Who has taken the most archery rams?
Wild Sheep
I've got a buddy that has been on 12 sheep hunts and has taken 10 rams now - as of yesterday (all with his bow). 1 Dall, 2 Deserts, 4 Rockies, 1 California, and 2 Stones.
I've got to imagine there aren't too many other people walking the planet that have shot more. Anyone know of someone with higher numbers?
I'm just hoping that once in my lifetime I'm lucky enough to draw a sheep license once, so that I can go hunt them. I can't imagine that there are going to be many people able to go on 12 sheep hunts.
Yeah - I think Tom has 12 North American archery sheep.
http://www.wildsheep.org/conservation/ovis_award_2008-hoff.html
I think Tom has more than that. I was reading in the latest issue of Bowhunter about how he just finished up his fourth archery grand slam. So there's at least 16 North American sheep right there. If I had to guess he's probably got a couple other NA sheep sprinkled in. He's taken quite a few on the world stage as well.
Either Hoffman or Foss. At somepoint, Mr. Foss will have the most.
In the "Big Game Issue" of Bowhunter magazine is a great story written by Tom Miranda about Tom Hoffman. He current has 4 Grand Slams on sheep + the Capra Slam.
In the same issue is a great article written by Rob Nye about "Mr. Blood Trail 41"- Pat Lefemine and his monster buck.
Good edition of Bowhunter Magazine.
Mad Trapper X 2. I would guess that Tom Hoffman might have more species of sheep, but Tom Foss might have more archery sheep kills.....
Money money money is all it amounts to. (And I'm not hating)
"Money money money is all it amounts to." WRONG
Yes, you need money to hunt sheep on a regular basis, but sheep hunting is hard. Just because you have money and go on a sheep hunt does not make you a sheep hunter. You gotta do it. You gotta go on the trips, you gotta climb the mountains, you gotta not only MAKE the shot, you have to get the shot. Walk in the boots of a sheep hunter and you will soon see it takes more than money.
Anyone that consistently kills sheep with a bow not only has some cash, but is a GREAT hunter as well. They have mental toughness that is unrivaled. They are in great physical condition. Saying that "money is all it amounts to" is a complete misnomer. Now, if you were to say, "it takes a ton of money to kill 16 sheep", most would agree, but to say "money is all it amounts to" is a complete uneducated, embarrassing statement to make towards a sheep hunter.
Tom did not get serious about archery hunting until his late 40's so it's an amazing feat for a very generous, humble and kind man!
I think when Tom was here hunting a few years ago he said he had killed 4 grand slams and was heading out again. Great guy, humble and caring.
What impresses me the most is not who has killed the most sheep, but the size of the rams they have killed. The late Paul Schafer of Montana was one of the first bowhunters to complete a sheep slam. All four of his rams were absolute monsters. A much greater accomplishment than guys who shoot little, immature rams just to fill a tag or to complete a slam IMO.
Spot on, Kota. I've never been on a sheep hunt but I've been on guided hunts in some pretty rough country for other animals. Anyone that thinks it just takes money is wrong. There's no such thing as easy sheep country. Factor in all of the other challenges that come along with carrying a stick-and-string and you realize having money is only gets you in the game and guarantees you nothing. In the Bowhunter article it talked about how Tom Hoffman went on eight straight unsuccessful sheep bowhunts. At this point, this was a guy who had taken a few sheep and knew what it meant to be successful in the mountains and, in particular, on a sheep hunt and he came home empty-handed eight times in a row. Money doesn't guarantee you're in shape. Money doesn't get you up the mountain. Money doesn't get the weather to cooperate. Money doesn't make the shot when it's presented to you.
I am sure that one of the ancient peoples took dozens of them if not hundreds as food. some dude wearing an animal skin with a self made bow and stone point.
Yup, Shoshone were known as the sheepeaters. I am sure a native from hundreds of years ago holds a record that will never be broken.
