foot steps and to my surprise right at me! So as I sat there and watched the Hurd go by my yards away I knew I couldn't get a shot so I waited for them to all crest the null and once they did and sprinted to the other side of the null and as they were running away I knew I had one chance and was running out of time. So The first Rick that I came to I rested on and took my shot. At 310 yards I filled my tag.

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8 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 8 OR-FNAWS 2017 Banquet and Fundraiser Information This years Banquet and Fundraiser will again be held on April 8, 2017 at; The Hood River Inn 1108 E Marina Way Hood River, Oregon OR-FNAWS will have 2 exceptional tags in our Live Auction this year. The Governors Tag for Rocky Mountain Goat; which will allow the winner to hunt anywhere there is an authorized Rocky Mountain Goat Season and tag in 2017 from September 1 - October 31, 2017 A Statewide Deer Tag; which will allow the winner to hunt statewide except for specific closures identified in the Big Game Regulations from September 1 November 30 Potential bidders can do so at our event or set up to bid by phone by contacting Thomas Peterson (503) prior to the event. We will also be drawing the winning ticket for our Dall Sheep Hunt Raffle! This hunt will be with Ultima Thule Outfitters in the Wrangell-St Elias preserve on August 22 September 2, 2017, see the ad in this newsletter for more info on the hunt and how to purchase tickets, need not be present to win. This years successful Sheep and Goat Hunter are encouraged to attend and bring their mounts and or pictures. Be sure and check our website and your mailbox for more registration information in the coming months. Last years event sold out so please register early!

9 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 9 WINTER BOARD MEETING by Brent Tannock February 4th was the winter board meeting in snowy, icy Hood River. A quorum was met with 8 members present and 4 members on conference call. The meeting was called to order by President Larry Jacobs, with no special guest speakers. The winter meeting is election time for new executive officers and board members. The President is Larry Jacobs, with Walter Chuck and Dave Geelan being 1st and 2nd Vice presidents respectively. Alan Day remains as our Treasurer as does Ellen Campbell our Secretary. There is still one opening available on the board, so if anyone would like to be on the OR-FNAWS Board, please let the current board know. The spring board meeting will be held on April 9th, the day after the Banquet in Hood River and the summer board meeting will be held on July 23rd at the Deschutes River State Park the day after the Bighorn Orientation. Also discussed at the winter meeting was the Auction Tags to be sold at the Banquet. We have the State wide Deer tag which will be auctioned at 7:30 pm, and the State wide Mtn. Goat tag auctioned at 8:00 pm, so if you know anyone that is interested in bidding on either of these tags and will not be at the banquet, we will be able to take phone bids. We still have about 150 raffle tickets to a great Dall Sheep hunt in Alaska, and will be selling those at the Portland Sportsman show and up through the night of the banquet. (Till hopefully sold out) Tickets are $20.00 a piece, you may get ahold of any of your OR-FNAWS Board members who will be glad to sell you a chance, if not several. The Youth Day at E.E. Wilson WMA is set for June 10th, so register early because space is limited, bring the children and let them enjoy the day of fun and learning. The Tri-State meeting is set for June 17th and 18th, with the location still pending. Please go to the web site for further updates. Chris Getchell: I took this ram opening morning10/15 in the East John Day Unit. This guy was shot with a Weatherby 7mm.08 at 326 yards. Gross green score is 179 6/8th's, net is 178 7/8th's.

