Texas Sheep/Goat Adventure(pics)

[JC]

Lookin good there fellers. I know Brian is busy catching up....only to bail outta there on the 8th to come down here. Sadly, I can't take him to places that look like that.

When ya'll can....we're listening  

[Littlefeather]

As I dropped over the edge on the first day I had high hopes and dreams of monster Aoudad swimming in my head. The ironic thing is that it wasn't 15 minutes before I spotted two Aoudad bedded on a rocky outcropping about a 1/2 mile away. This was no doubt the hunt I would pursuit this afternoon. I took a lengthy pause to watch the Aoudad and their behavior as they laid there safely out of reach of any prey. Aoudad seem to have the ability to find safety in a world of predators. My plan was to circle back topside, around, and drop in right over the top of them when I reached their location. There was stair stepped outcroppings that dropped in directly above the elusive creatures and I felt confident that I could belly crawl out till I gained a vantage over them. As often happens in this hunting world, things crumble before you and there is nothing in your control that can stop it. I'd circled high and wide, meticuliously rechecking the animals location through my optics. They were holding tight and I knew they were mine. Upon arrival on the location I dropped to my belly and begain the final leg of my approach. The whole affair had taken a minimum of two hours. As I reached the last outcropping and gently placed an arrow on the string, I rose up slightly. They were gone! I to this very moment have no clue where they went. I'd not made any mistakes, I'd not made noise, and I kept the wind to my advantage. Never the less, the Aoudad had done exactly what they are famed for. They'd beat the hunter and would live another day. I couldn't feel in the least bit let down. I'd excercised patience, stealth, and every skill I had to reach my target. The animal Gods had simply granted the Aoudad immunity till another day. I'd continue down the ridge and cross into the next canyon. Surely there was something down there. CK

[Brian Halbleib]

Shades of orange danced across the morning sky as we awaited the much anticipated sunrise to provide us the torch to begin our quest. As millions of stars retreated out of view, our excitement filled the air in their place. The mild morning breeze softly touched our cheeks like the kisses from loved ones as we headed out of camp with our quivers full and our hearts equally so with the blessings of another chance to be little boys in the woods again. I silently speak to the Creator of this greatness, pray for safe passage and give thanks for allowing me to be a part of it all once again.

Roger Garrett, Curtis Kellar and I stop on an outcropping to admire the beauty of the landscape that lay beneath our feet. As far as the eye can see, deep canyons and rocky ridges compete for real estate. I realize at once that this is some of the most unique terrain I have ever laid my eyes on. I've been fortunate to gaze upon the Rocky Mountains in all of their splendor throughout the west, the Badlands of the Dakotas, the Alaskan range and of course my beloved Alleghenies in the Appalachian range but the Carta Valley in southwest Texas is in a class by itself, equally impressive as the aforementioned.

 

After we catch our breath, a game plan is assembled and we each head in opposite compass directions and plan to meet back at camp around 1 PM.

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Brian Halbleib]

The terrain was as tough as it was beautiful. I picked my way through the cedar and pinion pine cover as the rocks beneath my boots did their best impression of Coke bottles clanking together. That sound would become familiar here accompanied by the approach and retreat of game animals.

The first day of a hunt is always sensory overload. It's difficult to ignore the wonders in front of your eyes and concentrate on locating critters. I did manage to break free from being awe struck just in time to see movement on the ridge across the canyon. The orange/brown shaggy form stood out among the light limestone floor and green backdrop. A quick look through my binoculars verified what I assumed was an Aoudad, also known as Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia).

The Aoudad is a species of Caprinae (goat-antelope) found in the rocky mountain terrain in North Africa. Six subspecies have been described. Although it is rare in its native North Africa, it has been introduced all over the world. Aoudad were introduced into the Palo Duro Canyon area of Texas in 1957-58, where it has become firmly established. They are also present in the Edwards Plateau, Trans-Pecos, South Texas, Rolling Plains, and Post Oak Savannah regions as a result of private introductions.

       

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Littlefeather]

Ha! That's the first time I've seen the Aoudad you've been talking about. That one looks identicle to the two that I saw together the day before. Humm? Could it be? Nice pic! Good Aoudad too! CK

[JC]

Mmmmmmm, that went well with lunch. Now, what's for desert?

[cjones]

That was awesome, now give us more!!

