Just got back from chasing aoudad at the Leoncita Ranch near Alpine, Texas with Ahrens Outfitting. What a great experience!
I booked this hunt for myself, brothers, and dad as a non-hunting companion for Nov 6 - 10.
We arrived at the ranch on Nov 6 at around noon, and were welcomed with freshly made burgers for lunch. After unloading our gear we made it to the shooting range to check our guns. While loading up in the dune buggy my guide, Robert, was driving, my gun took a fall while I strapped on my bino harness - not the way I wanted to start the hunt! Luckily, no harm no foul as my shots rang true at the shooting range.
For this trip I carried my trusty .280 Rem running 140HVLD at around 3100fps. My brothers were using a 300WM running 180TGK, and 6.5-284 pushing the 135CH Bergers.
Confirming all guns were zeroed in, off we went. My dad and middle brother would be guided by Matt, and my little brother and myself would be hunting with Robert.
The first afternoon we saw several dozen small rams and ewes as we made our way around some canyons. Towards the end of the afternoon we set up on the top of a ridge to glass. Lo and behold a nice old ram showed up by himself. Having hunted two aoudads before, my little brother had first dibs. Old ram stood roughly at 250 yards from us, chocolate colored with blonde chaps, roughly 30-31" with some age on him. As much as I tried to convince him to shoot it, he wouldnt budge! Off the ridge we came and as we made it to the buggy, a group of males crested a nearby ridge, 150 yards away, a noticeably bigger ram was in the group and my brother set up for a shot, but with daylight fading quickly, he decided not to risk wounding it, I agreed with that decision. No rams on the first afternoon but we saw a ton of sheep!
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we went our respective ways. We made it to a glassing point at daybreak and immediately spotted game, funny enough we all spotted sheep - just not the same ones. Robert spotted a big herd, my little brother spotted a medium ram walking away from us and I spotted a bedded ram. As soon as the sun hit his horns I pulled out the spotting scope and started filming, this was the biggest live ram I'd ever seen! Without hesitation Robert started making a plan to get close. From where we were sitting we were 900ish yards away. The wind was right and time was on our side. I wished them good luck and continued to monitor the ram through my spotter as they made a move on him. As I saw them close the distance I was shaking I was so nervous! Finally I saw them move quickly and my brother threw his backpack on the ground and I heard the shot ring out. First one sounded like an impact, followed by a second which also found its mark. Moments later I was watching them lay hands on this sheep a 34" x 33.5" banana horned beast! We were all really excited our team effort had paid off! Back to camp and for a cold beverage. After several high fives and retelling of the morning hunt, we found ourselves heading back for the afternoon hunt.
Not long after we made it to our glassing spot did my dad text me. "Ram spotted" I responded wishing them good luck and hoping they'd get one. He was watching from the side by side as my brother and Matt made a stalk on a group of rams. About an hour later "ram down", followed by "big one" Nice! I broke the news to our group, but was curious as to how big this ram really was. So I texted my dad back "how big?" his reply stunned everyone, "35.5" We could not believe that two world class rams had been taken on the same day. Once we made it back to camp, we were able to appreciate just how big this ram was! It almost dwarfed the 34" incher we got that morning. 35.5 x 34.5" was the total measurement on my middle brothers ram. Needless to we were all extremely happy!
The next morning was fairly uneventful, despite hunting some amazing canyons spotted only ewes and lambs. That afternoon we tried a different part of the ranch and again, only saw young rams. I was starting to think we might have shot all the big rams on the ranch! Later in the afternoon, Matt called us and told us he had a large group of rams with several shooters. We hustled to where he was and got the group on the glass, 50 rams of different ages and sizes all staring at us from about a mile away, it was pretty cool to watch. Unfortunately, there was a deep draw adjacent to them which we assumed the larger rams went into and therefore werent visible from our position. The wind wasnt helping either to make a stalk or try to get close, so we decided to sit tight and not spook them. No luck for me on day two.
