The story of one such opportunity began, for me, over two years ago when I was hunting near Craig, Colorado. The public land I was on had virtually no animals. But just across the fence, on some private land, I could see several trophy-class mule deer bucks and a herd of elk with well over 1000 head in it. After some excited research, I found out that Elk Horn Outfitters as part of the Colorado Ranching Wildlife Program managed the property. The only question I had left was how soon before they’d have an opening so I could book a hunt!

I got in contact with John, Ranch Manager for Elkhorn Outfitters, and we decided November 2005 would be the best time for me to hunt. Not only would the mule deer be coming into rut at that time, but the ranch would be loaded with elk on their annual migration off Colorado’s Flat Top Mountains (roughly 26,000 elk migrate through this region, making it the largest in the State).

I looked forward to November and the Elkhorn hunt like a kid waiting for Christmas. But late summer and early fall of 2005 turned out be an incredibly busy time for me. I’m not just the owner of Crooked Horn Outfitters, I’m also the Designer, and I try to spend as much time as I can in the field testing and developing our specialized, Non-Typical gear. However, I also took on the added responsibility of being co-host on Game & Gear TV program in 2005, and pretty soon, my hunts began piling up on top of one another.

It began in August, hunting Dall Sheep in Alaska, followed two weeks later by Mountain Goat in Colorado. I then went straight from Colorado to Wyoming for archery Deer, Elk, and Antelope. I made it home for a couple of weeks before heading to Montana for rifle Mule Deer. Then it was back to Colorado for my much-anticipated hunt with Elkhorn. WHEW! I’m most definitely NOT complaining, but I do have to admit that the constant travel had taken its toll, and I was more than a little worn out.

Thank goodness for Elkhorn Outfitters!

From the moment I arrived, everything about the place and the people was first-class and user friendly. The accommodations, the food, and the kindness they provided restored my strength. And that first day of hunting with John, who I was lucky enough to get as my guide, left me in awe of their entire operation. Deer, Elk, and Antelope were literally everywhere we went! Not just does and cows, but mature bucks, younger bucks to replace them, and branch antlered bulls were common.

But as we drove back that evening, John told me about a particular buck. In an area accessible only by foot or horseback lived the most elusive animal on the ranch. John, and others, had been hunting him for two years. One hunter had missed him at 100 yards. Each time a hunter had gone after him the massive buck escaped-seeming to disappear into the oak brush that covered most of the big drainage he called home. John felt sure that with careful glassing, a lot of patience, and a whole lot of luck this third year would be the charmed year when the big fellow finally made a mistake. We made the decision to up the ante and go after him.

Daylight found us on horseback. Quite frankly, the more I saw, the more certain I was that we would never find that buck John had been talking about. No, not because the animal wasn’t huntable, but because I was already having trouble keeping my finger off the trigger! Bucks were everywhere! Right underneath the bluff we were glassing from was a heavy horned 24” buck but only a 2x3, plus a super tall 26” 4x4, and several bucks that easily fit in the 25” class. On any other hunt, on any other day, I would have shot any one of them. But we had made the decision to find John’s deer, and that’s what we focused on. Sometimes, it’s not just the size of the animal-it’s the challenge of bagging that one that’s been so evasive.

Sure enough, John spotted him working his way towards us checking for hot does. From 1000 yards until 400 yards thing were looking good. Then he disappeared into the oak brush and stayed hidden for over three hours. John worked us around several mountains until he found the buck hiding deep in the shadowed oak brush. John, our guide, has the nickname of “Eagle Eye” and it’s definitely appropriate. At 300 yards (and after John pointed him out to me), I saw the buck. John said, “Now shoot him!” And I wanted to! But there were two things wrong: I couldn’t see the buck’s head (it was behind a tree) and the cameraman wanted the buck to stand up to make for better film. Now, believe me, if you ever let a big buck get up, they’re going to get away. And that’s exactly what this buck did. We waited and waited for that buck to stand, just knowing that below and on each side of him presented a good possible shooting opportunity. Instead, the buck stood and walked directly away from us and into the bush. We saw him a couple of times later about three quarters of a mile away. So ended my first-and I thought only-chase of this smart old Deer.