It may not be just a case of money, money, money as Elkman says, but he does have a point. While it is a great accomplishment to have killed 10 sheep with your bow, having the means to buy, or luck to draw so many tags would be the more difficult part for most accomplished bow-hunters. I would think that killing a sheep, with a bow, by yourself, no guides nor sheep experts along to "help", in one of Montana's unlimited sheep districts would be a bigger challenge. I wonder how many people have did that? I'm curious if any of the bowsite people have?
Mike Ukrainetz has killed at least 4 Canmore archery Bighorns by himself. Where there's a will there's away. Got to have the will first and last!
this is a little off Point but I think every serious archery sheep hunter needs to add free range aoudad to the " list" of what a North American sheep slam is. Ask anyone who has hunted them in west texas or SE new mexico about how wary and tough to get with a bow they are.And for those who think they can't or dont want to spend the bucks required to hunt the other NA sheep 2K will get access to some (if you knock on some doors) good property, and 3-5K a guided hunt where you will see a lot of good rams in west texas. It took me many years of trying to get my first ram with a bow. and I two nice free range archery aoudads now,spot and stalk. Hope to get a few more. I have been lucky enough to have drawn two bighorn tags and while I did not draw a string,on those colo hunts many years ago. it lit the sheep fire and I have keep it glowing hunting aoudads here in west texas
I know hands down which family has taken the most archery sheep...... =D
A good many of Mr' Foss's sheep were DIY hunts where he's not required to hire a guide. He's too modest to say how many he himself has taken, I couldn't get it out of him, he'd rather talk about his boy's hunts. But pretty sure he's north of 3 slams. When you're up that high on the ladder it's easy to have stones thrown at you because at that level it looks like everything you say or do can be taken as bragging. Only brag I've heard out of him is about his family..... =D
Seems both these guys are class acts.
I had dinner with Rex Baker last night, although all his sheep were taken with a rifle his total is quit impressive!! 84!!!
84 is a "nice" number...Wholly S%$T. That is something to "shoot for" Tim...
84?! Holy Cow!!! I've seen some of his pictures, I think some of them are featured in Robert Andersons books.
Does Renee Snider have more total rams? She's killed a pile of 'em too!
"FossPack" most likely. Not sold individually.....
It takes more than money is true. But it also takes money. Most of us will be pretty lucky to draw 1-5 tags in a lifetime (I've drawn 2 ram 1 ewe) Residence of Canada can but sheep but not all. Alaska the same, but no desert sheep there. That means you have to buy the tag/hunt. To those who can afford it awesome !!! I can't.
I've DIY my hunts and have them on the wall including a P&Y ram. I'm willing to bet there are more hunters who have the skill and drive (ability) to consistently fill sheep tags then there are hunters who can buy a hunt or two every year. And yes I totally agree....many of those that can afford the hunt don't have what it takes to fill them.
To those that can both afford the hunts and have the skills.....congratulations and go get them!! I will hope that maybe I can have one more tag before I check out. If not so be it. My two rams 14 years ago cost me under $4000 for EVERYTHING. ??
I'm sure Noska is getting up there in Sheep numbers as well! 10 and counting!!
I'm 100% sure I'm tied for last with with most guys here at exactly zero. I have been on zero sheep hunts and have drawn exactly zero tags to date.
This is a pretty cool link to scroll down to see some cool looking Grand Slammers. Several bowhunters too !!
Most of the archery grand slammers as well as superslammers are self made. Nobody gave them the money to be able to do these hunts. No, they had the drive, will power and were willing to make the necessary sacrifices to earn a living that enables them to do these hunts. Very few have had the money or hunts given to them. That is part of what makes these guys so special. All you need to do is spend five minutes with them and you will quickly understand what I am talking about. Very easy to discount their accomplishments by saying that it takes money.
Ive was fortunate enough to have been invited to Dr. Jack Frost's here in Anchorage where the first GS with a bow hangs. Im not sure how many other sheep he has taken, but I did see several other heads including blue/bharal, Marco Polo, other NA sheep, etc.
It must take more than just money.
