Jason Inman’s Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep that scored 167 4/8.
Below, Jason Inman and his hunt party: Jim Pearsall, Stephen Dyer, Tim Phillips, Lance Dyer and Carter
Verhaeghe.
bed down for the night. After only a cou-
ple hours of sleep, they were back the next
morning at first light. The ram was still in
the same location and Inman was able to
get within 625 yards of him. Using a .257
Weatherby, his first shot missed, but fortu-
nately the ram started running toward him.
That’s when it stopped on a bald face 475
yards away.
“I held low and hammered him in the
shoulders,” he says.
Once they field dressed the ram, the
pack out was grueling. They walked 5 ¼
miles through timber, rocky mountains,
and steep, unforgiving terrain. It was any-
thing but easy.
“When it came down to it, we went there
the Wednesday before the season opened
and kept tabs on him the whole time. We
never found a bigger ram,” says Inman.
The ram eventually scored 167 4/8. “Still
the biggest ram I saw there. Other than the
one last year, it was the biggest one taken
out of there.”
Despite his goat hunt fast approaching
in October, Inman managed to kill a bull
elk with his bow during the archery season
and once that was complete, he focused on
scouting goats in Elkhorn Mountains.
Inman did his research and most of the
goats killed in his unit were taken from the
Twin Lakes area. He called the district wild-
life biologist in Baker City, and was told not
to rule out Anthony Lakes area. But because
most of their pre-season scouting was fo-
cused on the Twin Lakes area, that’s where
they hunted.
“There’s goats everywhere,” he says. “But
you have to get within 1,000 yards to get a
good judge on them. We picked out a couple
billies but they weren’t the 50-inch caliber,
which was my goal. It was the last hunt of
the season so you’re able to be pickier, but
like the sheep hunt you feel the pressure to
fill your tag so the people helping you can
be part of it. That was always in the back of
my mind.”
Opening day, they found several good
billies, but none were what Inman was look-
ing for. The next day, Sunday, they spotted
a shooter.
“We put the stock on him, then weather
blew in, clouds and misty rain, you can’t see
anything and we were fogged out so we de-
cided to pull out.”
The same thing happened the next day.
“It was raining sideways so we went back to
camp and regrouped. That’s when we decid-
ed to hike in to Anthony Lakes the next day.”
They started at the Anthony Lakes ski
area and walked to the top of the ski lift,
then made their way down the other side of
the mountain. Looking up on the backside
of the mountain they were on two days pri-
or, the hillside had several mountain goats
in view.
“We got the spotting scopes out and im-
mediately saw a shooter,” says Inman.
Inman moved to within 375 yards of the
billy and was getting ready to take the shot
when it bedded down.
“We sat there for about four hours wait-
ing for him to get up. When he finally stood,
he was on this ledge outcropping. All I could
think about is that once I hit him he’ll jump.
For some reason if you don’t anchor your
shot they like to do the swan dive over the
cliff.”
When he touched off the shot from
his Browning .300 Short Mag, the goat
dropped. “I dump him and he’s doing the
moon walk,” says Inman. “I put one more in
the boiler room and when we get up to him
he fell into a limb that kept him from rolling
off the ledge. If it wasn’t there he would’ve
gone off the ledge.”
This time the hike back to the truck
wasn’t as far (it was 2 ½ miles) but it was ev-
ery bit as grueling. They arrived back to the
pickup at 2 o’clock in the morning.
At camp, they took quick measurements.
“He had 11 ¼-inch horns so we were think-
ing he was in the high 40s. We took him to
the ODFW office to have him scored. I had
no idea he was 51 4/8.” Inman’s goat is tied
for 9th biggest goat in the state.
As you can see from the photo, the billy
has a tremendous coat that makes it look
bigger than it actually was. Inman says it
was in pristine condition, enough to justify
a full body mount.
“I hate to say to it, but having those two
tags, I felt rushed. You’ve got a group of guys
who have committed to hunt with you but
not all of them are able to stay the whole
time, so you feel this pressure to get it done.
But I think we did the right thing on both
hunts.”
His one regret was not everyone in his
hunt party was able to stay for the goat
hunt. Three had to leave early leaving In-
man, and his two brothers-in-law, Stephen
and Lance Dyer to finish the goat hunt.
“Couldn’t have done it without them,” he
says. While he looks back on both hunts, he
admits the trophies are great, but he is most
grateful to those who helped him experi-
ence his two once in a lifetime hunts: Jim
Pearsall, Stephen Dyer, Tim Phillips, Lance
Dyer and Carter Verhaeghe. PAT HOGLUND
“I’m grateful to those guys,” he says.
“Without them, it wouldn’t have possible.”
Editor’s Note: If you have a story to share
about a unique hunt or an incredible animal,
please email Pat Hoglund with details and
photos. Send to pat@westernhuntingjournal.
com.
www.westernhuntingjournal.com
27