The next day, we rode our horses through the dark, glassing at first light. Sure enough, there were lots of buck and that huge 2x3 was even more tempting. But we were still wanting to hold out for John’s “Lucky Buck” as we had come to call him, so we waited. After an hour and a half, we changed position, looking deep into the brush where the deer had bedded down the morning before. Nothing but brush. All of a sudden, John spotted him at 420 yards away in a little opening! “SHOOT!” John yelled. As I was aiming, I asked John,” you sure that’s the same buck?” “YES! SHOOT HIM! DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY!” he hollered. Then he saw where I was aiming. “WAIT! You’re aiming in the wrong direction!” Turns out I was aiming at a buck about 25” wide, but very similar looking to the big guy. Once I moved a couple of feet over towards John, there was The Buck standing there plain as day. I had a bush in front of me, blocking the shot, but I was determined not to lose him again, and I rushed the shot, failing to aim high enough. My shot ended up right under his chest. I couldn’t believe it. Lucky Buck ran away from us, chasing a doe through the brush. Two more shots missed him less than six inches over his back before he was out of sight in the oak brush. John and I figured that buck was gone for good-our second chance blown. John even joked that Lucky Buck was more interested in chancing the does than running from my shooting, and I was thinking he had a point!

About 45 minutes later, I spotted the buck with my Leica 62mm Spotting Scope. He was bedded down deep inside that thick brush. So we stalked him to within 200 yards of where we last spotted the buck, and my heart sank a little when I couldn’t relocate the buck. Once again, it was John our Eagle Eyed guide, who spotted the big buck in brush so thick I could only tell there was a deer there by the very tip of a head and a butt. John whispered “That’s him. I’m sure.” Anticipation and determination had set in, but all we could do was wait and wait and wait some more hoping the big buck would get up and walk into one of the few small openings giving us the shot.

Now, what happened next had us all rattled.

As I was crawling back out of my shooting lane to get a look through John’s scope, John suddenly yells, “He’s UP!” I rush back to my Shooting Stix, get ready to fire…but no buck. It was a false call; a bird had flown out of the bush. Then, before I can even catch my breath, John said, “He’s really up! There’s another buck walking right for him. Get ready! That big buck will probably challenge that smaller buck”.

And that’s exactly what happened, giving me the charmed opportunity number three.

As the big buck weaved through the thick brush, he saw the smaller buck, and hesitated. And this time, I was ready. My custom Bill Wiseman 300 Win Mag hit that buck right behind the shoulder. After three years of hunters and three tries by me, the elusive buck was mine! This deep fork 4x4 would have scored mid 180 if he had eye guards. But score isn’t near as important to me as the thrill of a great chase and the exhilaration that comes with success after being so sure I’d run out of chances. That was what made for an awesome hunt and a truly beautiful trophy.

My last day there, I also shot a nice bull elk. It just goes to show you that you should always set your sights high and refuse to give up. Some of the best hunts I’ve heard of, and have been a part of, have been completed at the last light of the last night.

Many thanks have to go out to all the great folks at Colorado’s premier outfitting operation: Elkhorn Outfitters. I have to give special thanks to John “Eagle Eye” Papierski, our guide, for a truly spectacular hunt.

To contact Elkhorn Outfitters:
Elkhorn Outfitters
37399 Highway 13
Craig, Colorado 81625
(970) 824-7392

If you would like to see this hunt on TV, tune in to Game & Gear television on Dish Network in the fall of 2006. Check Game & Gear’s website for dates and times.

Let’s face it, mule deer populations are trying to rebound in the west, and a state that is really improving is Colorado, where if weather hits early it can drive the big bucks down from the high country. The Eastern Plains have been producing some big mule deer and white tail trophies, for a few years now, which is usually not a very physical hunt but is a hit or miss finding big deer. The Arizona Strip and Utah Paunsagunt draw tags are hard to get and are hard to hunt but can really produce. Alberta is known for massive bucks weighing in at nearly 300 pounds.

Is there such a “Mule Deer Hot Spot”? This 2005 season I had the opportunity to hunt the finest mule deer country I ever put up a pair of binoculars in. I’m sure by now you are wondering where the “honey hole” is… Northern Rockies Outfitters has a place just 5 miles south of the Alberta border near a little town called Sunburst, MT. If your looking at a map you’ll say that’s “prairie country” but what you won’t see is that smack dab in the middle of that prairie is a mountain range, aka “The Honey Hole”. This 30,000- acre hunting operation is run by Rich Birdsell and has one of the best reputations for hunting trophy class mule deer in the west. Rich has been guiding both fishing and hunting trips for many years but his true passion is trophy class mule deer.

Never before hunted on, Rich acquired this property in 2001. The beauty of this large ranch is that it is rich in elk, antelope, deer, some moose and has virtually no predators except for a few coyotes. The nice thing about this ranch is you can use 4 x 4’s and ATV’s to get to vantagepoints for glassing. Once you locate the buck you want to pursue the terrain is conducive to spot and stalk style hunting.

