Sara Rose Brandenburg comes from a family of avid hunters and is herself on the way to becoming a world-record holder in the sport.
The 15-year-old Longmont Christian School freshman is one well-placed shot away from achieving a “North American Grand Slam,” a club of hunters who bag four breeds of wild mountain sheep.
Already, Sara has killed her desert bighorn, Dall and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep — all in less than a year. If she can track and kill a qualifying Stone sheep this fall, Sara will become the youngest female in the world to earn the distinction that often takes hunters a lifetime to achieve.
The current record-holder was 32 when she achieved the title.
She tells people who sometimes don’t understand the pursuit that she’s helping to conserve the animals through the costs of the hunt — which can top tens of thousands of dollars each. The fees help support local habitats and conservation funds.
“My family takes the meat,” she said. “We respect the animal.”