I can hunt Stones, Rocky's or California's every year for an $80 (today's price) tag and I've only killed two sheep. My hunting partner has three archery Stone's. And he's about as dedicated a hunter as they come.
So many more things come into play than "just money".
Blacktail Bob's photo of Roy Roth in his latest post on his grizzly bear reminded me of what Roy told me.......he'd taken 10 Dall Rams and 10 Brown Bear with his bow in his 20 years of hunting in Alaska! Heck of a record for a DIYer and great bowhunter! Bob, if the numbers are wrong, feel free to correct me as it was June, 2015 when we had the conversation while cooking bacon in a tent on a brown bear hunt!
Kota Man and Mad Trapper X 2!
Tom Hoffman has taken the most with the bow at I believe 26.
Tom Foss is not far behind and I believe needs another two of the "right" species in order to tie Tom at number of Slams.
Mark
How did this thread get so long without mention of Archie Nesbitt? That dude is a killing machine, just like Tom Hoffman.
There are bound to be guys in Alaska that are in double digits with archery tackle.
I think the numbers for Roy are correct. Of course, he was trying to add the 11th Ram when he had the accident. One thing about Roy's Rams is that, on most of them, there were no airplanes involved. It’s a totally different thing to fly around days on end to find a Ram, land and kill it the next day. Roy walked in on almost all his hunts and scouted while he was hunting.
I was thinking I've lost two very close bowhunting friends now. One was to a heart attack, natural cause of death, the other to an accident. Then I thought, for Roy, falling 700 feet off a cliff while sheep hunting, was a natural death.
I'm pretty sure Tom Foss has at least 13 archery rams.
Money-money-money (is saying something) Quite possibly the drive and determination it takes to make the fortune it takes to do that many sheep hunts is the same drive and determination that makes these guys so good at taking mountain sheep.
I agree writer. I've never been totally sure if wealthy guys hunt sheep or if sheep hunters get wealthy? Maybe it's a little bit of both? There is just something really special about a guy that will pay to suffer.
Number one I have a wife and family...number two I don't have the xtra cash to spend on sheep hunt...number three, even if I did wife and family would probably not want me spending it on a sheep hunt. Unless of course I hit the big powerball...but I didn't
You gotta admire the guys who are so ate-up with archery sheep hunting that they find a way to keep hunting rams again and again. In most cases I believe this is only done through sacrifice and tenacious dedication to the goal. They want it badly enough, so they find a way. None of the sheep-slayers mentioned above won the powerball lottery, or stumbled across a giant box of cash in an old barn. I'm told there are some people who can make things happen, others who watch things happen, and some who wonder what happened. If you're going to hunt sheep multiple times, it's pretty clear which type you'll need to be.
writer,
"Quite possibly the drive and determination it takes to make the fortune it takes to do that many sheep hunts is the same drive and determination that makes these guys so good at taking mountain sheep."
That's a very interesting thought and one I believe has some merit.
I've gotten to know a lot of very successful sheep hunters over the years and with a few exceptions, almost all are very successful in their business lives as well.
To be good at both (and to afford both) requires several special and unique traits that highly successful business people share with highly successful sheep hunters..
It would make for a great PhD study, I would think.
He who has a Pot full of MONEY!
Bobbin hood,
Which is the result of having tremendous passions, making sometimes insane commitments, taking risks and "wanting to go where no man has ever gone before."
In the words of an outfitter "Not everyone is cut out to be a sheep hunter". And the statement which I am truncating was about those that had paid their money to hunt a Stone or Dall in the Yukon or NWT and were already on the hunt! Some returned home without really hunting as the the terrain or physical demands were too tough for them. In that case it took more than the money spent on the hunt.
I have been fortunate enough to take 3 sheep - all with a rifle. Yes, it takes money (my Stone sheep hunt was before they got crazy expensive, I drew an AZ desert tag, and I just returned from a Yukon Dall hunt).
As a rifle hunter for sheep, let me say this: I have the utmost admiration and respect for anyone who takes a ram with archery equipment. That feat cannot be bought. Period. It takes committment and skill the likes of which are possessed by very few. I can hardly wrap my mind around taking sheep in the numbers being mentioned here with a bow.
