aoudad hunting ( Barbary sheep)

[singlestacksig]

For a big anniversary wife & I are considering a big hunt trip. We are thinking of Aoudad , probably in Texas. Has anyone done a Texas hunt for them ? What part of Tx did you hunt? Did you use an outfitter ? What kind of range was your shot? Currently my big bore hunting guns are 6.5x55 , .308 , or .260 Remington. would those work, or should I consider a longer range caliber ?

 

[patience0830]

For a big anniversary wife & I are considering a big hunt trip. We are thinking of Aoudad , probably in Texas. Has anyone done a Texas hunt for them ? What part of Tx did you hunt? Did you use an outfitter ? What kind of range was your shot? Currently my big bore hunting guns are 6.5x55 , .308 , or .260 Remington. would those work, or should I consider a longer range caliber ?

Thinking that any of your current calibers will work fine. Enjoy the mutton.

And congrats on the long term anniversary!

 

[two70]

For a big anniversary wife & I are considering a big hunt trip. We are thinking of Aoudad , probably in Texas. Has anyone done a Texas hunt for them ? What part of Tx did you hunt? Did you use an outfitter ? What kind of range was your shot? Currently my big bore hunting guns are 6.5x55 , .308 , or .260 Remington. would those work, or should I consider a longer range caliber ?

Technically I've been on one hunt where they were possible and another where they were definitely around but off limits. I never actually saw any on either hunt although my hunting partner saw several on the 2nd one. I've also done a fair amount of research on a dedicated aoudad hunt but never committed to it. Aoudad are big, tough animals but those cartridges should work provided you use quality controlled expansion bullets.

They are one of the most common exotics in Texas and can be found throughout much of the central and western parts of the state. If you want to hunt completely free ranging animals in mountainous terrain, then west Texas or New Mexico are the only place to look. If you're fine with skipping the mountainous terrain or hunting high fenced operations, they can be hunted in central Texas all over the Edward's plateau as well.

Public hunting opportunities are few and far between and most will require being drawn for the hunt. Most draws will take multiple years unless you're really, really lucky. An outfitted hunt is almost mandatory but there are options to do unguided DIY hunts with a short term lease or trespass fee as well.

Are you absolutely married to hunting Aoudad? They are impressive looking animals and if hunted in mountainous terrain, are likely a good approximation of a sheep hunt but the popularity and price for good hunts keeps going up. If not I'd recommend considering Nilgai instead. Their horns are not nearly as impressive as aoudad but a mount from an old blue bull looks amazing even with small horns. The price can be more reasonable as well and the meat tastes much, much better.

 

[singlestacksig]

Technically I've been on one hunt where they were possible and another where they were definitely around but off limits. I never actually saw any on either hunt although my hunting partner saw several on the 2nd one. I've also done a fair amount of research on a dedicated aoudad hunt but never committed to it. Aoudad are big, tough animals but those cartridges should work provided you use quality controlled expansion bullets.

They are one of the most common exotics in Texas and can be found throughout much of the central and western parts of the state. If you want to hunt completely free ranging animals in mountainous terrain, then west Texas or New Mexico are the only place to look. If you're fine with skipping the mountainous terrain or hunting high fenced operations, they can be hunted in central Texas all over the Edward's plateau as well.

Public hunting opportunities are few and far between and most will require being drawn for the hunt. Most draws will take multiple years unless you're really, really lucky. An outfitted hunt is almost mandatory but there are options to do unguided DIY hunts with a short term lease or trespass fee as well.

Are you absolutely married to hunting Aoudad? They are impressive looking animals and if hunted in mountainous terrain, are likely a good approximation of a sheep hunt but the popularity and price for good hunts keeps going up. If not I'd recommend considering Nilgai instead. Their horns are not nearly as impressive as aoudad but a mount from an old blue bull looks amazing even with small horns. The price can be more reasonable as well and the meat tastes much, much better.

