OREGON CHAPTER OF FNAWS NEWSLETTER Upcoming Dates: January 5th 2013 Winter Board Meeting. 8am All are invited. Board Member Elections will be held and all members are eligible to become board members February 2013 towards the end of the month the Pre-Banquet Meeting will be held. Date and Location will TBD at Winter Board Meeting March 2013 Juniper Cut. Typically in the Middle of the month. Date and Time TBD at Winter Meeting April 19th, 2013. Set-up for Annual Auction. Washington County Fairplex, Hillsboro OR, 9am. Tailgate Party to Follow at Tannock Home 6pm April 20th, 2013 Annual Banquet/ Fundraiser at Washington County Fairplex. Doors Open at 3:30pm, Ladies Tea at 11am April 21st, 2013 Board Meeting Inside this issue: Wisdom from Gray Ghost 2-3 Sheep Fever 3-4 Letter from Editor 5 Deschutes River Trip 6 FNAWS Political Update 6 Banquet News 7 A Long Time Waiting 8-9 Seeking the One 10-12 Sheepshead Unit Ram 12-15 White Horse Unit Hunt 16 Young Luck 17 2012 Sheep and Goats 18 ODFW Memorandum 19 Volume 13 Issue 3 President s Message As 2012 comes to an end and our Big Game Hunting Seasons are closing. We at OR- FNAWS hopes everyone had a successful and great time hunting and enjoying the outdoors. We would like to hear from our Once In A Lifetime Bighorn Sheep and Rocky Mountain Goat hunters. Our Newsletter always wants hunting stories from its members. Please contact Nathan or Brent with your article. Their contact info is listed on the back page of Newsletter or at www.oregonfnaws.org. Our Winter Board Meeting is on January 5 th. At the Phoenix Inn Suites South Salem. With meeting to start at 8am. All members and guests are welcome. A Representative from ODFW, will be giving us an update on Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat herds. Changes in the Mandatory Hunting Harvest Reporting procedure, proposed trapping changes, wolf counts and insight into the sheep herds that survived the fires in Southeast Oregon. It's also time to nominate and elect Board Members, Officers for the upcoming year. OR- FNAWS is an all volunteer organization. Like so many volunteer organizations, it's a few doing all the work. We would very much like to see more participation from our membership. Planning and Preparation for our April Banquet/ Fundraiser will also be discussed. So come on down to Salem, January 5 th, 8am, Phoenix Inn Suites. Our Newsletter also contains a membership form. Know someone who likes the outdoors? Likes to hike & install water tanks for wildlife? Cutting Juniper Trees to grow more winter range grasses or float the Deschutes River to chop Thistles? Then WWW.OREGONFNAWS.ORG By Mike Boethin November 2012 come and join our team!! Sign up a friend, hunting partner, or your spouse.. In closing, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas from your OR- FNAWS Board of Directors. Thank You members for attending all events throughout the year. Be sure to thank our Veterans, and our men and women in the military. Without them, freedom to hunt and enjoy the outdoors; would not be possible..
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS Wisdom from Gray Ghost By Dave Smith Perched just below a rim in Oregon s Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Bruce Olsen and I studied the huge ram in disbelief of his mass and length. Our best guesses landed him in the mid 170 s, making him a tremendous California Bighorn. The problem? The year was 1983 and we were hunting mule deer. I wouldn t draw a sheep tag until 28 years later. Hart Mountain is the only location that I know my dad has hunted- it was instantly special and the only location for me, no matter what. In 2009, with 15 preference points, I drew an archery antelope tag- I was starting get to know this unit. Fast-forward to 2012 and the sheep situation has changed dramatically. At one time, there were 39 tags awarded in a single season. In 2012, there were supposed to be 4, but even one of those 4 got cancelled due to the size and number of sheep in the unit. Amazingly, though you can hunt antelope on the antelope refuge, you are not allowed to shoot a coyote or a cougar, even if you have a valid cougar tag. With sheep numbers dropping from over 900 to around 130 and several radio-collared sheep found dead with large cat tracks around the partially buried or elevated carcasses, some of the refuge managers are starting to suspect there might be cat predation issues- ya think? So you learn all this and have to decide if you re going to wish you had applied for a different unit, and maybe even listen to people tell you that, but for me, this was my beloved Hart Mountain, and this was a SHEEP hunt! I could only thank God for the opportunity. I may have never drawn had I not put in for Hart. I was humbled also to learned that while I was applying year after year and not paying any attention or contributing in any way to make this privilege possible, hundreds of people and organizations were hard at work, trapping sheep and building guzzlers and paving the way for someone like me, who will never otherwise be able to hunt bighorn sheep. The levity of the situation is staggering and for anyone who has taken on these seemingly thankless jobs, I know I speak for all the tag holders when I say thank you- we could never repay you- we only hope that sweet karma and the tag Gods smile on you always! The summer was spent scouting as much as I possibly could. Good information came from previous tagholders, special thanks to Don Perrien and Nathaniel Govenor. A lifetime of goose hunting has turned me into a dyed-in-the-wool stand hunter, even on big-game, and stand-hunting opportunities turned my attention toward archery. I found three spots that showed promise, but one, a guzzler, dried up during our drought summer, the other, a spring, was inaccessible due to fires and fire danger. The third, a small seep, even though I had witnessed rams there myself, 10 days of trail cams revealed that the band had not returned. This was turning into a rifle hunt real quick- something that I am not overly confident in. Prior to the summer, my rifle hadn t been out of its case in almost 20 years. Hard scouting just before the season confirmed that this was going to be tough just to get a ram- any ram, even with the rifle. With large portions of the unit inaccessible due to road closures, partners Gary Miller and Kevin Madison and I were having a hard time finding even a sheep. The few rams that we saw were in the 140 