Averi Elms AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt Photos 1

I tell people all of the time that as an professional outfitter I have the best job in the world.  This past week was a perfect example of why I love to do what I do.  I had the pleasure and honor of guiding someone that only comes around once in a blue moon.  12 year old Averi Elms from Baker City, Oregon drew a desert bighorn sheep tag in the deserts of Western Arizona.  Her Dad Russ called when the credit cards were hit thinking he had drawn a sheep tag because of the amount of points he had.  To all of our surprises it was not Russ but Averi his daughter that has drawn with 2 bonus points!  Russ told me that Averi was very involved in school and athletic activities and would not be able to start the hunt until December 19th.  I was excited for the adventure because Darr and I have been watching a really nice ram in this unit since 2010.  As it turned out, the ram was harvested by the other tag holder on the second day of the hunt and he was the largest ever shot in the unit at over 180 inches!  A unit record!  Wow!

I arrived about a  week early for Averi's hunt and began scouting.  I would send reports daily to Averi and her Dad.  I always smiled when I got Averi's responses because they always had smiley faces and little winking icons.  A positive vibe was already forming and I was energized to find some nice rams for Averi.  They arrived on the morning of the 19th ready to hunt.  Our hunting party consisted of Averi, her Dad Russ and Grandpa Ed Elms.  We covered lots of country for five days and saw many sheep including rams, ewes and baby newborn lambs.  I am working on editing the video of Averi's hunt so I wont spoil all of the details.  This hunt was very refreshing because of the attitude of our party.  Averi is one of the most positive and energized person I have ever been around in my life.  I truly feel that the sky is the limit for this youngster and she will be able to accomplish anything she sets her mind to.  It was so nice to see the mutual respect and love that was shared between three generations of family as they enjoyed God's creation in Western Arizona.  I will let the video speak for itself but this was one of the best hunts I have ever guided in my life.  Averi made it count on the 5th night of the hunt on a ram that we had seen a few days earlier that Averi had nicknamed "Captain Hook".  I can tell you that the hunting and sporting tradition and way of life is being carried on in the Elm's family.  I cannot praise and applaud them enough for their commitment to involve their kids in such a rich tradition.

These are the new Swarovski 15X56 SLC binoculars with the Outdoorsmans Bino Adapter.  I absolutely love these new binoculars!

Captain Hook bedded

Captain Hook bedded the first morning we saw him.

Parker Colburn's AZ Late Coues Deer Hunt Video Part 1

By Darr Colburn

My oldest son Parker drew a late coues deer tag.  We hunted the first weekend but the weather put a damper on things.  We did not see any rutting activity yet but hopefully with the cooler temperatures the bucks will start looking for does.  Here is a short video from the first weekend.  We will be back out again next weekend.

Climbing Arrow Ranch Elk Hunt 2014 with Jason Hairston of KUIU

I had the pleasure of tagging along with KUIU President Jason Hairston on his archery elk hunt in Montana this September.  This is the professionally edited version of our hunt.  I brought my video camera and filmed most of the hunt.  Great time with Jason and guides Jack Anderson and Cody Wetmore.  The credits list me as a guide although I was just there as a friend and video guy.  The laughs on this hunt were plentiful. 

2014 Arizona Unit 22 Desert Bighorn Sheep Harvest Report

Darr and I have been fortunate to have spent a lot of time lately in Arizona Unit 22 looking at Desert Bighorn Sheep while scouting for the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Auction tag.  The general season is now over in Unit 22 and the 3 ram quota has been filled.  We often feel attached to a lot of the rams that we spend so much time with while photographing and videoing them.  Congrats to the three hunters and guides on their awesome rams.  In this post we will attempt to document each ram that was harvested.

