“Move forward very slowly. Keep low and this cedar I’m next to between you and the aoudad. There are at least twenty and they’re all looking.” Warned Jackie Murphy. At his side, Jackie peered through his spotting scope. “The biggest ram in the bunch is right at 30-inches, but I think he’s still relatively young.” He continued as he moved aside so I could look through the spotting scope. “He’s still a little light colored as far as I’m concerned.” I nodded in agreement after a quick look.
“Yeah, he’s not dark enough to be really old!” Said I, knowing older mature aoudad rams tend to be more reddish brown in color than younger rams, which essentially are the same color as the ewes, a reddish tan. I took one more quick look. “Did you notice the big ewe on the far right. She’s got really long horns for a female.”
“I did.” Followed by, “Let’s slowly back down the mountain without spooking this bunch. Don’t want them running into aoudads that might be on top, or over on the other side. Two weeks ago I saw a really massive and long-horned ram just over on the other side of the ridge. I initially thought he might now be with the group. But he’s not.”
We backed down the slope, keeping cedars and boulders between the aoudad and us, then then headed back to our parked pickup.
I was thrilled to once again be hunting with Greg Simons’ Wildlife Systems (www.wildlifesystems.com). Over the past years I have often hunted with Greg for whitetail, mule deer, and pronghorn. Too, both Greg and I are professional wildlife biologists. We have worked together on many wildlife conservation issues.Ace guide, Jackie Murphy, known universally as “Mr. Aoudad” and I had met years ago. We previously shared camps, but, this was the first time Jackie was actually my guide. I know of no one who loves aoudad and hunting aoudad more than Jackie Murphy. Hunting with him was truly an honor and pleasure.
Aoudad have become a “naturalized citizen” in southwestern and western Texas. They were introduced to Texas during the 1940s’s. Natives of the rugged, arid areas of northern Africa, aoudad are also known as Barbary sheep. In truth they are neither true goats nor true sheep, even though in North America they are often referred to and considered such. They belong to the genus Ammotragus and they are the only one within that genus. Scientifically they are named Ammotragus lervia. Both males and females have essentially backswept then turning inward horns. Those of males are quite a bit more massive and longer than those of females. Both males and females also have a long “mane” starting on their throat, continuing onto their chest, and the upper part of their forelegs, the latter often referred to as “chaps”. Rams tend to be larger bodied than ewes. As a wildlife biologist and hunter I have weighed several rams that bottomed out a 300-pound scale.
Today this very prolific and tenacious species is found in Texas, but also in parts of New Mexico.
Hunting aoudad in the rugged mountains of Texas’ Trans Pecos region is very much like hunting desert bighorns, other than aoudad are considerably more plentiful and not nearly as expensive. But, they are just as much fun and challenging, and, in certain ways more challenging because of the large herds they sometimes travel in.
Mentioning large herds of aoudad, on the third day of my hunt Jackie and I, along with cameraman Dustin Blankenship (we were filming for my then “DSC’s Trailing the Hunter’s Moon” TV show) sat on a slope and spotted over one hundred rams in a single herd cross from one mountain to another. We watched the last ram disappear then left our perch and headed toward the mountain they were now on. Both Jackie and I believed there would be some older mature rams in that herd.
Back at the pickup we took a long circuitous route to approach the now aoudad mountain from an direction where they would not see us. Up on the mountain after some serious hand over hand crawling Jackie peaked over a ridge. Below and on the same left, only 200 yards away were many aoudad rams. He motioned me forward. I slid next to him using a dead cedar to break my outline. We glassed the rams visible. After doing so Jackie and I in unison said, “All young!”. The longest horned sheep we saw had horns only about 26 to 28-inches in length. Matter of fact they all looked like they came from the same mold. We were looking for one with 30-inch or better horns!
“Let’s back out, keep the crest between us and see if there are some older rams in the front of the herd.” Suggested my guide.