[ksbowman]

Don't leave us like this. I want to hear more about the Aoudad. Man, I like a shot at one!

[Littlefeather]

Sorry Gang, didn't mean to leave you hanging. I'm going to rush this one due to having no time right now.

The hunt was awesome from the time we arrived till the time we left. This place is pure magic for a string puller. I do not think any of us went out for a single hunt that we weren't given shot opportunities. I don't know many places that a guy can hunt where there are no fences and still have the opportunities we had over the weekend. During our Saturday hunt I found myself in pursuit of vocal callings from far away hill tops. Hot footing it over the rough terrain found me quickly withing bow range of giant Rams on several occasions. Each time the window of opportunity would open and I'd start to place tension on the string, the window would slam shut. One time the window closed as two huge Corsican Rams went 3 rounds with each other as I stood hidden, in disbelief, and inside of 15 yards of this heated, heavy weight title match. The Rams never stopped moving long enough to make the shot. The action played out repeatedly before my eyes for over an hour. I'd close the distance and just before I could make the shot, the herds of sheep would ease out of bow range again. After what seemed an eternity, I decided to lower my expectations a little and take the next quality opportunity on any ram with horns. My heart just couldn't take this much adrenaline much longer. I could see a herd of Mouflaun headed toward a tiny funnel in the brush. I circled quick and wide, reemerging just off the trail in front of their travel. One by one the Ewe's and young rams squirted through the opening. I got their timing right and decided to drop the string on the next one as he crossed the opening. I thought for a split second that I'd missed as my arrow went skipping across the rubble and came to rest some 30 yards away. I'd gotten a pass-through and a good blood trail. I backed out and came back an hour later due to uncertainty of the shot. He hadn't gone 40 yards and met his maker beneath a nice green Cedar tree. He wasn't anywhere close to a trophy by measurment standards but will always be a trophy in my mind simply due to the difficulty level of this hunt.

 

Once back at the kill site I decided to carry the sheep out verses cutting and deboning there. He wasn't large by anyones standards and I needed the work-out in preperation for my Elk hunt with Robin Severe and Charlie Lamb in a few weeks. Seems I've been tagged with the pack duties on that trip. Something about age-vs-experience. I'm the young one at 38 so I got the labor end. One more kill story and this trip's complete. CK

 

[vermonster13]

Liking it very much so far. Must be Brian's turn now.

[Brian Halbleib]

The Aoudad I glassed was on the ridge that Roger would eventually work out towards so I decided to continue on my original heading towards the next canyon over. On the way across the ridge top, I heard footfalls and froze in my tracks. Before long I saw Littlefeather with a big smile on his face. Keep in mind that this is about 15 minutes into the hunt.

Turns out he got into a pile of sheep just after we split up. I was excited to get in on the action so we said our goodbyes and good lucks and continued on our separate ways.

I was just dropping over the ridge into the other canyon when I heard the Coke bottles clanking together again and before I could react, long sweeping horns broke the horizon and were heading towards me.

I slid behind the closest cedar as quickly and quietly as I could. I could hear a few critters in the area and before long I was able to see two tiny goats in a shooting lane. Mama was close by and she walked in from the right and stopped with her black head and bright horns in the same shooting lane.

Movement on the left...it's a billy goat! A nice billy goat! C'mon boy, walk over to the others. They seemed to be interested in something down in the canyon because they all were looking in that direction and not moving for a while.

After a few minutes, I decided to try to make a move on the billy. There was a large, flat rock that extended about 10 feet to my left which should provide a quiet approach. My plan was to flank the billy to my left and come behind for a quartering away shot. As long as I could find a shooting lane and they stay put, the plan should work.

I eased around to my left and cleared the cedar I was hiding behind. I was able to still see the original shooting lane and a second nanny, unseen before, who spotted me at the same time I spotted her. So much for the plan! She didn't spook but starred me down in an attempt to figure out what was going on. I was moving so slowly and silently when she saw me and now I just stood frozen.

Well, hesitant critters don't last long in the wild and she wasn't sticking around to find out. She walked off to the right, pulling the original nanny I saw and the kids with her. Through the cedars, I could see the billy began to follow. He should walk through that shooting lane! As he approached the lane at a walk, I drew my bow and began to lead him slightly. As I released, another billy, unseen before, took off towards the nannies, ran beside the one I shot at and into the path of my arrow.

