Drew S28 in Colorado!

[westslopelaker]

Well after the better part of two decades I finally drew a rifle ram tag in Colorado. I feel so lucky and blessed to have this opportunity. S28 is in the San Juans and only issues 1-2 tags per year. This year there were two tags offered. Has anyone ever hunted this unit for sheep or have experience with the Vallecito bighorn herd in the weminuche wilderness? I know its a popular spot for elk and deer hunting, maybe someone has ran into sheep during their elk/deer hunt.

Anyhow, I don't really have any questions just more interested in finding anyone that has sheep hunted S28 before.

I live about 4 hours away from Vallecito Res, so I'll have plenty of opportunity to scout this summer. This is going to be a true DIY wilderness backcountry bighorn hunt. The unit and sheep habitat is virtually 100% wilderness areas and so far I have only found 1 road to access the unit. I'm really excited to challenge myself to such a burly adventure. The season starts in exactly 4 months, so I better start hitting the training hard!

 

[Doc Holliday]

Well after the better part of two decades I finally drew a rifle ram tag in Colorado. I feel so lucky and blessed to have this opportunity. S28 is in the San Juans and only issues 1-2 tags per year. This year there were two tags offered. Has anyone ever hunted this unit for sheep or have experience with the Vallecito bighorn herd in the weminuche wilderness? I know its a popular spot for elk and deer hunting, maybe someone has ran into sheep during their elk/deer hunt.

Anyhow, I don't really have any questions just more interested in finding anyone that has sheep hunted S28 before.

I live about 4 hours away from Vallecito Res, so I'll have plenty of opportunity to scout this summer. This is going to be a true DIY wilderness backcountry bighorn hunt. The unit and sheep habitat is virtually 100% wilderness areas and so far I have only found 1 road to access the unit. I'm really excited to challenge myself to such a burly adventure. The season starts in exactly 4 months, so I better start hitting the training hard!

Congratulations

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[deadwolf]

That’s awesome, congrats and please do a hunt write up when you’re done!


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[Labdad]

Lucky dog, buy a powerball ticket now!!!!

 

[westslopelaker]

Thank you! I've never done a hunt write-up before but I think this preparation, scouting, and hunt will be a perfect time to start. What a cool way to document the hunt for my kids to read about in the future! Great idea, deadwolf!

 

[Labdad]

And for you to remember when your body gives out and all you have is memories

 

[tdhanses]

Congrats, sent a pm.

 

[Lukeandcod]

That's awesome, good for you! Hope you have a great hunt.

 

[orionthehunter1]

Used to be a good hunt not so much anymore. My dad killed a whopper in there in 2008, after that the herd died off and it went from 3 tags to 1 for a while. I believe last year was the first year a ram got taken in there in a long time. There is more than one way to access the unit. Good luck lots of country and not a lot of sheep in there anymore.

 

[ahlgringo]

Used to be a good hunt not so much anymore. My dad killed a whopper in there in 2008, after that the herd died off and it went from 3 tags to 1 for a while. I believe last year was the first year a ram got taken in there in a long time. There is more than one way to access the unit. Good luck lots of country and not a lot of sheep in there anymore.

Buzzkill anyone?

Congrats- thats an awesome tag!!

Prepare well and enjoy every moment, it’s guaranteed to be epic


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[orionthehunter1]

Not a buzzkill just giving an honest observation of the unit. There is a reason there were no rams killed in there from 2012-2015. Ahlgringo have you hunted the unit?

 

[orionthehunter1]

Like I said you'll need to cover lots of ground to find the few pockets of sheep in there. Good luck

 

[westslopelaker]

orionthehunter1, thanks for the information! I'm glad to hear that there is more than one way to access the area. I'm scouring maps now to plan out a few scouting trips in the coming months. You're correct about the population dip in S28 but luckily it looks like the numbers are increasing again. The last three rams were killed in 2016, 2017, and 2018, with 100% success rate those years (only 1 ram tag issued). Obviously, I'd love to add 2019 to that list.

Sizing up the hunt, I think a challenging aspect will be covering ground efficiently to find the sheep. The lake creek drainage, which is just one of the areas, is over 10 miles from pine river to the top of the drainage.

 

[ahlgringo]

Not with a sheep tag in my pocket- still waiting for that day- but spent lots of time in the unit and have seen a few sheep.

Regardless, the guy just drew an awesome tag- I will bet he is over the moon (i would be)
I am all about trying to support the enthusiasm- not that it used to be a great unit back in the day yada yada

Get after it man- you will find em!!


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[Coveyleader]

Congratulations!

Keep in mind kill stats mean nothing. You don’t know the caliber of hunters that drew the tags.

I’ve seen years where S32 in the hay day had low kill rates and the next year sky rocket.

Give it effort, you will kill one.

 

[westslopelaker]

Congratulations!

Keep in mind kill stats mean nothing. You don’t know the caliber of hunters that drew the tags.

I’ve seen years where S32 in the hay day had low kill rates and the next year sky rocket.

Give it effort, you will kill one.

Thank you and agreed. In a weird way I'm glad I didn't draw a sheep tag earlier. I'm still relatively young and fit, mid-30s. Now as compared to when I started applying, as a teenager 16 years ago, I've got many more years of backcountry hunting experience under my belt. In my early 20s I drew a mountain goat tag in Colorado and didn't fill the tag. It was actually my first backcountry experience and in hindsight I made a ton of mistakes at every turn. I still regret that hunt because of how inexperienced and unprepared I was to hunt at 12-13k. I've dedicated my last 6 seasons to only hunting the remote backcountry, usually 3-9 miles deep, for deer and elk (very successfully too!). I feel my skill level, fitness, and mental fortitude are up for this challenge.

 

[orionthehunter1]

Wasn't raining on your parade just trying to give an honest no b.s. assessment of the unit, as I would want for me. Shoot me a p.m. when you are headed up and I'll show you some spots on a map. Also it is probably one of the few units where the kill stats are actually legit on where rams have been harvested.

 

[Ariettabob]

Congratulations man. I’ll be looking forward to your hunting report.

 

[Reburn]

Congrats. Cant wait to see pictures of the hunt!!

 

[westslopelaker]

Wasn't raining on your parade just trying to give an honest no b.s. assessment of the unit, as I would want for me. Shoot me a p.m. when you are headed up and I'll show you some spots on a map. Also it is probably one of the few units where the kill stats are actually legit on where rams have been harvested.

Its all good, no worries! I didn't interpret your comments as buzzkill or disparaging of the hunt. I value the perspective. Realistic expectations are exactly what I need to be successful.

Thank you, I will definitely shoot you a PM when I am getting ready to put boots on the ground!