Ladies and Gentleman,

I recently was informed that after 19 years of putting in the draw for for desert sheep I hit the jackpot. If I take a ram this will complete my grand slam so obviously I'm quite excited.
I'm considering hiring an outfitter and probably will and have been contacted by some very good ones. However, I also plan to educate myself to the fullest as if I were going to hunt on my own as I have always tried to know as much as I can about an area by talking to biologists, studying maps and if possible talking to experienced hunters that have been there in this exact area in past. My area is 283 and 284 which is north of LV. I know it is a large, fairly tough area and does not have lots of big sheep. Is there anyone out there in this area that knows much about this area that is willing to share some info with a fellow sheep hunter?

[ 06-24-2003, 22:32: Message edited by: Keith Atcheson ]

I can't answer your questions, but I will give congrats! I'm a resident and I can't get lucky enough to draw!

Keith, congratulations, patience and perseverance has finally paid off!

Holly and I hope you get a monster ram to complete your Grand Slam!

Kill a big one!!!
Good luck

Congratulations Keith! A super guy that owns and runs Mustang outfitters is a good sheep guide. He is located at Round Mountain NV. He has great success and is a good down to earth person. His name is Jim Stahl.

Keith I sent you a private message.

Whoah! That's awesome! You probabaly have endless sheep resources to contact, but I have a good friend that would be worth a call, Bryan Martin. You may already know him through Jack Jr.

Bryan has been on a few desert sheep hunts down there I believe. He's the only sheep/goat expert that I know. bkmartin@telus.net

Good luck to you and I can't wait to see some photos. What kind of draw odds did you overcome to get that?!?!?

Greenhor. What kind of draw odds did you overcome to get that?!?!? n "

Powerball odds

He had to give his first born and sleep 2 nights with Hillary Klinton for the tag!!!!!!

[ 06-27-2003, 19:04: Message edited by: rws2 ]

Keith,

That is awesome, congratulations.

Maybe you know a good booking agent who can help you?

We all look forward to the pictures, as usual. The gravity in the mountains seems to be a little to much for this Bwana, so I will live my Sheep dreams vicariously through you.

My wife threatened to buy me a Sheep tag so I would go on a diet. I agreed, then she backed out. At least she backed out before I started the diet!

Good luck.

Keith Atcheson

Congratulations to the tag. I will hold my fingers crossed for you.

Now, I have read alot about sheeps and wonder what is included in a grandslam on sheeps.
I read in book that the Danish trophy hunter Rudolf Sand has completed several grand slam on sheeps.

If you got a stack on money that you can live without I suggest that you ask the company that has the iconos satelite to take a sweep over the area, you would be able to spot the sheep's too with the focus range the satelite got

/ JOHAN

JOHAN--The North American Grand Slam that Mr. Atchison is talking about consists of 1) Dall Sheep; 2) Stone Sheep; 3) Rocky Mtn. Bighorn Sheep; and 4) Desert Bighorn Sheep. The Desert sheep is the toughest to get because one either has to draw one of very few tags in the US or go to Mexico at a cost of US$60,000 or more. Mr. Sand whom you referred to (he recently died) had the above slam and several larger World sheep (Ovis) and goat (Capra) slams from throughout the world, mostly Asia, with a few from Europe. The World slams are significantly larger in number, harder to get, and quite pricey to accomplish. Mr. Sand had several species that are no longer available, plus others that are extremely difficult to acquire. He was one of, if not the, premier sheep and goat hunters of the world.

Mark and Holly: Thanks for your good luck wishes!

JeffP: Ditto

Kudu 56: Thanks for the tip on Jim Stahl. I appreciate it very much. I have not recieved the private message yet but look forward to it!

GreenHorn: I agree Bryan Martin is a great guy and hunter. He guided some deer and antelope hunters for me a few years back and he is an exceptional hunter. He would be a great asset to any hunt.

I don't know exactly how to determine the odds just yet but I think they are pretty astronomical. I've put in for 19 years and in the last ten I've bought a bonus point every year to supposedly increase my odds. Cost has been around $110 each time. You buy a hunting license, which is basically a donation to the wildlife dept. and wing it. One statistical piece of info I saw last year indicated it really doesn't increase your odds by that much but now I'm not so sure. I don't feel bad about having spent it though! There was only one non-resident tag issued in my area. I think three residents.

RWS2: There have been times when giving up my first born would have been appealing (teenagers ) but sleeping with Killary Hlinton, now that is low...............

Wendell: Icould not beleive the e-mail when I recieved it last week from Nevada F&G. I had to read it twice and get someone to confirm what I was reading before I blew my wad
The excitement of this keeps building and two nights ago after work I walked up to my wife and said "road trip". We are driving down there soon to have a look.

Johan: great idea about the satellite but my area is very close to Nellis Air Force Base and I'll bet they would get a little nervous if I was spying on them. Maybe I should contact Dr. Evil

Arts: Thanks for detailing the intracacies of the worldwide sheep hunting catagories. It is an incredible accomplishment to obtain a world slam and maybe someday I'll aspire for it but first my North American slam and hitting the powerball lottery would be a great boost toward the other goals. It really is a pity that sheep hunting is so expensive.

Best to all!

Keith,
just kidding about ole Hillery,good luck and best wishes.

Arts,
Is there any books by Mr.Sands about his hunts?

Congrats Keith on the oppurtunity of a lifetime.