Wow! That's all I can say.
It is funny how stereotypically to kill sheep it only takes money. I am not sure why people can't admit that they may not be cut out for hunting sheep even with unlimited funds. Heck...some people aren't cut out for treestanding whitetails even.
I have only been on one sheep hunt, an archery Colorado bighorn hunt, which unfortunately I was unsuccessful for. As someone who was an all league athlete throughout my life and into college, and currently in phenomenal shape, I can honestly say that that hunt was hands down the hardest thing I have physically done in my life. I have never quit anything in my life and there was on occasion when I sat down on the mountain and questioned my sanity and with a ram was worth putting myself through the hunt. That said, I cant wait to do it again. For guys like Mr. Foss or Mr. Hoffman to have not only hunted but killed double digit rams with their bows is an insane and almost unimaginable task. I can not think of anything harder out there to do. My hats off to these amazing hunters and gentleman.
Kota and TXhunter - AGREE!! Been on 1 sheep hunt (not the last), and it is mental and physical strength (perhaps more mental) and ability to shoot, at an unexplainable level, to kill sheep....... not money.
Ron Kopsick(sp) has killled a pile of dall sheep
Why is it unforgivable to mention that money is one of if not the most important limiting factor for sheep hunts. Yes they are tough hunts, physically and mentally. No not any old rich person can do it. But a guy can be tough as nails and never be financially well off enough to ever go unless he hits the lotto and draws a tag. I don't get why so many guys get hammered for bringing that up. I'm not one to knock it either, just silly to act like money isn't an important factor.
The reason is that it is almost always brought up with the implication (if not outright statement) that money is all it takes/sheep can be bought. Which is a put-down on those who do what it takes to kill a ram. Also, such comments almost always contain a tinge of envy/jealousy.
Money can't buy a ram.
It's Brawn Kopsack and he is another super tuff guy like Roy.
Yep that is whom I was thinking of
Bob has me thinking some guys fly around, find them and then kill them. I know it's no slam dunk, but that would seem to take away from the hunt.......maybe not though????
"Money can't buy a ram." Now we know that is not true. I do not want undermine any super sheep hunters accomplishments but in our praise of their accomplishments we need to understand all that it takes to kill a ram. Number one they are not hard to kill but they are extremely hard to get to. To kill one with a bow is in an of itself an amazing accomplishment. To do this repeatedly speaks volumes on several levels. Mental and physical toughness, commitment, extreme terrain, extreme cost, and the overall time that it through out the process is overwhelming. Now their is difference in guided and unguided, walkin, fly in, or other modes of travel. As for spotting a sheep from the air and hunting it a day later is much like a picture of a whitetail on a trail camera. I absolutely agree that the naysayers are driven attributes that would be totally uncharacteristic of the type of men that excel at sheep hunting. Go on a backpack sheep hunt and you will quickly find out the character of your companion. I recently had a friend go on sheep hunt for the first with fellow bowsiter. His words not mine were were "it makes the Best Ranger Competition look like a boy scout event. He should know since he competed five times if my memory serves me correctly and finished as high as second place. In ultra running events he said that it normally takes about 30 miles to get warmed up. Now are all sheep hunts that tough, probably not but if you go you will probably be tested beyond measure. I have killed a couple dall sheep with a rifle neither would have fallen to a bow in the particular situation associated with both. Probably the best thing that the unknowing, naive, and inexperienced should when judging the best of the best at sheep or any other type of hunting is to realize that you have no clue of what it takes to have your name to even be considered.
writer, interesting thought on success.
When people ask me what's my favorite trophy, the sheep always get the nod. I've had some really cool hunts along the way like Scotland, Canada, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. However, with sheep, the physical aspects make it special, as not everyone can do it. You can buy a trophy room in Africa and come across as a big hunter in some circles. For those of us really in the know, sheep never come easy.
