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Thanks!

Great ram! It's a shame you gave up on the bow.

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I took an AZ desert ram this past December and am using Dean Haun from MT for my full body mount. I don't have it back yet but I know Dean does great work.

Congrats on an awesome double with your brother! Helluva feat!

"I bow hunted hard for a big horn last season and I packed my bow in this season with my sights set on an archery big horn."

Just seemed odd to me that someone who had his "sights set on an archery ram" so easily changed his mind when an opportunity presented itself.

There have been many other threads with this same theme, and it sort of comes down to what is more important; coming home with an animal, or the bowhunting experience. For many, it's coming home with an animal, which is fine, but don't paint it like you were really on a bowhunt. Because if you have your sights "set" on an archery ram, you don't pick up a gun.

Herdmanager- You're point is understandable but please don't derail this thread with negativity. You could always start your own thread if you would like to debate the topic of bringing a bow and shooting one with rifle. Just remember that this topic has been beat to death here on bowsite.

Iceman, Alberta

You took a great ram! Nice job.

Canmore Bighorn, mounted by Jim Kelly of Ringoes NJ. Click link for thread on the mounting process and more photos (lots more).

It matters how an animal is taken. To all of us. It's the reason this site exists. Pretend it was legal for me to shoot a ram out of a helicopter with a turret-mounted machine gun. Would you view that animal (and my hunting skills) the same as someone who killed one with a bow? I think not. It matters. It's the reason we on this site voluntarily handicap ourselves with a bow and arrow (some even more so with trad. equipment).

This thread is an interesting study in psychology. I'm not in the field, but I pay attention to behavior. The OP says he wants to see other hunters' full body mounts, but he really doesn't. He wants to show the sheep he killed, and he wants to show it to the hunters he respects the most - bow hunters. And he wants their approval, even though he killed it with a rifle (why do they never put the rifle in the pictures?). I Googled "full body sheep mounts", and there were thousands of images available. If the OP just wanted to see full body mounts, then there are endless images online.

It's an amazing animal, but people who say they don't care what weapon was used are not being 100% honest. It matters. You would not say the same thing about my helicopter machine-gun kill. I actually saw a show on TV where they hunted tahr out of a helicopter. They didn't shoot them from the helicopter, but landed it and then shot the tahr. It was not really hunting.

I'm just pointing out that there are different degrees of difficulty when hunting, and it does matter how an animal is taken.

Congrats on your sheep something I will never have the chance to hunt. How old was he? Any side by side pics with you and your brother itch the double?

Is there a will Steve?

You have no idea of Dan's persistence over the years to kill a mature ram with his bow. Nor, do you have any idea of the fortitude it takes to backpack nineteen hours into the wilderness to get to your hunting area, much less the 38 hours of packing 124lbs to get back out. Nothing in your hunting career has ever matched the degree of difficulty that these two brothers put into their rams and to act like his achievement is somehow diminished because he chose to capitalize on a once in a lifetime opportunity with a rifle, is petty beyond description. Character is not defined by the weapon of choice regardless what some might think. You sir, have certainly defined your character on this thread.

One thing I did was a google search for sheep taxidermy. If you click on "report imagines" there are pile of photos that come up on the screen. If you click on individual imagines it takes you to other taxidermy websites with even more sheep imagines...nothing like a little detective work to find gobs of sheep mount photos!

With that said, I am really hedging towards a downhill pose. I'm not sure if it's possible but rather than having a ram's body mounted side=ways on a wall I would like to figure out how to have it mounted so it comes directly out of the wall. I'm not sure if regular wall 2 x 4 framing can hold up that kind of weight and what type of re-enforcement would need to be in the base but it may be just a dream?

Since this was a hunt with your brother, you might consider mounting the two rams together. Maybe an offset rock pile with them both going uphill or even a standing and downhill pose like Busta's ram above (that pose and body position is like perfect! Awesome taxidermy there!) Not sure if I have seen a set up like that, but get with a really good taxidermist and spend some time figuring out what you guys want.

Here's a study in human behavior...

I know personally and am good friends with many men who have killed sheep with a bow. Many with stickbows. I've hunted Bighorns with my recurve; I spent a month trying in Colorado on my own and was so, so close to killing my ram. It's still and will always be my favorite hunt, the one I will remember until I take my last breath. Not one of these men (or women!) have ever said one negative word about someone killing a sheep with a rifle. A friend and stickbow super slammer gave me genuine and heartfelt congratulations with a very big smile when we shared camp in the Yukon when I took my Stone. I'm pretty sure he wasn't faking...

Taking a sheep is a tremendous accomplishment whatever the weapon. If you haven't done it, you probably shouldn't comment on it.

I don't have pictures of my ram and my brothers together whole as they were shot 500 yards apart in crazy steep country but I'll post some of the heads together. Thanks again!

Razza's Taxidermy Studio Bowsite Sponsor

OP - congrats on a super animal. There are a lot of nice mounts on this tread to give you plenty of ideas - good luck with whatever you choose!

Congrats

Good luck, Robb

Mark

The mount turned out great. Best of luck getting one with a bow it you go again. Like you, I packed two weapons on my sheep hunt. One was a .300 and one was a .257! I was coming home with a ram.