range, which is the average sized ram harvested for this unit. Sometimes we would go for a couple days without seeing a single sheep. One of the tag-holders shot a ram in the 130 range and made an incredible shot and packed it out alone from waaaay high. He was completely exhausted, but you could tell he had a feeling of accomplishment. That feeling was well-earned and as happy as I was for him, I was a bit envious. I wanted to enjoy sheep hunting and make it last, but I ll admit, that though I m not entirely against tag-soup at times, this was not one of those times. I wanted a ram bad. Gary had to leave so Kevin and I started looking in places that we had never seen a sheep all summer- maybe in desperation. Kevin found a group of five rams in an unusual spot. There may have been somewhat of a migration going on with the lack of water. The majority of the antelope had already started moving toward their winter range off the refuge to search for water and better food. At first, I wasn t blown away by any of the rams, but they were so far away that I could only see their length and it was pretty standard, really. Still, we tried on two occasions over the next couple days to get a closer look. Finally, I could see that one of the rams had good mass and appeared to be as old as a ram can get before becoming solitary and thus becoming cougar poop. I wanted him! I wished I could just fastforward and have my hands on him without having to face the pressure of making the stalk and shot. I remember hating that feeling. I had FINALLY drawn a tag and I just wanted it over with because of the pressure to fill the tag. I guess the once-in-a-lifetime tag will do that to a guy. I found a 2008 thread about sheep hunting on Bowsite Prior to the summer, my rifle hadn t been out of its case in almost 20 years. Page 2
Volume 13 Issue 3 Wisdom from Gray Ghost Continued... over the summer and wrote down a quote on my main map. It was from someone I don t know that went by the name of Gray Ghost. It said: Enjoy the special privilege to hunt sheep, and don t let the pressure to fill your tag ruin that. On this third look at this group of rams, and seeing that they were finally in the stalkable position that we had been waiting for, now, more than ever, those words meant everything to me. They were just what I needed to focus and calm down. A short hour later, Kevin and I were perched 400 yards above the rams, much in the same way my friend Bruce and I had been some 28 years earlier. Kevin had to leave in the morning, which added to the desire to make the shot. I had put all my faith in my friends, the father and son team of Trent and When I got to my ram, I was more than pleased. Brent VanZant to go over my old rifle and make it shoot as straight as possible and they didn t let me down. I didn t compensate for the strong winds on my first shot, however, which resulted in a clean miss. My dream was slipping away!- or was it? I think God smiled on me on that day as the rams actually worked their way closer to me after the shot. As an archer, it was hard for me to hold off the animal to compensate for the wind, but that s what I did and it anchored my trophy. I rolled sideways and just let out a huge sigh of RELIEF! When I got to my ram, I was more than pleased with his mass and age for this unit and it was just an incredible feeling to put my hands on a real bighorn sheep after a lifetime of seeing only pictures of them. Though there are so many people I have to thank for making this happen, I want to single-out one person who really stuck with me through thick and thin and that s Kevin Madison. This wouldn t have been possible without him! Thanks also, to Elda and Kayla, Gary Miller, Trent and Brent VanZant, and Dave Antley, who dropped everything and helped us pack out! Sheep Fever with Mike Long in Eagle Cap Wilderness By Daniel Jacobson At the beginning, Mike Long drew the sheep tag and with that, the hardest part was already behind us. In June my good friend Joey Vanleuven, whom helped me with my own sheep hunt in 2009, told me that we're going on another sheep hunt together. His friend drew the Hurricaine Divide bighorn sheep tag and with that said the long summer of scouting and preparations was in order. Numerous scouting trips turned out no rams in all places that they were known for the sheep to summer. Finally one week before the season opened, Joey found five rams at the south end of the unit so all the tension was kinda relieved and we made plans for the long trip into the wilderness. Wednesday before the season Joey's parents packed up camp high in the mountains on the east fork of Lostine river. We were about six miles in. Mike (the hunter ), and Joey were up for a new challenge as all the rams that we had found prior, were gone! Thursday afternoon, when I arrived in camp, to find only Mike and Joey's parents there, with Joey being spiked out on a ridge where he saw the rams last, in hopes that they will show up again. Next day we split up to cover more ground, but all the effort was in vain, as we couldn't find any rams. Joey came back in camp and brought good news! He got to see a ram for a few seconds, right as he passed over a distant ridge! With just one day left before the season opened, we decided to go spike out in the area were the ram crossed. First, we had to wait for reinforcements to arrive in camp. That was the tag holder, Mike, Joey, their wives. Also Mike's good friend Will arrived, who was to go with us on the hunt, to help. Finally we departed from base camp by six P.M., with Will already tired from the long hike to camp. Two mountains later and a few in between, it got dark and we were still hiking off trail in some of the steepest country, with some short rock climbing faces added. At the last light, Joey saved the day and spotted the five rams in a different location. Will was wondering if we are ever going to stop anywhere, he confessed Page 3