Alberta continues to help populate this ranch and neighboring areas as the Canadian hunters push the deer across the border…whenever deer are pushed they run to the mountains and this mountain is the only one within 20 miles. Both monster mulies and whitetail along with antelope retreat to the foothills, cooleys, mountains and hill country provided by this ranch. This part of Montana has a shorter season than the rest of the state, which doesn’t get any pressure in the last 2 weeks of the season when the rut is peaking. Rich manages for quality not quantity and allows only about 16 deer hunters per year. The terrain is so user friendly you will see big bucks nearly everyday.

On opening morning we expected to see deer everywhere but the morning didn’t produce much due to high winds of 30-40 miles an hours, most of the deer were timbered up by daybreak. The evening hunt was much better, when the wind died down we saw deer everywhere. After passing on a heavy 25” 4 x 4 buck I focused on 2 different bucks ranging approximately 27” wide. Knowing it was going to be dark soon, we ran down this long ridge to the huge canyon, which we had to cross with only 25 minutes of light left & 1300 yards to cover; including the steep canyon below us. We got a better look at the bucks, and one of them was exceptional so we made the decision to continue the hunt in the morning. Besides, we figured, “what’s the rush?’ there are lots of bucks in this drainage and we might just spot a bigger one while glassing for these guys.

On day two we started glassing from the low country up towards where we were the night before. The wind was blowing but there were plenty of deer in the small cooleys that lead up to the base of the mountain; perfect place to spot and stalk. We walked above the cooley, peaking over occasionally to glass. The first cooley we looked into had at least a dozen bucks. A 26” heavy-horned buck popped out at 180 yards away. I was completely ready to shoot him when Rich got a glimpse of a bigger buck, a monster buck, right below us. All the deer filed out and over the ridge but the big guy was no where to be seen, I decided to peak over the ridge and there he was tucked down…hiding. Once we made eye contact, he ran up to the top and stopped at the edge of the ridge, a common mistake made by many mule deer. My rifle was somewhat steady on my shooting sticks in the high winds, time was not going to be forgiving and give me a second chance and just as I was squeezing my trigger, a gust of wind shook my rifle and knocked me off the kill zone. Immediately this sent my buck running 2-3 miles up the base of the mountain, he was last seen 200 yards below the timberline. Talk about feeling sick! The biggest buck I ever have seen through my scope just got away. Little did we know everything was still going to work out for the best.

Heath Painter, hunting partner and host of Game and Gear Adventures TV, our cameraman, the guide and myself all hiked as fast as possible to where we saw the buck last. Up in the timber we spotted the smaller bucks that were with the big buck earlier so we figured since the buck we glassed was the first up the mountain he would already be up in the timber. No where to be found, Rich looked over the edge of the ridge and spotted a 27” buck 60 yards below us in an opening shadowed by a couple of small bushes. We stalked till we were right above him, looking straight down on top of him where he couldn’t see us, I decided I wanted to go for the bigger buck I had seen earlier. Heath stated it was bigger than any buck he had shot before and decided to take this one for his own. The wind was howling where we were, once the buck stood up Heath placed a perfect shot into the chest and the buck went down hard.

Immediately after the shot, not 40 yards below us two bucks came bounding out toward the canyon at a very fast rate. Rich kept yelling “Big Buck, there’s your Big Buck”. Trying to locate him was difficult due to the big pine tree in between the buck and me and when I finally got him in my scope he was already 225 yards away and still running hard over the edge of the canyon. As my rifle thundered across the canyon I heard the distinctive “thud-whack” he was hit but still moving fast. I knew I needed to get another bullet in him when he crossed the other side of the canyon about 400 yards away. Down rolled the biggest buck I have ever taken. He was wide, heavy and a perfect typical 4 x 4 with long tines and weighing in at about 250 – 300 lbs., truly a beast of a mule deer with a score of 182 B&C.

I have to thank the Lord for the second chances I’ve had in life and the best guide and area I’ve ever hunted in. After we left, our cameraman Tyler Johnerson filmed several 180-class bucks and saw two more bucks that he thought would have scored over 210 B&C

If you are interested in hunting trophy muledeer, elk, antelope, whitetail and black bear, give Rich a call. I highly recommend his operation, which has the best cooks, guides and accommodations the hunting industry has to offer.

.
Rich Birdsell
Northern Rockies Outfitters, Ltd.
270 Bayou Rd
Kalispell, MT 59901
(406) 756-2544
www.northernrockiesoutfit.com

We spent a lot of time preparing and thought we were ready for anything, that is, until we got to LAX. Travelling with firearms has never been more complicated, and this trip set new standards for frustration. It started with frantically trying to comply with some TSA rules I’d never seen in any other airport, and ended with a baggage claim agent in Anchorage telling us she had no idea where our guns were and not seeming to care.

