Ram Hunt on a budget?

[BarnesX.308]

I've been wanting to hunt ram but I've been intimidated by the cost. I've looked at rocky, desert, stone and dall. Guided hunts are $15-25K. Is a DIY an excercise in futility? Would I even be able to get into sheep country without hiring help anyway?

Thanks.

[SWThomas]

Most places don't allow you to pursue Bighorn without a registered guide. Desert and Rocky Mountain Bighorn are so elusive because of how rare it is to draw a tag. That's why there aren't a lot of people walking around with a Bighorn Sheep Slam under their belt. I'm in the same boat as you man. I want to get after these Bighorn's for the challenge of pursuing them up in the high mountains. I've come to terms that I'm just going to have to suck up the cost and pay it if I want that dream to come true. Dall is first on my list while I'm waiting to accumulate enough point to draw either Desert or Rocky Mountain once-in-a-lifetime tags in Utah.

[BarnesX.308]

Trips are long, too. I'd have to tell the family that, not only am I using the family's vacation budget for the next 5 years, I'm taking a 2 week vacation without them

[SWThomas]

Originally Posted by BarnesX.308

Trips are long, too. I'd have to tell the family that, not only am I using the family's vacation budget for the next 5 years, I'm taking a 2 week vacation without them

I hear that. My plan is to save a little extra over the cost of the hunt and taxidermy work and take the family with me. That way they can experience whatever state, country, or providence I decide to go to. They can sight-see while I pursue game.

That's what I'm planning to do right now for New Zealand. Being that I'm stationed in ***an, NZ is a short hop for me. I'm gonna save and reserve a hunt with a reputable outfitter over there and try to take a Stag, ram, and boar all in the same hunt. I'm going to try to do it as cheap as possible without sacrificing quality. I'm gonna try to catch a military hop over there since they are free. That'll save me several hundred, possibly thousand dollars right there.

[Centxrecurve]

Why not go with the exotics for a lot less.

[salukipv1]

Drawing the tag is the biggest problem I see. Harvesting an animal is not.

I think you can do an alaskan dall sheep hunt reasonably.

The cheapest hunt would be a DIY once you drew the tag.

The unlimited sheep units in MT seem like a needle in haystack too, success rates are horrible I believe...

[SWThomas]

Originally Posted by Centxrecurve

Why not go with the exotics for a lot less.

I think a lot of people shy away from exotic hunts because in order to hunt exotics in the US you must go to a high-fenced ranch. Most folks after bighorn sheep want them the free-range way.

[Pygmy]

No DIY in Alaska for nonresidents...Nonresidents are required to hire a guide for sheep in Alaska.... However, many areas in AK are OTC... Alaska is probably the cheapest alternative available to most of us mere mortals..... Many dall , stone and bighorn hunts in Canada are OTC, but prices are very steep...

There is an open, OTC area in Montana, but access is difficult and success rates are quite low...The rest of the lower 48 requires drawing a tag, again with low odds of drawing... A friend of mine did the unlimited Montana area hunt a few years ago.. He's an experienced hunter and had done dall and stone sheep hunts and a goat hunt previously..
He packed in a LONG way...Saw quite a few hunters and even got a look at a ram, 2 or 3 ridges away...he said he wouldn't do it again..

[SJAdventures]

We have plenty of OTC sheep hunts but they're all guided. Economical and quality sheep hunting doesn't really go together at all.

[salukipv1]

Originally Posted by SWThomas

I think a lot of people shy away from exotic hunts because in order to hunt exotics in the US you must go to a high-fenced ranch. Most folks after bighorn sheep want them the free-range way.

New Mexico has plenty of free range exotics...oryx, mouflon, ibex...