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS Sheep Fever Continued... later. Eventually we bedded down with our minds occupied by the new location of the sheep. We didn't sleep much and Mike had all sorts of sheep dreams. We kinda froze, as it was 25F, and after the hot summer we had it felt like 0 F to us. At five A.M. in the morning, we got up and up we went right were we left the trail the night before. A steep and dangerous climb. By daylight, we were in position to look directly across to were the rams had been last night, but there were none now. After waiting for a while, we decided to move closer to peek over the next ridge. There they were, all five of them, at 150 yds. Mike and I got in position while Joey got the video camera rolling! After Joey gave us the signal that he was ready, I could tell that Mike was badly affected by sheep fever! He was breathing very hard and his rifle was going up and down like a yoyo! After a few minutes of hard waiting, he finally pulled it together and made a perfect shot on the biggest ram in the bunch! The ram rolled about 15 feet and was done. Mike was emotionally spent and high fives and hugs followed. The rest is a blur with a photo session and capeing out his ram. Joey went up to the nearest peak hoping to get cell signal and got his dad in camp on the satellite phone! They chose a location to meet him and the horses at the nearest trail. A very grueling trip down started and eventually we got down to where Duane was located, with two horses. He picked up the meat and cape and off again! We went back over the two mountains and a few in between about 8 more miles we were back to base camp. Not too bad for a morning opening day of the sheep season with Mike Long taking a beautiful mature ram. To me this is my fourth sheep hunt and I hope for many more as this is what I love to do. I really hope that all my friends will put in for this hunt and one of them get's it next year. I hope that everyone has a great Oregon fall hunting season!! Page 4
Volume 13 Issue 3 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR By Brent Tannock CONGRATULATIONS to all of the 2012 SUCCESSFUL Sheep and Goat Hunters. I would like to personally Thank each and everyone of you that were successful in your Once in a Lifetime hunt as well as to those that responded back to me by writing a story about your hunt. There were 46 sheep hunters and 4 goat hunters that signed up for a free membership at the orientation in July, out of those, we sent a letter to each of you asking for a story. What we got was a near complete response from everyone. Page 5
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS Deschutes River Trip By Jim Torland In early September two members of the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society Brad Remfrey and Terry Meister came to Oregon and fished for steelhead on the Deschutes River with Jim Torland, Jeremy Thompson and Dave Greelan. Jim served as a poor excuse for a fishing guide while Jeremy and Dave proved to be an excellent support group. This article should have some great pictures of colorful fall steelhead but before the first fish was caught, the chief photographer fell in the river and killed his camera. The falling in trick was a theme both visitors mastered many times over the next three days. Special honors go to Brad for the record numbers of dips he took. Apparently these boys from the desert don t see much water and wanted to take full advantage. Fishing was slow but each visitor caught several fish. Terry caught a beautiful 10-12 pound male with vivid red spawning colors. Brad caught a huge 12-14 pound female and Jeremy showed everyone up with a 25 pound Chinook. The sheep cooperated too. Several groups of rams were seen at close range and nu- OR-FNAWS Political Update 1. Payette National Forest: The Idaho Wool growers have a new lawsuit against the Payette relating to the process that they are asserting that they followed in the "Payette Process" that Judge B. Lynn Winmill followed in rendering his grazing decisions! More to follow! The ASI, Cattlemen, and other State Wool/ Cattle organizations filed suits against the USFS for using the National Planning Rule and other related rules improperly! 2. Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge is beginning its revision process for it's Refuge Management Plan. OR- FNAWS has submitted "Scoping Comments" and will follow the process, centering on large carnivore predation on Bighorn sheep, mule deer, and antelope! By George Houston 5. We hope to conduct a Large Predator Symposium in May of 2013 and have presenters discuss cougars, wolves, and bears! 6. It appears that "Trap-Free Oregon" has filed an application with the Secretary of State to begin gathering signature for an initiative petition to eliminate trapping on public lands in Oregon. We need to follow this closely! 7. Gray Wolves- ODFW claims that we have just under 60 wolves currently in the state. Check out ODFW's Gray Wolf page on their web site! The lawsuit that the environmental folks have filed against ODFW for the kill permits of the two Wallowa County wolves are still stuck in mediation! 3. ODFW will be looking at the Land Owner Tag process again. I will be a part of the process. First meeting at the end of October. 4. Oregon Wildlife Damage Management Council has two Legislative Concepts for a Wildlife Damage Management Program, in the State of Oregon. Legislative Council is working on the commensurate pieces of legislation! Should be released next month. We home in time for the 2013 session! Page 6
Volume 13 Issue 3 BANQUET NEWS From Brent and Carole Tannock 5 months is all we have left until the next Banquet. (Which comes rather quickly, even when we start planning for it right after the last banquet) The Date for 2013 is APRIL 20 TH at the WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIRPLEX. SO, SAVE THE DATE. Accommodations will be at the COMFORT INN, (right next to the Fairplex ). There will be a tailgate party, the night before, for all of those that help set-up; this usually starts around 6:00 pm at our house. Set-up for the banquet starts at 9:00 am on the 19 th at the Fairplex. DONATIONS are greatly needed and are always welcome. If you can get a donation for the banquet (MERCHANDISE OR CASH) e-mail us at brentcarolet@aol.com or call 503-648-9468 or mail it to Brent & Carole Tannock, 34145 NW Wren Road, Hillsboro, OR 97124. We will send out donations forms in the next few months. This donation form is important for the Dept. of Justice records, our paperwork, and the banquet program. There will be a Board Meeting on January 5, 2013 in the Salem area. Location to be determined. Please check the web site for location. All are welcome. There will be a pre-banquet meeting in February, 2013 (date to be determined), will be held at the Tannock Residence (address above). All are welcome. Page 7
