Among the highlights of his hunt (other than taking the best ram among four hunters) Bothwell lists hunting with guide Larry Heathington of Sheep Limited. Bothwell gives him excellent ratings across the board and says, "He told me to hold out and we would kill a big ram. Indeed, we killed the biggest ram we had seen on day nine of what could have been a 15-day hunt."
Still, Bothwell notes that sheep were scarce. He says a 10- to 12-year drought in Arizona has taken a toll on sheep numbers and trophy quality in that unit. Indeed, the drought has affected all wildlife in Arizona. "Overall, the trophy quality was poor, though the Kofas historically have produced trophy heads," he says. He goes on to observe that all the sheep he saw there have lived in drought conditions with poor food their entire lives. He reports seeing 134 sheep on his hunt with 67 of them rams."
Bothwell recommends Heathing- ton's services and the page on his web site about draw and auction permit recommendations in Arizona. See www.sheepltd.com/recommendations.htm. Bothwell lists the cost of his sheep hunt as $10,000.
(Postscript: For more information on the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge visit the web sites www.fws.gov/Refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=22570 and www.azgfd.gov/w_c/bhsheep/index.shtml. It's interesting to note that the figures on the Arizona web site confirm Bothwell's observations about low sheep numbers. Historically, the refuge holds an estimated average population of 732........(continued)