The arrow came to rest in the left horn of the second billy with a resounding "C-R-A-C-K" that echoed loudly through the canyon. Hooves, horns and fur filled the canyon as it was awakened by the thundering sound of metal on bone. I watched as the group of what turned out to be 8 critters round the canyon and make their way out of Dodge. I glassed them as they ran although I could have easily followed the waving yellow fletching flag with my own eyes. There were two other herds of critters in the canyon that materialized from nowhere and they joined the fleeting band.

What an exciting morning! Not bad for an hour and a half of hunting.

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[IB]

So how was the food on this outing and who does the cooking    Just checking.

Keep it comming           This is a GOOOOOD read

[Brian Halbleib]

We didn't do much cooking or eating this time around. Time was limited and we hunted hard and went light on the grub. Jerky, dry sausage and granola filled the bill on the trail and we had some lunch meats in camp. Curtis was going to cook Saturday night but we were all just too wore out to eat a big meal.

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Brian Halbleib]

OK, the rest of the evening was spent pretty much like Curtis mentioned, spotting critters, making long stalks and just having a ball. I had a trophy mouflon sheep come in behind me and I waited for him to reach a shooting lane. He never came and I never did figure out where he went, just disappeared.

Roger and I hit it hard but we could not close the deal on the first day. Roger did manage to get pretty close to a white nanny with decent horns and even got off a shot. He was unsure of the hit so he backed off then followed a faint blood trail for a while. The blood trail petered out and he figured it was just a flesh wound. The sun came down on us and as much as we didn't want to go back to camp, our muscles and bones appreciated heading back.

     

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Brian Halbleib]

It's always fun to have close encounters with all the native critters in a new place. Here's a neat looking dragonfly I encountered on the mountain:

   

And a lizard:

 

Here's a rare black squirrel:

   

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Brian Halbleib]

Roger and I have been hunting together for quite a few years now and I've been fortunate to share camp with him in places as close to home as his farm in western Pennsylvania to as far away as the tundra in Alaska. And many places in between. Roger took a new job in Ft Worth, Tx and went from country boy to city life over night. His wonderful wife and daughter are still living back home here. I know it's been tough on him and with the new job the limited time off he'll get will go towards seeing his family. Bowhunting is a huge part of his life that he had to put on hold so I called Curtis and put this together for the weekend to give Roger an opportunity to hunt. It couldn't have worked out any better...

The next morning, Roger planned to double check on the blood trail just in case he missed something. He followed the blood trail out and checked the area where it seemed to dry up. He stopped to take some pictures and noticed a critter on the rocks and decided to investigate. It sure looked like the goat that was with the one he shot at.

He circled above and there beneath him was the white nanny he shot at the night before. It appeared that his arrow caught her leg as she was favoring it as she walked. This time, Roger sent another arrow on it's way and made good on the blood trail he started. The goat went less than 100 yards and died beneath a cedar down in the canyon.

   

   

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[JC]

GREAT story! Thanks guys. Kudos to Roger for following up and completing the mission.

[vermonster13]

Excellent follow up.

[Brian Halbleib]

I met up with Roger just minutes after the shot and got to enjoy the tracking job with my friend. There's something special about sharing these moments with good friends. We found the goat and sat there with her on that mountainside and just took it all in. We spent the rest of the morning skinning and quartering her out and packed her into Roger's pack.

   

Curtis responded to the calls from her companion from the next ridge over. Just as we were finishing up the dressing duties, Curtis hollered down that he had her companion on the ground with another great stalk. I've been fortunate to hunt with Curtis in two different locations for different critters and I am amazed at the hunting skills that he has honed to razor sharpness. He's one of the finest bowhunters and persons you will ever cross paths with. Thanks again Curtis.

Well I could have left Roger there and went off hunting for the rest of the morning but I chose to stay and help, just like the day before with helping gathering Curtis' animal. Great friends are hard to come by and I'm blessed with two of the best right here. I didn't get a critter on the ground but it was one of my most satifying and successful adventures yet.

We were back at camp around 11:30 am. We had to get meat cooled down and camp cleaned before heading out. Roger had to work the next morning and I had a plane to catch so we wrapped things up and got started on the 350 mile drive back to Ft Worth.

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[DarkeGreen]

Nice Trophies! Thanks for sharing the hunt with us.