Any guy can get lucky and stumble into a big whitetail and brag about it for years. If someone ever wants to get into a Richard measuring contest, sheep are the ultimate trump card in my book.
I think most that run their mouths about "all it takes is money" with regard to sheep hunters or for that matter "super slammers" have VERY LITTLE experience hunting sheep. If you have done any of it, you know there is NOTHING easy about killing a sheep with a bow, or a rifle for that matter. I've got a Stone with a rifle and spent a month trying for a Bighorn with my bow. If a guy is in the financial position to hunt sheep every year, he is blessed. That he CHOOSES to hunt sheep every year I am very impressed because he could hunt any easy species in any country but he chooses challenge over comfort.
I don't know who has the most archery rams; what does it matter? Every one of them is impressive...I'm even proud of my attempt. Congratulations to every single one of you that has an archery ram. But you know what? Not many will read that; they are all working hard to make money to get to the mountain, training hard to excel on the mountain, or are right now on the mountain!
I am impressed by anyone who has killed a sheep with a bow--especially a thin-horn on a backpack hunt. You want to find out how much of a bad ass you are? Go on a backpack sheep hunt for a thin-horn sheep up north. You will quickly find out what it takes.
As far as money, it doesn't take a rich person to hunt sheep. Just someone that makes it a priority. I know several people--myself included--that made it a priority and made sacrifices along the way to make a sheep hunt a reality.
I never talked about "what it takes" to be a sheep hunter before trying it, and I still don't think I have much of a right to do so after one round on the mountain. But it is a hell of a lot more experience than most people who comment on the subject
It takes a special person to be successful on multiple sheep hunts but it also takes funds to be able to attempt the feat. I think that is what most are saying when they say it takes money. My best friend grew up with Tommy Hoffman and I have met him several times. He is a great hunter but would not have been successful if it wasn't for his financial success. It takes both to tango in the sheep world. Just the way it is.
In regards to the cost of sheep hunting, if you live in Alaska, BC, Yukon Territory, NWT or MT (maybe Alberta?) you can hunt sheep every year. You also have a reasonable chance to draw a tag as a resident bowhunter in CO, depending on the archery unit you apply for (and again, probably in Alberta and MT draw units). I know bowhunters with several DIY rams that live in some of these states/provinces as mentioned in above posts that haven't spent a fortune to hunt their home range sheep.
I don't know any bowhunters with a DIY sheep slam, but I've been lucky to live in the right places to arrow a couple of Bighorns, a Desert Bighorn and a Stone ram unguided. The cost was minimal but the sweat equity was large and paid in full over 15 hunts.
I did complete an archery sheep slam with a Dall arrowed two weeks ago in the Mackenzie Mts, NWT with Canol Outfitters. Not DIY and significant $$$$, but still a tough challenging hunt in some of the finest sheep country in North America.
I'm still trying to draw an LEH BC Dall tag for a DIY hunt......but the odds are about 8% for drawing.........and I might run out of legs and knees before I draw a tag! We have an annual harvest of two or three Dalls in BC (all methods), and only one was ever recorded in P&Y (per the 2011 record book) and as far as I know, the only bow killed Dall in BC. Guess we could move to Alaska, NWT or the Yukon, but we like the weather and our place down here.
That's great perspective Kurt!
Congrats on getting your Stone and Dall in the past 12 months to complete your FNAWS!!
Mark
Thanks Mark.....maybe we'll meet at the sheep show? Kurt
If you want to find Mark at Sheep Show, you will have to find the "secret" bar. He will be the one with Bacardi and three limes
I think jack brittingham has killed a pile of sheep. He was said in a podcast he was working on his 5 th or 6th grand slam. I'm not sure how many with a bow.
Kurt, You'll know it's me as I will have most likely be sitting (and swapping tales of whoa) with a Cali bow killing machine that answers to "Ishi."
Look forward to it Kurt!
Mark
I've killed 29. All PY+, DIY, stick bow.
He he he :) Just a joke.
Amazing to see what some folks have done - massively challenging animals from all reports!
That's Mr. Ishi to you, Mark!
