I have taken 3 nice Auodad rams and all were heart shot, and all went 100-150 yds before expiring. 2 were taken with a 7mm Rem Mag, with 160gr Nosler Partitions and the other with a 300 Weath Mag, with a 180 gr Nosler Partition(all were between 150-200 yd shots). Many hunters that I have talked with ,about Auodad sheep, say they are as tough an animal to kill as they have hunted, in the U.S. . Anybody have experiences to share about these tough animals??? GREG

Greg Y,
I was on a cull hunt on a friends ranch this last December and shot four Aoudad. All animals were shot using a 270 with 130 grain partitions loaded to 3100 fps. Two of the Aoudad dropped on the spot, one of these was a 30+ inch ram, another took no more then 5 steps (25 inch ram). The last went no more than 50 yards. Another hunter was shooting a 300 ultra mag, he hit two animals that were not recovered. The animals that were not recovered left very little blood on the ground. The ranch owner recommends using a magnum caliber rifle ( he believes thier hard to put down) Both of the larger rams that I shot were hit in the heart one at 265 yards and the other at 125 yards. Hope this helps.

I shot one ram in West Texas. He was about 225 yards away, on a bluff facing me. I shot him in the chest with a 25-06 using a 117 gr Sierra BTSP. He dropped like a sack of sh_t! However, I have heard that they are very hard to bring down.

Corey

This is a true story and if Harry can remember he has seen the pictures-I bought the rifle in his store the first store before Bedford! When I killed this big boy in Hood County after being scored it was the number 73 killed at that time in Texas according to what was registered. The first shot with a 7 Mag 140 gr Nosler BT dropped him like a stone at about 150 yds. I then watched for a minute took off the camo gloves etc, as it was hot for a thanksgiving weekend. Put my stuff along with the rifle against a cedar tree and began walking toward the downed animal. When I got about 20 yards away he got up I then drew my 4-inch Anaconda with 200 gr Hornady XTP's with 24 grs of 2400 and shot at the only thing I could-his BUTT. He dropped after the first round got back up dropped again after the 2nd round and took 3 more as he ran off (I missed once). He made it to a fence jumped and landed at the bottom of a limestone creek out 20 feet below---dead as a stone.

I am no small guy and at that time in much better shape 5-11 225 went to get my buddy and his dad who owns the ranch I hunt on to help me get him up the embankment. When we got back to the creek he was GONE! After the laughter stopped my buddy got his 30-30 and I had the 44 and we went in the cedar looking for him. Aoudad STINK and we could still smell where he had been so after a short walk up the hill in the brush I heard Neill shoot the 30-30. He hit him in the shoulder at 20 feet and he fell down on his front legs and I walked up from behind and put a 44 in his spine at point blank about a foot from the skull. He then gave it up!

This was 11 years ago this year and I learned that these are tough as anything I want to hunt! If I had the 338 Lapua that I now use for long range Feral Hog hunting I wonder if the outcome would have been different.

Dave

I've shot two on my Daddy's place in West Texas. Both were shot with a 7mm mag at a little over 200 yards. One with a Barnes X and the other a CT Failsafe. Both were chest shots and both dropped immediately. Somebody told me the Nilgai are much tougher. But that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Anyone care to relay where I can find one???? I am sure you guys had personal "ins" at the ranches. I'd like to hunt them, but some guys want as much as $2500 From New Mexico to West Texas is a real easy trip. I don't think that any ranches still have trespass fees. seems it's all or nothing.

Jesse,

I hunted with Sycamore Creek ranch in Del Rio Texas there price for Aoudad was $2,000, they have taken animals that have scored well enough to be in the SCI record book. You can look at there site by entering www.sycamorecreekranch.com

Busa Dave..I have heard of several similar instances on these tough rams. Not only are the one big ball of tough muscle, BUT you said it...THEY STINK!! Easy to track by smell, forget the blood trail. The 3 rams I have taken were all over 30"'s and were BIG, heavy animals. I took all of my free-ranging rams off the Pedernales river, in the TX hill country. As with a lot of exotics in the hill country, these had migrated in and ranged the rock bluffs of the Pedernales for some time, and that canyon/bluff country is no easy place to get a big animal out of.

Jesse Jaymes..Email me and I can put you in touch with some hunts. I am not sure what the money is right now, but I don't think it is too high...GREG

OH YES..Tombo21. You are right about Nilgai being extremely tough. I think Nilgai and the Aoudad rams are as tough a game as I have taken.I used to think big, tough feral hogs were the toughest, but I have put many BIG pigs down with one well-placed ear shot. I haven't bear hunted or done any Africa hunting, but those two are probably the toughest to kill in Texas, IMHO...GREG

Nilgai are ugly, too.

This Aoudad was running. He took a .300 through the neck got up and took off again. They can take a lot when the adrenlane is flowing.

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