Since this is a reloading related website, have you given any thought to what firearms/load you plan on using? Some of us sheep hunter wannabes would like to know!

Good luck in Nevada!

Keith you need to log on then click on "my profile" under the post a reply. It is just some more info on Jim. Hey do you need a gun bearer?

[ 06-28-2003, 03:36: Message edited by: kudu56 ]

Keith, I'll mention to Bryan you're hunt next time I speak to him. He left me an excited message today saying he drew British Colombia's premier rocky mtn bighorn permit at about 1:100 odds. I'm hoping to listen to some good sheep hunting stories anyhow, since I can't seem to draw a permit like that. Good luck on that hunt. I bet you are very excited!

Arts
I hope that the trophy collection of Rudolf Sand becomes a museum, it would be great. to accomplish a sheep sheep grand slam for Russia you have to start now because there are quite a few speices that is included. Iran has also som very nice sheeps

Keith, if iconos can prowl over Area 51 and take pictures I don't think there would be any trouble for you getting a satelite image. I guess there already is a few shoots over the area. Some institutes and university's have quite good image banks. I'm not sure how friendly NIMA are to such requests

[ 06-28-2003, 14:49: Message edited by: JOHAN ]

Sharps-Shooter: I have several rifles that would work but I'm leaning toward a win. model 70 featherweight that belongs to my 18 year old son.
It's chambered in 30-06 and I'll probably use 150 - 165 grain bullets in the remington swift a- frame combo or just some nosler partions. I am not much of a reloader and this rifle in particular is one of those rifles that shoots incredible groups no matter what you put down the barrel. We used this rifle on the last two sheep kills I've been on (my dall ram in AK in 2000 and my sons Montana ram last fall) so lots of sentimental value there. It is also light weight and seems to hold it's zero.

Greenhorn: That is awesome about Bryan drawing in BC for Bighorn. You just know he will take a great ram!

[ 06-29-2003, 17:54: Message edited by: Keith Atcheson ]

Jim Stahl is an excellent guide. But he usually guides in central, not southern Nevada. Make sure whoever you use is familar with the area.
You must attend the orientation meeting for desert sheep hunters. You will need a spotting scope of at least 15X. It must be carried while hunting.
Get in shape. Desert sheep areas are not easy to walk, and many won't accomindate horses.
No special rifle or loads are necessary for desert sheep. A really big one might weigh 130-140 lbs.
Congratulations ! E

As a long time resident of LV and a hunter who has been trying for 30+ years to get a sheep tag, with no luck, I'll ask around to a bunch of my buddies who have bagged sheep and see if anyone knows the area. Heck, I might even drive out and see what the area looks like. I'll even take some pictures.

Oh, by the way, Congrats!

[ 07-14-2003, 06:58: Message edited by: hacksawtom ]

hacksawtom,

I just returned from a road trip to the area and learned a great deal. Unfortunetely it was so hot I wasn't able to do as much as I'd to have done. I knew that going in though. Saw some sheep including a decent ram. It is a massive area but there are certain areas that are more apt to produce. Thanks for any input you might have and I hope you hit the draw one of these years. After 30 years it should be atomatic !

Keith: Congratulations on the Sheep tag! And best wishes on the enjoyment and success of your up coming venture! Enjoy to the max!
Good for you!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

rws2--I don't know if the late Mr. Sand had any books out or not. Sorry. If he does, they ought to be good. Several animals that he got, like the several different Markor, the Goral, and others aren't even available now, and likely never will be again, sadly.

"Those were the days"

That's the title of Rudolf Sand's book.
Funny thing: Safari Press will*pay* you $115 if you have one of the limited edition, author-signed specimens.

Frans

I posted this subject back in June when I found out about being successful in drawing this tag. Now that I have an opportunity to update after a very long fall hunting/guiding season that started months ago I can finally share a great moment in my hunting career with fellow sheep hunters.

I've had to work hard for every ram and this one was no exception. That is what makes this one so sweet. After three trips to Nevada, in July Nov. and Dec., (two seperate hunts) days of scouting, 10 days of hard hunting, climbing, traversing, clawing,crawling, descending etc......over what appears to be about 100 miles on the map, I finally connected on a good ram just a few days before the season ending. This ram completes my Grand Slam which I started on 27 years ago. It took 18 years to draw the tag in Nevada. To those of you who play the drawing game I say keep trying, buy the bonus points and don't miss a year. It is well worth the wait.

Physically it is so good for you as well. This tag prompted me to get in the best condition I've been in in years. I believe that more sheep are in trouble in the future. Time to set some new goals and save more money. I'll post some pictures soon.

Congratulations! I have had the honor to be with two gentlemen in Sonora when they completed their grand slam and the emotions were overwhelming. One of the men was in his 70's and killed a 178" ram. It was one of my my memorable moments in the field.
That being said, I have a small idea of what it was you went through and I can imagine the feelings you had completing your slam. Congratulations and I cant wait to see the pictures.

Drummond

Congratz Keith -I can't wait to see the pics...

Drummond I too have had the privaledge of being with a couple of fellas that have filled their slams in Sonora. Those were some days.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dogz

Congratulations Keith; according to your timeline, I have 14 more years to go before I draw my Nevada Desert tag...

FWIW- I've also heard/read good things about Jim Stahl of Mustang Outfitters,

Good luck to you,
Craig Nolan