Trans Pecos Aoudad Are No Joke

So my buddy Big Al went on a hunt for big aoudad sheep in the rugged Davis Mountains of West Texas and I tagged along with him. The elevation won't kill you ( up to 6500' on this ranch), but the fact that you're stepping on unstable rock with most every step makes it tough going. IMO, free range aoudad are a spot and stalk hunter's dream. This sprawling ranch encompassed 400 sq miles, 250,000 acres. We put 170 miles on a polaris ranger, and 20 miles hiking/stalking in 4 days.....it was an absolutely awesome adventure.

First evening found us in t shirts and 82 degrees.....


By the evening of the next day it was 33degrees and snowing.....


Big Al was toting a Bergara B14 7mm08 in which I had loaded him up with 140 accubonds running 2810. I still cannot believe feral hogs inhabit this harsh, rocky, dry desert environment.


The spanish daggers were in full bloom.....the desert was stunningly beautiful in it's own way....and the aoudad love eating the flowers


But you better watch where you're going.....the catclaw will kick your asss, and the instability of the rocks with every step are a PITA....


There are other targets of opportunity though.......these guys have killed 16 lions on this property in the past year. We only saw a handful of mule deer over 4 days.


The sheep are there though, but you have to hunt hard and make good use of your glass.....


Snapped this through my Fury 5000 AB's....at 725 yds.


We finally located a really, really big ram that Big Al was interested in. We probably passed on 20, 30" rams. I gave Big Al the dope through the Fury AB's as the huge ram finally cleared a small group of sheep he was with. The 140 AB hammered home at 508yds, placed perfectly through the shoulder. The longest side was 34 1/2 inches......an absolute giant ram.

We were just out in that area this past week for a family trip, we also did some hiking and I can also agree it's very very rugged country.

Congratulations on a very nice hunt and shot.

Great hunt!
Pretty part of the world.

Nice, real nice! I am finding myself envious here.

My first and only trip out in the country I made the same comment when I saw pigs...how do those thing survive out here. Awesome hunt and great country.

Congrats to BigAl...nice goat

The little RV park we stayed at in Fort Davis the owner was telling us about how they have feral hogs. I was shocked when she told me that they had them that far west.

love that country. not surprised by lion numbers either. Far more in that country then people believe.

Thanks for posting. I never really have much desire to hunt anything but Whitetail, maybe Mulies. Stories like these have me reconsidering.
That country is very special.

Forgot to mention we saw probably 20 head of elk as well. There is not one single head of livestock on the entire 400 square miles. Incredible place.

Were you out of there before the snow hit the area on Saturday?

We hunted Wednesday afternoon through Sunday. We had no accumulation to speak of right there but did have plenty of flurries. Wind made it extra cold. This ranch is located basically just South of Balmorhea and runs 22 miles South, and 20 miles wide.

I was in Balmorhea on Wednesday doing cannon balls off the big diving board.

Id rather hunt Mule deer in West TX then Whitetails anywhere in the US.

I'd rather hunt Mule Deer than Whitetails period

as long as it below treeline lightening storms in Sept at 12.5k arent cool

That's one part of Texas I've never visited.
Beautiful, rugged country.

Thanks for sharing and congrats to Big All also.

It’s gonna be hard to have a satisfying big game hunt after experiencing that. West Texas Aoudad hunting is probably my favorite hunt to do. They are incredible animals.

Elk can get pretty big out that way

Great story thanks for sharing, and providing something else for me to dream about

They get a lot bigger than that. Friend has a 390” bull taken off a place just south of Alpine. Rumor has it they killed a 411” off the Longfellow year before last. They kill some true giant elk in the Trans Pecos.

Makes you wonder where they originally imported them from?

just age. avg 6/7 year old bull is 330 per BC, so if you have good rainfall and age class big things can happen.



the LF bull is legit. Kmon’s buddy killed a 380 when TPWD where hammering them in Serria Diablo

Awesome hunt.

Great hunt report and photos. That Spanish dagger wants to kill you if it gets the chance.

I love that country! Great write up.

I agree with Nolanco, those spanish daggers are real a-holes. I drew a mule deer tag at Black gap when I was 25 and very unprepared. My first day out walking I walked right into one and the tip snapped off in my shin. It was at least a month before it finally worked its way out.

Great story and animal! Congrats Big Al!

Great ram and great shot!

I can't wait to do this hunt someday soon. Was this a paid hunt or just a buddies ranch?

He owns an oilfield service company and one of his vendors sent him on this hunt.

Great post…. Congrats to big Al!

Beautiful country

I live at 6,000 feet in the Davis Mountains. It’s a special place. Not leaving here!

If you do decide to leave pm me. It is a very special place.

I am a County Commissioner here in Jeff Davis County. This is home forever . Thanks!

Awesome! Great place to be for sure.

I can see why you'd never leave there. We were there for 5 days a few weeks ago and stayed at Limpia Creek RV. The owner was somewhat goofy but she runs a tight ship that made it nice.

Glad you enjoyed your stay. She is not the owner of the rv park. She is JUST the manager. I am prrsonal friends with the owner.

Ahh.

Small world. I know the Judge there. He and his son have done some dozer work for me in the past. They are two of the best heavy equipment operators I know and I know hundreds.

Now that is hunting

I worked on the Prude Ranch way back in the 80s. I think that is in that county. I heard John Robert passed away. Haven't been out there in about 40 years but I sure did enjoy it. Worked on the ranch until summer camps began and then worked the summer.

Yes, the Judge and son are great operators. Prude Ranch is here also.