West Texas DIY Auodad Hunt

[loadsandlattes]

Good afternoon, Fellas.

I have the opportunity to hunt a several thousand acres of mixed desert/mountainous terrain in West Texas near Del Rio. I can go basically anytime between December 1 - late February. Here's the deal...

I've never hunted sheep before. There is a ton of information on here and I appreciate all of the advice that's been given. For anyone who has had success hunting auodad in this area, do you have any advice? I'll be running the same sitka subalpine gear I use for elk, so I'm not so concerned there. However......

• Should I hunt them like I would a mule deer or elk?
• When do they typically bed down? Should I hunt them on the move or bedded? When should I be active and when should I be glassing?
• I understand that sight and smell will get me busted. Any advice on navigation these?
• I expect most of my shots to be in the 200-500 yard range. I plan to use a 6.5 CM and 140 gr Nosler Accubond. This has done well on elk and mule deer, need I be worried? I can also run a 7mag at the expense of more weight.
• I will have access to a cabin and will be driving from Lubbock. I can load and take all the gear I want. I'll also take my UTV to handle the drive in/pack outs every day. Aside from the items below, can you recommend any other necessary equipment to help success/comfort?
  • 10x50 binos
  • Spotting Scope
  • Shooting sticks
  • Something to sit on
  • Day pack
• Thermals have always been the make it/break it for elk in Colorado and NM. Should I expect the same from sheep?

I'll take any and all advice you folks can give. I want to make this one count! Thank you ahead of time.

 

[stoddc4]

Sitka subalpine is fine.
Yes it’s similar to mule deer a lot of spot and stalk so spotting scope and good Binos and good range finder. You’ll be hunting post rut so big rams will be harder to find. I’ve shot them with anything from 6.5 creedmore up to .338 lapua but I typically carry a .308. With the .308 I’ve shot them from 80yds to 700yds...average distance of 300...so know your dope...and how to read the wind.

Make sure you’ve got a spare tire/compressor for your UTV.

If it’s hot they’ll bed in the afternoons up high under a tree or on a shady cliff face and they bed up high usually on top at night. During the day you can find them anywhere sometimes low going to water sometimes on cliff faces or up on top grazing. They’ve got great senses so the wind will be huge in your approach.

When you shoot one, shoot it low through the front shoulder so at the very least you take out it’s running gear and it won’t go uphill. If you don’t get the vitals they will run forever so get as much lead in it as you can as fast as possible.

Here’s our last weekend haul of 30+” rams. Good luck!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EastMT]

Sitka subalpine is fine.
Yes it’s similar to mule deer a lot of spot and stalk so spotting scope and good Binos and good range finder. You’ll be hunting post rut so big rams will be harder to find. I’ve shot them with anything from 6.5 creedmore up to .338 lapua but I typically carry a .308. With the .308 I’ve shot them from 80yds to 700yds...average distance of 300...so know your dope...and how to read the wind.

Make sure you’ve got a spare tire/compressor for your UTV.

If it’s hot they’ll bed in the afternoons up high under a tree or on a shady cliff face and they bed up high usually on top at night. During the day you can find them anywhere sometimes low going to water sometimes on cliff faces or up on top grazing. They’ve got great senses so the wind will be huge in your approach.

When you shoot one, shoot it low through the front shoulder so at the very least you take out it’s running gear and it won’t go uphill. If you don’t get the vitals they will run forever so get as much lead in it as you can as fast as possible.

Here’s our last weekend haul of 30+” rams. Good luck!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Man that’s a lot of nice ones! Who did you go with? New to the south looking for some winter fun


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[loadsandlattes]

Sitka subalpine is fine.
Yes it’s similar to mule deer a lot of spot and stalk so spotting scope and good Binos and good range finder. You’ll be hunting post rut so big rams will be harder to find. I’ve shot them with anything from 6.5 creedmore up to .338 lapua but I typically carry a .308. With the .308 I’ve shot them from 80yds to 700yds...average distance of 300...so know your dope...and how to read the wind.

Make sure you’ve got a spare tire/compressor for your UTV.

If it’s hot they’ll bed in the afternoons up high under a tree or on a shady cliff face and they bed up high usually on top at night. During the day you can find them anywhere sometimes low going to water sometimes on cliff faces or up on top grazing. They’ve got great senses so the wind will be huge in your approach.