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS A long time waiting... By Gene Boshart I apply for deer, elk, antelope, big horn sheep and mountain goat controlled hunt draws nearly every year and have since sometime probably in the 1970s. As I looked at my results this year on the card from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, I noticed I had been successful in my buck deer hunt application but not my elk tag. I was surprised not to get the elk tag because we normally get them every other year and this was the second year. I then looked further down on the card and seen I had another successful draw, BIG HORN SHEEP! I quickly told my wife the good news and she was somewhat non impressed, mentioning something about another hunting trip. I needed to share the news with someone who could appreciate my good fortune. So I first called my nephew, Eric and told him I had won the lottery. He said great, how much money was it. I told him it was much more important that money, it was the big horn sheep tag! He couldn t believe it as the others I called couldn t. I had drawn the 559A1 tag, which is Snake River Unit first hunt. I have hunted the Snake Unit for elk four years and was familiar with the unit. But because of the once in a lifetime hunt (if you live long enough), I decided to contact a Guide. I contacted Shawn Steen, from Steens Wilderness Adventures and arranged the trip. Shawn knows the unit well, from packing hunting parties in and out of the unit as well and flying hunters in and in and out. Shawn told me that he thought we would probably be able to get a ram, what he didn t tell me was that he had never failed to fill a tag, all of them on opening day except two which were filled on the second day. I went over on a scouting trip about 3 weeks before the hunt which opened on Sept. 7. We stayed at the Imnaha River Inn on this trip, really roughing it! It was very dry and hot while we were looking. I only saw ewes actually coming out of the Imnaha river, crossing the road and disappearing into the Chesnimnus Unit. I went over a week before the hunt to scout some more and get ready for the hunt. There was a forest fire going on in the Chesnimnus Unit so I couldn t get to Cow Creek to camp and scout. Fortunately, the fire was pretty well out by the time the season opened, having burned down to the river, which was the unit border. We found a group of five rams, with two shooters in the bunch on the Friday before the hunt opened on Saturday. It was a bunch that Shawn had been watching all week but they had moved to a different drainage. When we located them, they would have been relatively easy to get to at that time. Saturday was a different. They had moved up high in the rim rocks. It took most of the morning for me, Shawn and my son Brian to get to about 350 yards below them. I had a shot at that distance, but was breathing heavy and did not get a good rest. (Excuses, excuses) I ticked the horn on the biggest ram. I was surprised that they didn t take off, instead jumping around a little, then grazing, and then bedding down, out of my sight. I was at a point where it was so steep I was up against a tree to keep from sliding off the rim rock. I couldn t go any further up or down or straight ahead. I had to wait another two or three hours for them to start moving. The first two rams came out, sliding around of the shale. That kicked a bear out that was below them. Finally, the ram I wanted came out and through an opening of about twenty feet before he would be gone. My second shot, at 400 yards found the mark, with the ram dropping, rolled a ways, falling about 10 feet off a drop, then rolled some more, then falling another 100 foot drop and rolling some more. I couldn t get to the ram but Shawn was able to get to him from above. I was lucky to get back down off of there without killing myself. Shawn took the head and cape off, the kicked the carcass over another 70 foot drop. My son Brian and friend Brian Lamvik then finished quartering out the meat and packing it out. Shawn brought the head and cape (a load in and of itself) Page 8
Volume 13 Issue 3 A long time waiting continued... and I still don t know how he made it out of there. It was sandy slick and extremely steep. I was glad when he made it to the bottom. The only damage from all of the falls the ram made was a broomed right horn. He measured 159 4/8 which I was very happy with. The meat has been very delicious, having it cut into steaks, kabobs, and hamburger. Needless to say, the meat has been tenderized! I want to thank OR-FNAWS and ODFW for all there help and information. The seminar that was held prior to the hunt in the Dalles was extremely helpful. The displays and products on display, the maps, and the comradely and lunch were great. Board member Larry Jacobs was very helpful, having hunted the unit many times, as well as taking a ram from there, I believe. He was very helpful at the seminar as well as taking calls from me while I was over there. Vic, Holly, and Darrlen from ODFW in Enterprise, Oregon were also very helpful The last group that I want to especially thank is the OR-FNAWS members who have not drawn a big horn tag but still volunteer and help. My hat is off to you, to do the many things that make this happen for hunters like me. I don t know what else to say except thanks. Page 9
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS Seeking the One By George Houston Nearly 8,000 folks play the odds each year...and only 11 of them come away with the once in a lifetime opportunity to chase Rocky Mountain Goats in Oregon. After checking the draw results that June day, I learned that 2012 would be my year for goats, drawing both my pronghorn antelope and Rocky Mountain goat tags. After several scouting trips and numerous dreams, hunting season had arrived. After killing a monster speed goat, the focus quickly became September 8th. What would normally be a week to chase screaming bulls was now about chasing Oregon's most prized big game animal. With their habitat topping 8,000 feet in elevation and near vertical terrain, much of the excitement comes from simply getting there. Hunting these critters on their turf, or cliff rather, is a serious undertaking with any weapon, let alone a stick and string. Only one mountain goat had ever been taken with a bow in the state of Oregon, and as soon as I drew the coveted tag, my goal was to join that rank. I can still recall our first conversation. Hesitant to admit to his insanity, Lucas first asked how much time I could take off, followed with, "I think