To many, the most covitted big game tag in North America is for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. My hunting buddy drew a prized tag in 1997 and harvested a dandy ram. We had an incredible trip viewing 4 ot 23 rams each day. After viewing 3 whopper rams that made it through the season, I decided to apply for the unit. Previously I had applied for units with slim drawing odds that produced some of the largest rams in the state. I might wait a lifetime to draw such a tag, so changed tactics and applied for my buddie's easier draw unit. As luck would have it, I drew a tag after 12 years of waiting and it was time to go sheep scouting! I was also fortunate to hold a Colorado mt goat tag! Every weekend of the summer was either spent in the rocky goat craigs or the hidden alpine ram pockets. What a place to spend the summer! It wasn't all fun and games. Several times I was helplessly stranded above treeline in the midst of lightening, hail, and windstorms that made standing upright and using optics impossible. There were other memories I'll never forget. Like the rainbow that stretched from one end of a mountain peak to the other and monster, velvet-clad muley bucks that would make anyone's eyeballs pop. Then there was the magnificant rams!

It was a thrill spending long, summer afternoons, gazing across canyons at bands of jousting rams. Seems like there was always some sort of jockeying and seniority going on among the rams. Horn displaying, butting, and rubbing were common place among the hierarchy of rams. When 2 bands came together, lookout! I once saw 2 groups of rams converge totalling 41 head. Talk about alot of action! There never was a dull moment. Every trip to sheep country was worth remembering, but by the end of the summer I was ready to get a rifle in my hands and start hunting. The adrenaline was flowing as the 1998 sheep season approached. I arrived in the sheep unit 4 days prior to the hunt to locate the best rams and set up spike camp. There was a nip to the breeze and I could tell fall was quickly approaching. I drove through the lower mountaine portion of the unit and gasped at the sight of golden aspens. My heart started beating as I approached the alpine zone, home to the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. There is nothing quite like hunting monarch rams in spectacular country!

The next 4 days I covered every corner of the unit and spent hours perched on massive rockslides and canyon walls. As days passed I only saw 16 rams. I wondered where the giant bands of rams I'd seen earlier had disappeared. It had been warm and dry the past weeks and I figured they were probably spending more time in the trees. Two days prior to the season I was on my usual 13,000 foot ridgetop perch when I noticed something looked out of place on a knob 2 miles below. When I raised my Zeiss binocs, my eyeballs just about exploded. There was a giant herd of rams huddled in a circle near the bottom of the slope. I was overwhelmed with excitement and knew I was in for a great hunt. My fingers were crossed they'd stay out of sight of the other ram hunters. There were 32 rams in the bunch as I focused "Big Bertha" (my Leica 10X60 spotting scope) on the group. There had to be a couple monster rams in the bunch. They got up to stretch and feed several times over the next couple hours until 4 rams split from the main group and headed in my direction. I immediately recognized the lead ram from several sightings over the summer as the monarch of the mountain! After watching them calmly feed until dark I headed back to the truck to get a good night's sleep. I was welcomed at the road by several other lucky ram license holders. They all asked the same question "where's the rams?" I had a tough time holding back my knowledge, but all my scouting and hiking wasn't going to be wasted. They were bewildered by the disappearing rams...as I squirmed and smiled! Time to cook a quick meal and head to the sack. Sleep came quite easy after the eventful day. My eyes closed dreaming of the magnificant band of 32 rams!

Hold on to your hats, tomorrow is the opener and it was time to get serious! First thing in the morning I headed directly to my ridgeline perch to see what lurked in the valley below. My plan was to view rams early and then set up a spikecamp that would allow easy access to prime sheep hangouts without extending much energy trekking up and down the peak each morning and evening. This would make it easier to start earlier and stay later when rams tend to leave the security of the trees. I located 6 immature rams then headed back to the truck to prepare gear for spikecamp. The majority of the sheep were probably hidden in a remote, lower draw. This would be a great time to sneak and set up camp while they were hidden in the timber. Once back at the truck, I loaded my 21 lb tent and filled a water container before heading to a secluded bench behind my favorite overlook. The wind was howling like usual as I spent 45 minutes looking for a suitable spot to pitch the tent. It was time well spent. Sleep would be of uttermost importance after a long day afield and things could get very dangerous if blizzard conditions existed during the hunt. The load was light as I jogged the 2 miles up the mountain to the truck. It felt great to be in prime shape after spending neraly every weekend of the summer in the thin, alpine air. I must have covered several hundred miles and wore out 2 pair of boots on my treks. Things were looking good for tomorrow!

That evening I met Jim my hunting buddy at the truck. We made final plans, gathered and loaded packs, ate a quick diner, and set off down the mountain to base camp. About halfway to camp we stopped at an overlook and spotted 10 rams grazing on the bench below. Light was fading as we continued over the ridge to spikecamp. Emotions ran high as we prepared gear for opening morning. Needless to say, I didn't get a wink of sleep that night. Memmories from my summer's thrilling experiences kept popping into my mind. I had waited 12 years for this day and it was finally here! All my scouting preparations would now be tested. Jim and I gulped a bowl of cereal, stuffed our daypacks, and headed over the ridge to wait the sunrise. Our plan was to glass from our high vantage until mid morning and if nothing showed head down to the hidden pockets farther down the mountain. As the sun glistened on the far horizan Jim and I spotted several white rumps in the valley below. It was time to put Big Bertha to use. Sure enough, there were 17 rams in the same location we'd seen 10 the previous evening. Just as we started glassing other favorite sheep haunts Jim's voice roused, "there's some more rams!" Talk about an adrenaline rush! It was barely light and we'd already spotted 2 bands of rams. It didn't take long and Bertha had 7 more rams in view. I immediately recognized the lead ram as the largest ram I'd seen on the mountain all summer...the monarch ram!

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