https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jdaOwpPBic


Link to Aoudad hunt.

Erich running this hunt on the video is a good friend and serious operator.

I have hunted plenty of aoudad in NM, but would love to do this hunt in Morocco some day.

This looks like an interesting and challenging hunt.

The Atlas Mountains are beautiful.

I wonder about the back story? Have aoudad always survived? Are they coming back? Have they been re-introduced?

Whatever the case, this is a positive development, for sure.

great to see some changes in the kingdom including the right to rifle. that is a big change.

Seems a long way just to shoot Aoudad when they are common in south Texas and in the Canadian River Breaks.

quote:

Originally posted by nmhunter4life:
I have hunted plenty of aoudad in NM, but would love to do this hunt in Morocco some day.

Give Erich an email . Think the waiting list is 2 years at the moment .

quote:

Originally posted by crshelton:
Seems a long way just to shoot Aoudad when they are common in south Texas and in the Canadian River Breaks.

There's just something special about hunting an animal in it's native range and habitat.

I spoke to Amy at the Hunting Consortium the other day about an unrelated matter and asked her about the cost of this hunt, hunt is $39,500, four licenses available for 2023.

Shelton,

You could say that about a lot of species. A lot easier and cheaper to just shoot them in Texas if its just about shooting them to you. I've never shot an African animal in Texas and the only one I ever considered was an eland cow for the meat. Still may do that.

What other than aoudad might be available in Morocco. Sounds intriguing and I know I'd love the food.

Kathi,

That can't be all-in. Any details?

Hunting Consortium?

You mean the asshole that doubles the price of European hunts for American clients?

I wonder what the actual cost is?

Fantastic news! Sounds like an incredible adventure to a country few hunters in our time have ever got to experience. I am always intrigued by these unique hunts off the beaten path. I think I'll have to add this to the list!

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Hunting Consortium?

You mean the asshole that doubles the price of European hunts for American clients?

I wonder what the actual cost is?

39.500usd is what there all charging

Folks,

An adventure no doubt. I think most folks think of Morocco as pretty arid but this is in the snowy mountains. Pretty cool!

It does not appear though to be a nut buster as the older gentleman doing the shooting seems to not be in sheep shape.

Mark

https://safariclub.org/morocco-aoudad/


ADVENTURE Jul 20, 2022
Morocco Aoudad

Hardly any other wild species poses as many puzzles for zoologists as the Barbary sheep. Can the closer relationship be assigned to the goats or the sheep? Many zoologists place it under a separate genus called Ammotragus. Ammotragus comes from Greek and means sand goat. In common usage we mostly find names like Barbary sheep, maned goat, African tur and especially aoudad, a term that comes from the Berber language.

The natural habitat of the aoudad extends across all of North Africa. From Morocco to Chad to Sudan, the aoudad has adapted to each different habitat. From the rocky, often snow-capped Atlas Mountains to the extremely arid Nubian Desert, this reddish-brown, horned wild species can be found. It is named after the long throat hairs, which are much more pronounced in males than in females.


After 10 years, HuntGeo managed to open Sudan to international hunters again, where the aoudad, Nubian ibex and the Eritrea gazelle are native. My personal focus was, of course, on the Nubian ibex and aoudad. After my successful hunt for the Nubian ibex in Sudan, I managed to hunt a Barbary sheep after three safaris in the Nubian desert.

During the first two unsuccessful hunting trips, but also during the third successful hunt, I was able to convince myself that the game density in Sudan is very low and over the years when there has been no legal and controlled hunting, the aoudad has been poached very heavily and was difficult to find in Sudan. I was more than pleased to hear from my partner and friend Renauld in spring 2021, when he informed me that he had finally managed to organize a hunt for aoudad in Morocco for the first time. For more than 10 years, we have been working intensively on this project, and now we have finally managed to hunt the Barbary sheep in its natural habitat, the Atlas Mountains.

Ten permits for one hunting season. Only selected males that are at least seven years old may be hunted. Renauld achieved another milestone with the creation of an import license for hunters to use their own hunting rifles. Although I only forwarded this message to a few of my closest customers and friends, word of the possibility of hunting Barbary sheep in Morocco, especially among mountain hunters, spread very quickly and it wasn’t long before all ten licenses were quickly sold out.

The hunting season in Morocco is set from mid-September to the end of March and the first hunter was already planning to come at the end of September. Unfortunately, it was still too hot, and the sheep were staying very high in the mountains. At this point it should be mentioned that the Atlas Mountains stretch over an area of about 2,500 kilometers and separate the coasts of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea from the Sahara. The extremely rugged mountains have a very contrasting terrain and changeable climate. The highest elevation is the Toubkal at 4,167 meters.

The hunting area is located right in these high Atlas Mountains and covers an area of more than 100,000 hectares. The Tizi n’ Test Pass at 2,100 meters above sea level was the starting point of our hunt. The mountains are richly forested and offer the game plenty of protection from the changing climatic conditions. Of course, this advantage for the game does not offer an advantage to hunters and therefore it makes much more sense to wait for cooler weather, especially snow on the mountain tops. The snow drives the sheep further down where they can still find plenty of food.

