At 71 years young, Tim draws his Sheep Tag.

Tim with his Ram

We often hear about the frustrations of never drawing a Bighorn Sheep permit in Montana. Unfortunately, there are some who never get to experience it. Many wonder why they continue to apply, as some have been doing so for 30-40+ years without seeing the successful marker next to their name. Tim, who had been applying for longer than I have been alive, finally drew a Bighorn Sheep permit in the Little Rockies at the age of 71.

Tim reached out to me shortly after the draw results came out when he started doing his homework on his sheep permit.  Tim wanted to make the most of his tag and scout the area in the summer.  We decided to make a trip of it and meet up later that summer. He brought his wife, Carol, with him, and I brought my wife and kids for the trip.

When we met up that summer, we had as much fun camping in the Little Rockies and showing them the local swimming hole as we did looking for sheep. We spent a few days scouting for sheep on their summer range and located a few rams in two different areas. I figured they should be in the same area through most of September before moving. We planned on meeting back up shortly before the rifle season began on September 15th. We would only have a couple of days to hunt before I had to leave the state for another hunt, and Tim had a family obligation within a few days of the season opener. If he did not get his ram early, he would have to come back later in the fall, and with this permit, that could be a problem, as the sheep tend to migrate onto a well-known private area. Tim and I both really wanted to get his sheep on public ground before that happened. Tim mentioned on more than one occasion that he was not sure if his son would be able to join him because they host an annual running event on the western side of the state. This is something Tim and Carol are very involved with and were most likely going to miss it.

A few days before the opener, I met back up with Tim, Carol, and Tim’s brother, Steve. Steve was excited to be along and had never experienced a hunt quite like this. He was anxious to be a part of this journey with his brother. We had a comfortable camp with great weather and were looking forward to the next day.

The next morning, we found sheep in one of the areas we had seen them during our summer trip. After glassing the sheep for a while, we were able to get a few pictures of them lying on the open hill side. Tim, at 71 years old with a tag in his pocket, eagerly anticipated the next day.

Tim’s sheep on the left.

On the morning of September 15th, we got set up as the sun started to rise and were a little dumbstruck as there were no sheep to be seen. It appeared they had gone back into the tree line on top of the open hillside. We spread out to different locations and glassed for several hours throughout most of the day. Carol lifted all our spirits throughout the day with a thermos of coffee and snacks, making things a little better.

Towards the end of the afternoon of the opening day, I came back to where Tim, Carol, and Steve were, only to find Carol. She told me the sheep had come back out of the tree line and were roaming around on the top of the open hillside. The sheep had moved over a few ridges from where we had seen them before. We watched from the valley floor through spotting scopes as darkness was getting closer. We could see six rams just below the tree line and were waiting to see if Tim came into the picture. With about twenty minutes left of daylight, we noticed the sheep form into a tight ball and started looking above them into the trees. We still could not see Tim but figured he was there somewhere. A few minutes must have passed before the sheep quickly skirted off before forming another tight pack on a small rock outcropping. It was impressive to see the sheep leap up onto this outcropping with ease. They must have stood there for ten minutes, and with just a few minutes of daylight left, they jumped off this rocky bluff and dispersed into different directions before coming to a stop. The view through the spotting scope made me regret not investing in a camera, as I think certain folks that make a living getting videos of sheep would have paid dearly to see these rams bounding around on this ridgeline. Unfortunately, I had nothing to record the event from that distance, but it is something impressive I will remember for a long time.

We watched the scattered rams as night came and could no longer watch the sheep as we put our gear away and were wanting to meet back up with Tim to hear what happened. We met back up with him at camp and got to hear his side of the story. Tim was able to get above the sheep and was within maybe a hundred yards, but the ram he was after was on the other side of the band. He watched them for a bit before they formed the tight circle when they noticed him. He was still unable to get a clean shot, and they scattered shortly after.