I wanna try to get one with my bow." Being the tag along cameraman, I of course said, "Sweet man, let's do it!" All the while thinking we would waste a couple days chasing goats before getting serious with the boomstick! After weeks of mental and physical preparation, phone calls, research and gathering gear, the time had come to put it all to the test. Lucas' Dad and friend, Kevin, were along on the hunt, as well as David and I to film. At first light, the morning before the hunt, we began our 6.5 mile ascent. Climbing nearly 3,000 feet, we set up base camp a half mile short of the basin we would concentrate on during the hunt. With tents pitched and camp organized, we headed out to catch a glimpse of what opening day might have in store, as if we needed reason to lose even more sleep! Cresting the ridge to our vantage point, we took in the most gorgeous sunset as elk bugled a thousand feet below with goats out in every direction. In that moment, that hour, the adventure became a reality that most only dream of. A sleepless night to remember lay ahead. After some Mountain House goodness and rest that night, the long awaited and once in a lifetime opening day was upon us. We hurried our way back to the ridge top, in hopes of locating the goat we'd seen on our side of the basin the previous evening. We immediately picked out a couple smaller goats, but not the one we were after. We searched the better part of the morning from different vantage points to try and find him, all the while watching numerous goats on the opposite side of the basin a mile or more away. By the time we'd given up our search that afternoon, the three and a half mile hike around to the other side of the canyon seemed like a day two excursion. Not that we couldn't get there in time, but getting a goat down, getting to it, and getting it off the cliffs before dark would be nearly impossible. Besides, it wasn't as if there were numerous hunters after "our herd." We decided to sit tight and see if our mystery goat would show himself before day one came to an end. We were serenaded by more bugles at dusk and took in another perfect sunset before heading back to camp after a day of patterning the goats we'd be after the very next morning. We left camp at first light Sunday morning, making the long trek to the area we'd watched numerous goats for the past day and a half. After checking several overlooks along the way, and taking a lengthy detour to get a closer look at a goat that didn't meet our spec, we arrived at our destination a little later than anticipated. Knowing goats were close, we eased our way out to a rock point with a good view into the nook we'd Page 10
Volume 13 Issue 3 Seeking the One continued... been seeing the most goat activity. With our naked eye, we began picking out goats scattered amongst the cliffs...some high, some low, and some certainly unseen. After closer inspection, one goat stood out, and after an hour or so, it began to feed toward a grassy flat above its crag. This was the perfect scenario for an attempt with a bow...game ON! We quickly employed the goat suit tactic we'd been secretly hoping to test. Lucas and I whipped out our $8.00 paper thin "goat suits" and pulled them over our Sitka Gear (ironic, right?), while the others set up to film and watch from the opposite side of the ravine. Lucas and I scurried through the timbered ridge top to get in place before any goats made it on top and into view. 200 yards later, we crept around one last fir tree to see our goat already locked onto us...doh! We were busted...or were we? Lucas ranged it at 58 yards, then leaned back to converse about a strategy. A few seconds later he peeked back out, and quickly looked back with eyes wide and whispered, "IT'S COMING CLOSER! 38 YARDS!" We sat back and readied ourselves for a point blank shot. One last peek and our goat was broadside at 20 yards, but not coming any closer. Hoping the goat would stay curious, Lucas drew back and we slid out together for the shot. Juuuust as we stepped into the clear, the goat bolted to our right behind the trees. We shuffled to the other side of our tree and as quickly as we did, out stepped our goat! Broadside, 10 YARDS...THU MP! The jubilation in that moment was one for the books! 10+ miles into the wilderness, over 8,000 feet on elevation, peering into near vertical canyons, and we had just arrowed a Rocky Mountain goat at 10 yards!!! After the celebratory whisper yells and fist pumps, we ran up to the edge and watched our goat head for "safety in the cliffs," as they say. Just as a fish heads for the weed beds, Roosevelt elk head for the Devil's Club infested creek bottoms, so the goats head for the impassable rock walls to expire. We skirted the rim to follow the goat and watch its every move. Many say that Rocky Mountain goats are the toughest big game animal in North America to bring down, and our experience confirms that statement. Blood poured from right near the heart on the entry side, but the exit seemed a little far back for the angle we'd shot at. The goat bedded within 100 yards of where we'd shot, but because of the particular location it was fixing to roll, we tried to get it up and to a better spot to expire. It made it's way to the top, but still had enough left to crest the top and head down into an equally gnarly location and bedded again. After a super sketchy 200 yard descent, we put another arrow into this goat at under 10 yards. We then watched what was inevitable, and bittersweet, as our quarry rolled another 300 yards down the near vertical rock face...at 6:00pm...4 miles from camp. Ugh. The "goat down" celebration was overshadowed by doubt and worry. Doubting our ability to even get to the goat, and worrying that we would lose meat if not...a position they warn you about in the orientation class, but one you never really expect to be in. We climbed back up to the top and ran through the options as a group, ultimately deciding to attempt a retrieval right away. If we could get to him before dark (less than an hour away now), we could climb back up in the dark much easier than going down. So down we went...and while I've been in some precarious positions before, this was the worst. I've never questioned whether or not I could get to a downed animal, I don't know that any of us had, so this was a new sort of anticipation for all of us. We nervously took each step, zig zagging our way through the bluffs and rock slides, uncertain of whether or not we'd reach a truly impassible spot along the way. It was a hair-raising maze, but we finally found a way to the tiny ledge our goat was on. One more roll and it Continued on Page 12 Page 11
