66 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2016
other regions, where hunters travel by horseback into the
mountains and move up and down steep slopes ranging
in thousands of feet of elevation. Even Nebraska's most
difficult topography features buttes and escarpments with
less than 500 feet of elevation change.
"Sheep can be a very tough, difficult and challenging hunt.
There aren't as many permits across the country as there are
for other big game, so any opportunity to harvest a bighorn
sheep is highly sought after by sheep enthusiasts," Nordeen
said. "Nebraska's not quite as difficult as other bighorn
sheep hunting states in terms of terrain. We also have better
access and opportunities to get close. In some places, a
hunter might send in for 20-plus years to get preference
points. By the time he gets a permit, he's not a youngster
anymore."
Also aiding hunters' chances is the timing of the hunt.
Nebraska's hunting season is set in December during the rut,
similar to other Nebraska big game species. The rams, which
can be difficult to locate for most of the year, are on the
move and more likely to be seen during this period.
"That time of year, they're more mobile and looking for
mates," Nordeen said. "They're generally around and we can
get a better look at the rams that are out there."
Despite being comparatively less challenging, the sheep
reside in some of Nebraska's roughest landscape, and
hunters shouldn't assume it will be easy. Nordeen notes
that one of the hunters passed on taking a trophy ram and
later regretted it because it could not be located again. He
eventually opted for a smaller specimen.
"With our success rate being 100 percent, maybe some
people will foresee that it's an easy hunt," Nordeen said.
Barbara Sackman is joined by her husband, Alan, while posing with the ram she harvested at Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management
Area near Gering. The Sackmans, who have harvested numerous species of wild sheep throughout the world, chose Nebraska to
experience hunting a Rocky Mountain bighorn.
Nebraska's bighorn sheep hunters are sure to leave with
a trophy. In the Boone and Crockett scoring system,
measurements are taken for each horn's length and four points
of circumference.