The Kicker Ram
The first ram that was harvested was a ram we call "Kicker Ram".  He was actually given the nickname by Seth and Ernie Meeske, in 2012, while we were scouting for Ernie's upcoming hunt.  Kicker has been photographed and featured on several magazine covers.  He sure is a beauty.  This late summer he broke off a good piece of his right horn.  In 2012, his left horn was the one that was broomed off and his right was the long one.  2014 rolled around and now his left was the long horn and the right was the shorter of the two.  I videoed him several times prior to Ernie's hunt in 2012.  Darr and I saw him all over the unit throughout the last 3 months.  He traveled the most out of the three rams chronicled in this post.  He would literally be in one area one day and 10 miles away in a day or two.  We had some unbelievable encounters with him.  We began to notice that he had a smaller body than some of the other rams but was a true legend and warrior in his own right.  His exact score is not exactly known at this time but I will update this post when more info come out.  See the videos and photos below of the "Kicker Ram".

These two photos (above and below) of  Kicker Ram were taken from The AZ Wildlife Views and The AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Society News flyer.  Photo Credit to Jim Hamberlin Jr.  Jim takes spectacular photos!  You can see in these photos he still had all of his length. These photos were taken in 2013.

Prior to the brooming of his horns he had real good length.
 

Kicker Ram Photo by Darr Colburn 2014 October

Kicker Ram Photo by Darr Colburn 2014 October

Kicker Ram photo by Jay Scott November 2014

The White Eye Ram
The second ram to be harvested was a ram we called "white eye".  Darr saw him several times over the summer and we both encountered him quite often during the fall of 2014.  His right horn was longer than his left which had broomed.  His AZGFD checkout score was 175 7/8 Net.  I will update as more info becomes available.

Above and below are photos of the White Eye Ram taken by Jay Scott November 2014

The Dolly Ram
The third ram that was harvested was a ram we call "Dolly".  This ram was probably one of the most visible rams during the summer and fall of 2014.  Dolly had a really good look to him with good drop and good depth of curl.  We felt this ram had some serious potential with a bit more age to be a Mega Ram that Unit 22 is so known for.  Dolly was seen in all portions of the unit.  He also traveled around quite a bit from month to month.  Dolly was always very photogenic.

(next three photos) The Dolly Ram Photo by Jay Scott November 2014 

We would like to congratulate the successful hunters again on their trophy rams.  Darr and I both feel so blessed and fortunate to have seen these special animals.  We would like to thank the AZGFD and the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society for doing such a fantastic job with our sheep herds and being such good stewards of the wildlife.  As more info comes forth on these rams we will keep this post updated in order to maintain maximum accuracy.  Make sure to follow our adventures on our Jay Scott Outdoors YouTube Channel, our Jay Scott Outdoors facebook page and on our Instagram accounts @darrcolburn and @jayscottoutdoors

Bob O'Connor's 15D AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt Video

The O'Connor Family and guides Darr Colburn and Jay Scott

Unit 15D Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt Photos III

Darr Colburn captured some great photos and video of Bob's ram prior to the hunt.  Bob's ram has 39 1/8 and 38 4/8 inch horns with 15 inch bases.  This ram is truly a special Nelsoni Desert Bighorn with a ton of flare.  His tip to tip spread is almost 31 inches!  The video of Bob's hunt should be ready pretty soon. 

Unit 15D Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Photos II

Here are some more images of the awesome adventure with the O'Connor family in Unit 15D North on the Desert Bighorn Sheep hunt.  Darr and Bob actually stayed with the ram on the mountain and huddled by a fire all night to stay warm.  Bob's wife Becky and two sons, Ben and Chris and I came in the early morning hours to assist with the pack out of the ram.  One of the boys had a step counter on and it registered over 15 miles when we reached the truck.  The mountains that the Nelsoni Desert Sheep live in humble me in a big way.  Their ruggedness and beauty is amazing.  Lots of memories!  What a hunt we had!  Find us on our facebook page Jay Scott Outdoors and on our Instagram at @darrcolburn and @jayscottoutdoors.  Click on the second pic down to see some video that Darr Colburn captured during his scouting for Bob's hunt.