Thank goodness for our guide, Neil, he stayed in Anchorage and waited for our gear so we could be on schedule getting into camp. The guns finally arrived and we flew out early the next morning in a Super Cub from Meekins Air Service. We were eager to begin scouting since your best chance of success is to find a big ram and pattern him before the season.

These sheep have roughly 20-power vision, and spotting them without being seen is essential. Something new from our friends at realtree gave a big advantage. Since it was introduced earlier this year I’ve been using Bill Jordan’s MAX 1 Open Terrain camouflage all over the west and in the rocky, treeless mountains of Alaska, once again I was able to disappear like a ghost. MAX 1 is by far the best camo pattern I’ve used.

On the day before the opener I found the ram I was looking for a couple of miles from camp. We knew the ram and a smaller buddy would feed in the evening out onto an open, rocky ridge, but it still wasn’t easy to get in close. The stalk lasted eleven hours, most of that pinned down while the rams were perched above us. When they finally began feeding all we could do was hope they’d come within my self-imposed 500-yard limit.

Closer and closer they came until the small ram decided to turn and feed uphill. It became obvious they weren’t coming nearer to us, so I ranged the big one at 465 yards. The time had come. I waited patiently for the ram to turn broadside, and at 480 yards he gave me my chance. I squeezed the trigger then recovered from the recoil to see the ram still standing, but only for an instant. By the time I heard the thud of impact my trophy was already rolling downhill. The part I’ll remember most was my wife Danell’s enthusiasm as she congratulated me. She had been right next to me through the whole thing and got to share this unique experience.

Successfully retrieving the ram was all the proof I need that the Lord was looking out for us on this trip. First, we had to cross a glacial river that was waist-deep, swift and very cold. Next, we scrambled up a ridge, much steeper than it had looked, loose rocks making every step more treacherous then the last.

We finished with photos and field dressing just as it got dark, and were a little anxious about getting back to camp. We negotiated the rocky slope, swift water and a little over two miles of rough terrain with help from some great equipment and a competent, experienced guide, Neil Webster.

I also need to say thanks to the sponsors of Game and Gear Adventures TV Show for the great equipment they provided. With their continual support Game and Gear will be even more exciting in 2006. Make sure and see this exciting hunt for yourself. It will air on the Men’s Channel on DISH Network.

A few of the products that helped make this hunt successful include:

Acu-Sight Laser Bore Sights
Leica – Geovid Binoculars with built in LRF and Televid Spotting Scope
Bill Jordan’s MAX 1 Open Terrain Camo
Schnees Boot Co. – Lowa Sheep Hunter Boots
Bill Wiseman Custom Rifle
Hornady Heavy Magnum Ammo
Surefire Flashlights
Wiggy’s High Country Waders
Outdoor Edge Cutlery
Crooked Horn Outfitters Trailblazer, Bino System, Bino Shield

I had a lot of things to be thankful for on this hunt; a safe trip, great weather, a beautiful trophy and memories that will last a lifetime. The part I’m most thankful for was being able to share this great adventure with my wife, Danell. I am indeed a lucky man.

I highly recommend our outfitter, The Bear Company (Chad & Kevin). It was a 1st class camp with carpeted wall tents, wood stoves, warm showers, great food, great guides and lots of bears (about 20% color phases). For more information on The Bear Company visit their website. www.albertabears.com

Here at Crooked Horn our entire staff uses Outdoor Edge Cutlery which is owned by David. For the best knives in the industry visit his site at www.outdooredge.com

My story began in 1998 while I was attending the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep convention. That was when I first became fascinated with the wild sheep of North America and left with a burning desire to go sheep hunting. I soon discovered, though, that sheep hunting was very expensive and for a guy of modest means like myself, drawing a tag first was a necessity if I wanted to someday hunt desert sheep. After that show, I decided that I would apply for desert sheep in every state where non-residents were allowed to hunt them. The odds of drawing one of these highly coveted permits are really against you. In fact, I concluded that I probably would never draw in a lifetime of applying, but I decided to apply every year anyway. Over the years I became accustomed to receiving annual rejection notices, but I continued with the routine of applying and building bonus points. When I discovered The “Huntin Fool” newsletter, the application process became much easier, as I let Garth and Jason do the research on what areas to apply for or what areas not to apply for. That subscription is really a lifesaver as they notify you well in advance so you don’t have to worry about missing a deadline or figuring out on your own how to submit an application. Some may think that their subscription price is too expensive, but when compared to the cost of missing one hunting application or worse yet drawing a once-in-a-lifetime tag in a bad area, the “Huntin Fool” is cheap insurance at twice the price!

