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Author Topic: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!  (Read 10524 times)

Offline MuleDeerCrazy

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Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« on: December 14, 2010, 10:20:52 AM »
Couldn't get the picture to post, but maybe somebody can copy it from the Spokesman-Review page?

December 12, 2010
Bighorn raffle tag winner scores big on a team effort

Rich Landers
The Spokesman-Review

 

Tags: big-game hunting bighorn sheep hunting Jerry Barron outdoors



Jerry Barron of Spokane bagged this trophy bighorn ram on Hall Mountain near Sullivan Lake on Dec. 2. The hunt was made possible after he won a rare bighorn ram permit in a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife tag raffle.

At 68 years old, Jerry Barron is, in his words, “too damned old to be climbing up mountains in the cold and snow.”

But he rose to the occasion this fall after winning Washington’s raffle tag for a once-in-a-lifetime bighorn sheep hunt.

“When you’re lucky enough to get this tag, you have to devote yourself to it, and you have to look for a big one,” he said.

Thousands of applicants in drawings or raffles competed for just 40 bighorn ram tags issued in the state this year. But even the scouting was a daunting task for Barron, since his coveted permit gave him access to most of the state’s bighorn herds.

He focused on the Grande Ronde in southeastern corner of the state and the Hall Mountain area 300 miles away in the northeastern corner. Both areas are known to produce world-class rams.

“I looked at a lot of rams down on the Grande Ronde and saw some good ones,” he said. Indeed, a potential state-record ram in the 198-point class was bagged there this fall.

But Barron kept looking, and looking.

“When the weather got really cold around Thanksgiving, I got to thinking that maybe I had been a little too patient,” he said.

But on Dec. 1 he got a tip from a friend who’d been moose hunting near Sullivan Lake. He’d spotted a few big rams on the steep west face of Hall Mountain.

“Nobody had seen those sheep there until then,” said Barron, who quickly gathered two other 60-something friends – Steve Kline and Steve Stenson – plus his 40-something son, Kevin, and went to work.

From a couple of miles across the valley the next day, they used spotting scopes at maximum power and eventually spotted two rams, both of record-book quality.

They persuaded Forest Service officials to unlock the gate to the Sullivan Lake boat ramp, chained all four wheels on the pickup, shoveled through snow drifts, launched the boat and motored a couple of miles down the lake.

By this time it was well after noon and they still had a half mile to climb up the steep hillside in the snow.

“We glassed and found the rams 500 yards ahead,” he said. “We figured we could get to a tree undetected for a possible 300-yard shot, but when we got there, the brush and everything was a whole lot different than we thought, so we kept going farther and farther, closer and closer.

“Finally, Kevin spotted a ram – it was just 30 yards away. I could see his horns moving as he ate, but I couldn’t see enough of him to shoot.”

So Barron drummed up one more helping of patience to wait out the ram, which eventually stepped into a clearing.

Game over, almost.

“It was dark by the time we were dragging the ram down to the boat in the twinkle of our headlamps,” he said.

The ram’s full Boone and Crockett score is likely to be around 196, which is under the Washington state-record ram (198 2-8) taken in Asotin County in 1989.

But the bighorn appears to have a distinction. “It’s a whopper,” Barron said. “The bases on the horns might be the biggest ever recorded, although we won’t be sure until after the 60-day drying period.

“I might as well fess up to it: I’m still higher than a kite,” he said a week after the hunt.

“It’s amazing to think about it – without the tip from a friend, or the help from the Forest Service, or if we’d have left the snow shovel or the chains at home, or if we didn’t have the boat – any missing detail would have screwed up the hunt entirely.”

Patience and the mettle to climb a steep, snowy slope factored into the equation, too.

Get more news and information at Spokesman.com
 

 
« Last Edit: December 14, 2010, 10:26:45 AM by jackelope »

Offline h20hunter

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2010, 10:26:44 AM »
Great story with some feel good extras. Can't wait to see pics.

Offline jackelope

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2010, 10:27:32 AM »
Great ram and story.

I added the pic to your post.
:fire.:

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Offline Widgeondeke

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2010, 10:29:38 AM »
Thanks Jackelope. I was just about to say can't wait to see the pic.
Great story. Great ram too.

Offline h20hunter

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2010, 10:31:01 AM »
Those bases look about the same size as his head!

Offline MuleDeerCrazy

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2010, 10:33:17 AM »
Thanks Jackelope, thought it would paste in with the story.

Offline jackelope

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2010, 10:35:48 AM »
There's a full sized pic here.
http://www.spokesman.com/photos/2010/dec/12/120095/

Scalped from the other site.
Quote
Bases:  18 x 18 1/8
1st qtr  17 3/8 x 17 4/8
2nd qtr  14 7/8 x 14 6/8
3rd qtr  9 7/8 x 10
 
 
38 1/8 x 37 7/8
 
196 4/8 gross and 196 net

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Offline lewy

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2010, 10:36:33 AM »
good for him! may I ever be so lucky :)
Go hawks

Offline Lowedog

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2010, 10:52:51 AM »
Awesome ram!  Great story too!
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Offline high country

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2010, 10:58:33 AM »
I have watched those rams before. there used to be a chit load beforethey outlawed hound hunts. congrats to big jerry. I do wish they would have beenless specific about the locale and that there is another winner up there.

