the real reason montana has more big book rams is simply because they manage the resource much better for trophy quality. they are on a draw so unfortunately not everyone gets to hunt every year, but when you get a tag, its not uncommon to see and have the option of passing up several full curl rams looking for that one perfect sheep that really makes you sweat. now everyone be honest here, and think about what you would do if a legal ram was standing in front of you in a legal area in a legal season, here in Alberta. i dont know anyone personally who wouldnt be packing him off the mountain, and looking at the photos from regulars here that seems to be what most guys would do. i would too, and i did. i have had one chance at a legal ram, and he is at the taxidermist right now. i would love a 10 year old 200 incher, but its pretty unlikely the way things are now. take a quick look through B&C's records and you will see that Alberta has been the biggest producer of truly huge rams. look closer and you will see that most of them were taken many years ago. the recent....and i mean last 20 years or so book heads have largely been coming off of the mines around alberta through draws or minister tags. it has been said that 95% of the legal rams in alberta outside of parks and sanctuaries are killed every year by hunters. there is no way to prove that for sure, but i suspect that number is close. that is sad because although TJ is right....very few rams have what it takes to make 200 inches, most sheep in Alberta do have the right stuff to make 180 if they were allowed to grow up. i would love to see some changes to sheep hunting here. my proposal would be to use highway 1 as the boundary. it has been well documented that the sheep south of there are a little bigger so lets put them on the draw and really grow some crankers to satisfy the trophy crowd, but leave the sheep to the north the way things are now. that way everyone who is willing to take just any legal ram still has a place to do their thing. i would keep the draw areas as they are at cadomin and the grande cache mine. its a shame how many beautiful rams die of old age to be locked away in fish cop storage sheds. i know this wont please everyone either........ but just one sheep hunters opinion.
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