Rocky Sheep Hunt Structure Change - Sloppy Seconds

[Heat]

Does anyone happen to know what the Department had in mind by splitting all but one Rocky hunt area into two hunt periods? To be honest I think I liked it a lot better the way it was before but I will reserve my final judgement until I hear why they did this. I certainly don't like the shortened amount of time you will have if you do get drawn. You would think they would give you the whole month if you drew a once in a lifetime hunt. Particularly where these critters live, you would want as much time as possible just in case bad weather showed up during your hunt. The way I see it they took a few really good hunts and made them into some good hunts with more ridiculous odds and the others "sloppy seconds" hunts with slightly less ridiculous odds.

 

I'd like to hear other opinions on this.

[Guest 300ultramag.]

Seems legit

[Explorer]

I want to know why they only issue 100 or so tags and brag about having 6000 sheep in the state.

[Smith2260]

This is how it used to be. I was fortunate enough to draw a second hunt rocky tag in '07 and had a blast. It made for less hunting pressure considering the rocky's are not nearly as spread out as desert sheep where I hunted. My number one and two got killed on the first hunt. But I would take a second hunt over no hunt any day!!

[Heat]

Smith2260,

 

If you don't mind me asking how many days did it take for you to locate and kill a ram on your hunt and what hunt area did you draw? Did you hire a guide? How did you know for sure your 1 and 2 were both killed before your hunt?

 

Thanks,

 

Nick

[wish2hunt]

I drew a 2nd hunt rocky tag and we harvested better Rams than the 1st hunt. Plenty of Rams so splitting the hunt up isn't that bad of a deal.

[Smith2260]

I had the 27s hunt. When I say my number one and two it was by looks and age. Some like em busted and some like em clean. I scouted over 20 days and had a lot of photos and video of many rams. I was in the unit with my son during the first hunt and ran into G&F who confirmed by photos that 1 and 2 were dead because I could not locate them. He said they were killed early into the hunt. I then found a ram I liked a few days before my opener and followed the band of sheep by 15's that week and with the help of friends got him killed on opening day.

I was on another second rocky hunt in another unit and was able to see a good friend kill a great ram.

[Heat]

Thanks for your reply! That gives me some reassurance, although there is no doubt that I would still much prefer a first hunt. I guess now I just need to narrow down a couple units. I think I have that already though.

[Swivelhead]

I want to know why they only issue 100 or so tags and brag about having 6000 sheep in the state.

Cause class IV rams (sheep we should shoot) make up about 2% of the population.

[Heat]

The guidelines are based on 15-25% of the class 3 and 4 rams. At some point it changed from 15-20%. Caught me when I wasn't paying attention so not sure when the change occurred.

[GreyGhost85]

Lol at guys that have killed a desert complaining about rocky structure

[Heat]

Sorry man I guess nobody can ask questions or get opinions on a hunting forum without ridicule. My bad.

[GreyGhost85]

Man, some people around here have paper thin skin. I was just razzin' you a little bit. Don't get your hackles up

[AZBULLHUNTER]

I had a 27s 28 tag 5 years ago and I never even came close to running into another hunter. I had at least 10 locations of sheep located. Finding rams was not a problem as I saw 75 different rams over a 30 day period of scouting/hunting. It is a great tag if you can draw it. Hope you all have the opportunity to hunt sheep some day it is a special thing to do something I can not describe. Anybody draw the tag feel free to contact me. The year after my tag I spent a day with a lucky hunter who drew a tag. A nice guy got a nice ram.