Help me draw a sheep tag....

[fatjake]

Totally new to the sheep game, Im a 27 year old Missouri resident and have hopes and dreams of one day shooting a sheep.

Not real particular on species/sub species but ideally would love to take a bighorn or desert bighorn in the lower 48.

What are the best chances of drawing before im to old to hunt anymore?

Thanks in advance

 

[SteveO]

Totally new to the sheep game, Im a 27 year old Missouri resident and have hopes and dreams of one day shooting a sheep.

Not real particular on species/sub species but ideally would love to take a bighorn or desert bighorn in the lower 48.

What are the best chances of drawing before im to old to hunt anymore?

Thanks in advance

As a 48 year old Midwesterner who is 25 years into trying to draw sheep tags, and if your handle does not describe your physical condition but your Harley preference, I would pick a Montana unlimited unit and hunt it until you take a ram. I've drawn an archery ram tag in Colorado and killed a Fannin in the Yukon. If I was starting over I would be in MT every year and be saving money to hunt Dall and Stone in Canada, and just be putting in for Desert Bighorn tags and raffles.

 

[WRO]

Oregon and Idaho have no PP so I would start with those and also apply for Nevada as its a bonus point state and not a PP state.

 

[blackdog]

You can also pursue one of Montana's unlimited tags. Extremely low success rates but you're sheep hunting. Might make sense to do some research to narrow down an area and go explore it one fall and see if you want to drop the money the next year.

Outside of that, I believe ID has the best odds of drawing a tag. Best odds are in some brutally rugged areas though so be aware of that.

 

[wyosteve]

If I read the MT. regs. correctly, a non-res. sheep tag in the unlimited area costs $1250. In 2015 there were 12 non-res. who hunted a total of 81 days with no sheep being taken. Seems to me the $1250 would be better spent buying preference points so some day you'd be pretty much guaranteed of drawing a tag. In Wyo. some areas have better drawing odds for non-residents than residents because of the point system and number of applicants.

 

[HARPERC]

My plan is hit the powerball first-then just buy a governors tag. Then again I'm 61 and still counting.

Not completely true, but it has elements of the truth.

 

[MTGunner]

Your chances to draw a non res tag are as good as any one else's. Essentially very little chance as most of us are attempting same and I/we have some bonus points. I do not want to discourage you but it is what it is. Tags for each are difficult to come by. You could hunt AK or Mexico for mucho $$$$$$. Albeit most of us do not have deep pockets. Have you considered a DIY aoudad hung in New Mexico? This is a doable, fairly affordable hunt and does no require an outfitter on public land.
My suggestion is to apply to as many lower 48 states that offer tags each year. You may get lucky and draw. Otherwise I would look at AK, Mexico, BC, Yukon and etc. Good luck! MTG

 

[KurtB]

I'll preface this by saying, I don't play powerball lotto. I live in CO and have drawn and killed a ram with archery tackle. I have been trying for 10 years since to draw again with no success. Our herd here is on the decline and odds go down every year.

If you want to kill a sheep, work overtime, invest wisely, don't waste money on things like new trucks, and in 7-10 years, buy a dall sheep hunt. If you want it, you'll figure it out. If you start applying in 10 states and paying all the annual fees, my guess is you will never draw a tag if you want to honestly look at the statistics.

 

[gillettehunter]

Like was mentioned you might want to do an Aoudad hunt in TX. Around $3-$4K all in for that. A Dall sheep in AK or Canada seems to run around $18-$24K. Watch for cancelleation hunts and you can get close to $15K occasionally. Stone and Desert Bighorn start around $35K and can be up to $70K for the Desert Bighorn. Some can afford those hunts, but unfortunately not me. As mentioned Id and Or have no PP systems. Some Id units have draw odds as low as about 22:1 some yrs. That means you have a very good chance of drawing sometime in the next 25 yrs......
The other option is to look at some of the raffles held at some of the shows like the wild sheep foundation show. The outdoor show in SLC always has some tags. You just have to look at the odds. Save some $$ and watch for a cancellation hunt is likely the best advice I can give you. Bruce

 

[duckaholic]

So who has 13k up front to apply in all the states? yikes ps if you do get me a job there too!

 

[Bigdog425]

So who has 13k up front to apply in all the states? yikes ps if you do get me a job there too!

Yes broad application for PPs is more about cash flow than cash. Save your pennies and create an account that you draw from and (mostly) replenish when apps are over. Don't forget about auctions such as the $5 tag apps at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo and Full Curl Society. I drew a Rocky on a $5 app and was called as a backup for a Stone when the first selected hunter could not go last minute. Homework and consistency do pay off in the end. Best of luck.

 

[Bigdog425]

PS: if you have kids think about applying for points when they turn 11-12 which is when most states allow them to apply for big game tags. By the time my son is 27 (age of original poster) he will have 15 points in multiple states for most game. I will "gift" him points until he has a job. Up to him to continue the applications and get a job with vacation and money to pay for the hunts in the future.

 

[perkinswp]

I live in Butte Mt if I where you I would do the unlimited areas but you need to be on the ball as when the quota is close the season ends in 48 hours I have friends that have been successful on diy hunts if you want a guide the only one I would trust is Jack Acheson . some of the others are not so credible.any more questions get ahold of [email protected] I will give you my number and you can ask any questions . Dan

 

[perkinswp]

It's [email protected]