Twenty minutes later we were just over the ridge from were we thought we should be able to see most of the rest of the rams in the herd. Jackie moved forward, peaked over the other side of the ridge then motioned me forward. For the next ten minutes we glassed many more aoudad rams. After which Jackie proclaimed softly, “I can’t find a ram longer than 28-inches. Unbelievable! They all look to be the same size and age. Nothing for us here. But can you imagine what those rams will look like in two years! They’ll be huge and lots of them!” I smiled. “Let’s head back to the pickup and go see if we can find some older rams.”
We did a couple of hours later. They were bedded on top of the ridge where the first afternoon we had stalked the herd. After studying a way to get to the top without being seen Jackie, Dustin and I headed to the top. In so doing we “marked” several landmarks. The rams were bedded under the tallest cedar on the ridge’s top.
Once we got to within a couple of hundred yards, using the wind in our favor, we eased forward, unknowing the rams had moved closer to where we were. Grass was tall on top of the ridge. It along with a scattering of large boulders prevented us from seeing the rams until we almost stepped on them. They spooked nearly from under foot like a covey of quail. Not sure which was more surprised, the aoudads or the three of us! Before we could recover, the rams were gone. Watching the last disappear Jackie and I turned toward each other and started to laugh. At the moment laughing just seemed the proper thing to do!
The next day and a half Jackie and I glassed many aoudad, including several that were right at our self-imposed 30-inch or longer horns minimum. The remainder of the half day we decided to drive to another part of the ranch which reputedly had more water. Aoudad have the innate ability to go for long periods of time without a drink, getting their moisture from the vegetation they eat. But when available they do go to water. Matter of fact I have seen aoudad rams wallow in mud like bull elk during their breeding season. “Saw a couple of rams between a dusting area and a water hole last time through the area.” Jackie explained aoudad tend to roll in dust when it is available, likely to help control external parasites.
First drove to the water hole. Nearby we found numerous distinct circular beds made by aoudad. Those and fresh tracks, still crisp, left no doubt aoudad were in the immediate area. We spent time glassing the surrounding slopes, spotted several ewes with lambs and some young rams. “Let’s head to their dusting area, maybe that’s where the rams are!” suggested Jackie. He went on to explain there are certain times of the years when rams are with the ewes and other times when they gathered together in bachelor herds, like the over a hundred rams we had seen in one herd, as well as, the smaller herd of mature rams we had glassed.
We just turned the corner where we could see the dusting area when Jackie and I spotted two rams. Both were a darker reddish tan, both had long curved horns. Both too had long luxuriant mane and chaps.The ram on the left appeared to have longer horns and his bases too were nearly grown together indicating excellent mass.
As soon as we spotted the rams I grabbed my .300 H&H Magnum, Ruger No. 1 a rifle and round I considered appropriate. I ran to a nearby boulder for a solid rest and shoved a Hornady Custom 180-grain Interbond round into the single-shot’s chamber. The bigger ram ran behind a screening of cedar. I suspect he thought I could not see him. But I did and knowing the accuracy of my rifle/ammo combination I found a small hole through which to place a bullet through into his vitals.
I squeezed the trigger. The aoudad shuttered and took off running. I reloaded, found him in the scope and was following him to shoot a second time. Just before I could pull the trigger, he fell. I kept my scope’s crosshairs on him. If he so much as quivered I was going to shoot him again. There was no movement.
Jackie slapped my shoulder and congratulated me on the shot. I turned and shook his extended right hand. So doing I glanced at a smiling Dustin. I knew all too was good with the footage.
Moments later at the ram’s side, after saying a prayer of thanks, I knelt beside my ram. “He’s better than I thought!” Said Jackie, “He’ll go over thirty!” Later back at camp Jackie measured his horns at 32 1/2 -inches with massive bases. Soon as I saw him, I knew I would be taking horns and cape to Double Nickle Taxidermy (www.doublenickletaxidermy.com) for them to do their artistry.
I could have been happier. Over the years I have hunted aoudad numerous times. They are my favorite of all the introduced big game species. And indeed I do consider them North America’s fifth sheep, right up there with four native bighorn sheep species. But, I can hunt many, many times for aoudad for less than what a single bighorn sheep hunt costs these days. And, so can you!
