colorado s32 archery sheep tag help
Wild Sheep
Drew my s32 2nd season archery sheep tag, could use any help or info I can get. Went to show this passed weekend ,did some scouting afterward. Would like to scout smart and use my time more efficiently .Anyone willing to help it would be greatly appreciated.
Hunted it twice for a total of about thirty days....feel free to call me if theres anything I can tell you I sure will! The one thing I will say is its certainly doable but like you said you don't want to waste time and rather be on sheep! pm me your number and ill give you a shout if youd like?
One of the biggest things is if you can get someone to hunt with you to help spot and flag you into the Sheep once you spot them. It can and has been done many times without help but with someone helping it makes it a lot easier and more successful.
Have you considered using a guide, that would give you the best chance for success as they know the country and where the Sheep like to hang out or hide out. Even though I was successful on my own if I had it to do over I would probably hire Mark Turner, no one knows that unit better than him and Brandon Powel who guides for him.
Rock, thanks for the tips. I am more of a DIY guy and could not afford the cost of a guide. Although it sure seems like Mark turner gets alot of advertising on this site. The extra help is something that makes alot of sense, both from a spotting perspective as well as guiding to the sheep once found. Always looking for that sweet spot where they may be hiding out year after year. Looks like I will be on my own most of the time ,so I'm trying to get as much help before hand as possible.
Looks like my son, yourself and Longhorn44 will all be chasing rams in s32 second archery. That's 3 out of 5 tags on bow site. Last time I hunted s32, three of the 5 tags were all chasing the same rams opening morning. Again, all bowsiters. Guess we will see you up there.
Believe it or not I did not receive all the same responses to my request for help as did others. So hopefully we will not all be chasing the same handful of sheep opening morning. I did talk to one nice guy with some experience in the unit and he seemed to have a different take on the unit than all the same guys who chimed in , and seemed to be arguing amongst themselves.. I wish you and your son tons of luck and success, and I have alot of scouting and locating to do. For all the expert sheep hunters on here I received almost no other help, besides the one cool guy who gave me his # and was super helpful.
T-bone, just got back from a 3 day scouting trip. A lot of country too hunt. Give me a call and we can go over some stuff. This is my first year hunting sheep, so i am no expert. But it would help to know what the other hunters plan on doing during the season.
There is probably more info on S-32 here on Bowsite than any other sheep unit in CO. I remember finding some excellent threads with specific areas mentioned. Many of those thread owners offered help once I PMed them with specific questions. Have you signed up for the sheep count? I requested Janet George when I helped with the sheep count and spent a wonderful day in the unit with her - I flew out for the sheep count and several days of scouting. Are you a member of CBA, CTAS, PBS? I had members of all three groups help me on my hunt.
I hunted there in 2008, but any information that I could offer would be badly outdated now....But I agree with Rock about the flagging.....
Tbone, how many points did it take to draw? Thanks
Thanks for the responses, I had 7 weighted points so 10 years. I am a member of the CBA and the bighorn society and have not had much luck on that forum .Did speak to some guys at the show in Denver but one was a guide and the other hadn't hunted in years and said it wasn't what it was then. The biologist was not there. Did speak to the game warden later on the phone and he gave me some areas to poke around. Does anyone know when the sheep count is or how to find out? I am not familiar with CTAS, or PBS.
T-Bone- Congrats on the tag!
The count is 7/31. Ben Craft at CPW runs the count he can give you a route or put you on a route with somebody.
Be sure to check the harvest stats page on the CPW site.
If you want a graphic of all the sheep kill sites on a single map get the HuntData map and start checking out those drainages listed.
Best of luck!
Sandbrew
I killed two rams in the unit......1984 and 1999. Talk about dated info! Go scout, understand access and glassing points, private land, no hunting zones along the highway etc. Hunt hard, glass early and late in the day when they are feeding if you can't find them. It is a premium tag, don't give up. Took me 11 days of hard hunting to get me second ram and I had about 13 hunting days into the first ram across two seasons. I used to travel thru the unit to and from work 240 days per year. I scouted diligently all summer and helped others. It is not as easy as many believe to shoot a nice ram with the bow in S32 in August or Sept but bet it is still the best sheep tag for a Bowhunter in Colorado.
Best of luck to you!
T-bone, I didn't mean to sound negative. As Kurt said, it is a great tag. Even though I did not harvest a ram in 2012, it was one of the toughest/best hunts I have been on. Good luck and I am sure we will see each other up there. My little boy is 6'8" and hard to miss.
Congratulations on drawing the tag! It is a hunt to be cherished. I hunted it in 08 for a ram and 09 for a ewe. Shoot me a pm and I will share what I know. Things have changed since then but the sheep seem to be in the same general area year to year. By second season they become timber hounds. Makes them a lot harder to kill.
To this day, it remains one of my favorite bowhunting memories....I spent time with some great Bowsiters that offered to glass and flag for me (Rock, Mathewsshooter, Cotrapper, Loesshillsarcher)......and we saw quite a few animals.
I've hunted the unit 3 times. First time was on my ram hunt, the next two were with my wife on her ram hunt (didn't kill) and then on her ewe hunt.