The Barbary sheep feeds on grass and herbs as well as fresh leaves. The first successful hunters finally returned from Morocco in November. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic did not stop in Morocco either and King Mohammed VI, the regent of Morocco, ordered the borders to be closed and it was no longer possible to enter or leave the country from December 1 to February 7. Immediately after the borders were reopened, we were able to continue our hunting program. My personal presence was requested for the last two hunting guests. A request that I was very happy to comply with, as they are two very good friends and long-standing customers of mine.


For the Conklin award winner Bela Hidvegi, with whom I have had the privilege of accompanying on many hunting trips, hunting the aoudad in its natural habitat was a hunting dream that he wanted to realize for a long time. For my good friend Vladislav Reznik, the aoudad from North Africa is one of the few sheep species that he has not yet hunted. The aoudad was introduced to Spain in the early 20th century and from there to North and Central America, where it is still bred and hunted to this day. Hunting in its original, natural habitat is therefore of great importance to many mountain hunters.

My journey to Marrakech was very pleasant. I chose Spanish Iberia as the airline. No problem traveling with the gun and the flight goes via Madrid to Marrakech. Rached was already waiting for me at the Marrakech airport and helped me with the formalities and registering the gun with the airport police.

About 40 minutes after leaving the airport, I arrived at Renauld’s place. He has private property in Morocco, a little further out and to the south. Only 500 meters away was a comfortable hotel where our guests were accommodated upon their arrival. It is right next to a reservoir with fantastic views of the Atlas Mountains.

From his terrace, with this incredible view, we discussed the plan for the next few days. There had been some shifts in the flight connections of our guests. Vladislav, who originally wanted to fly in with Turkish Airlines, had to rebook and take the flight with Qatar Airways. Istanbul was temporarily closed due to heavy snowfall. Bela chose Air France for his flight, which flew in a day earlier.

The plan was made quickly. Vladislav would try his luck hunting the Barbary wild boar for the first two days and would hunt near the orange plantations around Casablanca. Bela would be the first to hunt the aoudad. The next morning, we found out how changeable the weather is. Not much was left of the pleasant warmth from the day before. Rain and a cool weather awaited us in the morning. Ahead was a two-hour drive to the Tizi N Test Pass. According to the weather report, we could expect 10 to 15 centimeters of fresh snow there. Despite the change in weather and the sometimes heavy rain, we could make out the many different facets of the landscape. The area had very barren sandy hills, but also wide green areas with orange and lemon trees, rocky gorges and cliffs overgrown with cedars, pines, oaks and olive trees.

The landscape was rounded off with the very typical Berber villages in the middle of the rocky mountains. The clothing of the Berbers is just as typical as the houses. Men usually wear colored, floor-length coats or capes with a pointed hood. For women it is the traditional abaya that is kept very simple. On special occasions, a long dress, the so-called kaftan, is worn which, with its decorations and embroidery, does not require any other accessories.


The closer we got to the pass at 2,100 meters above sea level, the less we could believe that we were in Africa. The rain changed to snowfall and the landscape was much more reminiscent of a deep winter Alpine road in Austria or Switzerland. A small restaurant awaited us at the highest point of the pass road. With heavy snowfall and temperatures high in the single digits below zero, hunting was not really an option. We were all the happier around the open fire in the restaurant.

For lunch we have the national dish, the tajine. It is a delicious stew of meat and vegetables that is prepared in a pointed clay pot and stewed over a long period of time. Then we had a freshly brewed black tea with fresh mint. For dessert, some of Bela’s hunting experiences were served. Somehow, we almost forgot that we were pursuing a special goal, the hunt for the Barbary sheep in the High Atlas Mountains.

The snowfall eased significantly, and our local guides employed by the Forest Service informed us that visibility further down had improved. Like most sheep, the aoudad are very active in the afternoon, foraging, and we hoped they would take particular advantage of the easing snowfall. In fact, visibility was much better at about 1,700 meters above sea-level and we moved to a sheltered vantage point and started scanning the ridges for sheep.

Shortly before 7 p.m. we broke off and returned to the pass. Except for a few females and a young ram, nothing was to be found. The restaurant also had a small, brick guest house where we spent the night. After a good dinner and some good anecdotes from Bela and Renauld, we treated ourselves to a few hours of sleep before we continued the next morning.

During the night it continued to snow and gave us another 15 centimeters of fresh snow. Dense fog, which also enveloped the mountains below, did not allow a hunt, so we just had to wait. Like the day before, the fog cleared again in the afternoon, and we try our luck again. In the last few days before the snowfall, forest workers had seen some aoudad.

