On the second day I joined my brother Erik to scout for his upcoming desert bighorn hunt, we rode our ATVs to the edge of the wilderness area, and then hiked in to a glassing point. We didn't find any sheep that day, but saw a ton of great country and learned how to access it. One of the main goals of scouting is just that - learn the country so you know how long it takes to get into different places, and what you'll see once you get there.
Swarovski 15s and a map - you won't find Erik without either until he kills his ram!
Sheep beds on a high mesa.
Cholla and black rocks make up much of the unit.
Digiscoping is a great way to document any sheep you find, and works best with high-end spotting scopes like the Swarovski ATM 80mm HD.
No sheep this day, but a good chance to practice digiscoping - both photos and video.
Desert beauty in the form of barrel cactus, cholla, and saguaro, along with a palo verde tree.
It's a crazy landscape where cactus grow out of rocks.
Does the mark in the saguaro look familiar? Maybe like the outline of a ram's horn?
Sometimes rams take out their aggression on saguaros instead of each other...
It's rough, big country!
For more great photos and information about this hunt, also check out Jay Scott Outdoors.
