John Walker Jr. is well traveled for his age. From the looks of his trophy room in Dallas, Texas, John has a knack for always being in the right place at the right time, certainly when it comes to hunting. Whether it was one of his two colossal whitetail bucks killed on separate Thanksgiving days some five years apart (each scoring well into the 180 inch class), or one of the largest mountain lions ever killed in the state of Colorado with a handgun, it seems John has a tendency to always be present when a “once in a lifetime” opportunity is at hand. While his African big game collection is awesome to say the least, it was the monstrous, full curls of huge rams lining his walls that truly stood out to me as impressive. The first person to acknowledge how lucky he has been, and continues to be regarding his global hunting adventures, John remains humble when discussing his good fortune, usually pointing first to his Dad before heaping praise on the guides, trackers, and outfitters who have assisted him over the years.
Still, John is well aware that his latest hunting feat stands alone. In 2010, John Walker Jr. became the youngest person at the age of 23 to complete the Ovis World Slam, a prestigious honor that consists of harvesting 12 different species of wild sheep.
Ovis is a genus of mammals, with five or more highly gregarious species known as sheep. The domestic sheep, one member of the genus, is thought to be descended from the wild mouflon of central and southwest Asia. Hunting wild sheep today not only requires intensive research and careful planning, but also a great will and tremendous physical stamina. At altitudes of over 15,000 feet in some instances, these animals aren’t exactly accessible to those that pursue them. In the process of, and prior to completing The Ovis World Slam, John Walker also captured another distinguished title—The North American Grand Slam—which includes all 4 North American species: Desert Bighorn (Mexico), Dall sheep (Northwest Territory), Stone Sheep (British Columbia), and California Bighorn (British Columbia). Throw in his Aoudad, Red sheep, and Armenian Mouflon (this triad taken in Texas) and John was closer to his dream of completing the World Slam than ever before—a dream that had been evolving throughout his teenage years. When he was 16, John traveled with his Father to Tajikistan where they endured—among other things—a 20-hour jeep ride over the unforgiving Pamir Mountain range to a base camp of 13,500 feet, in pursuit of the elusive and majestic Marco Polo sheep found at altitudes of more than 15,000 feet. After a long and grueling hunt, John harvested his prized Marco Polo and returned home even more determined to complete his quest for the World Slam.
Heading next to Mongolia, John had the good fortune to take a Gobi Argali as well as the Hangay Argali. His latest adventure came in the summer of 2010 where he travelled to the Caucus Mountains of Azerbaijan in pursuit of the Dagestan Tur, John encountered what he described as “by far” his most difficult hunt, thanks in particular to extremely steep grades and dangerously sheer mountain faces. With the final leg of his trip ending in Croatia; he successfully took his European Mouflon, where his Ovis World Slam was completed.
His proudest moment? Hunting in B.C. for two weeks in the rain, on horseback, and nearly running out of provisions before taking his Stone Sheep at 420 yards. That about says it all.
John’s Equipment: 300 Winchester Magnum-180 grain Federal Barnes Triple Shock-X bullet. Swarovski & Leica Optics
—Hugh Fadal
