Can anyone shed some light on this animal? I've never given them much due, thinking they are more or less a plain old pasture sheep. Then I ran across this photo of a mount that is quite striking.


What exactly are they, where'd they come from and are they truely a "hunt" or the pasture sheep I always imagined?
PS- my apologies to those on dail-up, I can't resize the photo since its not mine!

Since they can be bought at most live-stock sales in the Southwest, I think your initial impression is correct. They still make a nice looking mount, though. Does anyone know how to prepare domestic ram for the kitchen? Maybe that question should go to the "recipe" forum. IMO, mountain sheep are the finest eating meat there is, while domestic rams are nasty. Maybe a taste test?

Like goats, cooked mutton is an "acquired taste". I don't like it but the closest I came to liking it was a southern pit barbecue. The sheep was split and laid over a grate of hot coals. It was painted with a mixture of vinegar, brown sugar, butter, and yellow mustard. It was turned over every hour and after about 4 hours of this, served. At least the brown sugar and butter kept it palatable.

From what I have seen of exotic sheep hunting in TX, one can't be sure what is offered as a particular species. Case in point, many years ago a friend and I were on a ranch, I wanted a Barbary sheep, and my friend fancied a "mouflon". I don't know what the sheep was that my friend shot, but it sure was not a purebred mouflon. Some of the other sheep in the bunch actually had more mouflon characteristics, but I have always had a feeling the particular ram shot was probably a cross with a domestic sheep.

Some domestic sheep actually have very impressive headgear, Merino rams spring to mind. So it is not like a cross can not make for a god hunt or a nice mount. I guess my issue with this is more in the labelling applied as opposed to the animal found on the grounds.

As far as "TX Dall" is concerned, I have always wondered whether these sheep actully have Dall blood in them, or whether they were started from a white, domestic sheep line. Most likely what you find will differ from ranch to ranch. The one you pictured in the original post is definitely not a pure dall ram - and that is probably also reflected in the price, which would otherwise probably be on the wrong side of 10K$...

- mike

Having a ranch my whole life, I find these types of "kills" to be very amusing. A Texas Dall is just another breed of sheep, a cross between Hawaiian Black and a Corsican. I see them sell in local livestock auctions for $30-60. Then some shooter pays $300-500 for the opportunity to shoot one on a ranch. Kind of funny actually. Even better are the guys buying domestic boar pigs for 3 cents a lb. (.03 x 500 = $15), turning them out of their ranch and charging $500 to come "hunt" "wild" boar. hahaha

As for the meat, I can't imagine trying to eat an older domestic ram. They would be tough, greasy and have a displeasing flavor. Real wild rams are not fed grain, and have a different make up for their flesh. I would guess George would have tried the best way to prepare a domestic ram (barbque). BUT, there is nothing better than a chop from a large lamb or yearling wether. Fried or broiled HOT and FAST and eaten warm, it is a true pleasure to eat. I would rather have the butcher kill it though.

The finest tasting game meat I have ever had is Dall sheep, not the Texas Dall but the wild kind like up here. I've eaten just about every type of NA big game animal except musk oxen and Dall sheep wins hands down. I would trade a whole caribou or half a moose for a Dall sheep for the freezer...

"Texas Dall ram"?
What an oxymoron!


Bear in Fairbanks

The exotic sheep hunted here are mostly various incarnations of the corsican. The Texas Dall, Black Hawaiian, Painted Desert, etc. are just corsicans bred for color. The mouflans are just cross breeds. There are pure bred mouflans available too as well as barbary sheep, aka aoudads. Most of the exotic hunts are pretty easy and are great for new hunters, spouses, and kids. The free range aoudad hunts in west Texas are great hunts.

Hope this helps......

Bob

Thanks guys, particularly you guys from Texas in the know. Always sort of figured they were some genetic mix originating from long domesticated breed(s). I never had an urge to shoot one but always wondered just what they really are.

I have to agree with M70Nut. At least properly handled and prepared Dall sheep meat is at the top of a very short list of game for me. That includes dall, caribou, pronghorn antelope, roe deer, springbok and kudu. These are all very finely textured meats with long finishes on the palate.

I think the Texas Dall came to be because many hunters couldn't afford to go Dall Sheep hunting, but wanted to say they had hunted / shot "Dall" sheep. I think it was a nice marketing move by the game farmers in Texas to fill an "ego need".

The texas Dall came about as accidental cross of two domesit sheep species. I can not remember which two.

And yes, they are "pasture sheep", for lack of a better term. Not too dificult to hunt.

All of the Corsican sheep; i.e. Corsican, Texas Dall or Snowy Whites, Black Hawaiian, mixed breed Mouflon, Painted Desert, mixed breed “Red†sheep and any other name used for this species all came from the same source. This breed was created in the 1960’s on the YO ranch in Mountain Home, TX. Charlie Schreiner, Hal Swiggett, Tommy Thompson and others created the species through a cross breeding program designed to provide the ranch a “cheaper†exotic for their hunters to hunt. They were also hoping to attract a larger crowd of hunters by providing animals that were affordable as compared to the super exotics that the SCI crowd likes to hunt. About 10 years ago I did an article on this subject for the now defunct publication the Sportsman and interviewed Louie Schreiner (grandson of Charlie), Hal Swiggett and Tommy Thompson in preparation for the article. In the early days the black and white rams were considered inferior and most were killed at birth until they realized that there was a market for them. As time went on and they were dispersed to other ranches and names like Texas Dall, Snowy Whites, Painted Desert, Black Hawaiian and others were “coined†to make these animals sound more exotic and thus more appealing to the hunting public. But for the most part, as has already been stated, at the end of the day these animals are nothing more than pasture sheep and hard to hunt as cows. Many “outfitters†made their name selling cheap sheep hunts. For example, Thompson Temple made a name for himself with his “buy my T-shirt for $15.00 and get a coupon for a $150.00 ram hunt free†hunts that he hosted for years. On several hunts that I have witnessed the herds had to be dispersed by throwing rocks at them, driving through them or evening kicking them apart in order for the hunter to get a shot at a single animal and not risk hitting several at one time. That being said, the larger ones can make very impressive mounts and I would be lying if I said there were not several on my wall.

Denvas,

Good description.

It is worth noting that the Mouflon and the Red Sheep are not of the pasture variety, they are actual wild species. I am sure they can be "tamed down" so to speak, but the Mouflon I have on my ranch are about as wild as can be. While not 100% pure, they are very close.

Not sure if Mouflon tend to be wild or not or if mine are just overly spooky. Anyone know?

Aoudad are in a completely different catagory. You will neve accuse an Aoudad of being tame.