We got on the Idea of Aoudad because she read an article that said they were considered a nuisance for some land owners..
so We are hoping to be able to find a land owner who would let us hunt non trophy ones.. Texas was suggested because you can just get a tag over the counter & not have to win a lottery.. I have been putting in for an Elk tag for 10+ years with no luck..
the 2nd reason for the sheep is I had once said I would like to take something with horns, not antlers, and we figured a cape buffalo was probably going to be to much head ache in paper work and price to find a free roaming one...

 

[Dirty Steve]

I've been intrigued by an Aoudad hunt for some time as it is doubtful that any other type of sheep hunt is attainable for me. I have done a significant amount of research on the matter, talked to outfitters and others how have hunted Aoudad and what Two70 has said above is true. You are likley are not doing this as a DIY hunt on the cheap and are looking at $4,500 to $7,000 to do the hunt. That's not a riduclous amount for a guided sheep hunt. They are also basically inedible. This is purely a hunt for the experinece of a mountain style sheep hunt and a trophy for the wall.

If you've been trying to draw an elk tag for 10 years and have been unsuccessful, you must be limiting yourself to Kentucky, Pennsylvania or some limited entry unit with no preference points or extremely low non-resident tag numbers.
You can draw a general elk tag in Wyoming with 1-2 points and can buy over the counter tags in Colorado and Idaho in some units.

Dirty Steve

 

[two70]

We got on the Idea of Aoudad because she read an article that said they were considered a nuisance for some land owners..
so We are hoping to be able to find a land owner who would let us hunt non trophy ones.. Texas was suggested because you can just get a tag over the counter & not have to win a lottery.. I have been putting in for an Elk tag for 10+ years with no luck..
the 2nd reason for the sheep is I had once said I would like to take something with horns, not antlers, and we figured a cape buffalo was probably going to be to much head ache in paper work and price to find a free roaming one...

I'm not saying you can't find a willing landowner but it is likely going to be very tough. Although Aoudad are a nuisance, they are not typically destructive and have a relatively high monetary value so most ranchers with enough acres for a viable hunt are probably going to charge a significant fee of some sort. West Texas Hunts has some of the more reasonably priced DIY hunts that I've seen but they are still in the $3,500+ range. The nice thing though is you don't even need a tag if you find a place, just a non-resident exotic hunting license which runs less than $60 for the annual one and even less for a week. You might also look into a feral goat hunt as they are often much more reasonable in price and some of them have really impressive horns.

Although it will likely take some time to be drawn, I would recommend considering applying to some of the Texas Public land hunts for the future and starting to build up preference points. The entry fee is only $3 per application and permits are either $130 or $80 if drawn. It takes some research but there are some really good hunts available. I've been fortunate enough to have been drawn for about 12 hunts over the past 20 years, though I'm batting 0% for hunts specifically in the exotic animal category. Some hunts in other categories do offer the opportunity to take exotics if the opportunity presents itself.

From what I understand, New Mexico has tags for Aoudad that are easily drawn but in really rugged mountains. The tags are certainly more expensive but you'll likely save far more than the tags cost on outfitters fees. New Mexico also has Oryx on the White Sands Missile Range but that is a much more difficult draw and you have to front the $1600 tag fees to apply, though it is refunded when you're not drawn.

As for cape buffalo, or most other African animals, the paperwork isn't bad at all and is mostly completed for you by experienced people. There's no real way to get around the cost though. Even with a much more economical cow hunt, the costs add up. However, if the goal is to hunt horned animals and you're not worried about trophy animals, many ranchers in South Africa and Namibia offer cull hunt packages that let you take multiple non-trophy class animals for attractive prices. Even with the significantly higher travel expenses, you can probably spend 5+ days hunting 5+ animals for about what a trophy class Aoudad hunt for two would cost. A lot of the cull animals will have horns, smaller than trophy size but often still fairly impressive, that are importable if you want to bring them home. You also have the option of adding trophy animals if something strikes your fancy and your budget allows.