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Desert Bighorn Sheep-Doc’s shot at Carmen Island!!!!

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    #91


    Eating at Capital Grill now, I’ll get to story telling eventually!


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      #92
      Thanks for taking us along Doc

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        #93


        Dinner was fantastic last night. We are up early and about to start the travel home to Amarillo. I’ll try to post more today.



        This is what I have to deal with on a daily basis!


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          #94
          Thanks for taking us along for the ride Doc. Cannot wait to read the rest of the story.

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            #95
            Awesome. Huge congrats. Thanks for sharing.

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              #96


              So let’s start this story. On Sunday (4/11/21) our flight left Amarillo at 0600. A little early but no problem. We both have been extremely busy and we’re ready for a break. I had used TWG to book our flights and they were able to upgrade us to first class for next to nothing. I didn’t take a gun but that upgrade was fabulous. Specifically when your big bag shows up a little pudgy! We made our flights with no problems and a little after 1 pm we arrived in Loreto, Mexico. Our bags arrived and only one minor hiccup. My bowcase was outside and nobody would touch it!!!!! Thank God I know enough Spanish to explain it was a bow and arrow and the crisis was averted.


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                #97
                At the airport, we met Gaspar(outfitter/guide), Jesus/Mata(guide and cameraman), and our driver. Bags were loaded and we were off to meet the boat. As on every mountain hunt, I looked around and though “****, that $&@& looks steep and rough!” Oh well, here we go!!! We loaded up on the boat and headed to the north end of Carmen island. That is where the abandoned salt production facility is as well as the lodge. We arrive, get the tour and get settled in. What a place!!!!!


                The view from the lodge. Home for the next week!

                Boat ride to Carmen Island.



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                  #98
                  Awesome hunt! Following for the rest of the story!

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                    #99


                    We got settled in and Renee(chef) made us some shrimp quesadillas that were fantastic. I put my bows together and got ready to shoot while Elise went for a run. I shot my VXR out to 80 yards and it was dead on and feeling good. Of course the wind was blowing and my shirt was riding up a d I had Mata filming me shoot but that’s another story! After that I rigged up a spinning rod and tried throwing some lures. No bites.





                    3D target in paradise. Never shot on a tropical beach before! I have shot on a beach in Alaska but not the same!!!!


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                      The Gear:
                      I always struggle with picking gear to use because I try lots of stuff. I was torn between broadheads. I thought a big mechanical would fly good in the wind and make a big hole if the shot wasn’t perfect. A stout fixed blade would get through at a weird angle if needed. I ended up taking Sevr 2.0, 1.5 and a 1.7. I also took vented iron wills in 100 grains. Here is my setup:

                      Mathews VXR 68lbs at 29 inches
                      Montana black gold 4 pin slider
                      Bee stinger offset stabilizer
                      Tightspot quiver
                      Gold tip platinum pierce 300’s with Texas flag wrap
                      Kifaru pack
                      Lathrop&sons boots
                      Sitka pants and shirts

                      I could not decide on the broadhead and ended up shooting the ram with the one sevr 1.7 that was in the case! I did put a finishing shot in him with an iron will but it wasn’t needed.


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                        We had dinner and relaxed and listened to the waves. The hunt would start Monday with breakfast at 0600. We would start this thing on the north end of the island. Taking off now, I’ll post more when I get a chance.


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                          congrats! thanks for sharing...waiting for more story!!!

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                            Hunt Day 1: we headed out in the truck and drove a short way to the north west part of the island. There is a water guzzler for the sheep there abd the thought was that there would be sheep in the surrounding canyons. We start hiking up and there is good trail. No problem. Then it gets more broken with loose rock. Kind of like moderate elk terrain. Then it got steep! Total vertical climbs were only 800-1000 feet but it was hot and humid. We made it up top and start to glass. Immediately we are looking over sheep. After spotting 15 rams we finally find one that is bigger and older. We decide to make a plan!

                            We done off the top of the mountain and hit some very broken draws trying to make it around to the sheep. We left Abundis(guide) as a spotter as we looped around. We moved pretty quick and I was pouring sweat. We got to the mountain the sheep were on and climbed back up. At about 200 yards we dropped our packs a d Gaspar crawled ahead to look. The big ram was now with 4 others, all bedded. We stayed put and waited for the sheep to move. After 2.5 hours they finally got up. It looked like the big ram would close in front of us in bow range. The excitement was real! Two of the smaller rams headed up about 300 yards away. Two others went even further away up the mountain. We snuck in because we lost the big ram and never saw him again! Then it was a big hike down the draws and back up and over the first mountain. I slipped coming down and landed on my ***. ****, day one and my knees are sore and my toes hurt!!!!!



                            Waiting on the sheep to get up!



                            My better half waiting on sheep to move.



                            How I felt after hiking on day 1.



                            My hands after one day of busting through the Island brush.


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                              In the evenings we would go back out about 4-5 pm and glass the mountain faces of the northwest side of the island. The sheep had been using this area routinely but had slowed. Most of the sheep were 3/4 up the mountains or at the tops. No time for an afternoon approach from the bottom. We only had one afternoon stalk. That was my one and only frustration. Basically only hunting half a day. But, they have been pretty much 100% on sheep hunts so I wasn’t going to argue.


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                                Hunt Day 2: we took the boat and headed south. This time we had to jump off the boat on a rocky shore and then climb up and over a mountain to glass. It actually wasn’t too bad. We got up top and again found sheep. We saw 7 rams and one ewe. Once again, we sorted out a potential shooter and it was game on! We hiked down off the top and got in to a dry wash. We ended up on a big elevated brushy flat where the sheep had been feeding. We again had a spotter and began moving in. Just like most mountain hunts the wind began to shift and you could feel it on the back of your neck. At about 100 yards the sheep blew out! We had a snack, glassed for a while and hiked back to the boat.



                                Where we landed the boat day 2



                                Glassing for sheep



                                Final descent back to boat



                                No problem for the little sheep hunter, she went for a run every afternoon when we got back!!!!!


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