American Hunter – August 2019

and straight-walled numbers pack the
punch, but lack the flat trajectory you’ll
probably wish for. I’d shy away from the
mms, despite their reliability on deer in
the right circumstances, because those
circumstances may never present them-
selves. However, the .mms, including
the popular . Creedmoor, promise to
be excellent regardless of circumstance.

From there you can go as big as you like,

keeping in mind real thumpers usually

mean a heavier rifle.

My Kimber weighs just over  pounds

scoped and slung; the Federal Premium

. s loaded -grain Trophy

Copper slugs, which are quite stout for

sheep. Partly it was because they grouped

well from the rifle, and partly because I

also had a grizzly tag. The presence of

bears in many sheep locales might factor

into your thinking too.

■■■

J

o r d a n a n d I had been “with”

the ramfor hours, first from the

crest of the rim, then in two descents seek-

ing confirmation of our first impressions.

The ewe and lamb grazing nearby had

wandered off, but the full-curl seemed

content to mill around and feed sporadi-

cally. It was so odd, almost comical, that

after all the ridges we had scaled through-

out the preceding week, the first mature

ram we’d find would be holed up in a

creekbottom. When he finally bedded, we

made our move. Part of the time we were

exposed and would stop and squat as he

turned his head our direction. When he

looked away, we moved closer, following

a round-about path that brought us into

thigh-high willows. From there it was easy

to close within  yards. Is it anti-cli-

mactic when a hunt like this comes down

to such a stalk, expertly plotted, but not

so difficult? Well before I fired the shot,

this ram was ours.

Four months and , miles south of the Brooks, Chuck Wahr closed the loop

on sheep season. After a tough Alaska hunt, he took a big desert ram in So-

nora, using a Kimber Montana . Win. Mag./Trijicon AccuPoint .X-.X.