S1-E05: Cooking Up a Trophy Bighorn Sheep with Janis Putelis and Chef Kevin Gillespie

Photo Story: Janis' Bighorn Sheep Hunt

George Dieruf, the gunroom manager at Schnee’s Sporting Goods in downtown Bozeman, Montana, is 73 years old and has been applying for a Montana sheep tag since he was 13. The unit he applies for has a .31% chance to draw, and he’s applied for 60 years unsuccessfully. It doesn’t matter which state you apply in, bighorn ram tags are hard to come by. I drew in Colorado after applying off and on for 15 years. Compared to George, I drew relatively...

A Guide to Hunting Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn sheep, along with their northern relatives the Dall sheep, inspire a level of devotion among hunters that is unparalleled by any other game animal. After getting a taste of what it’s like to chase these massive horned creatures in their rugged and dangerous habitats, some hunters experience a fading interest in all other outdoor activities as they devote themselves increasingly to the discipline of being a “sheep fanatic.” The irony, and...

Can Domestic and Bighorn Sheep Coexist on Public Lands?

Wild bighorn and thinhorn sheep are unlike nearly every other big game animal in North America when it comes to historical population dynamics. While bison, elk, turkeys, and several species of waterfowl saw their lowest populations at the turn of the 20th century, bighorn sheep populations cratered decades later. Bighorns enjoyed some protections from human encroachment in some of the most inhospitable regions of the country, but eventually...