10 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 10 My Steens Sheep hunt My 2016 Oregon California Bighorn Sheep once in a lifetime hunt. It all started when I was standing in Bi-Mart with my fiance Steve putting in for our 2016 tags. We put in for Elk, Deer, antelope and Steve says, I always put in for a Steens sheep tag, lets put you in for one too. This was the first time I had ever put in for any kind of tags and Steve explained to me we won t get a sheep tag but might as well put in for it. Fastforward to June 20th, I decided to look online to see if I ended up drawing any of the tags I put in for. I was super excited when I saw a drew a buck, then I scrolled down a little further and saw I was successful for a big horn sheep! I was in complete shock, called Steve and told him he will never believe what I drew! He told me, no way did you get an elk tag on your first time applying. I said, nope, it s better than that, I got a sheep tag! He didn t believe me until I sent him a screenshot of my phone with the proof. We spent long afternoons shooting 100, 200 and 300 yard shots. Steve sighted in the Winchester 270 short mag for me but I was having issues flinching. I practiced with the.223 the most until the last week. I was still pulling right with the 270 so Steve went and had the trigger lightened up for me. I shot the 270 after the trigger was lighter and hit bulls eye at 300 yards. I was relieved and didn t shoot again until the hunt! We never practiced any quick close shots. We were able to go and scout 2 weekends for sheep. The first weekend we went to Mann Lake Ranch. On the first day we didn t find any sheep and I was feeling discouraged. Then the second day we went up higher on the mountain and found sheep down in Kiger Gorge. They were a mix of ewes and young rams. I was happy to have found some but we needed to find bigger rams! On the way home we went around the south of the Steens to the other side and went up the steepest road I have been on.. did I mention I am afraid of cliffs and was questioning my sanity! Why in the world did I put in for a sheep tag for the Steens unit? We didn t see any sheep, but we saw the wild horses, antelope, sage hens, and antelope. The second trip down we went up to the top of the Steens from the French Glen. We glassed Kiger Gorge again and found the sheep we had seen from the other side, still no big rams. Then we went to the towers and glassed there for several hours. We finally saw two rams. One looked big so we spent the night in the pick up and at daybreak we hiked back up to the towers to glass again. We didn t see the rams again and decided to hike off the summit to the south and glass some more. We saw 7 young rams by Wildhorse lake as we hiked down to it. We hiked up past the lake over to the next rim and sat there for several more hours until I finally found 2 big rams! We watched them for about an hour and decided these were the ones I was going to hunt. The next several weeks seemed to fly by. We left Sunday afternoon to head down to Mann Lake Ranch where we were able to stay with our friends. We scouted that afternoon and all day Monday at the base of Willow Creek and Little Mccoy were we found sheep up both draws. We decided to hike up Willow Creek opening morning to see if any of those rams were bigger than the two we found by Wildhorse lake. We found ewes and finally found the 10 rams once we hiked up to almost the top were (Continued on page 11)