In the summer of 2004 while driving to a backpacking trip, I received a call from my brother saying that there were a lot of messages for me on his answering machine. He said they all had something to do with sheep and Nevada. I almost drove off the road and crashed. It turns out that my wife and I were building a new house and had not hooked up our new phone yet. The calls were from outfitters offering their services to the lucky few guys that drew a tag to hunt desert bighorns in Nevada. I was so excited; I just could not believe my good fortune. Many of my hunting partners were as excited as I was and offered to go along on the hunt to help me. I already had booked a hunt for caribou and moose in British Columbia and combined with building a new house, knew this was going to be an extraordinarily busy fall.

Three weeks later while checking the draw results for Arizona, I almost had a heart attack when I read the words successful tag #000001 desert bighorn area 41E. I had drawn two of the most difficult tags a hunter can draw in the same year. What a dilemma! So many questions needed answers. Hire an outfitter or not, hunt with my friends, with a bow, or a rifle. After many sleepless nights, I decided that I would try to hunt with my friends without an outfitter for both hunts and that I would try to take at least one of the sheep with a bow. The research for both of these hunts only helped to build the anticipation. I talked to biologists, game wardens, past hunters, and of course Garth Carter who had drawn the same tag in Arizona the year before.

November finally arrived and we headed to the desert of Nevada for the sheep opener. Along for the first hunt were Bob Sherer, Les Hausauer, and Ron Jenkins. Having drawn two Rocky Mountain Bighorn tags in Montana and having taken one with a rifle and one with a bow, I thought I knew enough about bighorn sheep to be successful. After the second day of hunting, we realized that these desert bighorns were a very different animal -from the Rocky Mountain Bighorns of Montana. They had uncanny vision that gave them the ability to see you over half a mile away, even if all you did was stick your eyeball out past the edge of a rock, to say nothing of what happened when you sky-lined yourself on a ridge. We would spot rams from miles away and try to sneak within bow range undetected to get a shot. Every time that I got within range, I would draw my bow out of site and slowly rise up for a shot. Imagine the frustration when every time the sheep would explode at a fast run – even out of a dead sleep. Sometimes they would stop within range, but usually they were in a cluster with the biggest ram in the middle offering no shot.

Toward the end of the first week we stumbled onto a new method we named the “stupid idiot” technique because of how it would look if someone were watching us. We would spot the sheep and instead of
trying to get within archery range undetected, we would only try to get within 120-150 yards. Staying below the sheep, I would walk out and let them see you, then walk slowly at an angle toward them. Not looking at the sheep, staying below them, and never going right at them, we could sometimes close the distance to within 60 yards. I was able to even get a few shots, but because of the steep angle usually required, I shot high each time failing to account for the extreme effect on the trajectory of the arrow. At the end of the first week, even though we were not successful, we were very confident that we would be the next time.

After a short break at Thanksgiving, we headed back to Arizona for the opening of the Arizona sheep season on December 1st. With our new found confidence in desert sheep hunting we thought we would get a giant ram in Arizona within a couple days and go back to Nevada and get the second ram by the end of the week. We realized painfully that our confidence was really over confidence when it took us 4 days to even -spot a mature ram! The Eagletail Mountains had received a huge amount of rainfall and the desert was incredibly green. This allowed the sheep to disperse and only required a short time of foraging each morning and evening. The sheep were extremely difficult to spot when they were bedded, especially the rams, because they would lay down in the shade of the Palo Verde Trees. By the end of the first week in Arizona, I was humbled and questioning the wisdom of hunting on our own without an outfitter. We did have a couple of opportunities at nice rams, but I was unable to connect when our chances finally came. I was very discouraged when I missed a nice ram that should have been an easy shot. Bob and Ron headed back to Montana, and I went back to Nevada for the last week of the sheep season there.

I was now on my own. All of the other hunters had apparently concluded their hunts, as there were no other camps remaining in the area. At this point, I concluded that drawing two tags in the same year was more of a curse than a blessing. After many hours of reflection, I realized that my enjoyment of this incredible, truly once in a lifetime opportunity was being affected by pressure to succeed. I resolved to enjoy the remainder of the hunts and - do the best I could. Without the assistance of my eagle eyed spotters, I knew these solo hunts would be that much more difficult but this also made me more focused. I practiced shooting my bow in the evening at camp and my confidence increased when I shot the best arrow groups of my life. My first day back in Nevada I saw several groups of rams, but I had no good stalking opportunities. The next day a storm front was blowing through and I seemed to spot sheep everywhere I looked. The- animals were up feeding all day, probably in anticipation of the coming storm. I finally spotted three mature rams in a saddle above a series of cliffs. I was able to remain concealed as I picked my way through the cliffs to within range.