Brandon (Mathewsshooter) showed me around some of the glassing areas early on, and I've done the same for several lucky tag holders since. But, for me at least, this was an important hunt. I spent every spare day during the summer, boots on the ground in the unit. I drove every two-track I could find and legally access. I hiked every drainage I could. Usually hiking up one to above treeline, looking for sheep, sign, and possible bedding areas while working up to the next drainage and scouting back down that one. By the time the season started, I was pretty familiar with the unit and in shape for the hunt.
The bowhunters who kill sheep either spend the time required to learn the unit while getting in shape, hire a guide, or just get lucky. There's nothing wrong with asking for help and advice, but NOTHING will replace hard work and time in the unit. Sheep movements can vary from year to year, and that's the only way to get up to date info.
Good luck on your hunt and make the most of it. Every year guys waste their tags by not being prepared for that hunt.
I'm like Jake, it is also one of my most memorable hunts- dad and I hunted it for rams 5 times between us.
We started on S32 after our Ram hunt together in S12, it seems that 12 and 32 have flip flopped...
After 7 ram hunts between us we now just apply for Desert tags now.
I'm looking at this hunt as my once in a lifetime colorado archery ram hunt, and when I'm done with it i will have given everything i have into it. I have been asking , driving, shooting, scouting ,glassing and working out harder than I already do normally which is often. I am on google , looking over my maps and talking to everyone and anyone who can lead me to smarter scouting. Fitness and drive to succeed is not a problem, where to spend my precious time off looking is of the utmost importance. I appreciate any positive advice and all info is certainly welcome. Never was expecting to be told stand behind this tree and all will be good. Doesn't work in any other bow hunts that I do and I wouldn't do it if it did. So thanks to anyone willing to help . Have had trouble seeing and finding the sheep so far , not for lack of trying. Have hiked to the tops of the highest peaks, glassed suggested bowls and ridges and drainages, glassed till my eyes are bleary . Drive down after work sleep in my truck and spend the day and drive back when I can. All sorts of elk not so many sheep. I will keep at it and hunt harder than anyone , guaranteed. when it's done I will know I did everything I could and be cool with it.
t-bone, I wasn't questioning your commitment. Just that I've seen several hunters that just aren't prepared for that hunt, or are unwilling to do what it takes. And old info is old info.
This photo was taken early on my wife's first hunt in S32. They were 90 yards below us. We were in what I thought was (and turned out to be) a perfect set-up for them eventually feeding right up to us. After they disappeared in the trees to the left of the photo, we waited for about 30 minutes. When they didn't show up, we went looking for them. When we got to where they were bedded, we looked up and they were feeding right in front of our original set up where the photo was taken. We had been on a low cliff, with good cover and the avalanche chute wasn't more than 35 yards across. This area is now very difficult to access legally.
PM me if you want and I'll give you my phone # if you want to talk.
Brandon,
Details, man...details.....unless you are sworn to secrecy.
I own the picture but I dont feel right about posting with out permision
Looks like a very nice looking ram heavy 3/4+ curl 9-10 years old.
SaaaWeeet!!
Congrats man.
Good luck, Robb
Pictures or it didn't happen!
32 is archery only right now.
Just received a text and cell phone pic from fellow Nebraskan Mike Lutt with a very nice looking ram killed recently in this unit. Congrats to ya Mike.
Yeah, saw two photos of two 32 sheep. One is a real pretty ram.
Yeah, saw two photos of two 32 sheep. One is a real pretty ram.
Mike Lutt hunted with Mark Turner. Missed a nice ram on second day at 36 yards....then killed one on the 8th day ......at 36 yards.....go figure!!
If I GET THE OK Ill post both
This is a pic of my S32 Ram. Mark Turner and Brandon get a lot of hype on this site because they now how to get it done. But they will tell you the hunters has to do the rest and it is still in the hands of the guy with the bow. I spent the money and booked with Mark because I was 12 hours from the unit and had already planned other hunts before I knew I was a lucky holder of a S32 tag.Money well spent!!!
How far was Mark from you, when you killed your ram.....a mile or two?
The smile says it all....
Massive Congratulations! That's a beautiful ram! Would really enjoy a quick rundown of how it all went.
Damn Nice!!
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
the first ram out of 32 this yr turner guide service 10 yr old
Nesser We looked for rams low and high and only found them high. I was close on about half the days and we were able to pattern a few rams and I made a blind and waited from them to feed up to me for a 36 yard shot.
Congrats those are some super rams!
Awesome, congratulations to both. Nice work Brandon! That's 3 out of 32 first season. If anyones gonna get it done next week its t bone....he's a great bowhunter and good friend.
there is a 4th ram coming
Looking forward to the picture....(small hint).
Jeez....we need to start a s32 meatpole thread. Outstanding!
I just saw the Picture....another dandy.
Mark is having one hell of a season. He killed a Grizzly bear with his longbow about 3-4 weeks ago in Alaska....and now the sheep are falling.
Congrats on the nice rams!
Awesome, looks like the sheep are getting better again!
Great job on the nice rams guys. Looking 100% better for kills than last year. Awesome motivation for the next season which is coming up fast. Great photos to get pumped up. Congrats on some tough hunting trophys.
Congrats hunters! Hope to get there some day!
