Here's a write up from one of my clients from a recent hunt.
Enjoy
Made it back home from the aoudad trip with Mike McKinny of West Texas Hunting Org. The hunt was a great time and pretty successful especially considering the hot weather.
On Saturday we met with Mike and Dave about 60 miles from the ranch and followed them down to it. It was just light enough to see when we arrived so we started glassing and working our way through the ranch on the roads to learn the area. After an hour or 2 of not seeing much it was decided to split up with one of us going up near a set of cliffs to try to locate sheep. Josh (my cousin) and Mike took our Polaris Ranger and headed up for a look around. After just a short while they were within 250 yards of a herd of 27 that had a huge ram in it. Josh is relatively new to hunting having only hunted for 3 years now. His inexperience left him scrambling for a rest that he was familiar with rather than make do with the rocks and trees at hand and they broke and ran before he could get a shot. Unfortunately we never saw that herd again. By now it was decided to go get settled into our cabin and grab some lunch as temps were already well over 100 F.
For the afternoon hunt Mike and I moved over to a public road higher on the mountain that gave us a better view of our ranch from above. After a short while the shadows were getting long and temps were cooling. 2 herds of aoudad were located right on the edge of the ranch boundary. We decided to leave them till morning and hope they would feed down below some cliffs that would put them in a good spot for a stalk in the morning.
Right at first light on Sunday I glassed up a herd of about 15 with a nice ram but they were 2 miles away and moving further from us. After they fed out of sight and no other sheep could be found we moved around to a road that would put us in front of the herd and in a position to at least give the ram a better look and decide on a plan from there. A couple incorrect turns put us on ridges that looked similar but we couldn't spot the aoudad from them. This area is difficult as it was once a huge ranch and has since been sold in small parcels so there is a vast road system that wanders everywhere. It's also difficult to determine property boundaries so we had to be cautious. Once we found the correct road and started to glass I found the herd bedded in the shade of some large boulders about 3/4 mile away. In just a few minutes they got nervous and started to leave. With all the ways they could have decided to go they went to the best possible one for us! In less then 15 minutes the herd traveled over 2 miles and dropped down through the cliffs into our ranch and in place for a stalk.
We split up above the cliffs to better cover the area since over an hour had passed since we last saw the herd. Mike set up in another area in case they went that way we would still have an idea where they went. The cliffs are around 100-150' drop with plenty of ledges for bedding in the shade. I dropped in where I last saw the sheep and slowly moved down and around hoping to spot them before they spotted me. Climbing was taking full focus and both hands and when I looked up a ewe was looking at me from 20 yards. She turned and bailed so I got into a position to see down to the base. Sheep started to run out in all directions. With 1 good ram and 1 smaller ram in the bunch I had to be careful not to shoot the wrong one. I could only see 1 ram and he was wasting no time getting out of range and so when he slowed for a minute I decided he looked good enough and took the shot. At the shot he hit the ground hard but came right back up. Now he was heading straight away so I held on him and as he got to the edge of the next rim shot him again with a hard quartering shot. He dropped over the edge and out of sight so I sat on a ledge for 15 minutes watching. Since I didn't see him again I made my way down and over to the spot I last saw him. Following a good blood trail I found him 300 yards down the mountain where he rolled to a stop against some boulders.
Mike could see it all from his position on top of the cliffs 1/2 a mile over. We decided he would get the truck and drive around the ranch and to a road in the canyon below me. After he left and was out of sight I remembered that I'd left my pack in the truck to make it easier to climb down the cliffs. So for the next hour and a half I took turns between dragging the 250 pound ram and resting on the rocks wishing I had a drink. Without a knife or water I decided to hike over to a place I could see the road below and wait for the guys. Soon enough there they were and Josh grabbed my pack and headed up. After Mike,Dave and Josh got there we set the ram up for pictures then broke him down to quarters and the head. 30 minutes later we were back at the truck enjoying more cold water.
Josh's ram involved 2 days and more twists and turns than my fingers can type. Mike had left by now(as was planned) and we were hunting on our own. Lets just say that a couple missed shots pushed him up the mountain even further than where we originally found him and he earned him the hard way. His ram took 2 hard hits and 1 through the right horn before falling a few hundred feet off of a face where he couldn't be recovered till the next morning.
My ram is my best to date. I did hope for a larger ram like the monster Josh saw Saturday but given the temps I'm very happy with the one I got. Josh had only shot a ewe before so he is excited with ram he got as well. Both Mike and Dave with WTHO are hard working guys and easy to get along with. Josh had multiple other missed opportunities at rams and was very happy with the hunt also. I'll be back looking for an even larger ram soon. Thanks again to Mike and Dave.
