California Bighorn sheep?

[Falcon]

Slider,

AWESOME SHOT !

I am in the same camp that prefers the sheep tag over any other species ! I lose sleep thinking of drawing that stinkin tag.

I would have no problem with a Cali tag. The odds for the Rocky are tough, and if I want to draw before I am dead, I guess I will go with the odds.

[bobcat]

Can someone please tell me why in the hell a moose tag is more sought after than a bighorn.  To me, a bighorn represents the ultimate in game species and the greatest North American big game animal there is, in the world for that matter.  It still blows me away that 12,000 can put in for 26 moose tags and only half of that for sheep.

They're bigger.  More meat?     I'd take a moose tag over a sheep tag any day. For this year I see it was 21,000 people applying for the moose, and 14,000 for the sheep. So the sheep tags are still pretty well "sought after."  I think one big reason for it too is that many of the people applying for moose are older hunters that maybe don't apply for sheep as they feel it would be too physically challenging. Probably even younger hunters too, who don't want to work that hard, and figure a moose from the road is easy where as sheep may not be.

[huntnphool]

Found a few this weekend myself

[teal101]

Very cool shots

[270Shooter]

Thats not steep.

[Bob33]

I think there are more applicants for moose than sheep because there are more moose tags than sheep tags: 118 moose tags (does not include the 20 Master Hunter tags), and 40 sheep tags.

As for moose being easier to hunt than sheep, that's probably true...until you get a moose on the ground. "Oh my gosh - I just shot a horse!"  

[furbearer365]

Good point bob33, at least if you kill a sheep the average hunter would be able to do something with it by his or herself.  I know a guy who had the opportunity of a lifetime in Alaska.  He got a call from his nephew (also his hunting partner) one day and his nephew asked him if he would like to go to Alaska to tag along on a moose hunt that his roomate was going on.  Of course he jumped at the chance and tagged along.  When he got up there, he found out that the roomates parents owned an outfitting business and were residents.  The opening day of the hunt they came up on a bull that measured 50 inches and the kid did not want to shoot it because he said 60 or nothing.  The kids father (outfitter) asked they guy i know if he would like to shoot his first moose because he had an unfilled tag in his pocket and offered to let him fill it on that moose.     To make a long story short, he said absolutely and KABOOM.  He told me that even with 5 guys and a 8 wheeler it still took them two days to get it out.  The boy never found a 60 incher.  Some people have all the luck.  By the way, since the tag was given to him, all he took home was the cape and horns.  He told the outfitter to donate the meat.

[boneaddict]

More folks in the woods for moose too, and often are screwing with your set-up.  I think sheep might be a little less crowded with only a couple permits per area.

[golden bb]

I'm not sure why, but I'm just trowing this out there. In the 70s weren't there 900  goat permit available. And it wasn't much to get one. Most of those that got tags didn't think much of it. Some thought well its just a goat. I think that when sheep herds were brought back, those hunter that didn't think much of the goats didn't think much of the sheep. But the moose wasn't in the same class as goat or sheep. Maybe? Me tho Ill take any OIL tag.

[Slider]

Phool, why didn't you get up on that ledge and get us some close ups?  ...........................

[Pathfinder101]

Phool, why didn't you get up on that ledge and get us some close ups?  ...........................

 

[huntnphool]

That rock is way beyond me, you need someone like Ray for that job.

[WAcoueshunter]

To me, a "trophy" depends on the time/place/population.  You can catch 50 lb. kings all day on the Kenai, but wouldn't a 50 lb. king in the Sound be considered more of a "trophy"?  I'd put a 50 lb. Sound fish on the wall, but I wouldn't think too much about a 50 lb. Kenai fish.  I'd be damn stoked if I shot a 170 buck here in WA, but not so much on the Strip.  You get my point...a 170 Cali ram is every bit the trophy of a 190+ Rocky.  Just because B&C can't differentiate between the two doesn't reduce the trophy quality.  

Hopefully the sheep gods see this post.  

[Slider]

Yea and a 180 Cali is the same as a 205 Rocky!!! 

[WAcoueshunter]

Yea and a 180 Cali is the same as a 205 Rocky!!! 

Maybe better.  Seems there are a lot more pics of 205 Rockies than 180 Calis!