11 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 11 feeding in the sage brush. We were about ½ mile away from them, down wind when we tried to get a bit closer. The saw us, lined out and ran up and over the rim never once stopping. We had walked within 200 yards of the ewes with them never getting up or leaving so when we watched the rams run off I was pretty discouraged thinking I would never get close enough for a shot. The next morning day two of the season and we were heading to Little Wildhorse lake to hunt the two big rams but decided to stop at Stone House to glass there. Steve found several nice rams that we decided to hunt. We took the buggy around to the top to hunt down onto the rams. It took us about 2 hours to get up to the top to start our hunt. We started down the mountain further to the right of where we last saw the rams to side hill down and around to where we hoped they would be. Once we had side hilled over 2 little draws, Steve was certain we were right where the rams should be. I was thinking there is no way the rams are close, we didn t have a spotter down at the base keeping an eye on them..it was just Steve and I! They could have been anywhere by now! We found some of their beds, poop and trails as we continued to walk. Steve is leading the way carrying the rifle about 20 feet in front of me when we heard what I thought was a gun shot. Steve turned around with a smile, whispers that was rams fighting and I told him that it was the other sheep hunter a couple draws over that just shot a ram! Then we heard the gun shot again and told Steve the hunter missed and this was his second shot. Steve was sure it was the rams fighting and motioned that they were just under us. About that time we hear another loud ram and then I hear the brush and see it move! I start shaking at this point and Steve still has my gun which I can t get too because we are stuck 20 feet apart on top of dry loud brush and sticks! We were tucked in the brush as we watched one ram come up the draw 50 ft in front of us, walk towards us and then slowly turn to the right and feed away from us. The second ram does the same and then up comes a huge ram and he does the exact same thing, comes up toward us, turns right and feeds away. As soon as they were out of sight Steve motions for me to get closer to hand me the gun. I shake my head no thinking they are going to hear us and run! Steve motions again and I get close enough to get my gun. I then try to get myself leaned up on a boulder to rest my gun on a dead tree limb so I can be ready to shoot. I am still shaking trying to calm myself knowing the rams have turned and are feeding towards us again only yards away from us. I am ready for them to come around into my sights when the big ram walks up on a rock above us to get a look at us 15 yards away. I don t remember what I did next, I apparently went on auto-pilot but Steve said picked my gun up from where I was ready to shoot from, I stood up, drew my gun, then glanced over at Steve and he whispered to me, whack him I stood there and watched the ram drop. Then I ran up to the ram and yelled, he s HUGE! while Steve was watching the other rams run off double checking I got the biggest one in the bunch! The hunt was unbelievable and it wouldn t have even mattered to me! The fact that we were so close we could hear them grunting around, we could see their eyelashes, their noses flaring trying to smell us and watch them feed feet from us and then hear the big ram walking up onto the rock above us and look down at us was unbelievable!!! The pack out the next day was long. Steve and I rode our horses up the mountain as high and steep as we could get them. We packed the ram down to where we left the horses, loaded up the packs on the horses and picked our way down the mountain. One amazing hunt of a lifetime. Donn Whistler

12 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 12 Kris Thissell Sheep Story You are NOT going to believe this! You just won the lottery! This is what I heard as the footsteps grew louder and closer. I thought maybe I had, until I remembered that I don t play the lottery. My husband came storming into the room showing me my ODFW draw results for the 2016 hunting season. Not only had I scored by drawing an antelope tag, but I had also drawn a big horn sheep tag. This was the beginning of a great adventure. My two boys, Griffin, 13, and Trevor, 17, could hardly believe it, jealous of course. My husband, Dave, called every person he knew to tell them of my luck. Well sort of, it would have been luckier if it had been his tag. Let the preparations begin! We bought maps, talked to anyone we could who knew the area or knew anything about sheep hunting. Griffin, Dave and I attended the Orientation where we met tons of people who were lucky enough to have the experience, biologists who were a wealth of knowledge, and many locals who knew a lot about the area. We were lucky enough that the orientation was only 30 minutes from the East Deschutes Unit, my hunting zone. We were able to camp right on the river that night and even see some young sheep. The next day we went knocking on local resident s doors asking for permission to access their land when the hunting season came around, which we were granted. We were pumped! One of the local ranchers was kind enough to hook us up with a friend of his that lived in The Dalles, Tim, a new and now, a forever friend. He was kind enough to share his information and photos of sheep to get us excited. Dave and I spent a weekend scouting with Tim as our tour guide. We were able to hike around and see mature rams which lit the fire in me. I was able to see the characteristics of mature rams that were in the area. Everyone told me to invite anyone I wanted to share this once in a lifetime experience with. I did. My dad was one person who wasn t able to make it due to health problems, but I knew he was with me in heart. The other was Trevor, my oldest son, he had other obligations that kept him at home. My hunt consisted of Griffin, Dave, Kris (our cousin and best friend) Brandt (another cousin), and Tim. Dave and I were fortunate enough to be able to train for this hunt together. We later found, that this was one of our favorite parts of drawing this tag, it allowed us to set and meet a goal together within our busy lives of work and raising kids. Hunting day one, the weather DID NOT cooperate. Tim said I received the worst weather award. The skies were dark, wind blowing up to 50 miles an hour gusts, raining and VERY cold! We glassed, hiked, glassed more, drove to a new area, glassed even more and finally decided that the sheep we were seeing were not the ones I was looking for. After freezing from the pelting 50 mile an hour rains, we decided to pause to get warm and have some hot soup for lunch. We made a new plan for the afternoon. We drove down to the bottom access road to see if we could spy the big one from there. Apparently when the weather is bad, not only do we hunker in, but the some of the sheep do too. Though we did see ewes and young rams, the one I was wanting, the one I dreamed about, had yet to show himself. Day two wasn t much better, but the winds died down a little. We split up and hiked, searching high and low for what the men were now calling, my unicorn. They were all great at spotting sheep, and gave me a slightly hard time for rejecting their idea of what a unicorn looked like. At the end of the day, we were still in good spirits so we decided to make a plan for the morning. We would glass and make a decision by 8:30 a.m., were we going to hike to the bottom of the canyon or not. Canyon might be an understatement. It is pretty much straight down 2.5 miles. Which really isn t bad. But what happens when you get down there and there are not sheep? You hike more, to still find no sheep. THEN you have to hike out, straight up 2.5 miles. This had huge potential for a very tiresome and frustrating day. We started slow, hiking a few hundred yards down, glassing across the canyon, hill sides here, there, everywhere. We spotted some. Wait, to the right, we spotted more. Then even more! It turns out, they WERE hiding. They were down low in spots we couldn t see from original glassing spots towards the top. The weather had dried up and the wind had mostly stopped blowing. A couple of nice ones were seen. Possibly even a shooter. Down we went, a little farther to glass from a closer range. We found him! My Unicorn. My sheep that had everything I wanted in a ram. The men could not get their scopes put away fast enough for me. I was literally skipping down the mountain to get closer. We strategically hiked, out of sight, to a