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS Seeking the One... would have gone another 300 yards to very bottom! Darkness set in right as we reached the goat's final resting place. We snapped some quick pics of the not so pretty goat (after that fall), and saved most of the photos for the next day with a cleaned up cape and a much flatter location. We tied the goat off to a rock with para cord and began piecing him out, careful of every step as we did. Turns out, the first arrow ricocheted off the abnormally close and thick ribs (one of the "tough" attributes of a mountain goat) and sent the arrow exiting too far back for a quicker kill. The next arrow did the trick for good. As the night wore on and headlamps lit our work area, we caped the full goat and quartered the meat, divvied it up among our four packs, then thanked the Lord and asked for His guidance as we climbed the rock ladder back to the top of the basin. Under the MOST amazing star lit sky, we reached the top by 10pm, and the 4 miles back to camp by 2am! And you know what, the glow of a campfire was the best surprise ever that night! Lucas' dad had made it back to camp long before us and stayed up to welcome the goat hunter with a congratulations and warm fire! He even had a surprise for me...an ash carved log with our slogan...not many adventures can define "Seeking the One" quite like this one... Sheepshead Unit Ram By Chris Persistence. For sheep hunters in Oregon it takes exactly that trait. I had been applying for 3 years for the Sheepshead Unit and hem-hawed about applying for the 4 th time. On the last day of the application date I went in and applied. I checked online a day after the results were in and--oh, man, was I surprised! My first move was to call up my #1 go-to guy for hunting, Olav Oley Berg. Oley has been applying for Page 12 about 15 to 20 years unsuccessfully for Upper Owyhee or East Troutcreek units and has been a sore loser when it comes to his poor luck. He wasn t a bit surprised when he heard I had drawn the tag. His persistence constituted knocking his head against the wall every year when the results became available. He s been corked more than once by guys who have applied for only a few years (he was the person who encouraged me to put in for Sheepshead Unit in the first place to lessen his competition in his preferred hunting grounds). While he was easy to con- vince but not willing to forgive, some of my friends were harder to persuade but incredibly joyful when shown the tag because I didn t let the grass grow under my feet about putting my money where my mouth was; I bought the tag asap! Every great journey requires preparation and sheep hunting is exactly that. Oley gave me a list of things I needed for this journey and I went right to work getting them checked off. I sighted in my 30 06 Winchester Model 70 Pre-64, got extra ammo, picked up a new pair of boots,
Volume 13 Issue 3 Sheepshead Unit Ram Continued... told my employer I wouldn t be around from Sept 1 st till the 17 th (the 2 nd season in the Sheepsheads started the 4 th of Sept. but Oley wanted a few extra days to scout for sheep). For physical preparation I ran (almost) everyday for 2 to 4 miles and rode my bike 6 ½ miles. After all, we were going to the Sheepshead Mountains, a rugged range that lays in the north-eastern shadow of the Steens Mountains and due north of the Alvord desert. If you have been there, you know that to go where the sheep are you have to be fit as a fiddle, or settle for road hunting and most likely shabby results. I must give credit where credit is due. My family was instrumental in bringing together this hunt. My father guided me in getting the gear together, as well as coming along with my brother Isaiah to assist me. My mother and sisters prepared food and made cookies and did a great job in supporting and rooting for me through this whole process. I would also like to give my regards to the Berg boys Nick, Oley, and Alex for coming along and offering their expertise--and also Alan Day who provided his help and sprinkled in a little comic relief as well as fresh fruit. Thanks, guys! We left Birkenfeld, Oregon, Friday the 31 st of August at about 3:30 am just when the chickens were rolling over in their roosts. We drove approximately 450 miles to Rome, Oregon, where we stayed for the hunt. We arrived about 3 o clock Mountain Standard Time and had enough time to soak some lures in the Owyhee river and catch a couple bass that evening. On the morning of the 1 st Sept we started scouting. We had 3 days till the season started to find sheep or water and preferably both. We ini- After all, we were going to the Sheepshead Mountains, a rugged range tially found 3 rams on the first morning of scouting, but had a tough time finding any other sheep or an available source of water. And who knows where those 3 rams would be on the opening morning if we couldn t find where they wet their whistles? We drove the dusty, rocky roads of the unit from one end to the other and back again and only saw a handful of ewes and lambs and not much water. On the evening of Sunday, Sept. 2 nd Nick Berg (who is Oley and Alex s father) and Alan Day showed up to give us a hand with my hunt. Both Alan Day and Nick Berg are board members in Oregon chapter for the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS). I ve been blessed to have the Bergs for good friends for many years and Nick Berg s years of experience with wild sheep were a welcome addition to our arsenal. The next morning Nick and Alan sought out the knowledge of the terrain and sheep hideouts from local ranchers who gave excellent information and were only too happy to help. With their longtime knowledge of the area, and boots on the ground homework, we were able Page 13
