Big Bend National Park To Cull Auodads

[cuerro viejo]

You could partition Big Bend off pretty easy and have open units

 

[Tperdue]

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.

So they are. My point is NM has opportunities for hunters to help keep populations in check.

Big Bend NP isn’t private land. Even if it was, the state already leases hunting rights from landowners to open up public opportunities for other species. They could easily create a drawn hunt in BBNP.

 

[alexnelon]

Big Bend NP isn’t private land. Even if it was, the state already leases hunting rights from landowners to open up public opportunities for other species. They could easily create a drawn hunt in BBNP.

The thing is though that TPWD has no authority to establish hunting access on federal land. Even if they wanted to (which I don't think they do) they would have to just beg the Oregon granola hippie NPS director to establish statutes allowing hunting.

 

[Tperdue]

The thing is though that TPWD has no authority to establish hunting access on federal land. Even if they wanted to (which I don't think they do) they would have to just beg the Oregon granola hippie NPS director to establish statutes allowing hunting.

Agreed, it’s improbable (probably impossible) but they coordinate with NPS to kill them off. And as a TX resident that doesn’t want to drop $5k plus to hunt them I reserve my right to complain.

 

[elsb0048]

Only after extreme public out cry.

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

What excuses did they give for Teton and Olympic parks? Excuses for what? Excuses for culling to begin with or excuses for not allowing hunters to participate in the culling?

I am generally interested in the history of the decisions.

 

[S-3 ranch]

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.

It’s pretty disgusting all the wasted public land with TP&W, GLO , university land , we have here that year after year we hear the same response
We are still studying access, planning infrastructure, , ect , ect
the excuses never end

 

[cuerro viejo]

What excuses did they give for Teton and Olympic parks? Excuses for what? Excuses for culling to begin with or excuses for not allowing hunters to participate in the culling?

I am generally interested in the history of the decisions.

To extreme terrain to be effective. Which has actually more appeal to me then Big Bend, but regardless whether 1 goat or 100 via hunters is still 1-100 unwanted resources at the fraction of the cost associated with helicopter hunting. There is nothing more effective then helicopter hunting with zero means of take restrictions but it’s still a public resource and public should get a shot first

 

[cuerro viejo]

It’s pretty disgusting all the wasted public land with TP&W, GLO , university land , we have here that year after year we hear the same response
We are still studying access, planning infrastructure, , ect , ect
the excuses never end

Ya that’s called BS’ing the public

Pretty simple, do like palo duro, 2x or 3x buddy system, push of satellite messaging and make them report back in every night

 

[diamond10x]

Who would have ever guessed Aoudad would have ended up in BBNP

Thanks WSF and all your other sister orgs.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Great pod cast for anyone that interested in the aoudad conflict

The problem with auodad with Sam Cunningham

Podcast Episode · Talk Is Sheep · 08/06/2025 · 1h 2m

podcasts.apple.com

 

[diamond10x]

Great pod cast for anyone that interested in the aoudad conflict

The problem with auodad with Sam Cunningham

Podcast Episode · Talk Is Sheep · 08/06/2025 · 1h 2m

podcasts.apple.com

As much as the state and the so called "conservation" orgs have had a hand in the expansion of aoudad, I wouldn't be surprised if DBH are done in the next 10 years or less.

 

[S-3 ranch]

As much as the state and the so called "conservation" orgs have had a hand in the expansion of aoudad, I wouldn't be surprised if DBH are done in the next 10 years or less.

I hope not ! We should have natural recruitment from Mexico,
Instead the USA has put up roadblocks on import of Mexican aoudad
And kinda made a mess of things on controlling the army of aoudad south of the border.

 

[zrodwyo]

Seems like the right move. Those goats have no place on the Texas landscape.

 

[3325]

What excuses did they give for Teton and Olympic parks? Excuses for what? Excuses for culling to begin with or excuses for not allowing hunters to participate in the culling?

Grand Teton culled mountain goats. They said the goats were not native - drifted in from Idaho, apparently - and could displace native bighorn sheep or spread disease to the sheep.

Grand Teton initially used contract helicopter shooters but eventually went to hunters.

They didn’t get them all and the goats are populating again.

 

[cuerro viejo]

As much as the state and the so called "conservation" orgs have had a hand in the expansion of aoudad, I wouldn't be surprised if DBH are done in the next 10 years or less.

I’m not sure they will make it 10 years unless what’s left have a super resistance to Movi. I think entire states down to 4 tags,

 

[elkhunter505]

Grand Teton culled mountain goats. They said the goats were not native - drifted in from Idaho, apparently - and could displace native bighorn sheep or spread disease to the sheep.

Grand Teton initially used contract helicopter shooters but eventually went to hunters.

They didn’t get them all and the goats are populating again.

Exactly. If you look at the stats from the hunters in Olympic and Teton in comparison to the aerial gunning stats, you’ll see why they’re using professionals. Hunters are not nearly as effective as we all think we are and the aerial gunners blew the hunter numbers out of the water within a couple of days. If they want barbary gone from Big Bend, this is the only way it might happen. The NM OTC area was supposed to be aerial gunned but the hunter outcry stopped that plan and they changed it to OTC. The number of sheep on that area had remained somewhat constant. The did reintroduce bighorn sheep but they’re somewhat spatially confined to the northern part of the Alamogordo Rim and there have been documented events of aoudad rams defending bighorn ewes from bighorn rams. It doesn’t happen a ton, but it does happen. If the agency wants aoudad gone, aerial gunning is the only way to even have a shot at it and even then you’ll likely have to continue doing it from time to time to prevent repopulation from immigrating sheep.

 

[3325]

If the agency wants aoudad gone, aerial gunning is the only way to even have a shot at it and even then you’ll likely have to continue doing it from time to time to prevent repopulation from immigrating sheep.

There is, to my way of thinking, only one animal that surpasses the majesty of a royal or regal bull elk: a full curl Bighorn Ram.

I would support whatever it takes to repopulate Desert Bighorn to as many places in their native range as possible. West Texas ranchers wanting to have Auodads on their property for economic benefit is understandable, but I’m rooting for Desert Bighorn Sheep.

As far as Mountain Goat culling in GTNP to protect Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep goes, I didn’t like the idea of it. While the reasons given seem to make sense at first glance, and if push comes to shove I default to supporting sheep, I believe there are places where goats and sheep overlap and coexist (Glacier? North Cascades?). So I remain unconvinced the “science” put forth by the National Park Service for their Mountain Goat elimination policy in GTNP is solid.

For consideration:

Grand Teton Cull Ends With 58 Mt. Goats Killed, Primarily in Park's North End

According to the article below, the National Park Service (NPS) has decided to exterminate wild mountain goats in the Teton-Yellowstone Parks because they (1) are non-native, (2) “compete” with bighorn and (3) might infect them with diseases. NPS claims to follow the North American Model...

www.pitchstonewaters.com

Teton Goats Rebound After Hunts, Gunning

At least 12 goats have been spotted; park doesn’t have plans to remove them — yet.

www.pitchstonewaters.com

 

[cuerro viejo]

Overall response should be a combination of Heli and public draw hunts..

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Overall response should be a combination of Heli and public draw hunts..

Either way open it to 365 day Aoudad hunting, go in with the helos to knock them back quickly then let hunters keep the numbers down. I know I'll do my part as will many others.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Either way open it to 365 day Aoudad hunting, go in with the helos to knock them back quickly then let hunters keep the numbers down. I know I'll do my part as will many others.

Yelp, that’s way it should be. National parks system despises even a limited multi use doctrine. It’s the kings land, and they are kings