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I think all 3 of these rams are 160 or above. What do you think the range of scores is?
Congrats a great hunt. This one’s from the Liards.
5 rams in one trip, Charlie! You must be loaded!
Big enough! but yes all above 160". Not experienced enough to tell you by how much.
Nick: That was back in 2005. Much cheaper then.
151"
151"
Do you have frontal pics don? Are these dall?
I’m *assuming* that Don was just posting that pic to get an idea of score for his Montana tag - but I might be wrong?
The color of the horns in Don's photo look like desert bighorns with the slightly reddish tint? Looks like they just came out of velvet....just kidding of course.
All three rams look decent....160" to 165"??? But hard to tell off one photo. They seem to have decent mass (14" to 15"???) and length (low to mid 30's???). Not giants though, and don't drop super low. Good rams I'd shoot in second with my bow
Try to get photos of rams taken in your area with their score, including lengths and base diameters. Some areas have huge bases and big bodied sheep...usually the low country, river breaks with a lot of minerals, etc. High country rams that spend most of their life around or above treeline, even winter there typically are smaller in the body and horns than the their low, easy life relatives.
Good luck on your hunt!
Don cares a lot about what an animal scores.
WoW! What a bow hunt Charlie------>
That pic is hard to judge as it is looking down and seems to be sideways posted.
Mass looks good on two of them, length, hard to tell from that view, the 1/4 scores/measurements look decent on them.
I would be more in the150's if field judging.
Fun guessing though,
Robb
Mass is the highest proportion of horned game score. It helps to know how big the bases are or the rest of the measurements are pretty moot. 1" lighter or heavier mass measurements = 8 point difference in a score. Also, having heavy mass all the way to the tips also helps a bunch.
If you happen to know the general mature ram base measurements from rams in a particular unit or area it will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect. Here in Colo the genetics are so different from one unit to the next that an 8 to 10 year old ram will score totally different depending upon where you are.
Doesn't answer your question but it really helps to know the base measurements.
I recognize the background in Charlie's picture as I was there and killed my Ram in 1983.
I took this guy a couple weeks ago where Charlie was able to take his picture. The smoke from the wildfires was so bad that you couldn't see across the river!
Dang nice Rams!
I've been referencing this P&Y score sheet of sheep for Desert Rams as I scout and take pix in the field.
I've been on/involved in quite a few Rocky Ram hunts but not so much on Desert Rams.
This score sheet really helps me.
file:///E:/Users/Owner/Videos/2022_PYSF_IA_SHEEP.pdf
I hope,
Robb
No more pics or info. Nick I have 1 deer scored in my lifetime nothing else. I have about a dozen animals that would score P&Y but never scored. The one deer I got my dad also took his first trophy buck the same year so I paid to get them both entered and got mine scored. Never before or after. I have had 2 bison tags, both were cow. I also drew a CO ewe tag.
Yes it is for my MT sheep tag. The local expert, who is VERY knowledgeable has been very helpful and has been very very adimate I hold out for a 160. I am happy with any mature ram but he has been very very helpful and I feel obligated to do my best to follow his expert advice. I will be happy with any ram even a half curl 130.
No idea anything else about those sheep just found the pics and IMO the were 160 plus so it was the perfect pic to see if I was right.
It’s really tough to tell from a picture with nothing to reference against. It’s much easier when there’s a group together to compare rams. Sometimes a 150” ram by himself will look like a 170” ram when he’s got perfect characteristics.
Check out the link. It’s for desert bighorns but there’s no difference in the scoring method. There’s a PDF Jay Scott released years back but I can’t figure out how to attach that. My advice, when you see a ram you like get after it and don’t even think about the score.
I do understand that, also rams can have significantly different measurements for a full curl so it is tough, so I am just trying to ballpark it. I will be THRILLED with a 150 ram so if I am off that is ok. I have never seen a MT sheep but I have seen them in many other states and it seems to me that MT rams have longer measurements for a full curl ram. WY rams look a lot tighter. That said this is just my guessing after seeing 1 live ram that got scored in my life.
Here is a California bighorn from BC that I took last fall. Scores 173 5/8. Good luck in MT.
Wondering if there’s any good indicators that would provide a base to get a ballpark first mass measurement. Eye measurement like a pronghorn maybe?
That is a huge Cali bighorn!
Moose, great bighorn....burn area ram???
Kurt, you hit the nail on the head. That ram lived in a big burn, but oddly has the darkest horns by far among all the rams he was with.
Great link Tiltbow, Thanks
What a dandy Cali!!
Congrats,
Robb
I do not think I have ever seen sheep horns even remotely close to that dark, not even in pics. Nice ram and cool trophy!
When watching the band of rams, he was easy to identify as the “one with the dark horns”.
Saw several of those Black Rams at the BC Wildlife Records banquette this spring. Looks like they are painted! Very cool ram MQQSE and great score.
