Twilli - Autumn Pulse has given you excellent information. One thing to realize is you didn't really draw a tag in an unlimited area. You purchased a tag along with a whole bunch of other folks many of whom know the area well and are probably scouting it now. This is beautiful country. I have been in parts of it a number of times. But if I were you I would press your outfitter for more information. There are only two rams allowed in area 500. Once two are killed all hunting stops. Area 501 allows three rams. Good luck, and if you are not in the best shape of your life when you get on the plane you will be that many steps behind the guys who are already training on the actual landscape.

My good friend Mike went there last year. He saw and turned down a barely legal ram, and someone else shot it and the hunt ended... he is a 2-hour-straight stairstepper fitness fanatic, and he said the area almost killed him... still he said the lure of a sheep tag was unfightable, and he will go back...



Maybe if you are set up, hiked up, and have one in the crosshairs on opening morning... more like a race than a hunt... not for me.



I agree with your cautionary statement... maybe better to pay full fiddle in BC or NWT, for a true fair chase sheep hunt, as opposed to a fair chase bighorn race.



Jameister

No Bighorns in NWT--BC and Alberta.

How do they hunters in the mountains know when the 2 rams have been killed, and the season is over?

I think they are supposed to either listen to the radio or call into the Fish & Game office every so often. In any event, it is the responsibility of the hunter to figure out when quotas have been met, and the area is closed down. I think there used to be something like a day's respite before you had to stop hunting.
- mike

jameister - I understand what you are saying, but if I was going to invest that much money to come to Montana to hunt in an unlimited area I would want solid assurances from the outfitter that I wasn't throwing my money at the wind. I know local guys who have scored in these unlimited areas but it is like the Oklahoma land rush -- only straight uphill!

Good luck Twilli, I'm sure you'll have yourself a great time. Make sure you let us know how it turned out in the end.
- mike

The area I will be hunting allots for 3 rams. You have 24 hours to report your kill and the Fish and Game has 24 hours to close the season, so theoretically more than 3 rams can be killed. The hunt is not a bank breaker around $6000 with a kill fee and the outfitter states he has around a 60-70% sucess rate. Game plan is to get into the area a day or two before the season starts and find some rams and camp out with them. Like the guys said I don't have 15-20 years to wait to draw a tag or 15-20,000 for a tag.