When I peeked over the rocks, the largest of the three was standing just 60 yards distant. A huge surge of adrenaline made my heart leap into overdrive, which then made it necessary to pause for several long minutes while my heartbeat returned to almost normal. After I’d regained my composure, I drew my bow where the rams would be unable to see me doing so. As I eased up into position to shoot, two of the animals spotted me. The ram closest to me, however, had his head down as he fed. That ram didn’t see me. I had one moment only and, luckily, in that moment I could see that the big desert sheep was in a perfect broadside stance. I shot; the ram jumped twice, looked around, wobbled, and laid down. I could scarcely believe what just happened. My Nevada ram was a beautiful heavily broomed 8-year-old ram with 15” bases. Afterward, when I finally made it back to camp, I taped the ram’s horns at 155 inches. Not a giant ram, but in my eyes he could not have been any better.

With my new success, I decided to go back to Arizona immediately instead of in late December like we’d originally planned. Since I’d been successful in Nevada with my bow, I decided it would be great to rifle hunt the more difficult Arizona unit. With any luck, I might get a shot at a nice ram on my own. When I returned to the area, I was surprised to have the area all to myself; both other sheep camps had been vacated. I would be alone again on another desert sheep hunt.

Since I’d be hunting the Eagletail Mountains, which are a designated wilderness area, I’d be traveling on foot. Most of the rams we found were on the other side of the mountain range, more than 5 miles from the nearest road access. The first day I hunted the far southwestern edge of the mountains, which meant traveling over 7 miles from my truck. I saw several bands of sheep, but not any big rams. On the way back while I was making my way through a small pass, I spotted a group of ewes up in a bowl. When I glassed around the ewes, I saw two mature rams off about 200 yards to the side. They were feeding in the shadows of some Sawaro cactus and Palo Verde trees. I closed the distance as much as I could and after several shots with my trusted .300 WSM, the big ram was down. As I made my way up to the sheep he grew bigger and more beautiful. It was a case of ground shrinkage in reverse. He is a gorgeous 8-year-old chocolate brown ram with classic heavy yellow horns. After a couple very long 5 mile packing trips to my truck I taped my Arizona ram at 167 B&C points.

The long drive back to Montana allowed me to reflect and humbly give thanks for the incredible good fortune I experienced on both of these hunts. It took 23 days and over 6000 miles driven. Even though I ended up taking both rams by myself, I could not have done it without the help of my hunting partners, my very understanding wife Christine, and my employers Steve and Jean Schnee. The support I received from all of them makes me realize that I truly am a very lucky man.

Jim Winjum
Schnees Boots

I first heard of S & S Ranch from good friend and long-time outfitter, Rick Kasper. Rick and his 12 year old son Cody were invited to hunt there in 2003 and Rick was so impressed with the potential for record book antelope that I sent my videographer, Tyler Johnerson to capture the hunt on film. Maybe you’ve already seen how it turned out as their hunt aired on an episode of “The Hunter’s Journal”.

Rick and Cody both took Boone and Crockett antelope. Rick’s scored high at 88 B & C, and Cody’s was an even more amazing 90. Cody’s ranks as one of the largest ever taken by a youth. I had just taken my first B & C antelope the year before, also hunting in New Mexico with the great guys from Christensen Arms and I was definitely ready to do it again. The next time I spoke to Rick, I asked what it would take for my wife Danell and I to book a hunt with S & S Ranch. Not only do we enjoy hunting trophy antelope, but the August season is a great time for us to get away together from our responsibilities running Crooked Horn Outfitters specialized hunting equipment.

I have to admit I was more than a little disappointed when Rick informed that S & S Ranch only allows 2 or 3 hunters a year (even though they are allotted 7 landowner tags) and as you might expect, there’s a long list of hunters who have been trying for years to get invited. Rick said I could give it a try, but…. Oh well, I had to ask. A few months later, I received a telephone call from someone whose name I didn’t initially recognize. Don Schutz from S & S Ranch. He immediately had my full attention.

Don had seen our hunt with Christensen Arms and liked it so much that he wanted to invite Danell and I to come and hunt with them. I didn’t know how I had gotten so lucky, but I understood what a privilege this was so without hesitating I answered, YES!

What an opportunity. A hunt where both of us would have a chance at record book quality animals. A hunt like this is worth every bit of effort you can put into it. It was time to focus, and time to call Tyler to make sure he could come along, and video our hunt.

When August finally rolled around, Danell and I met Tyler at the Albuquerque airport and headed north to Wagon Mound, a sleepy little town with a ferocious past where local legend has it the townsite is on the mass grave of 11 victims of an Indian massacre.

