Kolokolo!!!

Hawaii, the state of Aloha!! I had the chance to experience a turkey hunt while visiting Hawaii with Emily and Laynee this past spring. 

There were other highlights on the trip, greater than the hunt, including watching my daughter play the trumpet on the deck of the USS Missouri naval ship at Pearl Harbor, and spending time with both Emily and Laynee exploring and snorkeling. But to stick with the hunting and gathering theme of this blog, I’ll stick to the hunting experience mostly.

After a few days enjoying the island of Oahu, we Island hopped to the big island Hawaii, the island where I spent some time the year prior hunting sheep, goats, and game birds. I couldn’t stand being on the islands without showing the girls the big island.

Fortunately, we have friends that live on the Big Island, the Lum‘s. Todd and Janine invited us to stay with them while we toured their island. One of the days Tod had planned a turkey hunt for us. Often, Hawaii is not thought about for their turkeys, but there are plenty of them on the big island.

Before light, Tod and I started on some private ground overlooking the Ocean’s calm breezes and the sounds of courting  black and Urkel Francolin were more prevalent than the gobbles of a Rio Grande. We did get into some turkeys and nearly brought some in on a spring misty fog, but they never closed the distance. Although it was a beautiful morning, it was a bust as far as bagging a tom.

For the afternoon, we visited one of Tod’s good friends, Alan. The minute I met Alan, I knew he had plenty of hunting under his belt by his equipment and confidence.  We headed to some of the highest summits the big island offered and immediately spotted multiple toms and most of them were henned up. Tod and I made a quick decision to intercept a flock, darting down a deep volcanic ravine, we laid against the earth waiting for any sound that our interception would be successful. The hens curiously passed us to our right at 15 yards. I could hear the drumming of the big Toms deep in my chest, I peered at Tod and we smiled to each other. I jumped to a knee and shot the incoming redhead at 20 yards. The second tom curiously watched his friend roll over as I encouraged Tod to make it a double! Tod responded with a bang. 

I’ve always dreamed of hunting Hawaii with Tod, and to meet Alan was such a treat as well.  We put the turkeys in the back of the truck when Alan asked if I wanted to shoot a young ram as he was getting low on meat. We had already seen multiple groups of rams scattered about the steep hills.

I tried to convince him that I didn’t need to pull the trigger again to have a fun time, but he insisted. I obliged. A quick stalk on a half dozen rams, I picked a young multicolored one because he was broadside. I made a perfect neck shot and the ram tumbled down the hill. Watching Alan open up the carcass and take apart the sheep, including the ribs, was a seminar in efficient quick field-dressing. 

I had asked Alan before we departed that night, if I could buy one of his turkey calls he makes out of koa wood, a wood found only in Hawaii known for its beauty and rarity. He said he was fairly busy and if he had time he’d get to it. A couple months after our trip that call arrived in the mail. 

I couldn’t thank Tod enough for hosting us in Hawaii, and I can’t thank Alan enough for the lovely gift which he insisted I didn’t pay for. I learned that’s just the way the Hawaiians are, kind, selfless, and always willing to help out. What an experience!

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Will I ever afford to step foot onto African soil and take part in hunting prey in some of the oldest killing-grounds on earth?

Will I ever get lucky enough to draw my once-in-a-lifetime sheep tag here in North America?

These are questions that pop in my head often and unless I stumble up some hidden treasure, the answer to those questions is most likely "no". One of my friends had told me when he was in college he guided Barbary Sheep in New Mexico and suggested that I try and draw one of these tags, which he said drawing the tag is almost as hard as actually hunting them. He said this hunt is one way you can be in Africa (being an African species) and hunt sheep all at the same time. It is the true poor man's African safari/sheep hunt combination without the expense of leaving North America!

Hunting barbary sheep, or aoudad, had never crossed my mind really before. I always thought that I wasn't keen on hunting a species not native to the area. Then I thought about the Chinese pheasants, and Himalayan chukars I enjoy hunting. And what about the coyotes and whitetail! That's right, these are all species that have either been transplanted or have slowly adapted to feel niches in new ecosystems like a piece in a giant puzzle. The more I learned about these sheep, the more I wanted to hunt them!

