Well as things would GO...I had killed my buck on the morning of the second day on a four day hunt. I COULD have shot a "management" buck as well as two does. I just really wasn't into that. The other two guys finished up later that afternoon. They DID kill a buck and two does EACH AND took MY deer meat home! That was SEVEN deer for them!
As it was everyone had killed all the deer that they wanted to so the outfitter made us an offer we couldn't refuse to get to hunt an AOUDAD! Aoudad sheep, also known as Barbary sheep, were introduced into the desert mountains of west Texas and southern New Mexico from their native habitat in the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa during the late 1940?s early 1950's. To say they have flurished here is an understatement! Of course I say let's do it as did one of the other hunters, Matt McLaughlin. We were told how tough of a critter that the aoudad is. Toby Trudy, the other guide, told us to shoot the biggest caliber we had! Matt had a .338-06 and I had a .50 cal muzzleloader! ALSO...we are instructed to shoot for the shoulder and NOT to shoot behind the shoulder as with a whitetail because the vitals on the aoudad are toward the front. I load up Savage #IV with a 250gr SST and away we go!
The desert areas of west Texas are pretty tough country. Mostly mesquite again, cedars, and a lot of cactus. The aoudad LOVE to feed on the blooms of the cactus!
Aoudad country!
Cactus blooms aoudads LOVE!
Well Randy and I go to this bluff to glass for a sheep. We are also told we could see some hogs to shoot as well. We saw none at the first place. Next we moved about a half mile up the canyon and glassed the opposite canyon wall. Nothing. Then Randy looks in the MIDDLE of the canyon and there they ARE! There are three rams are several ewes. The rams are moving from left to right so Randy and I try to get between them. As we are moving toward them were are losing our elevation advantage can only occasionally get a glimpse of them thru the mesquite and cactus. As if on cue the smallest of the rams reverses his path and the two larger sheep are bring up the rear. Both of the two larger rams are nice ones BUT one is a little larger than the other. I decide to pop the first one that presents an opportunity. I don't know the range but when one of the larger rams steps into a lane where I can shoot I am for the shoulder and squeeze the trigger. The shot, best as we could tell, was about 75yds. The ram heads down into the bottom of the canyon but doesn't go very far. I reload as quickly as possible and Randy is all ready at the edge of the canyon looking into it. He's motioning for me to come shoot again and them motions that the rams done. He only traveled about 40yds. Randy said that was NOTHING for a ram to travel after being shot with ANYTHING! Matts ram was shot three times with a .338-06! At any rate this was an EXTREMELY fun hunt and what a beautiful trophy this will make! Sorry for the bloody pics but there just wasn't any way to clean all THIS up! Dang..these things are HUGE!
As it was everyone had killed all the deer that they wanted to so the outfitter made us an offer we couldn't refuse to get to hunt an AOUDAD! Aoudad sheep, also known as Barbary sheep, were introduced into the desert mountains of west Texas and southern New Mexico from their native habitat in the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa during the late 1940?s early 1950's. To say they have flurished here is an understatement! Of course I say let's do it as did one of the other hunters, Matt McLaughlin. We were told how tough of a critter that the aoudad is. Toby Trudy, the other guide, told us to shoot the biggest caliber we had! Matt had a .338-06 and I had a .50 cal muzzleloader! ALSO...we are instructed to shoot for the shoulder and NOT to shoot behind the shoulder as with a whitetail because the vitals on the aoudad are toward the front. I load up Savage #IV with a 250gr SST and away we go!
The desert areas of west Texas are pretty tough country. Mostly mesquite again, cedars, and a lot of cactus. The aoudad LOVE to feed on the blooms of the cactus!
Aoudad country!
Cactus blooms aoudads LOVE!
Well Randy and I go to this bluff to glass for a sheep. We are also told we could see some hogs to shoot as well. We saw none at the first place. Next we moved about a half mile up the canyon and glassed the opposite canyon wall. Nothing. Then Randy looks in the MIDDLE of the canyon and there they ARE! There are three rams are several ewes. The rams are moving from left to right so Randy and I try to get between them. As we are moving toward them were are losing our elevation advantage can only occasionally get a glimpse of them thru the mesquite and cactus. As if on cue the smallest of the rams reverses his path and the two larger sheep are bring up the rear. Both of the two larger rams are nice ones BUT one is a little larger than the other. I decide to pop the first one that presents an opportunity. I don't know the range but when one of the larger rams steps into a lane where I can shoot I am for the shoulder and squeeze the trigger. The shot, best as we could tell, was about 75yds. The ram heads down into the bottom of the canyon but doesn't go very far. I reload as quickly as possible and Randy is all ready at the edge of the canyon looking into it. He's motioning for me to come shoot again and them motions that the rams done. He only traveled about 40yds. Randy said that was NOTHING for a ram to travel after being shot with ANYTHING! Matts ram was shot three times with a .338-06! At any rate this was an EXTREMELY fun hunt and what a beautiful trophy this will make! Sorry for the bloody pics but there just wasn't any way to clean all THIS up! Dang..these things are HUGE!
That will make a nice Mount. Congradulations 
