Arizona desert bighorn tag!

[tlh2865]

Congratulations man!

[Vermin93]

Congrats! That is awesome. Keep putting holes where holes aren’t supposed to be. :-)

That’s basically what it came to. I was using Federal’s Terminal Ascent ammo that they launched last year. 136 GR in 270 WIN. It was very accurate out of my Barrett Fieldcraft, but not sure how I feel about the terminal performance. I’m not an accomplished rifleman and don’t know a lot about ammunition. I practiced out to 500 yds, but mostly at 300. My shot placement could have been better. It’s tough when you’re breathing heavy from the hiking and altitude and your adrenaline is rushing and the animal is putting distance between you and him. It’s a little hard to tell what’s going on in the pic, but there are 2 exit holes and 1 entry hole on this side. I also had a miss at long range that ricocheted off a Boulder and it looked like it might have hit him. Obviously they are tough animals.

The first hit looked like it hit him hard. He dropped like a rock and then rolled down to a bench and laid there head down for a good 20 min before he stood up and slowly walked off. Thank goodness for the cheat sheet on my scope. There was very little time to set up for the shot because the ram was walking away from us. I hit the dirt, got steady on my pack, dialed my scope, tried to relax and shot.

My guide asked how many rounds I was packing and I said 10. He said “give me the rest of the box”. Apparently they are used to seeing misses in the heat of the moment.

[Vermin93]

Forgot to mention that while the meat has a nice flavor, it’s super lean and really tough. I aged a backstrap a couple weeks and roasted it medium rare and it wore our jaws out. The rest is going through the grinder or in the slow cooker.

[duckhunter175]

Awesome hunt!!! An amazing tag to draw-- glad that AZ is giving us non-resident, non-Max point guys a chance!!

[NDN98]

Congrats!

[TxMedic]

Congrats! That hunt is at the very top of my bucket list!

[chocolatelabs]

Congrats.

Where do they get water in that area?

[SwampRanger]

Great ram!

[Cliffmcbride]

Congrats

[J.B.]

epic! congrats!

[tex8569]

Way to go,congrats!

[Vermin93]

Congrats.

Where do they get water in that area?

Good question. I'm not entirely sure. There were a couple spots on the cliff ledges where water would pool from seepage in the cliffs. These spots were no bigger than the hood of a car and not even a half inch deep. There were sheep tracks all around them. My understanding is that they require very little drinking water during the colder months if they have access to green vegetation.

[RifleBowPistol]

That, was one hell of a deal, all the way around, getting the tag, then the ram. I you shot that thing, where you circled the side of that cliff, you are crazier than me. I don't think I would even look there for a critter, no dam way I would try to get up there to go get it. Love those pictures, those are great. I would love to do that, but I ain't climbing no dam cliffs.

[thegrouse]

Good eye! Yes, those are the Vermillion Cliffs in Northern AZ. The cliffs are really impressive. Here’s a few more pics.

Those are great shots but they do not do justice to the colors up there. The first time I saw them was coming off the Kaibab Plateau and a thunderstorm had just passed and the sky cleared. The red color was breathtaking. I vowed to go back and explore. I spent time up on top in 2019. Heck of a place for a hunt.

[tdwinklr]

Congrats! very nice.
You got 3 shots in him, that's one tough animal.