The Barbary sheep was brought to America from Africa and released in 1950 into New Mexico to inhabit the dry, desolate, open land that only the toughest animals can survive in. This terrain even makes a desert bighorn raise a brow. Since their release, they've spread but have been heavily hunted by sheep fanatics. There are pockets of them that remain in southern New Mexico and that's where I encouraged a couple of friends that are crazy enough to apply with me for the elusive sheep.

Deep inside I kinda hoped we wouldn't draw. It sounded like a lot of work to learn a new species and area, all while in the middle of applying for a new job that would take my family from Oregon to Wyoming, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Well, we beat the odds and drew our first year applying, and I got the job.

I began to look at pictures of Barbary sheep. What a beautiful animal with a coat the color of lightly-roasted marshmallow. A big ram would be more the color of a marshmallow left in the fire a bit longer...a beautiful charred brown. Their horns are shaped like a crescent moon. Mass and length is what makes a giant ram stand out.

Pictures like this ram helped build sheep fever

Another monster ram

 As the February hunt date neared, we struggled finding a date that would work for the three of us tag-holders. Between work and families, we ended up splitting the hunt where Tyler and Jared and Mike would arrive three days before I could get there. Mike C. would only have three days to hunt sheep. I would then fly in the night before Mike C. would have to leave. Our good friend Mike Bodenchuk would meet us the night I would arrive as well. Yup, that would be three Mike's in camp that night!

Jared, Tyler and Mike arrived first and hunted hard for two days without a sheep visual! I had done almost the entire pre-hunt scouting work, talking to hunters and biologists, setting up locations to hunt, etc. so I talked to Tyler or Jared each night about their day. They asked a lot of questions. They were beginning to sound whooped after day two. They mentioned how many miles they were putting on, their bodies were tired but they remained as hopeful as always. Mike C., not knowing if their bad luck streak would continue, had the number for a local guide and decided maybe it would be smart to buy some "knowledge" and increase his chances on his last day of the hunt.

The picture I got from Tyler on day three!

On the third day, I only hoped Mike C. was seeing some sheep, since around 9 a.m. I got a text from Tyler stating that him and Jared had found a small band of sheep! I left a work meeting in Greybull, Wyoming at 8 PM that night,  drove all night arriving in SLC where I hopped on a plane to Dallas...then Roswell, New Mexico. It was a long 24 hours.

"Well, did Mike see his sheep today?" was the first think I asked Tyler as he picked me up at the airport. Tyler smiled and said that Mike and the guide had walked 16 miles without a sheep sighting. It wasn't until that moment that I really knew how tough this hunt was going to be. I punched Tyler's shoulder. "I hope you don't end up with regret for passing those sheep!". We didn't sleep much that night.

Tyler did an excellent job navigating us and keeping us on public land with his GPS

The century plants, blue agave, were incredibly tall and beautiful

 Our first day hunting, we covered a lot of ground. We had four skilled glassers pick apart the barren landscape. We saw plenty of mule deer, scaled quail, and cactus but not any sheep. The terrain isn't flat, but not what you would picture as typical sheep canyon by any stretch of the imagination.It is rolling hills that looks like it hasn't seen a drop of rain for a century; ironically, I was told that this is one of their wettest years they can remember. Dry patches of dry grass, yucca, ocotillo, prickly pear, cholla, agave, and barrel cacti dotted the surface in between the millions of golfball to basketball-sized limestone rocks that all wanted to twist your ankle.

I found this strange chunk of...iron??? I thik it was left by a Roswell Alien Ship. I would have taken it, but it was a couple miles in and weighed at least 35-40 lbs!

What a great night in camp. We shared a great big campfire of dried cholla...and anything we could find that would burn! I enjoyed Jared, Tyler, and Mike B.'s company. Around fires is where the best bonding has occurred for thousands of years.Day two was better than day one, as far as sheep hunting. We actually found sheep sign! We hiked a solid 10 miles but still no sign of actual sheep. The days were warm, this day hit 80 degrees!