By the time we reached Las Vegas, New Mexico, 40 miles southwest of our destination, it was raining so hard I almost couldn’t drive. We kept creeping along, though, and were treated to a dazzling display of non-stop lightning along the horizon. When we pulled off the highway at the ranch exit, the rain had eased up and it hit me that this was one of the most beautiful settings for a hunt I had ever seen. Because of the summer rains, lush green grass and wildflowers were everywhere. After several years of drought throughout most of the west, it was refreshing to find a place like this.

In the miles between the highway and the ranch house we saw three antelope bucks. At least one of them would qualify for B & C and then there was a 170 class mule deer buck eating apples as we pulled into the front yard. Besides the breathtaking scenery, S & S Ranch turned out to be one of the most enjoyable hunting camp experiences I’ve ever had. Don and his wife Mary kicked off the hunt by throwing a big BBQ for the hunters and about a dozen guests. The guests were friends from all over (California, Texas, etc) who had taken part in previous hunts and just wanted to participate. Everyone had a great time.

The first day of scouting was spent mostly on rimrock overlooking valleys and checking windmills. We found a record book quality buck, and had to laugh at his attitude. He beat up bushes and stomped around like he dared anything to get in his way. We named him “Taz”, like the Tazmanian Devil cartoon.

The next buck we found had horns curved like upside down “J’s”. He was an incredible buck, but his prongs were possibly a little too low to score really high. We named this one the “Crooked Horn Buck”. A while later we spotted the most unusual antelope I had ever seen. One horn tilted forward, the other tilted back, gnarled and massive with one prong broken, but he could still go B & C. We called him “The Freak”. The last really good buck we came across was hanging around a field of sunflowers. He definitely had what it took to be another record book animal and we decided to call him “The Sunflower Buck”.

That night we talked over which buck we wanted to go after. Danell had decided on “The Crooked Horn Buck” because of the name of our company, and mostly because she was intrigued by his overly curved horns. I chose “Taz” because I felt he was the most perfect representative of the species I had ever seen.

On the first morning of the 3-day season, we went after “The Crooked Horn Buck”. We found him near a fence line that bordered someone else’s property. We didn’t want to take a chance on pushing him onto the other ranch, so we decided to circle around and come in from a different direction. Don stayed put, to keep an eye on the buck.

Danell and I took about a 1-½ mile hike to a spot very near where the buck had been. It was gone. We looked toward Don to see if he could signal us, but he didn’t need to. The buck was almost right on top of him. No more than 50 yards away from where we had just left.

We headed back, hurrying in case the buck kept moving around, but when we got to Don, all we could do was shake our heads. The buck was over by the fence again. Rather than keep playing this game, we decided to see if “Taz” would be a little more cooperative.

“Taz” was out feeding in a wide drainage area mostly covered by yucca. The yucca allowed us to move in for a shot, but there was one drawback. We had to crawl as low to the ground as possible. So crawl, we did; and crawl and crawl and crawl. Probably close to ¾ of a mile. More than I crawled as a baby.

When we reached the point I hoped to get a shot from, “Taz” was leaving the country, a quarter mile from where he had been and walking away. The shot still had good potential, and Don urged me to take him, but I decided to wait.

We followed “Taz” out of the drainage, and were surprised to see he had circled back and was only 150 yards below us. “Taz” was startled by our motion, but his curious nature got the best of him.

Instead of running, he took a step forward to get a better look. That was all the time I needed to set my Bill Wiseman custom 300 Winchester Magnum up on my Shooting Stix, and less than a second later, “Taz” dropped in his tracks.

What a buck! “Taz” scored just over 85 B & C, well over the record book minimum 82 and I’m still thankful for the opportunity to take such an incredible animal.

A three day season with a tag still to fill is no time to sit back and savor the moment, so early the next morning we were once again hunting the “Crooked Horn Buck”. The buck was still very close to the neighbor’s property, but with time growing shorter, we decided to risk a stalk.

I noticed a fog bank some miles away as we began creeping forward, but didn’t pay much attention since it wasn’t really in our vicinity. Forty five minutes later, we had closed in to 150 yards from the buck and Danell was preparing to take a shot, when suddenly everything turned gray and the buck disappeared.

The fog! It had moved in faster than would seem possible, and made hunting virtually impossible. After a short discussion, we did the only thing that made sense. Try to relax and wait it out.

An hour and a half later, our patience paid off. The fog blew out, and Danell’s buck was still in sight. Close to 500 yards out and walking away, but just as huntable as he had been earlier.

Rather than pursue him, we decided to set up a Renzo’s decoy and see if he’d come back to challenge another buck. Antelope can be very territorial and this one definitely didn’t like the idea of an intruder.

The buck came right at us then stopped out about 350 yards. Danell got ready to shoot, but the buck wouldn’t stand still. Finally, she began to squeeze the trigger, but an unexpected movement caused her to flinch and miss.

