Well, 223 Works on NM Barbary, Too!

[Kenny Hart]

Well done, that’s awesome.

Thank you. I may have to hunt them again and try to hold out for one like you have in your profile pic. He's a nice one!

 

[Kenny Hart]

Awesome job. Welcome to western hunting.

Thanks. I've packed a few hard-to-access animals out here in the SE, but the only hunt I've done that was similar in terms of taking only what you can carry, camp, and full pack-out was my FL Sambar stag a few years ago.

This trip was a cool experience, for sure.

 

[Kenny Hart]

that sounds like it was a good hunt, nice work and setup

Nice. You got the perfect setup there

Nice ram. And Barbs are tough to find so first try harvest is great. Everything the SW has thorns, spikes, fangs, or poison. You got lucky on the weather, usually its super windy, cold, snowy, rainy, and sweltering hot. Tough place to hunt. I see a thunder chicken on the top of rokstock, too.

Thanks, I was on my feet and covering miles of ground every day of the hunt. Those sheep are certainly few and far between. Saw plenty of desert mulies, though.

And I know how that goes, we have similar hazards here in FL. I prefer hunting late season, as you're always getting chewed on my something until well into December. We definitely don't quite have the temp swings from sweat-thru-tshirt during the day to puffy jacket/pants required when the sun goes down, though.

Good to know about typical conditions. I was actually expecting a far bit worse until I looked at the weather a pop.

I'm pretty happy with the rifle setup. Bought my first SWFA years ago after some recommendations, then proceeded to watch my "zero before every season and again halfway through" routine just disappear. Have a handful of them now.

Been very happy with the Rokstok, I thought it was going to be far bulkier than it is, but it's unexpectedly trim for a carbon fiber stock. The only issue I have is that muffs are hard to use with the negative comb. But that's only an issue at a public range.

The only issue I have with the rifle are some factory mag failures...the subject of another post I made, asking the crew here about similar experiences. I've found that my factory 223 mags sometimes fail to push the next round high enough to be picked up by the bolt.

 

[Kenny Hart]

I finished up the mount today. These do make such cool euros to display. You can where he actually busted the back of his skull apart, I assume from a fight. The bone had since been fusing back together, as it's completely ridged.

Other than that he was a very healthy animal that had just carried on with his life after the injury. Pretty cool.

 

[ShakeDown]

Congrats! We were out there too, I saw a few very good rams but no good shots. I did shoot a ewe on my last day, she’s about 21” - I joke she’s a B&C ewe!

It was hot out and we did go long stretches without seeing any animals. Really fun hunt.

 

[Scoutfan]

Congratulations!

 

[Kenny Hart]

Congrats! We were out there too, I saw a few very good rams but no good shots. I did shoot a ewe on my last day, she’s about 21” - I joke she’s a B&C ewe!

It was hot out and we did go long stretches without seeing any animals. Really fun hunt.

Haha that's great! And hey, that's a nice animal.

I found a couple ewes where I had backpacked in the morning prior to season, one was pretty decent...not like yours though. Plenty of sign as well. I debated the idea of shooting her if I saw her opening day, but my decision was made for me as the place was pretty overrun with hunters and I never saw another sheep there so I bounced.

That seems like a cool hunt to do with a buddy...the right buddy at least

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Very cool, @Kenny Hart!

Congrats and thanks for the share. I think the cracked skull has awesome character.

 

[Kenny Hart]

Very cool, @Kenny Hart!

Congrats and thanks for the share. I think the cracked skull has awesome character.

Thanks! And I think so too.

I'm gonna be a little bummed in about 18 months when my taxidermist cuts the skull cap off and covers it with hide.

I was completely content with a euro, even before discovering the injury, but the wife said she wanted him mounted for the house. So who am I to oppose?

I'll probably 3D scan and 3D print a replica at work to display next to it.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

I have a shoulder pedestal at the taxi ready and waiting on shipping, but I want a euro Mount so bad I can taste it. I’d 3d print that one in a second.

 

[LongWayAround]

That cracked skull is pretty gnarly.

I think I would keep the original intact and put a replica on the mount.

 

[Kenny Hart]

That cracked skull is pretty gnarly.

I think I would keep the original intact and put a replica on the mount.

You know, that's a great point. I could make the replica skull cap for the mount and fit the horns to it.

Then keep the real skull and have it displayed on the shelf underneath or something. Could go ahead and cast or 3D print some horns for the skull as well if I wanted to get fancy.

I'm sure I would have had that realization at some point, but am always open for someone leading me to water

Thank you, sir!

 

[Kenny Hart]

I have a shoulder pedestal at the taxi ready and waiting on shipping, but I want a euro Mount so bad I can taste it. I’d 3d print that one in a second.

That's awesome, those big ones make some pretty wicked mounts with the big chaps, and in my opinion sheep just make the coolest looking euros. What a decision, but I bet yours is gonna look great!

Mine isn't anything to write home about in the size department, I know he's a younger ram, so I wasn't really prepared to have the full mount done. But preparing for this trip, making sure I had all my backpacking gear squared away, and all the planning/logistics was a bit of an undertaking for my first trip across the country. And to come away successful was a great feeling.

My wife's call finally made it thru when I was about to start quartering him on the side of the draw, and she thought he was too cool looking to not add to the house taxidermy...plus I think she's just elated that it's not another whitetail.

There may be some ulterior motives for taking up precious wall space before I can shoot another wall-hanger

 

[7mm-08]

The PSI to break that skull like that would be tremendous. Nice job on the hunt. I'm like LongWayAround, I'd do what I needed to preserve that euro. Super cool trophy.

 

[Kenny Hart]

The PSI to break that skull like that would be tremendous. Nice job on the hunt. I'm like LongWayAround, I'd do what I needed to preserve that euro. Super cool trophy.

Thanks, it was pretty wild to see. I could tell his horns were asymmetrical when I was fleshing out the head, but I didn't see the split until I started blasting it off with the pressure washer.

Ya, I think putting some replica horns on the real skull and 3D printing a horn base for the mount is the way to go!

 

[RS_Non-Res]

+1 replica horns for 3/4 mount w/chaps AND the euro on the original cracked up skull. Nice beast.

 

[Kenny Hart]

+1 replica horns for 3/4 mount w/chaps AND the euro on the original cracked up skull. Nice beast.

Appreciate it, and ya that's what I'm gonna do. It'll be about 18 months out, but I'm really looking forward to the mount!

They are a cool looking animal.

 

[stoddc4]

Congratulations


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[Gadjet]

Congrats! That's impressive internal damage. It's amazing what can be done with a little ol 223!

 

[260284]

Florida Man here who drew his first western hunting tag for Aoudad / Barbary Sheep in NM, I just got back last weekend.

A LOT of footwork put me into some sheep over the course of the week, and I shot my ram the morning of the 5th day of the hunt, 7th day I was out there.

Glassed up a couple rams about a mile away closer to what I estimate to be the 25" mark a couple days earlier, but they were cruising with a band of smaller rams across a small portion of public. Went after them but I lost them in some draws and just couldn't catch up for a shot before they crossed the property line. Those suckers are fast when they have somewhere they wanna be, they just cruise at what looked to be a pretty brisk human walking pace!

For an east coaster flying out west solo to brand new game, topography, and environment, I couldn't be happier. Especially since I was finally able to squeeze a 3/4" cactus spine out of my left knee last night that's been plaguing me since the first morning

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Was this a public land draw tag or private land access? A ram is on my bucket list.