Offline 400out

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #10 on: December 14, 2010, 11:05:26 AM »
Thats a super deal  :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL: Glad he connected
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Offline agchawk

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2010, 11:16:27 AM »
AWESOME STORY!!! CONGRATS to the man for bucking up, being patient, and taking such a monster ram!

Offline Lightning_Rider

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #12 on: December 14, 2010, 11:20:45 AM »
That is so cool, congrats!

Offline boneaddict

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2010, 11:43:32 AM »
I thought you couldn't hunt unless there was a general tag for the area.   I didn't realize that.   or maybe there is a general tag now...... :dunno:

Cool story.

Offline NWBREW

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #14 on: December 14, 2010, 11:59:27 AM »
I thought you couldn't hunt unless there was a general tag for the area.   I didn't realize that.   or maybe there is a general tag now...... :dunno:

Cool story.



I thought the same thing but hell I'm not sure. N.E. corner ram.....damn nice one to boot. Congrats to the lucky hunter.

I assume that is a Rocky and not a Calif.  :dunno:
Just one more day

Offline Cougeyes

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #15 on: December 14, 2010, 12:07:04 PM »
Areas have to have at least two permits given out for the general permit year for CA bighorns, but in GMUs 113,181,186 they're open for the raffle tag for rocky mountain bighorn.  Which i'm guessing is where he got this one (unit 113).

Offline boneaddict

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #16 on: December 14, 2010, 12:08:35 PM »
THat makes sense.  THanks cougeyes.

Offline NWBREW

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #17 on: December 14, 2010, 12:11:49 PM »
I would love to hunt Rocky's up in the corner.....but  :'( ....I'm not that lucky.
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Offline Hornseeker

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #18 on: December 14, 2010, 12:12:17 PM »
BeaUUUUtiful Ram! Wow!    :rockin:


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Offline videoman

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #19 on: December 14, 2010, 06:55:03 PM »
When my dad spotted him while we were moose hunting we didn't figure he had 18" base.

Offline 10heiau

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #20 on: December 14, 2010, 07:13:07 PM »

“I looked at a lot of rams down on the Grande Ronde and saw some good ones,” he said. Indeed, a potential state-record ram in the 198-point class was bagged there this fall.

Has anyone heard anything about this 198 Grande Ronde ram?

Offline ser300wsm

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #21 on: December 14, 2010, 07:21:45 PM »
That is one damn nice ram, love the size of those bases, wow.... Congrats ...   :brew:

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #22 on: December 14, 2010, 10:17:57 PM »
Awesome Ram.  18 inch bases and 10 inch D-4's are insane mass measurements.  Congrats to the hunter.
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Offline jackelope

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #23 on: December 15, 2010, 09:19:56 AM »

“I looked at a lot of rams down on the Grande Ronde and saw some good ones,” he said. Indeed, a potential state-record ram in the 198-point class was bagged there this fall.

Has anyone heard anything about this 198 Grande Ronde ram?

It was in Asotin.
:fire.:

" In today's instant gratification society, more and more pressure revolves around success and the measurement of one's prowess as a hunter by inches on a score chart or field photos produced on social media. Don't fall into the trap. Hunting is-and always will be- about the hunt, the adventure, the views, and time spent with close friends and family. " Ryan Hatfield

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Offline Cougeyes

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #24 on: December 15, 2010, 10:02:34 AM »
There's a picture of it on here somewhere i remember seeing it. Think it was a cell phone pic

Offline jackelope

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #25 on: December 15, 2010, 10:33:27 AM »
This one.
:fire.:

" In today's instant gratification society, more and more pressure revolves around success and the measurement of one's prowess as a hunter by inches on a score chart or field photos produced on social media. Don't fall into the trap. Hunting is-and always will be- about the hunt, the adventure, the views, and time spent with close friends and family. " Ryan Hatfield

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Offline GoldTip

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #26 on: December 15, 2010, 10:38:11 AM »
Wow, helluva a ram for that old boy, that's just nothing short of awesome for sure.
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Offline steen

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #27 on: December 17, 2010, 03:54:25 PM »
Nice ram! H20Hunter really put it in perspective when they said the bases are as big as his head!

Offline carpsniperg2

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #28 on: December 17, 2010, 03:59:38 PM »
Great looking ram :drool:  :IBCOOL:
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Offline jackelope

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #29 on: December 17, 2010, 04:07:15 PM »
Awesome Ram.  18 inch bases and 10 inch D-4's are insane mass measurements.  Congrats to the hunter.

There's no rams in the books with 18" bases.
 :yike:
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Offline 400out

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Re: Great WA Raffle Ram - Good for Him!
« Reply #30 on: December 17, 2010, 04:34:27 PM »
I would kill to put my hands on 18 inch bases  :drool:
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