Grand Slammers?

[amy hanneman]

I am 0/4 of the way there! But I do have a pile of points across the west and big dreams of someday being a Grand slammer! That has to count for something

 

[Ridgerunner]

One down as of now, hopefully #2 will be next year in Alaska, then I'll be halfway there. Hopefully I'll get all the way at some point.

 

[CtP]

Rebecca,
I did read the article. Very cool tactic to wear whites, and it
Got you up close and pesonal with a ram. That is a beauty of a ram,
I was with Luke last year in Palmer when we saw his #'s and your name.
Stoked to get into GMU 13 this year, hopefully find some bruisers.

 

[jerseyjohn]

I am starting my sheep hunting next year. I am booked with the same outfitter Crittergetter used. I also have 12 PP in Wyoming for Bighorn. I may have a 1/2 slam by 2014. Never know. A stone would be 3rd on the list and the dessert......well, someday maybe! JJ

 

[Dead eye]

Great sheep! I just completed my slam in December. 24 year dream finally came true!

Desert i took in December

 

[rebecca francis]

Rebecca,
I did read the article. Very cool tactic to wear whites, and it
Got you up close and pesonal with a ram. That is a beauty of a ram,
I was with Luke last year in Palmer when we saw his #'s and your name.
Stoked to get into GMU 13 this year, hopefully find some bruisers.

Thanks it was pretty incredible. Good luck up there this year, and again let me know if I can help with anything!

 

[rebecca francis]

Great sheep! I just completed my slam in December. 24 year dream finally came true!

Congratulations!!!! That had to feel good!

 

[Blayne St. James]

I've got 2 Dalls and 1 Stone. Have pretty good odds of drawing a CO archery bighorn tag this yr

 

[rebecca francis]

Good luck Blayne! Let us know if you draw!

 

[tradair1980]

Yeah good luck I just want to be able to hunt one

 

[Maxhunter]

Congrats that's quite the achievement! The desert will be the hardest to draw unless you want to drop the big bucks on a Mexico hunt or maybe get lucky in a raffle.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

I've completed half my grand slam with a bow. I have the two hardest sheep left, stone, and desert. Where are you with your Grand slam?

Rebecca, that's quite an accomplishment with a bow. Congrats!

I've been blessed to have drawn three sheep tags (CO bighorn in 1988, NV desert in 2002, WY bighorn in 2009) and finished my "Slam" in 2002. Here's a pic of my last ram from a solo backpack hunt in Wyoming's Unit 5 in 2009.

 

[Blayne St. James]

Umpqua,
Nice ram! If you don't mind, post your other sheep pics. I always appreciate seeing a fellow sheep hunters rams. Congrats again!

 

[rebecca francis]

Thanks Umpqua! And congrats on getting your slam! I agree with Blayne...post some more pics!

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Umpqua,
Nice ram! If you don't mind, post your other sheep pics. I always appreciate seeing a fellow sheep hunters rams. Congrats again!

Thanks a bunch Blayne and Rebecca...here are some more pics with a little bit of the story. I have also included pics from other sheep hunts I have gotten to participate in.

DISCLAIMER: Please don't hate me...lol...I am new to the forum...just kidding...kind of...sort of ;-). Between my sons, my brother and I, six of these rams came on draw tags. To encourage you in your own applications, over half of the draw tags were NOT drawn with points but came through persistence and doing a TON of homework on units and draw odds. Also over half of the tags have come in the last 10 years after everyone seems to have jumped into the application game.


My first ram was a Dall in 1986. My dad told me he would take me sheep hunting if I finished my engineering degree, so the fall after graduation we hunted the Yukon where I got this ram My dad and I also each got a grizzly (mine from the fly of my tent!), a mountain caribou and a moose.

Dad did not get his sheep, so he rebooked two spots for the following year (1987). After two others could not make the hunt, I was the "second alternate" and jumped on the opportunity. On that hunt I took my best ram, a Fannin (167 B&C, 39 1/2" curl with 15" bases).

The following year in 1988, I had been applying for sheep for a few years. I was engaged, with the wedding planned in the fall. With the point system just getting going in Colorado I applied to earn a point, and ended up drawing the tag. With only a few days for the hunt, I took our back-up ram on day 7 which put me at 3/4 slam.

In 1992 we noticed a unit in Oregon (our home state) where we anticipated great draw odds. With 8 family members putting in, my brother drew. It was a really fun hunt, spotting rams from the lake by boat, and my brother got his ram opening morning.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

I moved to the Netherlands that fall to help with a business start-up. I loved the job, but totally missed the outdoors and hunting back in the States and Canada. With Stone sheep prices starting to take off, I thought I had better jump in if I wanted a dark stone ram, so I booked with Stone Mountain Safaris for 1995. With two of the best sheep guides at the time in camp (Dan Leonard and Danny Moore) the first hunter got his ram on day 2 and I got to hunt with both guides. We finished up on day 10 with this ram.

In 2002, fourteen years after I had reached a 3/4 slam, my name came up in Nevada for Unit 161 (Mount Jefferson). It was a unique high elevation desert sheep hunt, and I took my ram at over 10,000 feet. The ram had a thick beautiful cape.

We then had a crazy 3 year streak of draw tags. In 2007, my 15 year old son beat long odds and drew Wyoming Unit 5 on a random tag.

The following year in 2008, my 14 year old son drew an Arizona desert sheep with only 4 points in a lesser known unit.

In 2009, I drew a Wyoming Unit 5 tag with points and took the ram pictured earlier.

 

[Kevin Root]

Umpqua Hunter, I love your disclaimer . No hate from me. It's awesome you have had the blessing and opportunity to have hunted these awesome animals. Some great pictures of surly some awesome memories.

 

[rebecca francis]

Yes it seems your disclaimer is quite appropriate! That is incredible! Great pictures and those are some unbelievable experiences! Congrats to you and your dad and your son!

 

[slim9300]

Man! You guys and gals are making me jealous. Especially you Rebecca. My dream is to complete the North American slam with my bow (the sheep and goat interesting me the most). I might be old and poor when it's complete, but I will get there.

 

[Blayne St. James]

Umpqua,

Great rams! Thanks for posting the pics