Yesterday (July 23rd 2003) I was driving from my home here in Dillon, Montana to Missoula, Montana. A distance of 174 miles each way. We have been in the midst of record heat for going on two weeks now. I left home at 0530 hours and at 0822 hours I found myself at mile marker 137 on Interstate 90 about 32 miles east of Missoula. Exactly at that mile marker is a narrow valley with a large hot spring that comes out of the ground forming a beautiful grotto and pool of clear bluish water! I always slow down and gaze upon it as I pass by. Well yesterday what do I see but a monster Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ram just coming down from the foothills and walking directly at the highway! I slowed the VarmintMobile down and then decided to make a full stop and view the Ram! He was awesome! One horn his right was beyond full curl and very thick at the end! It went past his right eye by several inches! His left horn was obviously broken or very heavily broomed as it went just past 3/4 curl. It was huge at its end also. The Ram was by himself and was at the base of steep foothills that had burned two years ago in a forest fire. Lots of thick grass on these hills now. The Ram was double plump and appeared the picture of health!
The amazing part was this huge bodied Ram began drinking from a cool water spring not 150 feet from me and the longest freeway in the world (I-90)! I watched and became more and more amazed at his drinking. I timed him and he drank for 6 minutes straight! He looked up at me 3 times for about 15 seconds each time. Other than that he was slurping water down continuously! I became worried about my parking on the roadside (even in the light traffic) and decided to move off. The Ram was still drinking when I left! My outside temperature gauge showed 81 degrees and that was early in the morning! When I returned past that spot on my way home late that afternoon the temperature was 102 degrees! I looked on all the ridges above the spring for the Ram or any others but none were seen!
If anyone is driving on I-90 in Montana the morning drinking spot for this sensational Ram was on the north side of I-90 150 feet east of mile marker 137! There is a green patch of clover with water seeping from it at this spot and that is where the Ram drank. Not at the huge pool 150 yards west of the mile marker! I hope someone else who is more familiar with Trophy Sheep than I am and can more accurately portray this animals trophy stature. I have seen hundreds of Big Horn Rams but this one was probably the biggest and heaviest both horn and body wise!
Like a fool I let my fears of security keep me from taking my Nikon camera along on this busy long day trip to Missoula. No pictures but my Nikon is safe! Gees!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

[ 07-24-2003, 21:21: Message edited by: VarmintGuy ]

I have to be in Missoula for a coouple days coming up and I will drive out that way for a look. Even if nothing is there it sounds like a beautiful spot and I will have a camera!

Doug

Dwhunter: I am so happy you will be getting by this secret spot! You will see several "NO PARKING" signs in front of the large bluish pool! But on the west end of the no parking signs is a pull out that is legal for parking! The high school and college kids come here year around (mostly on weekends and evenings) to swim in the warm pool and dive down and back under the rocks where there is a hidden grotto for necking in! Anyway parking is permitted there but you will be 275 yards west of the small green cool water spring but it looks like an easy level walk back to both the hot water/grotto pool and the cool water spring. I left the Ram there drinking at 0830 hours Mountain time and I am not sure if he comes down in the evening! You will see that due to the steepness and the freeway that this is his only watering spot in this area. The main creek is on the south side of the freeway and he would have to jump fences and dodge cars to get to the creek! I hope you get to see him and I hope you enjoy your time in Montana!
Good luck
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

[ 07-24-2003, 22:11: Message edited by: VarmintGuy ]

On the fourth of July in 1986, Four of us had parked our scooters right next to the tourist sign on top of the Beartooth pass, coming out of the North-East Yellowstone Park entrance when we noticed a herd of six bighorn rams standing watching us from about 100 yards. Nothing really spectacular for horns but it amazed us that they just stood there as four Harleys rode up and didn't seem to care that we stopped near them. While we were there it started snowing so we had to beat feet down the mountain.

Nice sheep, VarmintGuy! Indeed, there are bunches of them the full length of the Sapphires (east side of the Bitterroot) from I-90 all the way south to Chief Joseph.

I've often just stopped while a herd surrounds my truck, crossing the road. In fact, I shoot at a range in East Missoo whose backstop is home to a large herd. More'n once I've had to shoo them off the range before I could shoot. Had to throw snowballs at them last winter!

And to think, I wasted so much of my life living elsewhere.

Cheers!

Redial

Redial: Amen to that wasted time living elsewhere! This is the start of our 6th year here in Montana and amazing things keep happening to me so often that it sometimes seems surreal! Like some time back I and a friend were climbing Mt. Washburn in Yellowstone National Park. I had reached the ridge just a ways from the summit when I spot a herd of Bighorn Sheep ewes and young rams. I had my Nikon out this time though and took some photos of them from 100 yards away. I had worked up quite a sweat and was cooling down drinking water and eating an apple sitting on a rock. When all of a sudden an old ewe ran right over to me and began licking my face and neck! Obviously the smell of salt in my sweat had attracted her and I tried to make her eat the apple core and she did niblle on it a bit. But she was into licking me! I got a close up of her nibbling on the apple! Yeah its always something else amazing happening around here sighting Cougar, Wolves, being chased by rutting Bull Moose, watching Elk gather harems or Mule Deer fighting in December! Always something to keep you interested.
I would have looked you up yesterday but I had a double full agenda and had to go down to Corvallis to drop off a scope. Highway 93 was and still is (as of noon today) closed due to smoke between Wisdom and Darby! I had to backtrack in the heat!
Be careful with the snowballs you might knock one of those Rams unconcious! LOL! They have the hardest heads in all of nature I am sure!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Hey Varmintguy-sorry I missed you at the show-was home doing leg rehab for 8 hours that day.

That spot you're are talking about is a enat spot-I've lived in Msla for a couple of years in the mid 80's been there for a late night drink a time or two--grins.......

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

This is a much more interesting post than most.. I like to hear stories like this instead of will a 270 or a 280 work better or some bs like that.

Several years ago when I lived in Bozeman I was coming back down off a mountain above Hell Roaring creek south west of Bozeman from a day looking for a moose. It was dark and there wast mostly a full moon with clear sky and plenty of snow thankfully to light my way. I was working down a ridgeback towards the Gallatin when I found myself in a clearing amongst a herd of bighorns. Don't know if there were any rams but it sure was neat to have them grazing around and me just passing through. I think I was more startled than them because they didn't move off and I was thinking what if they wanted to stomp me? I guess my desire to expire in the hills of Montana would have come true!

Dale