3 Strikes…and still in the Game

3 Strikes…and Still in the Game

New State Record Utah Ram
by Greg Bird

Strikes one and two came in October of 2004 when we were hunting the Ute Ouray with Don Graham. We had an amazing 180-plus ram at 72 yards and were feeling like the trophy was in the bag. But, anyone that has hunted with black powder knows that this is not always the case. To make a long story short, we missed twice and watched this awesome ram leave the country. Strikes one and two.

In 2005, we hunted for this same ram again, but never did find him.

In 2006, Daniel Smith IV ended up with the Ute Ouray sheep permit and we knew which ram we wanted to hunt. But, after not seeing him the year before, we wondered if he had fallen victim to predation. There are many mountain lions that call this piece of real estate home.

In our pre-season scouting, we found some really good rams. One ram, in particular, looked very familiar. After looking at some video, we looked through the spotting scope and our suspicions were confirmed - we were looking at the same ram we had missed in 2004 with Don Graham. Now, we just hoped that we could keep this ram located until we could hunt. This task proved to be quite difficult due to the country that this ram liked to live in.

As the hunt drew closer, Troy, Jeremy and I made one last scouting trip to the Ute’s. On our second day, we were able to find the big ram again, but he had moved about half a mile up the canyon. Troy and I wished we could get Danny out for the beginning of the season, but we knew that this would be impossible because Danny was going to college on a track scholarship and he was in the middle of his season. So, with that in mind, we headed to our next hunting commitment, which was looking for a big bull elk for Danny’s dad Dan. On our way back home, Troy called Dan and let him know that we had seen the big ram again. Dan said we might get Danny out of school for a day, but he would need to be back in California the following day for a track meet. We all decided it would be worth a try, especially since we knew we had just seen the ram. So, Troy and I turned around as soon as we got home and made the eight-hour drive back to sheep country. Dan was on the next flight out to help us keep track of the ram until we could get Danny there.

We called Jeremy “Kid” Small to let him know we were coming back to hunt the ram. Jeremy’s timeframe was also short, as he had elk guiding commitments of his own. Kid is a tribal member and he has been with us on all the Ute sheep hunts we have guided. He has been a great asset to our success on those hunts. For the next two days, we sat about two miles away from the ram and watched his every move through spotting scopes from sun up until sundown. The night before the hunt, Kid and I were watching the ram and talking about how neat it would be if we could get this ram after missing him twice already. Kid asked me how big I thought he was now. I answered by saying, “I think he could be as big as 193 and no smaller than188.” Kid said that if the ram was bigger than 190, he’d cut off his hair and donate it to cancer patients. This was a big wager because, unlike me, Kid has a full head of hair. I think Kid was feeling safe because there has never been a 190 ram killed in the State of Utah. Even though I had made the estimate, I was still trying to believe that the ram was as big as he looked. Kid and I stayed and watched the ram until it was too dark to make him out in the scope. We headed back to camp to meet up with everyone. Troy and Dan had gone back to town to meet up with Danny and his guide, Brian Thomsen, who had picked him up at the airport.

With everyone back in camp, plans were made for the morning hunt. Things had to go perfectly for us to pull this hunt off in one day. If we didn’t get this ram tomorrow, it would be weeks before we could get Danny back to Utah. By then, all bets would be off!

Morning came early and, with a quick breakfast, we were off to our designated spots. Brian and I would get out on a point across from the rams and locate them before we would have the others go in for the shot. It was about sun up when Brian and I finally got to our lookout point. After looking for the ram for over an hour and not being able to locate him, I was beginning to get worried. Perhaps they had gotten spooked during the night. After what seemed an eternity, I finally found the top of a ram’s horn hidden behind a boulder. I watched the horn for a while and then the whole ram finally emerged from behind the boulder to catch some morning sun. It only took one look to know we had him! By this time, Troy, Kid, Danny and Dan had made their way to the top of the canyon the ram was in. We had been lucky, the rams had moved up the canyon 250 yards from where Kid and I had last seen them the night before. We directed Troy and Danny over to a small saddle on a ridge. We hoped that they might have a shot from there.

As we watched Troy and Danny approach, it was obvious by the expression on their faces when they first caught sight of the ram. Now it was about to get “Western” as Dan always says, and Western it did! Troy and Danny got into position for the shot and touched one off. The shot was high and to the left. Strike three! Brian and I were sick as we watched it all unfold from behind our Swarovskis. But, to my amazement, the ram didn’t go far. He stayed in the same canyon, but dropped 300 yards lower. Uncertainty about where the danger was coming from kept the rams from blowing out of the country.

After a lot of effort, Troy was able to reposition Danny and get another opportunity at this awesome ram. Danny’s second shot was again high and to the left, and this time the rams were not sticking around - they were headed for the next county! Now the pressure was on. The rams were headed straight away from Troy and Danny and closing in on the ridgeline. When the rams were less than 40 yards to the ridge, I started to tell Brian that if the rams made it to the ridge, it would be all over with. At the very last instant before the rams were about to clear the ridge, we saw the ram take a hit and then we heard the shot ring out. The shot spun the ram around and he headed downhill. I stayed on the ram with the glasses as he was on the move. We knew the ram was hit, but we were not sure if it was fatal. After going another 150 yards downhill, the ram laid down. Meanwhile, Troy and Danny attempted to relocate him. This was easy for us across the canyon, but it was not so easy for them being on the same hillside. It was so steep that they were having a difficult time just standing, let alone trying to be quiet as they tried to approach the wounded ram. By this time, we were losing daylight. With less than one hour of light left, Troy found the ram, but not before the ram spotted them and started to head out. As I watched the ram through the glasses, I saw the ram stumble and fall as Danny’s last shot found its mark. With this magnificent ram down, there was little time to celebrate. Darkness was closing in and it was a long way out of a canyon that you would rather not have to navigate in the dark.

Little did we know that an earlier miss at a ram would be such a blessing two years later! After the Boone and Crockett drying time, the ram officially scored 195 2/8 net and grossed 197. The ram is the new Utah State Record Rocky Mountain Bighorn and the Gold medal award winner at FNAWS.

We would like to thank the Ute Ouray Reservation for making this all possible, and for their continuing effort into maintaining and improving their sheep program. Also, special thanks to Roland McCook and Jeremy “Kid” Small for all their hard work and friendship. Finally, congratulations to Daniel Smith IV on a truly awesome sheep! The Smith’s are always a pleasure to hunt with; they are truly an extraordinary family of conversationalists and sportsmen!

Xtended info:
Hunter: Daniel Smith IV • Location: Utah • Area: Ute Ouray Indian Reservation • Outfitter: X-Treme Outfitters • Guides: Greg Bird, Troy Justensen, Jeremy Small, Brian Thomsen • Date: September 2006 • Time: evening • Days scouted: 20+ • Days hunted: 1 • Weather: Hot & dry • Temperature: 80’s • Moon: 94% waxing gibbous • Terrain: Cliffy & broken pines • Camouflage: King’s Mountain Shadow • Gun: Weatherby • Caliber: 7mm mag • Spotting scope: Swarovski • Binoculars: Swarovski 15×56 • Range finder: Leica 1200 • Pack: Badlands • Boots: Meindle

Tags: HI32, Ram

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