https://www.kurv.com/bill-allo...-passes-texas-house/


Bill Allowing Helicopter Hunting Of Invasive African Sheep Passes Texas House

By jsalinas 24 hours ago

A Senate bill to allow Texans to hunt an invasive African sheep from helicopters now has the approval of the Texas House. No one spoke in opposition to the measure before the House overwhelmingly approved it on Tuesday.

The imported aoudad sheep have thrived well enough to compete with native animals, and they carry a strain of bacteria dangerous to commercial sheep and goats. If the Senate approves the House’s amendments to the bill, it’ll soon be on its way to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature.

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https://www.popsci.com/environ...-helicopter-hunting/

Texas aims to legalize hunting invasive sheep from helicopters

‘I’m not pulling any wool over anyone’s eyes,’ vows Rep. Eddie Morales.
By Andrew Paul

Published May 8, 2025 11:35 AM EDT



Texas lawmakers have introduced a new bill intended to help the state’s ongoing fight against an invasive species of big game animal. But in order to properly tackle the aoudad sheep (Ammotragus lervia), Texas House Representative Eddie Morales argues that it’s time to call in the helicopters.

“This is not a baa-a-ad bill,” Rep. Morales explained during a recent legislative session while employing his best sheep impression. “And I’m not pulling any wool over anyone’s eyes, either.”



HB 5398 seeks to amend the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code so that residents have the option to “take” (i.e. hunt) aoudad sheep while flying in helicopters over herds. If codified into law, aoudads would become the third animal on the helicopter hunting list, along with coyotes and feral hogs. The latter species was sanctioned for aerial culling in 2011 through a piece of legislation nicknamed the “porkchopper law.”

The aoudad problem dates back decades to the years following World War II, when veterans returned to West Texas with sizable souvenirs from North Africa’s Barbary Coast. Reaching over 3.5 feet tall at the shoulder and averaging in at 275 lbs, the horned grazers soon became a popular target for big game hunters.

Unfortunately, the results were also typical of many invasive species stories: aoudad numbers have exploded as much as 1,800 percent since 1963 at the expense of native animals like bighorn sheep and commercial livestock. An estimated 30,000 aoudads now roam the Lone Star State, compared to only around 1,500 bighorns, and it’s been difficult to rein in those numbers. What’s more, aoudads are confirmed to carry a harmful bacteria known as Mycoplasma Ovipneumoniae that continues to infect and kill local sheep and goat populations.

Aoudads aren’t the only invasive sheep species to make it to Texas. Earlier this year, a Montana rancher was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to illegally breeding hybrid “Frankensheep” clones using DNA from giant Marco Polo argali. Some of the offspring were then sold to buyers in Minnesota and Texas. While it’s unclear just how many hybrids now exist on private big game ranches, the consequences could be far-reaching if any were to escape into the wild.



While no legislation is in the works to address Frankensheep, HB 5398 is now slated for approval by the Texas Senate before heading to the governor’s office for ratification. Given that the state senate previously voiced no objections to an earlier version of the bill, it seems likely that the choppers will soon take to the skies to battle the invasive animals.

“What’s more liberty and freedom [sic] than being able to shoot aoudad sheep from helicopters?” Rep. Morales asked his fellow politicians during the bill’s proposal.

Being that most of Texas is private land, hunting without land owner consent is a felony! Walk or fly it is still the same! Shoot a sheep on some property you do not have permission and go to jail! So, this would only apply to public land or if the landowner wanted them dead. Go figure, another useless law

Some landowners are making big bucks off of Aoudads, others want them eradicated. Go figure is appropriate.

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Being that most of Texas is private land, hunting without land owner consent is a felony! Walk or fly it is still the same! Shoot a sheep on some property you do not have permission and go to jail! So, this would only apply to public land or if the landowner wanted them dead. Go figure, another useless law

Pretty much agree, non-game animal penalty not so severe, but I still don’t want and won’t allow anyone shooting aoudad from a helicopter on our places.

Flying carpets?

Aoudad are worth more than sheep. The areas they are thriving in are not exactly prime livestock areas.
Elk are a non native species in Texas and can be anywhere anytime, so what is the big deal?

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Aoudad are worth more than sheep.

incorrect, aoudad ewes, lambs and non-trophy rams (which make up the vast majority of the herd) are of no value. They compete with domestic livestock for food (including huge amounts of processed feeds), they spread the diseases mentioned in the article. It is not a reach to say that they are becoming a formidable liability

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Fun to hunt though!

There are very few domestic sheep or goat herds in the Trans Pecos region, which is the heart of the Aoudad population. Seventy five years ago it was sheep and goat country, but no more. There are ranches to the east and northeast that are still producing goats, but when Aoudads show up they often get a .223 welcome.

That they are trying to get helicopter “hunting” probably is more a marketing item for some Texas ranchers.

Folks eat up the pig hunts for some reason. Lots of old/out of shape folks like to hunt/shoot.

As I understand it, problem animal control by government agents and contractors has been around forever, so a law allowing the authorities or designated agents to shoot invasive species from a helicopter is already there.

This is about letting more groups in on it.

While I don’t doubt that too many of any critter can be a problem, Texas has always been at the forefront of monetizing it.

Frankly, I have no desire to shoot animals from a chopper. I can see where it would be essentially a live action video game, and fun, but it’s not really hunting.

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Originally posted by crbutler:
That they are trying to get helicopter “hunting” probably is more a marketing item for some Texas ranchers.

Folks eat up the pig hunts for some reason. Lots of old/out of shape folks like to hunt/shoot.

As I understand it, problem animal control by government agents and contractors has been around forever, so a law allowing the authorities or designated agents to shoot invasive species from a helicopter is already there.

This is about letting more groups in on it.

While I don’t doubt that too many of any critter can be a problem, Texas has always been at the forefront of monetizing it.

Frankly, I have no desire to shoot animals from a chopper. I can see where it would be essentially a live action video game, and fun, but it’s not really hunting.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! It is a lot of fun and eliminates a lot of pigs from some areas that are basically unhuntable, no matter how young and fit one might be.

As a management tool this is likely the best way to handle pigs and other invasive animals. In December a company flew the place next to mine in West Texas, they shot over 300 pigs in two days. There isn’t a noticeable difference in numbers of pigs on game camera tearing up feeders on my place or the neighbor.
As for the aoudad, they are a muisance on some ranches and a huge danger to Texas growing bighorn sheep population. Last Movember we toured a TPW wildlife management area that holds the largest population of “clean” bighorn sheep in Texas. They fly the area one a week to check sheep and eliminate unwelcome animals that have breached the fences, including aoudad, they shot 32 the day we were there.