Bow Hunting Free Range
AOUDAD
by Carolyn Zniewski
B
ig game hunting is the best west
of the Pecos. Mule deer, javelina
and aoudad, also known as
Barbary sheep, make for great hunting.
Businessmen from Japan fly into Alpine
and drive to a ranch in the back coun-
try for several days of hunting. Folks
from all over the United States come to
spend late fall days tracking game. The
Barbary sheep is the prize big game.
Aoudad are smart and elusive, living
high up in the rocky cliffs; they are hard
to spot and quick to escape.
Many folks will agree that the most
challenging free range hunt in Texas is
horseback bow hunting for aoudad. It
takes practice and experience in horse-
back riding, archery and tracking, so
the field is limited to serious sportsmen.
A hunting party of two arrive the
day before the hunt, throw their
18
iPhones on their bunk and get into
hunting clothes. It's a good idea to
smell like the desert. Aoudads have a
sharp sense of smell and the smell of
hunters warns of danger. Leave that
people/city smell behind. No shower,
no shaving, let that desert dust weave
its outback spell. After kicking around
the barn and checking on their horses
it's supper time for the crew. The ranch
wife puts out a good spread for dinner
served with cold Big Bend beer. A few
plans for tomorrow and folks bunk
down early.
Aoudad are native to the mountains
of North Africa. They were imported
into southern Europe as a game ani-
mal. After World War II, GIs coming
back to Texas brought the aoudad as
stock for the game ranches that were a
growing business. Those Barbary sheep
Cenizo
Fourth Quarter 2013
just didn't like hanging out in the back
40 waiting for the next hunt. They
escaped en masse and took off for the
hills and mountains where they thrived.
Oddly enough, they are endangered
now in their native habitat. Texas has
so many aoudad and they are so diffi-
cult to hunt that they are in season all
year round.
After a big breakfast and plenty of
thick coffee the hunters are off at the
hour of the wolf. The horses whinny
objections to getting out before sun-up
as the hunting guide leads the way. It's
a half hour ride to the arroyo and the
hunters want to start tracking the
grassy stretches near the water run-off
just as the sun is coming up. They
might get lucky and come up on a herd
grazing on breakfast. Aoudad are cre-
puscular, which means they are most
active early in the day and at dusk.
They hide out near the craggy cliff tops
during the middle of the day. Except
during mating season, rams hang out in
the boys’ club. Groups of up to 20
graze together on the shrubs and grass-
es of the arroyo. Well-adapted to the
dry climate, they get enough water
through the plants they eat, although
they will drink when water is available.
After mid-morning the guide scans
the rocky cliffs near the top. It's a chilly
day so the sheep might well be sunning
themselves. They are the tan and
brown colors of the desert with a long,
shaggy bib and mane, looking like
patches of dry grass scattered between
the rocks.
By noon it is getting hot and the
Barbary sheep will hide in the shade of
the rocks to stay cool. The hunting