Our last morning, we started in hunting in the same general area we hunted the morning we got my little brothers ram. As soon as we parked we spotted a group of mature rams roughly 2000 yards away, big bodies but hard to judge just how big the horns were. Robert and I decided that given it was the last morning we should make a move and see what they looked like up close. We walked through the bottom of a draw, failing miserably at avoiding all the stickers and burs, but we managed to make good time to the cedar trees we had identified from the buggy that would serve as our vantage point. While looking at the group of 5 rams we noticed some movement in front of us and as luck would have it, we had a group of 12 males about 700 yards in front of us! They were calmly bedded minding their own business but with that many eyes it would be hard to get close. Robert and I debated what our move should be and we finally decided that being careful with our opportunity should be priority so we would wait for them to start feeding and then we would make a move, the last thing we wanted was to be chasing aoudad after we spooked them.
Ive realized that given the right circumstances some of those jagged rocks can be quite comfortable, in this case, I used one as a "pillow" to lay down and close my eyes for a few minutes, not a bad power nap mid morning! The group of rams that initially got us to this point was dwarfed in comparison to the rams in the new found group. We waited. Finally one ram started feeding to our right, then another, then two more. They were moving in the right direction. Once the target ram stood up and starting feeding in the same direction we made our move. We lost elevation quickly and before we knew it we were gaining the elevation we had lost. This time we would crest the ridge that was between the group of rams and us when we first spotted them. Robert and I stayed as low as possible to the ground and I walked closely behind him. There was one cedar tree in this entire ridge and it was the only cover we had! We hustled and finally made it to the small tree. I stayed behind the tree waiting for instructions, "alright, they all have their head down, come on in front" I moved my pack and gun and set up for a prone shot. I quickly realized Id have rock trouble as I was too low. "let me know when I can move, Im too low" I whispered back. several seconds later "ok youre good" I set up to a sitting position with my standing pack as a rest - the carbon fiber frame made it extra sturdy - "you on them?" he asked, "yep, middle ram?" silence. a few moments later the target ram walked out of some brush and continued feeding "middle ram" he whispered, "on him" I replied, "distance?" I asked "230, whenever youre ready" .. my shot rang out and dropped him in his tracks! This ram was dark chocolate and had a significantly larger body than his companions, and to my surprise ended up measuring 32.5" on the long side! I finally had a ram that was over 30 inches!
We took pictures and started getting to work to pack him out. Just our luck that there was no way to get a buggy or side by side close to pack him out so the distance we walked on the way in was the distance we had to walk on our way out, not a bad way to finish our trip!
Huge thanks to Robert, Matt, David, and Calan for this trip!
I booked this hunt for myself, brothers, and dad as a non-hunting companion for Nov 6 - 10.
We arrived at the ranch on Nov 6 at around noon, and were welcomed with freshly made burgers for lunch. After unloading our gear we made it to the shooting range to check our guns. While loading up in the dune buggy my guide, Robert, was driving, my gun took a fall while I strapped on my bino harness - not the way I wanted to start the hunt! Luckily, no harm no foul as my shots rang true at the shooting range.
For this trip I carried my trusty .280 Rem running 140HVLD at around 3100fps. My brothers were using a 300WM running 180TGK, and 6.5-284 pushing the 135CH Bergers.
Confirming all guns were zeroed in, off we went. My dad and middle brother would be guided by Matt, and my little brother and myself would be hunting with Robert.
The first afternoon we saw several dozen small rams and ewes as we made our way around some canyons. Towards the end of the afternoon we set up on the top of a ridge to glass. Lo and behold a nice old ram showed up by himself. Having hunted two aoudads before, my little brother had first dibs. Old ram stood roughly at 250 yards from us, chocolate colored with blonde chaps, roughly 30-31" with some age on him. As much as I tried to convince him to shoot it, he wouldnt budge! Off the ridge we came and as we made it to the buggy, a group of males crested a nearby ridge, 150 yards away, a noticeably bigger ram was in the group and my brother set up for a shot, but with daylight fading quickly, he decided not to risk wounding it, I agreed with that decision. No rams on the first afternoon but we saw a ton of sheep!
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we went our respective ways. We made it to a glassing point at daybreak and immediately spotted game, funny enough we all spotted sheep - just not the same ones. Robert spotted a big herd, my little brother spotted a medium ram walking away from us and I spotted a bedded ram. As soon as the sun hit his horns I pulled out the spotting scope and started filming, this was the biggest live ram I'd ever seen! Without hesitation Robert started making a plan to get close. From where we were sitting we were 900ish yards away. The wind was right and time was on our side. I wished them good luck and continued to monitor the ram through my spotter as they made a move on him. As I saw them close the distance I was shaking I was so nervous! Finally I saw them move quickly and my brother threw his backpack on the ground and I heard the shot ring out. First one sounded like an impact, followed by a second which also found its mark. Moments later I was watching them lay hands on this sheep a 34" x 33.5" banana horned beast! We were all really excited our team effort had paid off! Back to camp and for a cold beverage. After several high fives and retelling of the morning hunt, we found ourselves heading back for the afternoon hunt.