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS Sheepshead Unit Ram Continued... to locate the best possible place to be opening morning. While sheep had been hard to find when scouting, on the morning of the hunt things were different. We laid the hunt in the Lord s hands and asked for His blessing and guidance, and within 5 minutes of leaving the truck after daylight to check a fresh water spring, Oley spotted a good ram. We watched him for at least 45 minutes and determined him to be a worthy objective. We put a stalk on him as soon as he went out of sight--as he had spotted us before we had seen him. Little did we know the slippery nature of this seasoned ram. When we arrived at the general location where we knew he had disappeared over the hill, we discovered he had snuck around us and got a drink of water from the spring and then escaped back down the drainage. After that ram gave us the slip, we tried to pick him up again. We spotted more sheep in the process, with a ram that was in the upper 130s score wise. After hiking through several drainages and seeing more sheep, we headed back to the truck to regroup with Nick, Alex, Alan, and Dad. As soon as we got to the truck we learned that Alex had spotted a ram about a mile and a half away on ridge line to the west. Oley glassed the ram with a spotting scope but it was too far and the heat waves were too thick to tell if it was our elusive prey. Well, we decided to go over and take a closer look and drove out and around to where the sheep was standing. It was about 45 minutes later that we crested a ridge on the other side and--whammo--there were 5 rams 200 yards away packed together so close you couldn t slide a dollar bill in between them! We watched them for an hour analyzing them. Three of the rams were ruled out for size alone, and the other 2 were really nice and tough choices. We determined that one of them was the sheep we had spotted first thing in the morning that had given us the slip. He teamed up with this group. We knew him because he was distinct with part of his horn broomed off hard on the left side. We watched the rams for about an hour before we heard a stone hit against shale behind us and looked up to see Alex giving us hand signals. He played a game of gestures with us and indicated that there were 6 other rams that had been spotted by Nick with great potential for a 160 plus ram on the other side of the ridge. I debated about going after the 6 dandy rams or going for the two we had in the hand. We snuck up and over the ridge and glassed the rams for a minute or two. It was almost 6 pm and daylight was burning. They were clear down at the base of a high-rising ridge. It was a tough call and Oley kept insisting that the choice was mine to make. I finally came to the conclusion that we should go after the rams we had been observing because the 6 others would have taken an hour or more to get down to and who knows where they would have been when we arrived. The pack back out would have been epic and in the dark. It was not an attractive choice for this reason alone. After all, a ram in the hand is worth six a long way off and way down in the rim rock. We returned to the same position and the sheep were still in the same place. We made it just in time for one ram to break up from their cluster and head broadside down away from the herd. I took up position and lined him up in Page 14
Volume 13 Issue 3 Sheepshead Unit Ram Continued... my scope. When the time was right I took a shot. I hit him right in the side at roughly 250 yards. He started heading up the hill but then turned back down and continued side hill. He was clearly hit hard. I took another shot and hit him again. He was still up and moving. I fired twice and missed both shots. The fifth shot struck him and put a halt to his movements. Mission accomplished! He was down! With a fair amount of celebration, we picked up our gear and headed down to him. He was a beauty with a solid curl and a stalky base and all the telltale marks and bruises that he was a scrapper. He was a keeper! Man, oh, man, I was really happy with our success! After picture taking and handshaking--we went right to work quartering him up. The breeze that evening was perfect for cooling off the meat and with all the help from the guys we were back at the truck half-an-hour after dark. ODFW biologist get it checked and pinned with their official mark. Prior to arrival Nick and Oley amateur scored the sheep at roughly 155 and 7 to 7 ½ years of age. Because the ram didn t have very distinct growth rings, it made him difficult to age. The green score from ODFW was 159 & 3/8 and 8 ½ to 9 ½ years of age. This was all good news to me. I couldn t have asked for a more successful hunt and a memory that will last all of my days. Bighorn Sheep hunting truly is a hunt of a lifetime! Once again I would like to thank my family for their support and especially my father Gary and brother Isaiah for coming with me. Also special thanks to the Bergs and Alan Day. Your help was very much appreciated. Above all I want to give praise and thanks to the Lord for answering our prayers and for His guidance on this fantastic hunt. The next day after sleeping in we packed up and left for home. On our way out we stopped in Burns to have the Page 15
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS Whitehorse Unit Sheep Hunt 2012 By Kristina Chavez HOT WINDY DUSTY CROWDED These words best describe the first three days of my 2012 Oregon Whitehorse Bighorn Sheep hunt. The anticipation leading up to the hunt was incredible and thoughts of climbing beautiful mountains filled with undisturbed Bighorn rams was making it hard to concentrate at work or anywhere else for that matter. However, Mother Nature had other plans. Over 1,000,000 acres of the unit and most of the sheep country was destroyed by fires shortly before my hunt began. The evenings were scouting time. We put the sheep to bed for the next morning s hunt. As we hunted the first day along a two mile stretch of mountains where 20 rams had congregated, we battled 100 degree temperature, strong winds, dust and the other four tag holders in the unit. We joined one of the tag holders before daylight and hunted till early afternoon with no shots fired. The second day my hunting group and I went to the parallel mountain range where we made a great stalk on a small herd of rams, but got to close for a shot before the rams swirled & ran off. Each day was a learning experience, including the third day. The only thing that encouraged me was the camaraderie of family and friends who had come along to enjoy the hunt. Some of who were new friends from FNAWS.Nick Berg and Dave Geelan. Their help and incredible knowledge of sheep and this particular unit were invaluable. On the evening of day 3 we found a group of rams just before dark. Their sky lined images suggested that more than one may be over 150, which was my goal for this hunt. I had decided that I would