Evidence that barbary sheep exist

Remnants of a wetter climate littered the desert floor 

We knew our days hunting were running low as we would have to leave over the weekend and it was now Friday! Mike Bodenchuk could only spend the morning hours with us before having to get back to Texas. We began our march that morning eastward into some new ground that seemed to have some back-country that could hide some sheep. The mornings were windless, dry, and wonderful as far as temperatures. You needed a warm jacket, but you were quickly shedding it once you you've walked only a few hundred yards.

 I had spoken with a hunter the evening before who mentioned he had seen some sheep on private ground right above our camp the morning before. The direction we were headed was away from where these sheep were spotted, but I reminded the guys that off to our west is where they'd seen sheep the day before. I was learning quickly that there isn't any real rhyme or reason where you might find Barbary sheep, besides the fact that they are where other people haven't been. They hate people...with good reason. The function in finding sheep was simply covering enough country to finally cross their paths. If you were sitting in math class the formula for sheep success would look something like this: linear miles walked x hours in binoculars/ Pure stubborness and no quit attitude + you must see at least 250 deer before seeing a sheep + a little luck = Sheep! 

The rising sun peeked over the eastern hills and lit up the western landscape like a spotlight, so we planted ourselves on a ridgeline glassing back across camp to the west. "I got sheep" Jared whispered through a parched throat.  Words we've all been waiting for, and it was fitting that Jared would pick them up...one of the best glassers I know.

Jared was a huge part of the hunt, he always seems to bring a little luck!

What a wonderful sight! The sheep were 1.5 miles away lined up and feeding along a ridge. I just wanted to sit and stare as they were the first Barbary sheep I'd ever seen. I looked below and in between us and the sheep I spotted two hunters. The hunters hadn't seen the sheep...yet and most likely wouldn't if they continued in the direction they were headed, but we needed to get over there quick! 

Mike Bodenchuk said "Boys, you'll be on those sheep all day and I won't be able to continue along". We all stopped, dropped our packs, and gave Mike a firm handshake. With a "good luck" and an "adios", Mike watched us moving at full speed to intercept the sheep. It was great to have Mike around for a couple days and only wish he could've spent the next few hours with us.

Here's Mike 4-5 miles away from the pick-up on day two.

We kicked our legs into 5th gear and we're blowing up the hill. We knew the direction we were headed had some private land mixed in. Our hope was that the sheep were on the public side, but we wouldn't know until we got closer! We hastily walked up and down the rocky ravines hoping and praying that we wouldn't screw this up and we might get a shot at a sheep!  Before we even arrived in the area we thought the sheep might be, we were surprised by two sheep that boiled out from a ravine merely 75 yards from us. I laid prone and could've killed one before it topped out at 300 yards, but we also knew there were more sheep somewhere around the next corner. It was hard not to pull the trigger...

We found where we had seen the band of sheep earlier that morning but there were no sheep in sight, until Jared spotted them, again. They were multiple ridges west of our location and on the move. We figured those two sheep must have given them all the spooks and they were headed to safer grounds. We did notice that the group size had grown. There were at least 25 sheep in the group. We made our way towards them and ended up in the same area we were in the day before with Mike. We were aware that the spot the sheep had moved to was on the edge of private land. We wouldn't know if they were going to be on public or private till we got closer and pulled out the GPS.  

We stopped one canyon short of were the sheep had gone through a saddle. I said, "Let's glass this canyon good in case some sheep straggled behind". I didn't really believe in what I said but ya never know, right? "There's more sheep!" Jared barked. I'm amazed it took us (or I should say Jared) as long as it did to find them, they were on a hillside 600 yards away. There must have been around 20 of them. Tyler was wanting to set-up and shoot from our location, but it seemed a little far for some follow-up shooting, especially this close to private land.

