The Auodad dilemma!

[Amos Keeto]

These things are becoming a real problem!

This Invasive Species Is Decimating Native Wildlife in Texas (And It's Not Feral Hogs)

In 1957, Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) released 31 aoudad, or barbary sheep, a species native to North Africa, in the Texas panhandle to increase hunting opportunities. The species took well to the arid Texas land, and another 40 animals were released by the following year. Today, those few...

www.themeateater.com

 

[Samson7x]

And becoming more expensive to hunt.

 

[Bearded Bowhunter]

And becoming more expensive to hunt.

No kidding. I remember seeing these hunts 8-10 years ago for around $2K. Now a lot of the places are $5k+. I know there are some cheaper options out there that aren't advertised, but got out of hand quickly.

 

[diamond10x]

Becoming??

They have been a huge problem for quite some time and WSF, their outfitters, TXBHS, and TPWD have poured gas on that fire.

Until TPWD declares war on them it will just get worse.

WSF should put their money where their mouth is and start offering bounties on them and start blacklisting outfitters who are out there managing for "trophy" aoudad or sustainable herds.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

This is why biologists aren't nuclear engineers.

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

Who cares, these exist almost exclusively on private lands. It should be the land owners choice what to do with them. Nobody is complaining about invasive cattle on private lands... Nor should they care about some feral African goats on a property they do not own or have access to.

 

[Amos Keeto]

Who cares, these exist almost exclusively on private lands. It should be the land owners choice what to do with them. Nobody is complaining about invasive cattle on private lands... Nor should they care about some feral African goats on a property they do not own or have access to.

The Palo Duro Canyon isn't all private land.
In the Alpine, TX, Big Bend area, there is alot of public lands.
Wasn't but a couple of years ago, TPW purchased, IIRC, about 8,000 acres. In the grand scheme of things, 8K acres in the Big Bend area, is just a "patch"!

 

[naked wombats]

We waged war on them about 10 years back at a buddy's property north of leakey area.

Had 2-3 groups of 12-18 individuals coming thru regularly not leaving much for the whitetail.

The hill country ones do actually make pretty good sausage.

 

[diamond10x]

Who cares, these exist almost exclusively on private lands. It should be the land owners choice what to do with them. Nobody is complaining about invasive cattle on private lands... Nor should they care about some feral African goats on a property they do not own or have access to.

This is absolutely false. They're on plenty of big public tracts of land, and a number of those tracts have DBHS on them.

They are a huge problem in the Trans Pecos, public and private.

 

[CMF]

Who cares, these exist almost exclusively on private lands. It should be the land owners choice what to do with them. Nobody is complaining about invasive cattle on private lands... Nor should they care about some feral African goats on a property they do not own or have access to.

That's a pretty good point....

This is absolutely false. They're on plenty of big public tracts of land, and a number of those tracts have DBHS on them.

They are a huge problem in the Trans Pecos, public and private.

Then why don't they have open season on them like NM's otc tags?
I think more people are on the side of "it's another animal to hunt" than "we need to protect native species." And the state, private landowners, and outfitters can make money off them.
It's just like hogs everywhere else, some want them gone, some like to hunt them and want them around.
Need only to look at Bison, grizzly, and wolves to see if we really want something gone, we can make it happen.
The passing of the helicopter law isn't to eradicate them, it's to sell more expensive hunts...

 

[cuerro viejo]

Becoming??

They have been a huge problem for quite some time and WSF, their outfitters, TXBHS, and TPWD have poured gas on that fire.

Until TPWD declares war on them it will just get worse.

WSF should put their money where their mouth is and start offering bounties on them and start blacklisting outfitters who are out there managing for "trophy" aoudad or sustainable herds.

It is out of TPWD hands, the aoudad ends the day the landowners decide they are done with them, we may never get all the landowners on same ticket but beauty of that country is large 60k plus acres ranches can join together and create a regional dead zone for them

This is a very good podcast also the fully explains it

The problem with auodad with Sam Cunningham

Podcast Episode · Talk Is Sheep · August 6, 2025 · 1h 2m

podcasts.apple.com

 

[cuerro viejo]

That's a pretty good point....

Then why don't they have open season on them like NM's otc tags?
I think more people are on the side of "it's another animal to hunt" than "we need to protect native species." And the state, private landowners, and outfitters can make money off them.
It's just like hogs everywhere else, some want them gone, some like to hunt them and want them around.
Need only to look at Bison, grizzly, and wolves to see if we really want something gone, we can make it happen.
The passing of the helicopter law isn't to eradicate them, it's to sell more expensive hunts...