13 Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 13 spot where I could get a rest and a clear shot. We set up, and low and behold, it was sheep nap time. My ram bedded up, so, I did too. I had a snack, shifted positions a few times, changed up my rest, and dry fired a few times to get comfortable and calm. Forty minutes later, he got up and walked over to a couple of ewes. With sites on him, I tracked him walking, chasing, sniffing and climbing the rock bluffs to chase the girls. I was waiting patiently for him to stop walking so I could get a clear shot. As the ewes split off he went over to socialize with a couple of his ram buddies. He head butted one of them to coerce him from his bed, still not a clear shot. That ram didn t move, so my unicorn, now referred to as Dodge for his resemblance to the ram on Dodge trucks, tried to coerce his other buddy out of bed. Still not a clear shot. This ram got up and mingled with Dodge. Still not a clear shot. Finally, my ram, my unicorn, the ram of my dreams, walked away, pausing to look at his buddies, allowing me the clear shot I d been waiting for. Ready? I asked my crew of men behind scopes and a video camera. Go, was the response. One shot fired, he ran uphill. You hit him, reload! I did. As he ran off I lost him in my scope, I panicked a little. I found him again, waited for another clear shot. Shot two fired. You hit him again! As I watched him in my scope, I saw him try to run up hill, wait, he turned, he s running down hill now, NO! He loses his balance, momentum takes him down, rolling, rolling, over a small ledge. Wait, I see a flat spot. He ll stop there, there, there.nnnnoooooo!! He kept rolling! He rolled right over an 80+ foot rock bluff, out of sight. We jumped up, ran to where we could see him hit the ground in a patch of broken rock, sliding to the bottom of the draw into some trees. There was a bit of panic in my veins as I envisioned him mangled, horns broken at the bottom, after falling all that distance. We packed our things quickly, took off running down the mountain to where we had last seen him. Finally, we reached his final resting place. As I came through the trees, I could see him. To my amazement, he was still in one piece. His hide was not scratched, only some minor white scratch marks on his horns. He was perfect! After taking photos and renaming him Tumbler we cleaned him up, skinned him out and loaded him on our packs for the challenging walk, straight up, 2.5 miles. I insisted on packing him as long as I could. Turns out my training wasn t enough. The pack weighed about 80 pounds with his head and horns. With the wind now picking up and the steep terrain I was only able to make it about 300 yards. Dave and I traded packs and started the slow climb to the top. Griffin and Tim, carrying quarters, were able to hike out quite a bit faster, made it to the top, recruited Kris, and returned to help us with the remainder of the hike out. It took us 2 and a half hours to haul the big fella out, all of us working together. This was the experience of a lifetime for me. The bonding that it brought my family, the new friendship with Tim, and hunting such a beautiful animal that I will forever be able to cherish.

