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HIGH DESERT WILD SHEEP GUIDES is proud to offer this website as a source of information to not only our close family of hunting friends but for the dedicated hunter who has a burning desire and passion to chase trophy rams and
other wild animals in the challenging, formidable desert gorges, diverse mountain plateaus and high alpine country of Utah. Our intent is to share our knowledge with each one of you through time polished experience. It has always been our goal to provide any help and assistance we can to the honest, hard working hunter who stays awake at night, chasing dreams of drawing a Once In A Lifetime Permit.....An opportunity that may take years to draw, that will take you on a memorable journey with us to remote mountain passages and isolated sandstone gorges where you will experience spiking out under a dark canopy of endless stars or endure the fury of an incomprehendable thunderstorm while chasing the trophy of a lifetime.
Cool Ram Shot Clip - "Mutton Buster!"
Your decision to invest your hard earned money in a guide/outfitter is a huge commitment and financial investment. Take the time to do your research as you plan your hunt. We wish you the very best as you make your decision. Please note that many of our hunters who have sweat and sacrificed so much to take their Once In A Lifetime trophy with HIGH DESERT WILD SHEEP GUIDES return each fall to spend additional time on the mountain helping us guide new hunters in their quest to fulfill that
lifetime dream. They do this free of charge, taking time off of work, to
If you have the financial means and would like to purchase a tag for any of the Once In A Lifetime permits there are permits available for auction by several non-profit organizations such as SFW, UFNAWS, Safari Club International, Mule Deer Foundation, Elk Foundation and FNAWS. We have helped bid on and purchased tags for hunters in the past and would make personal arrangements to do so for you in the future. Generally, these tags and permits go on sale beginning in early December. Again, please call or email us with your questions.
High Desert is made up of what we believe to be the most dedicated, most proven team of sheep guides in Utah with over 45 years of combined experience. We have successfully guided hunters to well over 100 rams. Although we concentrate almost solely on wild sheep we have also taken plenty of big bucks, mountain goats, trophy bull elk and Tetonka! We believe in providing nothing but the very best in service and a quality hunt for every client. "When you hunt with the team at High Desert, you become part of our family for life!" No-one will work harder than we do for our hunters, no-one!
We take great pride in our intricate knowledge of the desert and mountain terrain that trophy rams and other incredible animals call home. With years of guiding experience our team has spent countless days living out on the mountain, exploring the desert, learning the land, water sources, routes and habits of big rams and other big game animals to give us the “razor’s edge” in providing our clients the very best opportunity to experience success. High Desert has or will obtain the required Special Use Permits with the BLM, Forest Service, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Grand Escalante National Staircase for the unit in Utah that you will be hunting. All guides have passed the newly required Utah Outfitter and Guiding Test and have the appropriate licenses. We have gained the respect of and developed outstanding relationships and reputations with hunters, the Division of Natural Resources, and other wildlife organizations. We would be thrilled if you make the choice and critical decision to book with HIGH DESERT WILD SHEEP GUIDES. We personally guarantee you a quality, professional, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The bonds of trust and friendship that we build with our clients last for entire lifetimes.
To draw a tag for the most highly sought after big game animal in North America, the desert bighorn ram, is extremely difficult. However, someone has to draw the tags so why not take the chance and let it be you? The first step to take is very important..... begin building your bonus points by applying for permits each year! The deadline for Once In A Lifetime applications for Utah is generally the last part of February. Please don't hesitate to phone us with questions on the various units, odds, and quality of animals.
renew the special friendships that we developed with one another, and to experience the exhilaration and challenges of hunting with us again.
To adequately describe what achieving the Full Curl or Grand Slam of North American Sheep means to our hunters is difficult to put into words. However, after listening intently to our hunter's stories and experiencing this achievement personally myself, I've taken the liberty of writing a description for you! This is why we hunt sheep and would enjoy the pleasure of guiding you.
WHAT THE FULL CURL OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD SHEEP MEANS TO ME
It’s funny how one, isolated, seemingly inconsequential incident can change and define our lives in such profound ways. So I discovered, when in early September of 1988, I found myself scouting for a giant trophy mule deer in some of the most rugged desert terrain of southern Utah. As I laboriously climbed up over a rugged knoll on the edge of an incredible plateau, I suddenly found myself staring into the eyes of six magnificent desert bighorn rams. In a flash of movement and wisp of dust, they were gone, scrambling off cliffs that I couldn’t imagine any animal capable of navigating. At that precise moment, I became a lifelong “sheep fanatic,” totally infatuated with these incredible animals. In a whisper of time, now, years later, even after completing my personal quest for a “Full Curl” in 2003, and having guided countless dedicated, passionate sheep hunters to trophy rams of their own, I continue to dream daily about pursuing these glorious animals, more than a sane man should honestly admit. The Full Curl to me is truly synonymous with life enhancing experiences that transpire in some of the most pristine but also harshest environments on earth where civilized man seldom dares to venture. It is the unbelievable, almost indescribable adrenalin addicting physical and mental challenges of guiding a fellow hunter as we shadow a trophy ram in the most remote landscape of North America. It is about incredible personal sacrifice, unrelenting family support, unforeseen obstacles, and backbreaking work stained with the sweat and toil of dreams. It is about the pure love of unclimbed mountains, unexplored terrain, surviving the merciless wrath of Mother Nature, and fair chase hunting. But most of all, the Full Curl is tantamount to the indelible branding of cherished memories into our minds that can never be erased. It signifies lifelong relationships established with individuals of unbreakable character such as Merlynn & Jeff Jones, the Davis Family, Don Peay, Chuck Jenkins, Brett Caldwell, LaVoy Tolbert, Mark Butler, Brett Miller, Paul Anderson, Shane Rogers, Claude Archuletta, and countless others who have climbed the mountains with me, sharing stale water, tasting the bitter and painful mental anguish of a trophy ram that escaped our stalk, before ultimately culminating in the exhilarating exuberance of success. The Full Curl translates into grown men and women crying together, the tears of celebrating one of the most difficult hunting achievements in North America streaming down our faces, after harvesting and honoring the prized ram we had sought. It has indeed been my privilege and good fortune to have “smelled the roses” and shared the personal triumph of the quest for a “Full Curl” with so many outstanding human beings. As life races on I encourage those of you who question whether you can find the resources or time to complete your personal goal of hunting sheep to take the challenge before the twilight of time envelops you. If there’s a will there will always be a path to your dream. That’s what the Full Curl Society is and should always be about. Thank you.
Randy Johnson 2009
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