Because the largest tract of public is Big Bend Nation Park… every thing else is minute compared to private.. Most those Trans pecos ranches are 40k to 200k acres

Passing of the heli law was not to just shoot them from heli but to get around commercial aspect of heli hunting,

No body is killing aoudads out via hunting from the ground, especially once they cross a fence… property lines, terrain, kid recruitment is exponentially working against a few hunter

 

[CMF]

Because the largest tract of public is Big Bend Nation Park… every thing else is minute compared to private.. Most those Trans pecos ranches are 40k to 200k acres

They've allowed a bison hunt on Grand Canyon NP. Maybe one day it will be bad enough they'll allow barbary hunting on Big Bend...

No body is killing aoudads out via hunting from the ground, especially once they cross a fence… property lines, terrain, kid recruitment is exponentially working against a few hunter

What do you mean?


Well, if anyone needs some Auodad culled, I've got a wife and three kids willing to travel....

 

[S-3 ranch]

No kidding. I remember seeing these hunts 8-10 years ago for around $2K. Now a lot of the places are $5k+. I know there are some cheaper options out there that aren't advertised, but got out of hand quickly.

lol they used to be free kill all those sorry bastions you can , and some places still are , money talks and most ranchers don’t have BHS so can make some cash out of aoudad, in the detriment to muley deer and even pronghorn.
Pay the ranchers to exterminate them and they will ?
It’s a money game .
TP&W doesn’t really work at controlling them except in and around the BHS locations
Chinalti 48000 acres hasn’t been hunted yet since they got it 40 years ago
And it’s been a aoudad haven

 

[CMF]

Chinalti 48000 acres hasn’t been hunted yet since they got it 40 years ago
And it’s been a aoudad haven

Hueco Tanks is also overrun with them. For some reason, they can't implement a hunt there.

Texas should at least increase its hunting opportunities on state land.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Hueco Tanks is also overrun with them. For some reason, they can't implement a hunt there.

Texas should at least increase its hunting opportunities on state land.

Yep , they have the resources and the responsibility to help save the native wildlife, even if they need to train their staff to guide on all the other unused land ( the general land office just bought 200,000 acre ranch north of big bend that they probably won’t be opening till they do a 20-30 year evaluation)
The aoudad carry a respiratory disease that effects every other species in the area if private land owners are the stewards of their property( the guys who have muledeer manage their property to eliminate aoudad) , the state owes the public the responsibility to be good stewards of publicly owned land
IMO

 

[OMB]

Becoming??

They have been a huge problem for quite some time and WSF, their outfitters, TXBHS, and TPWD have poured gas on that fire.

Until TPWD declares war on them it will just get worse.

WSF should put their money where their mouth is and start offering bounties on them and start blacklisting outfitters who are out there managing for "trophy" aoudad or sustainable herds.

Asking WSF to make a bold stand against something that would hugely benefit wild sheep at the detriment of their major money donors might be a bridge too far, but I'm also hopeful they'll move that direction eventually. It's tiring how much they play footsie with domestic sheep herders in Montana and "poor man's sheep" outfitters in Texa$.

They're not sheep, and hunting an invasive species in the "mountains" of Texas doesn't make it a "poor man's sheep hunt." I'm sorry if you feel that way and got fleeced for several thousand dollars to shoot a wild farm animal in Texas, but they should be eradicated from the landscape. They can't co-exist with wild native species.

 

[CMF]

to shoot a wild farm animal in Texas,

So are they wild or are they farm?
They weren't ever domesticated, just a non-native introduced. They still seem pretty wild to me, but we've only hunted them in NM.
Regardless of whether they are "sheep" or not, it's still enjoyable to hunt something new in different terrain than you're used to. Unless they can be replaced by a more desirable species to hunt, it's going to be an uphill battle to get rid of them.
It sucks that something non-native can be so resilient while native bighorns struggle.

but they should be eradicated from the landscape. They can't co-exist with wild native species.

I don't disagree. I don't know what the answer is either. The situation seems alot like the hog situation, and it's not getting any better either.

 

[diamond10x]

That's a pretty good point....

Then why don't they have open season on them like NM's otc tags?
I think more people are on the side of "it's another animal to hunt" than "we need to protect native species." And the state, private landowners, and outfitters can make money off them.
It's just like hogs everywhere else, some want them gone, some like to hunt them and want them around.
Need only to look at Bison, grizzly, and wolves to see if we really want something gone, we can make it happen.
The passing of the helicopter law isn't to eradicate them, it's to sell more expensive hunts...

You’re preaching to the choir. I’ve been asking TPWD why they haven’t opened it up for years and it’s always some silly round about answer. They’ve even gone so far as to implement rules on limited entry hunts where you can only kill one aoudad and it has to be before your deer even though your hunt period/time hasn’t expired.

It’s an absolute dumpster fire and I honestly put the blame on tpw for originally bringing them in then not doing all they can to fix the issue, WSF marketing them as a poor man’s sheep, and outfitters like high west.

They’re a fed problem now being Big Bend. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them take over Guadalupe Mountains Nat park at this point as well.