Hawiian Black Corsican taken near Ashwood, OR – Little Trout Creek

I was lacking a Hawaiian Black Sheep in my quest for the Grand Slam of Exotic Sheep.

One needed a Mouflon, Corsican (Pure Breed), Texas Dall (Pure White-Long Hair) and the Hawaiian Black in order to have a Grand Slam.

I had already taken a Corsican early on once I found exotics running loose in Oregon.

The Mouflon came a bit later and I took a Texas Dall in Oregon near Ashwood, Oregon.

 

During my hunt for the Texas Dall, I had the opportunity to harvest a Hawaiian Black and larger a Corsican than I already had, but past them up in quest for the Texas Dall.   I do remember that hunt as there were so many rams, I was overwhelmed.   I had concentrated on getting the Texas Dall.

 

Ok!  Getting to the hunt for the Hawaiian Black, I again was going to hunt outside of Ashwood, Oregon.    The sheep had not been in the area for a while, as their range of roaming freely was probably a 20 mile circuit.

 

I knew that when the sheep were in the area, that they would most definitely be located in the draws above Little Trout Creek, I could get in on them easily from above.   Most of the cover would be Juniper, light sagebrush and rimrock.

 

I believe that I had Chuck Megeske with me on this hunt and we headed up good old White Knuckle Road, leading up on top of the plateau.   It is the same area in which Chief Paulina is buried and terrorized the NW in the 1800’s.

 

I was fortunate to be able to find a nice ram running with a couple of other rams.

I do believe that the Hawaiian Black was the most difficult to find while hunting the canyons around Ashwood, Willowdale, Donnybrook, Madras and Clarno.

 

I was able to make a dandy 450 yard shot on the ram with my 257 Weatherby, loaded with a 120gr. Sierra Grand Slam.  

On this hunt, I was the only person to be able to connect on a ram.

A winter Hawaiian Black taken by LT.