Not long after we made it to our glassing spot did my dad text me. "Ram spotted" I responded wishing them good luck and hoping they'd get one. He was watching from the side by side as my brother and Matt made a stalk on a group of rams. About an hour later "ram down", followed by "big one" Nice! I broke the news to our group, but was curious as to how big this ram really was. So I texted my dad back "how big?" his reply stunned everyone, "35.5" We could not believe that two world class rams had been taken on the same day. Once we made it back to camp, we were able to appreciate just how big this ram was! It almost dwarfed the 34" incher we got that morning. 35.5 x 34.5" was the total measurement on my middle brothers ram. Needless to we were all extremely happy!
The next morning was fairly uneventful, despite hunting some amazing canyons spotted only ewes and lambs. That afternoon we tried a different part of the ranch and again, only saw young rams. I was starting to think we might have shot all the big rams on the ranch! Later in the afternoon, Matt called us and told us he had a large group of rams with several shooters. We hustled to where he was and got the group on the glass, 50 rams of different ages and sizes all staring at us from about a mile away, it was pretty cool to watch. Unfortunately, there was a deep draw adjacent to them which we assumed the larger rams went into and therefore werent visible from our position. The wind wasnt helping either to make a stalk or try to get close, so we decided to sit tight and not spook them. No luck for me on day two.
Our last morning, we started in hunting in the same general area we hunted the morning we got my little brothers ram. As soon as we parked we spotted a group of mature rams roughly 2000 yards away, big bodies but hard to judge just how big the horns were. Robert and I decided that given it was the last morning we should make a move and see what they looked like up close. We walked through the bottom of a draw, failing miserably at avoiding all the stickers and burs, but we managed to make good time to the cedar trees we had identified from the buggy that would serve as our vantage point. While looking at the group of 5 rams we noticed some movement in front of us and as luck would have it, we had a group of 12 males about 700 yards in front of us! They were calmly bedded minding their own business but with that many eyes it would be hard to get close. Robert and I debated what our move should be and we finally decided that being careful with our opportunity should be priority so we would wait for them to start feeding and then we would make a move, the last thing we wanted was to be chasing aoudad after we spooked them.
Ive realized that given the right circumstances some of those jagged rocks can be quite comfortable, in this case, I used one as a "pillow" to lay down and close my eyes for a few minutes, not a bad power nap mid morning! The group of rams that initially got us to this point was dwarfed in comparison to the rams in the new found group. We waited. Finally one ram started feeding to our right, then another, then two more. They were moving in the right direction. Once the target ram stood up and starting feeding in the same direction we made our move. We lost elevation quickly and before we knew it we were gaining the elevation we had lost. This time we would crest the ridge that was between the group of rams and us when we first spotted them. Robert and I stayed as low as possible to the ground and I walked closely behind him. There was one cedar tree in this entire ridge and it was the only cover we had! We hustled and finally made it to the small tree. I stayed behind the tree waiting for instructions, "alright, they all have their head down, come on in front" I moved my pack and gun and set up for a prone shot. I quickly realized Id have rock trouble as I was too low. "let me know when I can move, Im too low" I whispered back. several seconds later "ok youre good" I set up to a sitting position with my standing pack as a rest - the carbon fiber frame made it extra sturdy - "you on them?" he asked, "yep, middle ram?" silence. a few moments later the target ram walked out of some brush and continued feeding "middle ram" he whispered, "on him" I replied, "distance?" I asked "230, whenever youre ready" .. my shot rang out and dropped him in his tracks! This ram was dark chocolate and had a significantly larger body than his companions, and to my surprise ended up measuring 32.5" on the long side! I finally had a ram that was over 30 inches!
We took pictures and started getting to work to pack him out. Just our luck that there was no way to get a buggy or side by side close to pack him out so the distance we walked on the way in was the distance we had to walk on our way out, not a bad way to finish our trip!
Huge thanks to Robert, Matt, David, and Calan for this trip!
