Let's Play a Game! "Age that sheep!"

[Karl Blanchard]

Been digging my way to the bottom of Google images looking at all the rams that I can. In Alaska a ram has to be 8 years old, double broomed, or full curl. To be full curl they have to pass one of three criteria; stick test, circle test, or angle test.

Here is the literature Alaska puts out on sheep legality.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/web/nocache/regulations/wildliferegulations/pdfs/ramid.pdf40DE94393E65D0DED624DFBBEE751547/ramid.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiyg9qTpJf5AhWpJ0QIHScgCW8QFnoECAsQBg&usg=AOvVaw13QjjGMszf2QWZh0ATibyD

Another good resource and probably the quickest and most efficient way of field aging rams is the crown method .

https://agingsheep.com/#first

[Karl Blanchard]

Let's start it off easy.  Based on Alaskas legal definitions of a legal ram post if you would shoot or pass and why. Feel free to elaborate as much as you'd like.

[MtnMuley]

10.5

[time2hunt]

8.5


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[emac]

9.5 or 10.5 the rings off the head are tough to judge for me sometimes.  I am sure mtnmuley is correct.

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[Dan-o]

I'd have to shoot that one.

I sent you a field judging guide.
Use it and you will be fine.

[Timberstalker]

9.5 or 10.5 the rings off the head are tough to judge for me sometimes.  I am sure mtnmuley is correct.

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This.  I get lost on the rings closest to the hairline sometimes.

[Limhangerslayer]

Shoot first and ask questions later Karl,  Alaska is really lenient!  Especially on non residents!😂

But I agree that he’s probably 10.5 maybe 9.5
But you’re looking at a perfect world right there.  That’s a great shot of a ram.  Jess definitely legal.

[X-Force]

8.5

Maybe someday.

[fishngamereaper]

To accurately answer I'm going to have revisit this after I do a 1k gain per mile hike while watching for bears, slightly cold fingers and mildly dehydrated...

Sitting in my hammock with a cocktail isn't quite creating the environmental factors necessary to cloud my judgement.

[Benny]

Probably passes the angle test
Probably is not full curl
Probably is 9 or 10 but I’ve seen real annuli turn false pretty fast. I’m not shooting on age or at that angle. Gotta study him more at different angles.

[fishngamereaper]

On a more helpful note .
He's legal as far as I can tell from the angle.
Looks 9.5 conservatively.
Looks full to me at that angle.

[Jpmiller]

I can only get 8 rings but being color blind probably doesn't help that. I think full curl, from that angle but not positive on that front either. I'd need a lot of time watching them in the field before I'd feel comfortable. That's the one time I feel like having a guide would be great, just to be with someone who looks at alot of sheep and doesn't need the time I do. I'd still go DIY if I could though.

[Okanagan]

10.5

Ditto.

The rings get closer and closer together with less length growth to the horn each year as the ram ages, and it gets harder to distinguish the annual rings.  The last three rings on this ram are pretty close together, but look distinguishable to me with armchair time.   

[KNOPHISH]

Definitely 8 so shooter but I think he’s 9. What’s the real age?