The buck started to run off then paused, looking back at the decoy. His instinct to confront the intruder must have outweighed his alarm because here he came towards us again.

When the distance to the buck had closed to about 250 yards, I knew he wouldn’t get another chance to escape. Danell’s Bill Wiseman rifle gave out a single sharp crack, and the buck was floored in his tracks.

Danell’s antelope just missed making the B & C record book because, like we thought, the prongs were a bit too low. It’s a beautiful animal though, and the one she wanted so it couldn’t have been a better trophy.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about S & S Ranch, Don and Mary, or the way they manage their operation. Northern New Mexico is known for lots of antelope, not necessarily trophies and none of S & S Ranch’s neighbors have this type of success.

As a result of Don and Mary’s management policies, Tyler and I got to participate in another hunt. They decided “The Freak” should be culled from their herd, and a long-time friend of theirs named George accepted the assignment.

Well, George let Tyler and I tag along, he got to use both a decoy and Shooting Stix for the first time and “The Freak” won’t be passing on his genetics on S & S Ranch.

If you’d like to see the video of Danell’s hunt it will be airing soon on at least one of the quality hunting shows Crooked Horn Outfitters is associated with. It will also be included on our 2nd DVD “Game and Gear Out West Adventures, Volume II” coming in 2005. For information on this or any other Crooked Horn Outfitters products check out our website at www.crookedhorn.com or give us a call toll free at 877-722-5872. Also, if you are looking for a great western big game hunt contact the professionals at Weathered Horn Outfitters, 6618 South 400 West, Murray, UT 84047 phone #801-562-0054.

I booked my first hunt with the Collingwood Bros. for my Stone sheep because of their high success rate and quality operation (we had also fished with them for several years). Unfortunately, Mother Nature got in the way on that hunt and we had horrible weather for 10 days straight. It is hard to see anything on the mountain when you are constantly surrounded by snow storms and fog. Although we really hunted hard, I did not get a sheep on my first hunt (but I did get a great caribou consolation).

With the gracious cooperation of the Collingwood Bros., I booked again in 2001 for my Stone sheep. Same guide, Clayton Collingwood, but way different weather and results! It was so hot but I was able to get my fine ram on only the third day of the hunt. I name every sheep that comes into our home and this one is called “Mr. Sucker Punch” because he had a broken jaw where it was apparent that he got sucker punched by another ram. He wasn’t likely to live the winter in that condition.

Also for that year (2001), I had purchased the Utah auction tag for a Desert sheep in the Virgin River area. That was the first time a hunt was allowed there. Again, because of the expert guide I had, Greg Bird, who did a lot of homework in this area before my hunt, I was able to harvest a Desert ram of my dreams. He is currently the UT state record at 174 2/8 B&C. His name is “Mr. R.B.R.” (A.k.a. record book ram).

The next year, 2002, found me in the NWT with Gana River Outfitters. I had purchased the tag so generously donated by them at the FNAWS auction. This outfit run by Bill & Carol Mckenzie and Harold Grinde is well organized and a quality operation with a good inventory of sheep. I enjoyed my guide Dale Hanson, although it was a short hunt. On the morning of day 2, I was mentally preparing myself for another day like the one before (15-hour excursion, 9 of which were hiking up several mountains). After only 20 minutes on horseback, Dale flew off and pulled me off my horse. All he did was to point to where some caribou were that we were watching and then he made the backward circles over his ears that meant SHEEP in any language. He was a beautiful full curl mature ram and was only 100 yards away standing broadside, lazily licking a natural salt lick. I couldn’t pass that up. His name is “Mr. Lickity Split” because of where he was and how fast I was able to get him.

This past September brought my dream of a grand slam to a reality. I had purchased the auction tag for a Rocky Mountain sheep in the Range Creek unit at Utah FNAWS and hired the best to assist me. X-Treme Outfitters with guide Greg Bird fit that bill. Greg had already gotten me the record book Desert ram, so I really trusted that he would do equally well for me on the Rocky Mountain. He sure did! I got a fabulous mature heavy horned ram that really carries his mass out. Although he didn’t make the book (he’s 174 2/8 B&C, 181 2/8 Utah score), he sure is a dandy trophy to me. The shot I made is one I will never forget. I was with guide Randy Johnson on the top of a rock formation wedging my body in an open crevice looking 130 yards straight down on the ram while Greg watched him from below. Randy guessed the ballistics of my rifle perfectly and told me to shoot at the ground next to the ram’s shoulder. I squeezed the trigger and the ram just rolled over! His name is “Mr. Pinnacle Pete” because our beacon to find him was a pinnacle.
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Peggy Barnett
Grand Slam #1126