A quick informal poll here... what, in your experience, are the most difficult/challenging exotics to hunt in Texas, and why? How would you rank them?

Aoudad hands down for me. No matter what kind of fence they live behind, if they are in rugged terrain it will be a very challenging hunt. You pick the terrain and the challenge can go up with the rugged value. This one is close but next would be Ibex on ranches out in Val Verde or Terrell counties in that rugged canyon country. If you pick a ranch like Steve Forests it might take you several trips to get one.

A lot of it depends on the individual property. In my personal experience though, Sika, Audad, and Eland can be pretty elusive and difficult to hunt. We've also had some Black Hawaiians that were pretty calm and mild at first, but once some pressure was put on them they went into hiding. By no means am I familiar with all the exotics out there, but this has been what I've observed. Also, although I have not personally hunted them, Nilgai have a reputation for being quite elusive and tough to hunt. The reason I think the animals I've listed are challenging to hunt is their elusive nature and skiddish behavior.

1. Aoudad
2. Axis
3. Red Sheep
4. Mouflon
5. Blackbuck

What Ive experienced....

Aoudad

Like noted above it depends on ranch layout... however, in my experiences it goes as follows...

1. Aoudad
2. Axis
3. Mouflon
4. Oryx

1. Aoudad
2. Axis
3. Nilgai

Taking all fences out of the equation, I'd go with...

Aoudad
Nilgai
Bison
Blackbuck
Axis/Fallow

Auodad
Sika
Nilgai

Chupacabra!
Black panthers!

Try pure European Mouflon with a bow .........

How did bison make the list?? I might agree if you were talking about one of the draw herds in Utah or Arizona, but not where they are considered an 'exotic'

As far as most 'switched on', I'd have to say japanese sika in a free range setting. I primarily bowhunt, and they are amazing at picking you off in or near bow range. They are also a kick in the pants to hunt when they are calling.

Aoudad and NM Ibex get high votes due to terrain and intelligence of the critter.

Blackbuck can be quite skittish, but most places they do well, you don't have to go more than a couple hundred yards from the truck to shoot with a rifle and they are typically in the open and visible, so I struggle putting them high on the list.

Nilgai are a blast spot & stalk, and don't let you get away with much.

I guess alot of it has to do with how and where you hunt them. For every critter on the list, I am sure there are some very challinging ranches, and some where it's pretty easy to harvest.

Marco Polo is the hardest but doesn't exist that I know of in texas. For tx aoudad hands down.

Hippos. They are hell to find.

I believe he is referencing some hunts that I have seen on Facebook that take place in far West Texas.

I agree with Kodiak. I am a bow hunter and in my experience he is dead on.

1. Aoudad(I have taken 4)
2. Axis(2)
3. Red Sheep(1)
4. Mouflon(2)
5. Blackbuck(10 or 11, lost count)

The last 3 are a toss up. Blackbuck ar tough when there are several that come in at once, they are a small target and tend to dodge the feeders at the ranches I have hunted. Aoudad hands down, they are fun. Axis can jump your string. I had one drop over a foot when I shot at 30 yards...all before my arrow made it a third of the way there.

Tx ranchman steve forest's place would be a heck of a hunt for a lot of different animles if they like to hunt. I like the country down there spend 4 months plus down there a year in that part of tx. Rough on pickups take care

Sika
Aoudad
Red Stag

Aoudad- Free range in far West Texas

Precisely what I was referring to, thx herndog. More referencing the entire "hunt". Locate the right animal (finding a handful of rogue bulls on 12,000 acres in West Texas) does pose quite a challenge. Once located, the act of shooting the animal isn't all that difficult (w/ a rifle), but THEN comes the ridiculous amount of work once the animal hits the ground! If you were tagging along during the hunt I experienced, I'm pretty sure you'd classify the hunt as "difficult & challenging"...but to each his own, of course.

Just going off my experiences. The location of the hunt makes all the difference. A bongo hunt in the deep jungles of Cameroon is probably a pretty damn hard hunt...but put one in 100 ares and that's no longer necessarily the case. Guess we should all specify where, what acreage, the terrain, what weapon, the weather, etc...

Not on my block

Personal experience:
Nilgai
Axis
Blackbuck

Have seen/red:
Aoudad
Eland

Really depends on property and how animals are treated

On our place:
Aoudad /Mouflon
Axis
Fallow
Blackbuck

yup ...what he said

Niliga
Axis