14 14 Membership Info OREGON CHAPTER - FOUNDATION FOR NORTH AMERICAN WILD SHEEP MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION- please print **Please check mailing label for your Membership Expiration date and RENEW now!** Name: Street Address City/State/Zip Phone: (Home) (Work) (Fax) WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT: ( ) Sheep Transplants ( ) Field Projects ( ) Publicity/Newsletter ( )Fundraising ( ) Donations ( ) Legislative Affairs ( ) Banquet Committee ( ) Other Please tell us about any special interests/talents/ concerns : MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION ANNUAL INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP $ ( ) 3-Year INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP $ ( ) ANNUAL FAMILY MEMBERSHIP $ ( ) LIFE MEMBERSHIP $ ( ) Names: Wooden name badge: $ ( ) Annual Memberships include a Newsletter. Life Memberships include Newsletter, Wooden name badge, Plaque and Cap PAYMENT INFORMATION Amount included with Application: $ Check # Visa ( ) MC ( ) AM Ex ( ) Card Number Exp.Date NAME (As it appears on card) SIGNATURE: DATE

15 2017 DALL SHEEP HUNT RAFFLE Volume 15 Issue 6 Oregon FNAWS 15 Whether you love hunting dall sheep or need a dall sheep to complete your FNAWS(Four North American Wild Sheep) or Grand Slam - don t miss your chance to participate in this random drawing for a 2017 exclusive Wrangell-St Elias National Preserve 10 day guided hunt for an Alaskan dall sheep. This hunt is donated by Paul and Donna Claus of Ultima Thule Outfitters. Grand prize in this random drawing is a 1x1, fully guided hunt for 10 days for Dall Sheep with Ultima Thule Outfitters (UTO). The hunt will take place on one of UTO s three exclusive federal concessions within Wrangell St-Ellias National Preserve, bordered on 3 sides by Wrangell St.-Elias National Park and to the East by Kluane National Park in the Yukon. The hunt will take place August 22-September 2, Paul and Donna Claus have built a strong reputation based not only on success, but also on quality. Thanks to strict management of the resource, the dall sheep of the Wrnagell s are allowed to grow to their true potential. This hunt is an excellent opportunity to experience one of the most spectacular regions in Alaska and pursue one of North America s most majestic big game animalsthe dall sheep. Special thanks to Paul and Donna Claus for their continued support of Wild Sheep Foundation and its chapters. If you are interested in tickets please contact any board member. Ticket cost is $20.00 each with a limit of 1000 tickets sold. Drawing will be held on April 8th, 2017 at the annual banquet

16 Primary Business Address Address Line 2 Address Line 3 Address Line 4 Please check the mailing label for your membership expiration date. Please use enclosed form to renew FIND US AT VISIT US ON FACEBOOK Important Contact Information President, Larry Jacobs Treasurer, Alan Day Brent Tannock Jeremy Thompson president@oregonfnaws.org treasurer@oregonfnaws.org David O Connor Walt Van Dyke 1st Vice President, Walter Chuck Past President, George Houston Andy Weibel Robert Welsh vp1@oregonfnaws.org pastpresident@oregonfnaws.org Richard Weier 2nd Vice President, Dave Geelan Board Members vp2@oregonfnaws.org Nicholas Berg Dale Campbell Secretary, Ellen Campbell Jane Hunts Vic Coggins secretary@oregonfnaws.org Shane Byerly Tom Peterson Don South Linda South