Enjoy
Made it back home from the aoudad trip with Mike McKinny of West Texas Hunting Org. The hunt was a great time and pretty successful especially considering the hot weather.
On Saturday we met with Mike and Dave about 60 miles from the ranch and followed them down to it. It was just light enough to see when we arrived so we started glassing and working our way through the ranch on the roads to learn the area. After an hour or 2 of not seeing much it was decided to split up with one of us going up near a set of cliffs to try to locate sheep. Josh (my cousin) and Mike took our Polaris Ranger and headed up for a look around. After just a short while they were within 250 yards of a herd of 27 that had a huge ram in it. Josh is relatively new to hunting having only hunted for 3 years now. His inexperience left him scrambling for a rest that he was familiar with rather than make do with the rocks and trees at hand and they broke and ran before he could get a shot. Unfortunately we never saw that herd again. By now it was decided to go get settled into our cabin and grab some lunch as temps were already well over 100 F.
For the afternoon hunt Mike and I moved over to a public road higher on the mountain that gave us a better view of our ranch from above. After a short while the shadows were getting long and temps were cooling. 2 herds of aoudad were located right on the edge of the ranch boundary. We decided to leave them till morning and hope they would feed down below some cliffs that would put them in a good spot for a stalk in the morning.
Right at first light on Sunday I glassed up a herd of about 15 with a nice ram but they were 2 miles away and moving further from us. After they fed out of sight and no other sheep could be found we moved around to a road that would put us in front of the herd and in a position to at least give the ram a better look and decide on a plan from there. A couple incorrect turns put us on ridges that looked similar but we couldn't spot the aoudad from them. This area is difficult as it was once a huge ranch and has since been sold in small parcels so there is a vast road system that wanders everywhere. It's also difficult to determine property boundaries so we had to be cautious. Once we found the correct road and started to glass I found the herd bedded in the shade of some large boulders about 3/4 mile away. In just a few minutes they got nervous and started to leave. With all the ways they could have decided to go they went to the best possible one for us! In less then 15 minutes the herd traveled over 2 miles and dropped down through the cliffs into our ranch and in place for a stalk.
We split up above the cliffs to better cover the area since over an hour had passed since we last saw the herd. Mike set up in another area in case they went that way we would still have an idea where they went. The cliffs are around 100-150' drop with plenty of ledges for bedding in the shade. I dropped in where I last saw the sheep and slowly moved down and around hoping to spot them before they spotted me. Climbing was taking full focus and both hands and when I looked up a ewe was looking at me from 20 yards. She turned and bailed so I got into a position to see down to the base. Sheep started to run out in all directions. With 1 good ram and 1 smaller ram in the bunch I had to be careful not to shoot the wrong one. I could only see 1 ram and he was wasting no time getting out of range and so when he slowed for a minute I decided he looked good enough and took the shot. At the shot he hit the ground hard but came right back up. Now he was heading straight away so I held on him and as he got to the edge of the next rim shot him again with a hard quartering shot. He dropped over the edge and out of sight so I sat on a ledge for 15 minutes watching. Since I didn't see him again I made my way down and over to the spot I last saw him. Following a good blood trail I found him 300 yards down the mountain where he rolled to a stop against some boulders.
Mike could see it all from his position on top of the cliffs 1/2 a mile over. We decided he would get the truck and drive around the ranch and to a road in the canyon below me. After he left and was out of sight I remembered that I'd left my pack in the truck to make it easier to climb down the cliffs. So for the next hour and a half I took turns between dragging the 250 pound ram and resting on the rocks wishing I had a drink. Without a knife or water I decided to hike over to a place I could see the road below and wait for the guys. Soon enough there they were and Josh grabbed my pack and headed up. After Mike,Dave and Josh got there we set the ram up for pictures then broke him down to quarters and the head. 30 minutes later we were back at the truck enjoying more cold water.
Josh's ram involved 2 days and more twists and turns than my fingers can type. Mike had left by now(as was planned) and we were hunting on our own. Lets just say that a couple missed shots pushed him up the mountain even further than where we originally found him and he earned him the hard way. His ram took 2 hard hits and 1 through the right horn before falling a few hundred feet off of a face where he couldn't be recovered till the next morning.
My ram is my best to date. I did hope for a larger ram like the monster Josh saw Saturday but given the temps I'm very happy with the one I got. Josh had only shot a ewe before so he is excited with ram he got as well. Both Mike and Dave with WTHO are hard working guys and easy to get along with. Josh had multiple other missed opportunities at rams and was very happy with the hunt also. I'll be back looking for an even larger ram soon. Thanks again to Mike and Dave.
