C
CameronsRule
Guest
We hear a lot of times about being a good sportsman, and about how hunting is the experience -- not necessarily just taking the animal. I witnessed this firsthand this October in Colorado.
I had drawn a nonresident Rocky Mountain ewe tag for the Pikes Peak area, and through some connections, corresponded with a fellow named Jon Gottlob over the Internet several times. Jon had also drawn the same tag in the same area. He was friendly and gave me some valuable information, and believe me, since I was three states away, any information he gave me was useful.
I couldn't hunt the first week or so of the hunt, but Jon did, and kept me informed about what he had found. When I went to Colorado, I drove all night and got to the hunting area as the sun was coming up. I was puttering up a dirt road on Pikes Peak when I rounded a bend and saw a truck parked alongside the road, with its occupants obviously glassing for sheep. Since I was going to stop anyway, I decided to introduce myself, and lo and behold, it was Jon and a friend of his, Steve. Jon was as friendly in person as he was on the 'Net.
They had located some rams, but felt they had seen everything they could on the hillside they were glassing, so they were going to drive further up the road to a different vantage point. After they left, I spotted a couple of ewes and drove up to where Jon and Steve were, to tell them. As we glassed for the ewes, we suddenly saw an entire herd, about 16 animals, come trudging over the hill.
We quickly made a plan, and made a stalk. Unfortunately, things didn't work out quite the way we planned, and the sheep saw us first. As the sheep began running, and Jon and I scrambled to a shooting position, I told Jon I would shoot something on the left side of the herd, and he should shoot something on the right side of the herd. As luck would have it, I was able to down a ewe, but Jon, because he was being polite and conservative (making sure he didn't shoot an immature ram), he ended up not taking a shot.
The rest of the sheep escaped, and Jon went empty handed. Of course, he and Steve helped me pack my sheep and gear back out to the road, taking away valuable hunting time. Jon ended up not tagging a ewe, and I can't help but feel part of the reason was because he wanted to be a good host of his home state, and because he's a true sportsman. So here's a photo of Jon and Steve with the ewe they helped me take. The next time someone tells me that sportsmanship is dead, or that there aren't any ethical hunters anymore, I'll smile and tell them they ought to hunt with my friends Jon and Steve in Colorado.
I had drawn a nonresident Rocky Mountain ewe tag for the Pikes Peak area, and through some connections, corresponded with a fellow named Jon Gottlob over the Internet several times. Jon had also drawn the same tag in the same area. He was friendly and gave me some valuable information, and believe me, since I was three states away, any information he gave me was useful.
I couldn't hunt the first week or so of the hunt, but Jon did, and kept me informed about what he had found. When I went to Colorado, I drove all night and got to the hunting area as the sun was coming up. I was puttering up a dirt road on Pikes Peak when I rounded a bend and saw a truck parked alongside the road, with its occupants obviously glassing for sheep. Since I was going to stop anyway, I decided to introduce myself, and lo and behold, it was Jon and a friend of his, Steve. Jon was as friendly in person as he was on the 'Net.
They had located some rams, but felt they had seen everything they could on the hillside they were glassing, so they were going to drive further up the road to a different vantage point. After they left, I spotted a couple of ewes and drove up to where Jon and Steve were, to tell them. As we glassed for the ewes, we suddenly saw an entire herd, about 16 animals, come trudging over the hill.
We quickly made a plan, and made a stalk. Unfortunately, things didn't work out quite the way we planned, and the sheep saw us first. As the sheep began running, and Jon and I scrambled to a shooting position, I told Jon I would shoot something on the left side of the herd, and he should shoot something on the right side of the herd. As luck would have it, I was able to down a ewe, but Jon, because he was being polite and conservative (making sure he didn't shoot an immature ram), he ended up not taking a shot.
The rest of the sheep escaped, and Jon went empty handed. Of course, he and Steve helped me pack my sheep and gear back out to the road, taking away valuable hunting time. Jon ended up not tagging a ewe, and I can't help but feel part of the reason was because he wanted to be a good host of his home state, and because he's a true sportsman. So here's a photo of Jon and Steve with the ewe they helped me take. The next time someone tells me that sportsmanship is dead, or that there aren't any ethical hunters anymore, I'll smile and tell them they ought to hunt with my friends Jon and Steve in Colorado.
