2014 Arizona Unit 22 Desert Bighorn Sheep Harvest Report

[Jay Scott]

Darr and I have been fortunate to have spent a lot of time lately in Arizona Unit 22 looking at Desert Bighorn Sheep while scouting for the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Auction tag.  The general season is now over in Unit 22 and the 3 ram quota has been filled.  We often feel attached to a lot of the rams that we spend so much time with while photographing and videoing them.  Congrats to the three hunters and guides on their awesome rams.  In this post we will attempt to document each ram that was harvested.

The Kicker Ram

The first ram that was harvested was a ram we call "Kicker Ram".  He was actually given the nickname by Seth and Ernie Meeske, in 2012, while we were scouting for Ernie's upcoming hunt.  Kicker has been photographed and featured on several magazine covers.  He sure is a beauty.  This late summer he broke off a good piece of his right horn.  In 2012, his left horn was the one that was broomed off and his right was the long one.  2014 rolled around and now his left was the long horn and the right was the shorter of the two.  I videoed him several times prior to Ernie's hunt in 2012.  Darr and I saw him all over the unit throughout the last 3 months.  He traveled the most out of the three rams chronicled in this post.  He would literally be in one area one day and 10 miles away in a day or two.  We had some unbelievable encounters with him.  We began to notice that he had a smaller body than some of the other rams but was a true legend and warrior in his own right.  His exact score is not exactly known at this time but I will update this post when more info come out.  See the videos and photos below of the "Kicker Ram".

These two photos (above and below) of  Kicker Ram were taken from The AZ Wildlife Views and The AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Society News flyer.  Photo Credit to Jim Hamberlin Jr.  Jim takes spectacular photos!  You can see in these photos he still had all of his length. These photos were taken in 2013.

Prior to the brooming of his horns he had real good length.

Kicker Ram Photo by Darr Colburn 2014 October

Kicker Ram Photo by Darr Colburn 2014 October

Kicker Ram photo by Jay Scott November 2014

 

The White Eye Ram

The second ram to be harvested was a ram we called "white eye".  Darr saw him several times over the summer and we both encountered him quite often during the fall of 2014.  His right horn was longer than his left which had broomed.  His AZGFD checkout score was 175 7/8 Net.  I will update as more info becomes available.

Above and below are photos of the White Eye Ram taken by Jay Scott November 2014

 

The Dolly Ram

The third ram that was harvested was a ram we call "Dolly".  This ram was probably one of the most visible rams during the summer and fall of 2014.  Dolly had a really good look to him with good drop and good depth of curl.  We felt this ram had some serious potential with a bit more age to be a Mega Ram that Unit 22 is so known for.  Dolly was seen in all portions of the unit.  He also traveled around quite a bit from month to month.  Dolly was always very photogenic.

(next three photos) The Dolly Ram Photo by Jay Scott November 2014

 

We would like to congratulate the successful hunters again on their trophy rams.  Darr and I both feel so blessed and fortunate to have seen these special animals.  We would like to thank the AZGFD and the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society for doing such a fantastic job with our sheep herds and being such good stewards of the wildlife.  As more info comes forth on these rams we will keep this post updated in order to maintain maximum accuracy.  Make sure to follow our adventures on our Jay Scott Outdoors YouTube Channel, our Jay Scott Outdoors facebook page and on our Instagram accounts @darrcolburn and @jayscottoutdoors

 

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[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Holy cow that "Dolly" ram was just a Baby!! Great compilation.

[pwrguy]

Great photography guy's

[yumabowhunter]

All studs.

[4Falls]

I really like the look of the ram you call white eye. I like when their horns are all beat up like that.

 

Ok, Yes or No question... is the auction tag holders ram still in 22?

[Jay Scott]

4 falls-your question is a bit more complex than yes or no. I would say there are still some great rams left in there but there are some others that live in other units as well. Time will tell...

[Big Tub]

Amazing

[Swivelhead]

Amazing

+1

[tjhunt2]

Awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing this report.

 

TJ

[ZBAR]

I think I saw a score sheet on that first ram. Is this him?

 

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