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The owners/Board of directors of Red Bluff Ranch (me and my wife) decided to give me an early Christmas present for such a great hunting season. So I got an Aoudad hunt. Last Sunday, after my hunters left, it was my turn! Over the course of 3 days, hunting only early morning and late evening, I looked for a big Aoudad. Sunday, nothing. Monday, I hunted Whitetail with a friend on his ranch. Tuesday it rained all day, but it did not stop me from looking for sheep between showers. On Wednesday morning, I spotted a group of 8 Aoudad in a canyon bottom. I slowly climbed down the canyon wall to a cliff overlooking the bottom where I had seen the Aoudad. I kept a small cedar between me and the sheep to avoid being seen. I glassed the sheep through the branches to avoid being spotted. Their eyesight is incredible and they are the most wary animal I have ever hunted, anywhere. I glassed them for a while and saw a few ewes, a few lambs, one young ram and two older rams that were about 28". Very nice Aoudad, but not what I was looking for. The wind swirled a bit and I guess they got my scent and started to run. One big Aoudad, that I had not seen, bolted out of the brush and joined the group as they ran. After seeing him for only a split second, I knew he was a good sheep. I folded out the bipod, sat down on a cactus ... re-adjusted my seating to a more comfortable spot, and waited for them to stop. After running about 50 yards they paused to look around. The big Aoudad was in the back facing directly away. He turned to his right, giving me a decent quartering-away shot at about 150 yards. I heard the bullet hit and saw him run into the brush. He ran slowly and took a different path from the others. He was not the biggest one on the ranch, but he is an absolute toad of an Aoudad and I am very happy with him. I had a hunter on Friday, shoot a 29 3/8" Aoudad with great mass carried all the way to the end of the horns. We were both very happy with him. A 30" Aoudad is the "Holy Grail"of Aoudad. This one was 32". I sent these pictures to a friend of mine. He commented that I have been hanging out with the Aoudad for so long I am starting to look like one.    | ||
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Wendell: Congratulations on a nice animal. I bet it was nice to be behind the gun for a change. Merry Christmas to you. cwilson A well requlated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed - 2nd Amendment U.S. Constitution | |||
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Wow, maybe Toad-dad is a better term! Nice massive horns on that critter. ~Ann   | |||
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There is a resemblence!  Nice animal. | |||
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Yes, my "Chaps" are getting a bit long as well. Time to shave. Unfortunately, I think I am starting to smell like an old Aoudad ram too ... | |||
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You weren't kidding -- that is a big one! Congratulations. ------------------------------- Some Pictures from Namibia Some Pictures from Zimbabwe An Elephant Story | |||
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Hey Wendell, A BIG Congratulations. What kind of rifle and bullet did you use? | |||
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Nice work Wendell a very nice Aoudad! As always we want to hear about the rifle, load, bullet performance you know the nitty gritty. | |||
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He is a Beauty!! Congrats Steve "He wins the most, who honour saves. Success is not the test." Ryan "Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." Stalin Tanzania 06 Argentina08 Argentina Australia06 Argentina 07 Namibia Arnhemland10 Belize2011 Moz04 Moz 09 | |||
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Beautiful! Good on you.....  But look ike one? No way. No horns (showing anyway) and beard too short.  "When you play, play hard; when you work, don't play at all." Theodore Roosevelt | |||
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Nice one!  | |||
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Nice ram. Congrats! On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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Wowdad! Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
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Wendell, that thing is a HOSS! Did you weigh him? Must be close to 300. _______________________________________________________ Hunt Report - South Africa 2022 Wade Abadie - Wild Shot Photography Website | Facebook | Instagram | |||
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Great Aoudad Wendell. Have a Merry Christmas & we'll see you in Dallas for the convention. | |||
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Congratulations Wendell! I have a 30 incher and yours makes him look small. 2" makes a hell of a lot of difference. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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Details: Gun: Remington Model 700 mountain Rifle, 30-06. Served me very well on only three continents so far, we will see how it performs on the remainder of the huntable continents. Scope: Zeiss Conquest. 3x-9x. Range: 150 yards +/-, shooting downhill at about 30 degree angle ... not enough to have to compensate for bullet rise. Bullets: Federal Premium 180 grain Nosler Partition. Bullet performance: Pretty darn good, he went about 30 yards after a quartering away shot. Don't recall that it exited. Weight 260 lbs (on a real scale, not a guess). The Aoudad that we shot on Friday weighed 282. I thought this guy looked sort of light, compared to some others I had seen. SCI score: about 137. (Minimum SCI score 115; World Record 166 6/8) Horn length L:30" R:32"; 12.5" bases; 11", 9", 5" circumferences respectively. | |||
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Seriously. How do you expect me to leave this comment alone??? Hope to see you in Dallas. | |||
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 Damn, I guess that shows why one shouldn't write a quick message without proof reading. Thanks for "Quoting" it so I can't edit it into oblivian!  Have a Merry Christmas and we're looking forward to seeing you in Dallas. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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Super ram, Wendell! I have always loved the look of Aoudad rams and yours is special. As for the resemblance between you and your quarry, let me just say that you could be brothers. But you have only yourself to blame for being in the same picture and calling attention to it. Needless to say, you won't see me posing in any warthog trophy photos! Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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Wendell, Great Aoudad!! That should make a beautiful mount. Congrats!! | |||
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Wendell, well done and a lovely animal. Great story as well.  Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now! DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set. | |||
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Congrats on a Very Nice Ram and taking the time off to do some hunting. | |||
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Wow! Very nice Wendell. Congratulations! | |||
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That is one super ram. Merry Christmas! ______________________________ "Truth is the daughter of time." Francis Bacon | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting Merry Christmas to me ... from me, (An Aoudad story)
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