We decided to get closer. Meanwhile, the band of sheep headed over near the same saddle where the other 20+ sheep had gone over an hour prior. We had a pretty good idea they would be all bedded in a small slot canyon. The scenario could end up pure torture, if the sheep are bedded just on the private side, or it could end up perfectly with both Tyler and I slamming our sheep at the same time on the public side!

We were in the final stage of closing the distance on the slot canyon creeping slowly when my heart skipped a beat! 80 yards to my left was a man and woman, camo-clad, with what looked like the exact same intentions as our group. They were making a sneak on the same sheep! I pointed them out to Jared and Tyler. As we talked about our next move we watched as they noticed our presence...their shoulders slumped and they looked deflated to say the least.

You know, you spend days out in the hills without seeing another soul and then the time you come across them  is in the exact moment you wish they weren't there. I knew it wouldn't be fair for either party to back down, especially with the rarity of seeing sheep. We motioned the couple over our direction. Their names were Mike and Caitlin (Yes, another Mike), and Caitlin had the sheep tag. There was a bit of awkwardness as we  were discussing options in sneaking over. Mike mentioned that the sheep he saw were on private land, but nobody was sure whether the majority of the sheep were on private or public. There was only one way to find out!

We crept our way towards the edge of the canyon glassing for where the sheep might be. That is when I saw a great big ram 400 yards below bedded under a yucca plant. We studied the GPS devices and discovered the ram was on public land. I had also spotted a group of sheep only 200 yards away bedded, and they were a couple hundred yards on the public side.

I didn't know how excited Tyler would be about my strategy but it was the best I could come up with. I proposed that Caitlin sneak up and shoot at the closer sheep, while Tyler was ready on the giant ram down below. I would follow up on both of them, in case their sheep headed towards private I could break it down before crossing property. After some thinking, Caitlin decided she was uncomfortable shooting this close to the private and invited us to go ahead and shoot.

We were very aware of private/public boundaries and we had no problem moving forward! I told Tyler he could have first shot at the bigger ram if he'd like. We slowly got ourselves into position as sheep were going to and fro, like sheep do. There were sheep of all sizes and we were pretty confident we were both going to be pulling the trigger shortly. "Are you on your ram?" I would ask Tyler. "No, he moved" He'd reply. "Mike, are you ready?" Tyler would ask seconds later. "No, I don't have one in the open", I would reply. This sort of action took place for minutes. We hoped to be able to do a double shot and put down two sheep together.

Sheep began moving through the public and heading towards the private ground, one or two at a time. Shortly after, Tyler lost sight of his big ram. Things were headed south real quick. I wanted to shoot when I had a chance but wanted to give Tyler first shot. I'm sure Tyler felt similar feelings. Suddenly, we realized if we didn't act,neither of us would get a sheep! I told Tyler just pick and choose a sheep and shoot it before they leave the country. I'd follow-up if there are still sheep on the public and kill any of them that might give me the chance!

"I'm gonna shoot" Tyler said. I was set-up looking down towards where the giant ram had disappeared. I heard the report of success as Tyler wracked another round into his .280 AI. Suddenly a sheep stood up near where the giant ram was last seen. Good enough I thought to myself. I shot and heard the bullet rip through the sheep body. Tyler mentioned his sheep had ran after the shot and he was trying to find it. I got back in my scope and there stood the great big ram, not 15 yards from where my sheep went down! And he just started feeding!!! I then noticed a sheep above the ram that may have been mine that was already hit. The sheep took a step and it was obvious that it had been shot and was back on it's feet. One more shot put it down for good.

We gathered both sheep up and the celebration began! Neither of us killed the bigger rams in the herd, but by the end we felt fortunate to be able to double-down on sheep. Those big rams will have to wait till our next trip down. As for Mike and Caitlin, they were good people and they stuck around while we quartered up our sheep.

So there you have it, my first sheep hunt. The poor man's African/sheep safari. It was well worthwhile. The meat seems to have a different grain to it. I had heard Barbary sheep meat isn't the greatest but from what I've tasted so far, it seems to be sweet and with great texture. I can't wait to get back.