Back in 2010, I booked my first aoudad hunt in West Texas through Mike McKinney. It was an unguided hunt that ended up being less than a success (The first day I went out, I had no sooner set up when a local search helicopter buzzed me for about five minutes while they were looking for a lost girl. Early the second day my truck broke down and I had to walk 3 1/2 miles to the nearest house since there was no cell phone service out there.)

In the end, I was hooked - That is beautiful and unique country that you either love or hate - I loved it. The solitude, vastness and ruggedness of the terrain is something special.



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- This is looking back at the camp - maybe a mile and a half away -



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Mike was really good about keeping me whole -even though neither he or the ranch owner had anything to do with my situation - and gave me a discounted hunt at the same ranch. I found a friend and his wife that wanted to go as well, so the three of us headed over there in late September of last year.

The ranch is about 50 miles South of Alpine, Texas - near Terlingua - and down about 12 miles or so of dirt road and sendero.

Normally West Texas at that time of year is hot and dry. As we turned south in Alpine, it started turning cold and overcast. Just after we got to the camp (about 7PM), it started drizzling and continued all night. The next morning it was relatively cold and wet, and rained off and on all day. We spent much of the day in the mule, driving and glassing. Didn't see a thing.





The second night, it rained like a cow peeing on a flat rock all night long. The next morning it was cold and foggy. We got in the mule - a couple of the creek beds that are normally dry were flowing pretty well by that time. Still no luck that morning.






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After lunch we got back in the mule and dropped my friend and his wife off at one edge of the ranch (and near a steep cliff), and the guide and I drove to stop and glass every half mile or so. We had gone about a mile or so and heard a rifle shot, and then another. We tried to call them on a radio the guide gave them but got no response.





The guide dropped me off to do some spot and stalk, and went back to see what happened. As it turns out, my friend's wife shot a large aoudad ram from about 150 yards and dropped him, but after he got up, she shot him again. He was still able to stagger and fall off a large cliff into a neighboring rancher's property. If the bullets didn't kill him, the fall sure did.... it was quite a ways down to the floor of the canyon.



Evidently the two ranchers don't get along too well, and we had to broker a deal with the ranch manager where the aoudad had fallen. They dropped me off to hunt early the next day so they could go retrieve the ram.

I found a pretty good high spot near the canyon with the sun at my back and the wind at my face, but my hunting luck remained the same that morning - didn't even see one.

My friends were able to harvest the head and pelt and it ended up being a pretty good mount, especially given how far it fell.



- You can see where the ram landed - right on his nose. -



I still don't have my aoudad yet - but I'll be back.

Great story and photos, Jim -- and best of luck when you get back out there. Hope to see some photos then, too!

Hey Jim,

It is good to see you surface! That is a great story with great photos! Good luck next trip!!

Bob

They do tend to fall in some of the most "Godawful" places........

Where we hunt the recovery is often much more challenging than the hunt!

But they are really neat animals in that kind of environment!

.

Nice ram. Were you able to salvage any of the meat? Aoudad aren't the best for eating, but the one I took made decent sausage. It wasn't as good as deer or elk but it wasn't as bad as Mtn. Goat.

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Bob and Bobby - as you know, several challenges had to be overcome a few years ago, with that first hunt being one of the first steps past that particularly rocky road I had been on.

PL - we wanted to get some of the meat, but had to pass. The good friends from Baton Rouge I hunted with don't let much go to waste when it comes to meat (those Cajuns have a lot of history with a skinning knife).

There were only three of them there to get that big old ram off a steep hill, so they were only able to get the head and much of the pelt as it was a tough climb up and back. (We could have used some of those sherpas described in other threads, LOL!)

Nice trophy!

One of Americas most underrated hunts in my opinion. Beautiful country, and a stunning animal. Most mature rams will be in the 300lb +/- range. Excellent eyesight and can climb and run like any native North American sheep. They are a worthy opponent for sure!

I have skinned Aoudad in some of the most ridiculous slopes. One fell off a cliff and hung up on a lone tree growing halfway down. We had to tie him to the tree while I caped him. No way to get him up the cliff and if he fell all the way down, he'd be busted up pretty badly.

That mount turned out just fine. Looks like the chaps were in good shape. Most rams are scarred up a bit anyway, so I think he looks great. But, did he have welding rods in his ears when they killed him?