2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
BIGHORN
Continued from Page 1B
And with several hundred
hunters vying for each tag,
and in some cases more
than a thousand, the odds
are stacked pretty heavily
against any one hunter draw-
ing a tag.
But 2020, which was so
unfortunate in so many other
ways, proved lucky in one
respect.
Jerry drew the lone tag
for an Oregon resident for
a bighorn hunt in the East
Beattys Butte/Alvord Peaks
area in Harney County south
of Burns, a tag that, in 2019,
256 people applied for.
(There was also a single
tag for a non-Oregonian for
that hunt.)
The hunt ran from Sept. 15
to Oct. 14.
The three Yencopals trav-
eled together from Baker
City the day before to an area
near Fields that their guide,
Sheep Mountain Outfi tters,
had picked out.
One of those guides, Dan
Blankenship, is a longtime
Baker City resident who
Jerry knows.
“Dan’s crew, they were just
fantastic,” Jerry said.
Sheep Mountain Outfi tters
was also guiding the out-of-
state hunter who drew the
other tag for that hunt. Jerry
said that hunter bagged his
ram on opening day, Sept. 15.
The next day, Sept. 16,
Jerry, his sons and the guides
came across a herd of sheep.
The distance was at the
extreme end of the range
Jerry was comfortable with —
about 600 yards. He did take
a shot at a ram but missed.
The group didn’t see any
sheep on Sept. 17 so the next
day, Friday, Sept. 18, they re-
turned to the area where they
hunted the fi rst two days.
They saw a herd of sheep
bedded down, including a
decent ram.
But at the same time Jerry
was watching that bunch,
another group of guides was
OUTDOORS & REC
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020
“I just don’t know how to explain it ... it just brings a
smile to my face and my heart just thinking about it.
It’s something we’ll cherish for a long, long time.”
list scored 180 1/8.
As memorable as the
hunt itself was, Jerry said
he was also impressed by
the setting. It was his fi rst
— Jerry Yencopal of Baker City, talking about the once-in-a-
visit to Oregon’s southeast
lifetime bighorn sheep hunt he went on in September with
his two sons, Jason and Rob, in Harney County
corner, his fi rst time seeing
Steens Mountain, the great
fault block mountain that
They “dispatched” the spi- hunt has “spoiled” him, that dominates the landscape for
der and resumed the hunt.
now he’ll expect to have
50 miles around.
Jerry found a good spot
them, along with guides, to
“That’s really neat coun-
to hunker down. The clouds, carry the water and the gun try,” he said. “I’d like to get
which had been thick earlier, and the pack.
down there again and do
had briefl y parted, although
“The care and concern
some sightseeing.”
the clear air was largely con- and watchfulness of all
Jerry said he and his sons
fi ned to their mountain. He
those guys,” Jerry said.
found many chips of obsid-
could see the ram through
“You’re not going to fi nd
ian, particularly around
his scope.
anyone more caring than
waterholes, evidence of the
Well, he could see the ram’s Blankenship and his guys.” American Indians who lived
head.
A taxidermist is working in that area for thousands
“All we could see was his
on the ram. The shoulder
of years.
horns over this rock,” Jerry
mount will be placed on a
Jerry said he understood,
said.
pedestal.
from the moment in June
And for the next 40 min-
Jerry said he doesn’t have when Rob told him about
utes that was the extent of
a spot for the display in his the tag, that this hunt would
the view.
home, so the ram will be set be different.
Jerry said Blankenship
up at Rob’s house.
But Jerry said the experi-
Contributed tried to keep him calm dur-
The ram had a green
ence, even with so much
Jerry Yencopal with the bighorn sheep ram he shot on
ing the long wait, offering
score of 171 6/8. The record anticipation, managed to
Sept. 18 in Harney County. The area, north of Fields and
him a stick of gum.
for a California (desert) big- exceed his expectations.
south of Steens Mountain, has extremely rugged terrain
Finally the ram stepped
horn ram in Oregon is 186
“I just don’t know how to
with basalt rimrock and cliffs.
out of its rocky shelter.
2/8 for a ram taken in 2018 explain it ... it just brings
Jerry fi red a shot from
in Gilliam County.
a smile to my face and my
about 360 yards.
Jerry’s ram isn’t far off
heart just thinking about
about 2 miles away.
the guides strived to make
“We could tell he was hit,” the top 10, according to
it,” he said. “It’s something
Jerry said Blankenship
the hunt as easy as possible he said. “He took a few steps Northwest Big Game Inc.
we’ll cherish for a long, long
texted a photo of the ram to
for him.
and then fell.”
The 10th place ram on its
time.”
the other guides.
That included carrying the
After making his way
(“We had excellent cell ser- rifl e that Sheep Mountain
gingerly through the boul-
vice down there, surprisingly,” Outfi tters supplied, a gun
ders and across a rockslide to
Jerry said.)
chambered for the 6.5 mm
reach the ram, Jerry said he
Almost immediately the
Creedmoor cartridge, which was humbled.
other guides responded.
is well-suited for the long
“They are just such a mag-
They were watching a sep- shots typical in the desert
nifi cent animal,” he said. “Oh
arate herd, and in particular country of Harney County.
my gosh, just beautiful.”
a ram that they described, as
When the group neared
Jerry, who has hunted deer
best as Jerry can remember, the top of the mountain, Rob for decades, said the stocky,
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as a “dandy.”
offered to take his dad’s pack thickly muscled bighorn “was
It was certainly bigger than for a while.
like looking at a fullback
the ram he and his sons were
“We want you fresh for tak- versus a deer that’s more of a
monitoring.
ing the shot,” Jerry recalls his halfback.”
Jerry decided to go after
son telling him.
The clouds settled in again,
the larger ram.
At the instant that Jerry
but Jerry said that gave the
This was no small matter. slipped his arms out of the
group a welcome respite from
“We decided to climb the
pack’s straps and handed
the late summer heat as they
rest of the way up the moun- it to Rob, a black widow
packed the meat and horns
tain,” he said.
crawled out of its top, a path down the mountain.
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