The next day we left early and got the spotting scopes set up to look where we had last seen the sheep. It was too dark to see for several minutes, but as the sun rose, the ram Tim was after was within a couple of feet of where he was when the sun went down the previous day. I still asked myself if the sheep had even moved during the night, as he was even facing the same direction as when he jumped off the bluff from the previous night.

Words can not describe it.

We knew we had more daylight today and figured we could get in place in a short amount of time for Tim to get a clean shot at the sheep. We got to the base of the mountain and started our hike up to the rock outcropping, with the sheep being on the open hillside on the other side. We took our time climbing the rocky face that had more loose rocks than we really wanted. There was a little struggle climbing up, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at Tim as he had a pretty good grin the whole way up. We would pause and take a moment to get our breath, and Tim’s face had a certain glow.

The Moment

We could see the big rocky bluff just above us and knew we were close to being able to see the sheep. We started up one last time, and shortly before getting to the rock outcropping, we checked just to make sure everything was ready. Without a second guess, Tim was ready. We came around the edge of the bluff, and Tim was able to use the edge of the rocks for a rest as we scanned and looked for the sheep. After a moment of not seeing them, we looked just up the draw right in front of us, and there were six rams. They had moved on us and tucked themselves against the ledge right above us. A little adrenaline kicked in as the sheep got up and quickly ran back to where they had come from as soon as we had spotted them. Tim got back into position, and about then, the sheep had settled to a walk and formed a line as they walked across the open, and Tim’s sheep was number two in line. He was easy to single out as he had broomed off one side and had a lot of character on his darker horns than the others. When the ram cleared from a tree they walked behind, Tim took his shot and could not have placed it any better. The sheep was slightly angled away, and Tim placed the shot right behind the shoulder. For our benefit, I was able to record the moment. The ram started to run, and just a short distance later, quickly perspired and slid a short distance down the hillside. Tim’s face was lit up, and he was taking in what had just happened in the last minute. From the time we reached the rock outcropping, all of this transpired in maybe 30 seconds. Tim’s eyes kept facing down the canyon where his sheep was laying, knowing this roughly 40-year dream had just happened. We started making our way to the sheep trying not to fall down this rocky face. We finally got to the ram, and Tim was taking it all in again. It just stayed quiet for several minutes before he grabbed the sheep. It is an amazing feeling walking up on a mature ram, and you could see it in Tim.

Brother Steve, Tim and Carol

We got our first look at the sheep up close and started taking some photos. A few minutes later, we went to the edge of the ridgeline and could see both Carol and Steve making their way up. It was a special moment when they both arrived. Both Carol and Steve could not have been happier for Tim. We continued taking as many pictures as we could and telling the story of what took place. Soon we started getting the sheep down the mountain. Everything was downhill, and we were able to use a small ice fishing sled on the rocks to get the sheep out whole. We wanted to get the sheep in as soon as we could to preserve the cape.

Tim and Carol

I think this was a bittersweet moment for both Tim and Carol. As I mentioned earlier, Tim was a little down his son could not be there for this. We talked about his family throughout the hunt. His son puts on some big running events on the western side of the state, one of them being “Run the Rut.” Tim and Carol play a big part in helping his son and daughter-in-law put on these events and could sense the joy Tim and Carol get seeing his son be successful and what it does for the local communities.

73 years old on public land in Montana

I am not much of a marathon runner, but I think we can learn a lot from Tim. This guy is still doing things he loves well into his 70s with those that are close to him. Family plays a big part in his life, and he is making memories in the field to this day with them. Tim is the guy we are all rooting for on these hunts. He recently sent me a picture of a great bull he harvested with his son at 73 years old.

I want to say thanks to both Tim and Carol and Steve for letting me be a part of this experience and hope they enjoyed it as much as I did. To those that feel the letdown every year putting in and getting the same results, go in with optimism and know next year could be your year. The moment is a brief part of life but can create some of the best memories from the field.

Brandon Guhy, Eastern Montana Outdoors