Massive Bighorn Sheep Scored after 45 Years in Storage
OutdoorHub Reporters 11.18.13
Canadian hunter Robert Morris received the behemoth bighorn seen above just before the turn of the millennium, but the animal’s history stretches further back than that. Its interesting past is only now coming to light after more than four decades in storage. An official scoring this year found the bighorn to be 200-2/8, tying two others for the 26th largest bighorn in Boone and Crockett Club’s records.
Yet, it was not even mounted until recently when Morris found a suitable cape for the skull in 2012. In a letter submitted to Boone and Crockett, he explained that the ram’s skull was originally found by an angler in British Columbia around 1968, who later bequeathed it to a friend of his. That friend eventually presented the skull to Morris.
Morris’ letter can be read below:
The [Big Horn] Sheep skull was picked up on the bank of the Thompson River in British Columbia in the late 1960’s by a Steelhead fisherman.
He kept it till the late 1980’s then passed it on to another Steelhead fisherman who was a friend of mine. My friend knew that I hunted sheep and would like to have the horns.
In the fall of 1999 there was a knock on my door and my friend gave the horns to me as he wasn’t interested in getting them mounted.
During the next several years I continued to look for a suitable cape to get the head mounted. I also had to get the head compulsory inspected by the B.C. Fish and Wildlife Branch to verify that I was the owner.
After the necessary paperwork I acquired a suitable cape. Then in 2012 I finally had the head mounted so it could be properly displayed.
Finally, I had it officially scored.
The world record for bighorn is still held by Guinn D. Crousen, who harvested a 208-3/8 bighorn in Luscar Mountain, Alberta in 2000.
