Anyone stalk Auodad with trad gear?

[TexasStick81]

I have always wanted to hunt Auodad with trad gear.  Growing up I have always hunted small tracks of land where we needed to use stands or tripods over feeders or trails for everything.  Occassionally I get to go out west and stalk pigs.  I've heard Auodad are extremely difficult to get close to, which is half the reason it's so appealing.  I do recall hunting muflon and barbado sheep when I was very young with a rifle.  I can remember taking 300+ yrd shots because they were so tough to get close to.  I know I'll have to up my stalking game quite a bit between now and whenever this happens, but it will happen.  I'd love to hear stories and see pics if you've been able to do this.

Thanks,

Zane

[snakewood3]

There have been a couple taken with trad gear, private land in the panhandle and public land in New Mexico. There are also some pulic land hunts for them in the big bend area, Lake Amistad, I believe. I have a friend that ranches bordering Big Bend and he has free ranging populations. They are generally considered invasive pest and shot on the ranches.
 I believe there are high fence opp's for them on the Edwards plateu / hill country. Some of those ranches are large enough to be sporting.
  Good luck, the one's I have come across in the caprock were very hard to approach.

[smokin feathers]

I hunted them free range on the devils river for several years, very addictive. Not hard to get that  close to young ones, but the old rams are  a whole nother story! You can glass one way across the canyon after sneaking to the edge and he will be looking back at you!

I will never be able to afford to hunt sheep in the mountains so the auodad filled some of that void. You can put in for the draw at devils river state park for a heck of a  free range hunt. The ranch i hunted backs up to it and there are some huge rams there. we had to hunt auodad those first couple years my friend bought the ranch because anthrax killed all the deer in the area.

there are also some guys booking free range hunts right there at loma alta and the devils river state park.

[TexasStick81]

Great info guys.  I wasn't aware there was a population on the Devil's river, used to fish it growing up.  I belive there is a population in the davis mnts out west as well.  I'll have to look into putting in for a hunt.  

What I've always heard is that you have to get above them and work down to them, anyone heard this as well?

[straitera]

Not yet partner but it's on my list. Got the perfect spot. Might take some doing. More the merrier. Kick it around a bit anyway & see what happens?

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

Did a little Auodad stalking last week not a full out try but did get a few walks on em. Was hunting with a friend on his ranch all low fence or no fence will be going back soon.Like I said these are all free range and they love to let you know that. It is going to be a rough hunt for sure when I go for a Auodad hunt that country is steep and deep. We had been after Axis and hogs last week.
 ,,,,,Sam,,,,,

[ron w]

That has to a very tough hunt.......maybe that's why you don't hear to much about it!

[TexasStick81]

Good gosh Sam, what haven't you hunted in the past 2 weeks?  :D  Axis is right up there too.  Growing up in the hill country there were some free ranging.  One day I'll have one of those on my wall as well.  

I want to take one on free range for sure, or at least my a real attempt at it.  Straitara, maybe we'll figure out a time to go about it together.

[texbow2]

We have some free ranging ones in Mason county where I hunt but we only see them once in a while. I think we are on the eastern edge or their territory. I had a group run under my tree stand once but no shot.

[ksbowman]

I hunted between Georgetown and Ingram about 25 years ago. Not too far from Lake Travis I think. As I remember it was a large ranch and low fence. I was hunting goats and Muflon sheep and came across a band of Auodod sheep at about 50 yards. It was brushy and short timber with some small open areas. They didn't stick around long once they saw me. I would love to have a chance a some again. They're on my bucket list!

[Zbearclaw]

Aoudad and nilgai are on my list big time!  I will hunt them soon.  Had planned to start figuring out New Mexico but they made the non-resident DIY guy all but guaranteed not to ever draw a tag...

[smokin feathers]

their are a ton of them off dalton creek road the state park and across the river on the comstock side. very rough and open country, very challenging to hunt. also really neat!! my old friends place that backs up to the park has pictographs in caves, lots of heads to pick up in creek beds and stuff like that. I put in for the hunt at the park today, maybe get drawn and get to hunt that country again.

[TexasStick81]

Smokin feather - where exactly is that at?

[Txnrog]

We have them on our ranch north of leakey. They showed up in both the free range and fenced pastures in the last couple years. Know several ranchers who've had them show up in high-fenced places. Most of the older fences are generally short of 8 ft, while the newer ones are closer to 10 - they'll clear an old fence without even thinking twice. I have also witnessed one first hand run straight thru a net wire 'game-proof' fence.

 If you can get them in an area with some cover like when they come down on the flats, it's doable, but some of that wide open w. texas country makes it awefully tough.

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

Man I just love to hunt and will go at the drop of a hat. If the invite comes I say yes before they can even finish telling me about it. You can say Im a lucky guy with a lot of good friends , and I love to hunt new areas and animals. I thing we are going again in the next few weeks,,,,,,Sam,,,,,,,

[smokin feathers]

the park is on dalton creek road off 377 between rocksprings and delrio. little hole in the wall store that I think closed last year right at the road. you turn on dalton creek and it is about 21 miles to the park and river down in there. I used to get to hunt on the barnes ranch which butts up to the park. we pulled tons of animals off the park by supplemental feeding. very rough country, you either up top  on the platue or your in the bottom of a canyon with near vertical faces on the canyon walls. bunch of turkey, some barbadoe,axis and other exotics as well. the park offers archery only draw hunts through the tpwd hunts every year.

Mike

[TexasStick81]

Mike,

Would that be Monty Barnes ranch?  I was born in Del Rio and used to hunt as a young boy down there.  

Sam,

I'm not judging, just jealous    That's one of the things I like about this site, I get to live vicariously through other people's hunts.

[smokin feathers]

yes, then it was sold around 2000 to a  guy I was working for at the time. That place is loaded with sheep!! Some big rams on it, we killed several over 32" and one that went 36. was a lot of fun!

[TexasStick81]

I grew up going out to that ranch, the Barnes were family friends.  My dad hunted those rams with his bow and took some with rifles.  What a crazy coincidence!

Zane