Spike Camp
Weatherby Nation => Around the Campfire (General Discussion) => Topic started by: Michiganhunter on February 15, 2018, 02:55:06 PM
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Northwest of Las Cruces is an area that wild, free range, Aoudad sheep inhabit. They are as wild as any place on earth. They are as skittish as high pressured whitetail bucks.
My brother drew a tag near picacho peak not far from Mayfield NM. Lots of public land. BLM, National Forest and State land. It’s not as rugged as where some sheep and goats call home but still some rough country. There are a few hunters so your best bet is to be up early and to get some distance away from the roads. My brother was already a mile away when he saw people moving towards the high country. He was glassing from a good vantage point and watched 1/4 mile or so ahead of the hunters hoping they might push the sheep, especially the bigger rams towards him. He saw a nice ram about 400 yards out and moving away from him. He was using a synthetic stocked 270 Winchester with 130 grain Winchester silvertips. A lightweight package that was easier to carry than his heavy .300 mag Browning. It was a long shot but the ram was moving away and soon the other hunters below would push it even further. He took the shot when the ram stopped and it dropped. It was a nice ram and after some packing he was back to his truck. He texted me a picture while he was still in the mountains. Sometimes these cellphones are actually nice.
Catskinner; Thank you for letting me know these are Aoudad or Barbary sheep and not Mouflon sheep.
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That’s awesome!
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Wow, that is great!
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Incredible! ;D
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That is a nice one, rugged country.
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I'd like him to be my outfitter. :)
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I didn't know they are called mouflon sheep also, I always thought they were called Barbary Sheep or Aoudad's. Nice ram, I turned down a Aoudad hunt in texas a few years back,that a friend had set up, I've regretted doing that.
Rob
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I didn't know they are called mouflon sheep also, I always thought they were called Barbary Sheep or Aoudad's. Nice ram, I turned down a Aoudad hunt in texas a few years back,that a friend had set up, I've regretted doing that.
Rob
You are correct it is Aoudad/Barbary sheep. My mistake. Thank you for the correct identification.
John
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Congrats again to your brother on another great shot. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Thats quite an accomplishment at 400+ yards on free ranging sheep and what a great looking animal. I've always liked the way the Aoudad's have that kind of double beard, one off the chin and one off the chest. With all these pictures you've posted of your brothers hunts, I'd say your pretty proud of your brother and brotherly love is a great quality.
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Great shooting and a good looking ram. 400+ yards is a good poke. Even for the capable 270 Win.
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Remember my DIL's? Davis Mountains
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One can learn all kinds of things on the Weatherby Nation
I didn't realize there was Aoudad hunting on public land!! I have to check into this, thanks for the info
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Here is another smaller Aoudad taken in the same area a couple years before. It was a couple days after the opening and shot it in the first 20 minutes 1/4 mile from his truck about a 150 yard shot. He had is wife along who said this isn’t hard hunting.
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I was talking to my brother today and asked if he applied for another sheep tag. He said he shot 4 throughout the years and that was enough. He figured someone else should have a chance.I knew he had shot two so I asked him about the others. He was sure he told me about them but I just forgot. One year he drew a tag so he and his wife went out a few days after the season opened. They stopped at a motel and then headed out in the afternoon just to check out the area to see if there were many trucks parked. There was was a couple guys by their trucks talking so he grabbed his rifle and binoculars and just went a few hundred yards up a ridge to look and figure out where to go in the morning. He saw a ram and shot it. He was in a white t shirt and jeans so he went back to truck, changed clothes and along with his wife packed that ram back. The guys at the trucks couldn’t believed what happened.
The next hunt he went to the same place and shot another ram. There was a hunter near him and the guy offered to help him pack it out. It was only about a mile. The guy started telling Joel about this guy and his wife who shot a ram a few years before. The guy was wearing just a white t shirt and jeans.... joel said he never mentioned it was him. I thought that was quite a cool story.
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another good story! :)
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Sounds like he found a honey hole.
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:) Nothing beat being in the right place at the right time. 8)
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Great stories. Looks like your brother has them sorted out thats for sure.
They are one critter I may want to get one day in the future I hope.