Although the ascent to this position was not easy, Bela still wanted to try. The first hundred meters of altitude can be managed quickly with the help of donkeys and mules, but after that the ascent became too dangerous with the help of our four-legged friends, so we continued on foot. It was already 5 p.m. when we reached the place where the forest workers saw the sheep before the snowfall.

As with every mountain hunt, we started to search the terrain with binoculars and spotting scopes. As we prepared for our descent, Barbary sheep suddenly appeared out of nowhere. First there were two, a short time later there were already four and a few minutes later we had a group of twelve sheep in front of us.

There was a ravine and a distance of 400 meters between us and the Barbary sheep on the opposite slope. Two rams stood out from the rest. The difference in size between the mane and the horns of these two and those of the rest of the group could be seen clearly. Unfortunately, we only had a short time to enjoy the sight of the sheep. Firing a shot was out of the question. It was already too late, and we had to hurry to reach the vehicle before sunset. The sight of the sheep and the fact that the weather forecast promised better weather for the next day made us hope for the best.

We went to bed early, because after breakfast we would return to the same place. The weather in the morning was much better. The clouds were still hanging low, but it was snowing only a little and the snow-free breaks were getting longer. At 10 a.m. we were back where we saw the sheep the day before and so this day, everything went much faster. In less than half an hour the same group we had seen the day before emerged again from the shelter of the oaks and cedars.


For our part, we used this tree cover to stalk closer to the sheep. At 250 meters the time had come. Bela had a very good view of the strongest ram in the group and a good rifle rest. He used my Steyr Tactical in .300 Winchester Magnum and a Steiner scope with a ballistic turret.

The distance of 250 meters was set quickly and Bela readied the gun. Seconds later the shot rang out and the aoudad was fatally hit.

We waited a few more minutes and then made our way to the dead ram and admired it in detail. Even the renewed snowfall was ignored, and Bela and the entire team were overjoyed. After a few memory photos, we made our way back. The snowfall had become heavier again. In the late afternoon we were back at our guest house. Vladislav and his companion Evgeny were already waiting there. Together with our friend Alexander, who guided both of them to the Barbary wild boar, all the experiences of the last few days were exchanged over dinner, and it was already after midnight when we finally fall into our beds, tired but satisfied.

The next day Alexander took Bela back to Marrakech where Bela tried his luck on a wild boar. I stayed with Renauld and accompanied Vladislav on his hunt for his Barbary sheep. The weather changed, and the sky was almost cloudless. The Atlas Mountains showed their different face as we looked forward to the upcoming hunting day.

Three people from Renauld’s had been out since the early hours of the morning and were scouting the area where we wanted to hunt that day. While we were still having our breakfast, we received the message from the scouting team. A group of seven aoudad was sighted. We got ready immediately and a few minutes later we were in the car and on our way to the agreed meeting point. Our scouts were giving Renauld and me a brief overview of the situation. After only 30 minutes of walking along a snow-covered forest path, we reached a small platform from where we could already see the sheep.

They were on the opposite slope, 600 meters away from us and about 150 meters above us. Together we thought about how we could do the best stalk. Cover was plentiful, but the sometimes-deep snowpack had its pitfalls. Our stalk began when we first tried to compensate for the difference in altitude. It took a little more than an hour until we were on the same level as the sheep, who didn’t move much, warming themselves up by the sun. After another 30 meters of altitude, we continued our stalk horizontally.


Again and again, we stopped and watched the sheep, which were then slightly below us. Some just remained and others plucked the leaves of the surrounding bushes. We managed to stalk them unnoticed up to a distance of 150 meters. From our location we had a very good overview of the whole group of Barbary sheep. It didn’t take long for us to select the best ram. He stood alone on a rocky outcrop. It almost looked like he was overseeing his little kingdom from his throne.

Vladislav already had his sights set on him, but he only showed himself from the front and Vladislav waited for his broadside. He didn’t move, which tested our patience. Finally, the long-awaited turn to the right. Vladislav had the desired position of the Barbary sheep, and he didn’t let this chance go away. The shot broke the silence. The ram immediately jumped a few meters further down the valley where he remained, lying in the snow, fatally wounded. It was devoutly quiet then.

No one said a word and all eyes were on the ram that had been harvested. It’s hard to describe the emotion of that moment, but the hunter’s wet eyes spoke volumes. The first to break this silence was Isbar, the fox terrier from Renauld that always accompanied us. With his barking, he just wanted to let us know: “Let me finally go to the ram I’ve killed!” Of course, not only he but also the shooter now wanted to pay his last respects to the aoudad. The rest was routine as always. A few trophy photos and then the descent and care of the ram.


Hunting for Aoudad in the high Atlas Mountains of Morocco is something very special. It is a very demanding mountain hunt in a wonderful landscape. With many new impressions, memories and emotions, along with fantastic trophies in our luggage, we started our journey home and were able to convince ourselves again that ethical and controlled hunting is a major part of the formula for conservation of our wildlife.–Erich Mueller

I wish I was a young man. I gave up on mountain hunts nearly 20 years ago, but this sounds awesome.