Big Bend National Park To Cull Auodads

[FuddRucker]

Not sure what this kind of thing costs, but they could probably raise more money towards further conservation efforts selling tag. Granted hunts would be way less efficient at achieving their goal.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/09/big-bend-national-park-resume-efforts-remove-nonnative-sheep

 

[cuerro viejo]

I think it’s fair to say the National Park system isn’t big on hunters. It doesn’t exactly have a hunter friendly attitude. Tetons, Big Bend, Olympic etc

 

[BBob]

Same deal is needed over in Hueco Tanks State Park.

 

[FuddRucker]

I have no illusions about that! But they end up trying to kill em anyway. Does make me wonder about whether it's in hunters' interests to turn these animals into sought after species to chase (as some are trying to do). I believe there was another thread talking about this where someone referred to them as the "poor man's big horn". Kind of interesting to consider the tradeoffs of opportunity vs impact on the landscape and other species. I'd err towards prioritizing the latter and getting rid of them.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

I say let people hunt them year round by any means necessary. Can't have that though, it'll scare all the normie park visitors seeing hunters in there.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I say let people hunt them year round by any means necessary. Can't have that though, it'll scare all the normie park visitors seeing hunters in there.

Let’s be honest, Big Bend isnt exactly well explored .

Most tourists might hike a mile if that

 

[elsb0048]

Other parks (Teton, Olympic) have allowed sportsmen to participate in the culling in the past but it's usually a lot of effort for the park. I assume primarily they do it for optics & relationships with hunting population than because it's a cost-effective way to solve their overpopulation problems.

From what I've read you get brought on as an 'unpaid contractor' to be a temporary employee and must submit an application and pass some practical shooting tests to participate. I believe exo mountain gear guys published a podcast interview with a hunter that did the Teton one.

I presume they jump through those hoops due to federal law rather than park policy but I could be wrong

 

[cuerro viejo]

Other parks (Teton, Olympic) have allowed sportsmen to participate in the culling in the past but it's usually a lot of effort for the park. I assume primarily they do it for optics & relationships with hunting population than because it's a cost-effective way to solve their overpopulation problems.

From what I've read you get brought on as an 'unpaid contractor' to be a temporary employee and must submit an application and pass some practical shooting tests to participate. I believe exo mountain gear guys published a podcast interview with a hunter that did the Teton one.

I presume they jump through those hoops due to federal law rather than park policy but I could be wrong

Only after extreme public out cry.

Big bend has zero of the excuses they originally used for tetons and Olympic

 

[alexnelon]

I say let people hunt them year round by any means necessary. Can't have that though, it'll scare all the normie park visitors seeing hunters in there.

Go out there in July/August and you'll have the place to yourself. For some reason the subaru crew doesn't get out much when it's hot outside.

 

[MuleyFever]

Fact is they want the animals removed and giving a bunch of people a tag is not the best way to do it. They can do in a few days what hunters probably wouldnt get done in a year.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Good let the park service or professional service kill them all, hunters can’t put a dent in them anyway

 

[Chris in TN]

Look, all I'm saying is, if Yellowstone really wanted their elk herd trimmed, I could have done it for them without going to the bother of reintroducing those danged wolves.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Fact is they want the animals removed and giving a bunch of people a tag is not the best way to do it. They can do in a few days what hunters probably wouldnt get done in a year.

Only because they've locked the public out for so long. If it remains available 365 days a year for a while those numbers will go down and stay down. I put in for Aoudad exotic hunts in TX every year and every year I get denied, they hardly issue any tags on other properties and they have tens of thousands of applicants between properties. If BB was available to me I'd be there in Feb-Mar every year and guarantee some would hit the ground. I'm not special, there's thousands like me.

 

[COelk89]

It does not really hurt my feelings much that there are some places hunting is not allowed, National Parks specifically. Rocky Mountain park would be a totally different experience in September than it is now if hunting was allowed. Sometimes people need to actually see the wildlife to support keeping it around. If they allowed hunters then why not allow cows, then it is just another piece of BLM or USFS ground no different than the rest of the public land we already have access to. Now when they start talking about getting rid of hunting in areas where it is currently allowed, that is a different story. New Mexico has plenty of public ground similar to Big Bend that holds aoudad, but they are not offering a year round open season.

 

[Tperdue]

Only because they've locked the public out for so long. If it remains available 365 days a year for a while those numbers will go down and stay down. I put in for Aoudad exotic hunts in TX every year and every year I get denied, they hardly issue any tags on other properties and they have tens of thousands of applicants between properties. If BB was available to me I'd be there in Feb-Mar every year and guarantee some would hit the ground. I'm not special, there's thousands like me.

Same here. Lived in TX 3 years before I even knew they have draw tags.

 

[Tperdue]

It does not really hurt my feelings much that there are some places hunting is not allowed, National Parks specifically. Rocky Mountain park would be a totally different experience in September than it is now if hunting was allowed. Sometimes people need to actually see the wildlife to support keeping it around. If they allowed hunters then why not allow cows, then it is just another piece of BLM or USFS ground no different than the rest of the public land we already have access to. Now when they start talking about getting rid of hunting in areas where it is currently allowed, that is a different story. New Mexico has plenty of public ground similar to Big Bend that holds aoudad, but they are not offering a year round open season.

They aren’t year round but they are OTC, and NM isn’t having to take drastic measures to reduce numbers

 

[HairyScandinavian]

It does not really hurt my feelings much that there are some places hunting is not allowed, National Parks specifically. Rocky Mountain park would be a totally different experience in September than it is now if hunting was allowed. Sometimes people need to actually see the wildlife to support keeping it around. If they allowed hunters then why not allow cows, then it is just another piece of BLM or USFS ground no different than the rest of the public land we already have access to. Now when they start talking about getting rid of hunting in areas where it is currently allowed, that is a different story. New Mexico has plenty of public ground similar to Big Bend that holds aoudad, but they are not offering a year round open season.

The goal is to kill off Aoudad to benefit Big Horn Sheep, it's not the same thing. I wouldn't allow Elk hunting in RMNP either.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

They aren’t year round but they are OTC, and NM isn’t having to take drastic measures to reduce numbers

You're mixing things up. The OTC areas are year round. The limited quota areas have seasons.

TX problem is most of it is private so the state can't just issue out tags and rely on public land hunters to knock back the numbers to their management objectives like they can in NM.