prefer to harvest a heavy broomed ram rather than a thinner ram with full lamb tips. Plans were made for my dad and I to go east of the range and hike above the sheep in the morning, while the rest of the crew went west to try and watch the action. After about an hour of straight uphill hiking we started to near the top of the highest peak. As we eased over, four rams were making their way side hill below me at approximately 150 yards. I am not an experienced hunter and finding game in a scope is not always easy for me, but I was able to get comfortable in the shooting sticks as the fourth ram came into my scope. I remember my dad saying go ahead when the ram stopped broadside..at my shot, all heck broke out on the hillside below me and trying to determine which sheep was which was impossible as they lined out down the hill and out of sight and range. My dad said that he thought my ram was dropping back and slowing down as the sheep went out of sight, but he wasn t certain. My dad frantically called our spotters to the West who confirmed that my sheep had gone around the point of some tall rocks and had gone down. As we carefully made our way down the hill I was even more nervous, hoping I had harvested a ram that met my goals. As we rounded the corner of the rock pinnacles, I could see the ram was down for good and couldn t believe how massive the horns were when I held them. All of the crew hiked up the hill for the photo session and the all downhill pack out. The ODFW office in Burns scored my ram at 158 2/8. Page 16
Volume 13 Issue 3 Young Luck By Tyler Campbell My name is Tyler Campbell I am sixteen years old, I know many of you are thinking wow that's young to draw a ram tag. At first i did not know the opportunity i had been given, until my Dad and all his friends told me how long they had all been putting in for a tag like this. I had put in for an elk tag as well which i was really hoping to draw. After i realized what i drew i was very excited and started planning for my trip. My Dad immediately contacted everyone he knew, and then started to contact people who knew something about Bighorn Sheep. My Dad had been to the area before so we decided to do the hunt on our own with the help of my Dad's good friend Kory Woolsey. We talked to the Biologist for the area and knew that our chances for getting a decent Ram were very good. We packed our truck for a week of hunting and started our ten hour trip for our destination. When we arrived two days before the season started, and a long day on the road we quickly set up camp and got out for a short scout before dark. After not seeing any good rams the night before we got up the next morning early and put lots of miles in by foot and quad.after a long day of scouting in the ninety plus degree weather about two hours before dark, we spotted a group of about five rams,one,maybe two rams where definitely worth a second look. That evening my Dad's friend Kory showed up and told us he had spotted the rams right down close to the road,we jumped in the truck and went up for a closer look. After a long talk at camp and some careful planning we decided to try and go after that group of rams opening morning. Opening morning we got up early and went back to where we had seen the rams,they were not there. My Dad and I decided to go in after them and Kory headed for another drainage to see if he could spot those rams or a group of some others. After a mile and a half hike straight up we spotted the rams feeding across a ridge. We set up our spotting scope for a better look but they were still to far away to judge. We waited for them to feed out of sight and then went in deeper after them. When we crested the ridge with the wind right in our face the rams were about forty yards below us starting to feed under a rock bluff. We decided to head for the rocks and get set up for a good look. The rams fed directly underneath us and gave us a good look at all of them at about sixty yards. After some deliberation my Dad said that the situation was perfect and the one ram we were looking at was a shooter. I quickly got set up for the shot and was ready when my Dad announced he was having a problem with the video camera and told me not to shoot yet. By the time he remedied the problem they had laid down behind some rocks and I had no shot. We contacted Kory On the radio and he headed our way, when he got close we told him we were going to take one of the rams as soon as they stood up. After a three hour wait my nerves were calm and i was able to make a clean shot to quickly down the ram. I was very excited and wanted to get to him fast and get my hands on him. Kory was able to see the whole thing from across the canyon and it was a success! After a long steep hike out with everyone carrying about sixty pounds we got the meat Page 17
Oregon Chapter of FNAWS 2012 Sheep and Goats Page 18
Volume 13 Issue 3 M E M O R A N D U M OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE DATE: Trophy Mountain Goat Taken in 2012 Season TO: FROM: V. Coggins SUBJ: October 5, 2012 Two very large mountain goats were taken during the September goat hunts. A possible new state record was taken by lottery tagholder, William Garroutte of Grants Pass, Oregon in the Snake River Unit. The large male goat was 8 ½ years old and green scored 53 6/8 Boone and Crockett points. The standing state record is a Hat Point goat taken by Todd Claborn in 2010 that officially scored 53 2/8 B and C points. Another large mountain goat was taken in the Wallowa Mountains by Enterprise resident Gary Underhill. It green scored 52 4/8 B and C points and had 11 1/8 and 11 2/8 inch horns. It was also 8 ½ years old. Mountain goats were extirpated from Oregon until a transplant in 1950 started a small population in the Wallowa Mountains. It was supplemented in the 1980 s with mountain goats from the Olympic National Park in Washington State and Misty Fiord National Monument in Alaska. Mountain goats were re-introduced to the Snake River Unit in 2000. A total of 136 mountain goats were counted in the Snake River Unit during ground surveys in June and July, 2012. The 2011 Oregon mountain goat population was estimated to be over 800 animals in 13 herd ranges in Northeast Oregon and the Mt. Jefferson area of the Cascade Mountains. This has been a substantial increase since the population was estimated to be about 70 mountain goats in the Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains in 1992. Page 19