First the most rediculous mount you ever saw.
A big, huge thank you to Mulie Mike! Mike knew the story of this aoudad, knew I could not afford a guided hunt, and knew I needed a cape. He packed a cape down for me from one of his guided hunts to gift to me. He then saved it for me in his freezer for way too long due to a couple deaths in my family and a sick dog. I finally was able to work out an arrangement where one of his guides carried the cape from El Paso to Lajitas near where I had gone to hunt Blue Quail with Blaze. And a big thank you to the guide(mike- his name?) who delivered it to my truck at 3 am.
The cape and old mount went to Aaron, Texaswildlife here on the forum. He had been recommended by several other forum members. He did a wall pedastal mount and I think he did a fabulous job and I could not have expected better on the new cape. Man was I excited when he sent me this picture just before it was finished.
This Aoudad was from a drawn hunt at Caprock Canyons state park several years ago. I did my homework with calls to game wardens and biologists. Then I arrived a couple days early to scout. After sweet talking the girl at the main gate she showed me on a map where the sheep had been seen during a recent balloon race. Sure enough they were right where she told me.
Day one of the hunt, I did not draw that area, but day two after begging the park manager to move me and promising I would have my aoudad by 9 am, he did just that. I did have my aoudad by 9 am with a 300 weatherby from what was probably my longest shot ever. The bad is it rolled to the bottom of the canyon.
The good, another hunter watching me from a distance with binoculars saw me shoot and came to help. The bad, It had to be cut into three sections for us to carry it up the canyon.
The good, a third hunter came along and volunteered to go to the road to flag down the next park truck which was supposed to drive the road every hour on the hour. The bad, he never showed FOR 6 HOURS! Ranch hands from nearby drove by and said they saw our assigned park guy in town drinking coffee.
But he did finally show and I got the Aoudad caped for a half body mount and iced. I offered the meat to the guys that helped me. Still don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Then got the cape to the taxidermist on the way home.
The bad. Unknown to me, the taxidermist had fallen while filling a feeder at the ranch he worked and broke his leg. His son mounted the aoudad for him and I would put money it was the first animal he had ever mounted. It was mounted on a big horn sheep form, horns not boiled, and the hide slipped. Now have you the hide may have slipped from the long wait on the road. My biggest fear was that because the hide was pulled over the base of the horns; the base of the horns were shaved to make them fit. Lucky me the horns were intact. But what a mess for Aaron to have to work with.
The taxidermist was someone I had come to be somewhat of a friend I enjoyed stopping to talk with when returning from hunts. When I arrived to pick up the aoudad, my heart sunk when I saw it. But I saw past due bills on his kitchen table with his kids running around the house. The damage was done and he needed the money. I paid for it without saying a bad word. But I will admit I never spoke with or did business with him again. Been a long hard road with this animal, but it is finally on my wall.
Before digital cameras where widely used, so this is a scan of an old film camera pic taken of the cape the day it was killed. At the time I was told it was the 2nd biggest killed in the park. Not bad for public land eh?
![[Linked Image]](http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc434/beaucfus/BEER-1.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc434/beaucfus/TXCANNON1.jpg)