When you shoot one, shoot it low through the front shoulder so at the very least you take out it’s running gear and it won’t go uphill. If you don’t get the vitals they will run forever so get as much lead in it as you can as fast as possible.

Here’s our last weekend haul of 30+” rams. Good luck!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey, I appreciate it! Those are some nice looking rams.

I wanted to hunt the rut, but timing just didn't work out too well with Mule Deer & Waterfowl season right upon us here in the Texas Panhandle. If I don't find a shooter, I'll eat my deposit and schedule more wisely next year. I figured a post rut hunt was better than no hunt, so we will see!

I'm excited for the spot and stalk and hopefully it proves to be challenging. I've been wanting to do this for some time now. I'll be sure to mind the wind. Hell, it blows 30mph constantly from Del Rio to Lubbock anyhow, even I can't mess up wind direction.

Talking with a buddy, he recommended I take 7mag for assurance. I'm in the middle of a .308 AR10 build - that might be an option if I can get it finished and comfortable in time. I feel like it's likely going to be a heavy rifle though, not sure I'd want to hoof it up and down the mountains. He said the same thing - bust their shoulder and let the fragments do their thing... and to be ready to follow up quick.

I'll keep y'all posted on how it goes.

 

[easttex]

Just a couple of comments. The country around Del Rio is not like some of the bigger mountain country in the Trans Pecos, but I would still take a tripod for glassing. If aoudad are above you in elevation and can keep an eye on you they usually are not overly spooky, but if they get your scent it's adios. Ewes are much more switched on than rams, but for when you plan to hunt most mature rams will be in bachelor groups. Make provisions for carrying plenty of water.

 

[loadsandlattes]

Just a couple of comments. The country around Del Rio is not like some of the bigger mountain country in the Trans Pecos, but I would still take a tripod for glassing. If aoudad are above you in elevation and can keep an eye on you they usually are not overly spooky, but if they get your scent it's adios. Ewes are much more switched on than rams, but for when you plan to hunt most mature rams will be in bachelor groups. Make provisions for carry plenty of water.

Thanks man. I've switched plans a bit and plan on just taking binos for spotting at this point. Yeah, it would be nice to bring along a spotting scope for really zooming in, but surely 10x50's would do it. Thoughts?

Also - to save weight I was planning on just resting binos on trigger sticks like I do on mule deer stalking.

I'll keep an eye out for wind, hopefully I don't run across any trouble.

 

[WCB]

Thanks man. I've switched plans a bit and plan on just taking binos for spotting at this point. Yeah, it would be nice to bring along a spotting scope for really zooming in, but surely 10x50's would do it. Thoughts?

Also - to save weight I was planning on just resting binos on trigger sticks like I do on mule deer stalking.

I'll keep an eye out for wind, hopefully I don't run across any trouble.

Good 10xs on a tripod are nice and will spot sheep. However, sizing up rams or really picking apart for bedded sheep a spotter would be beneficial.

We spotted a bunch of rams by just seeing a single horn sticking out from a rock or bush with the spotter that no way would we have seen with just 10x or 12x binos.

 

[DPReef]

Great thread, I’ll be an hour north of Del Rio looking for Auodad on Nov 21st. Practicing my 300-500 yard shots and doing MTI program.

saw a good video today from KUIU on you tube regarding spotting and binos. They talked a bit about sheep, not specific to west texas but I think it was a good overview.

speaker talked about getting high and looking down but I’ll be in a big dry river bed and debating to look up. Not sure yet.... depends if they will be on ridges or canyon floor and the wind. The advice the rancher gave me was to have the sun to my back and look at the side of the mountain where the sun shines in the morning and on the other side at sunset.

 

[loadsandlattes]

Great thread, I’ll be an hour north of Del Rio looking for Auodad on Nov 21st. Practicing my 300-500 yard shots and doing MTI program.

saw a good video today from KUIU on you tube regarding spotting and binos. They talked a bit about sheep, not specific to west texas but I think it was a good overview.

speaker talked about getting high and looking down but I’ll be in a big dry river bed and debating to look up. Not sure yet.... depends if they will be on ridges or canyon floor and the wind. The advice the rancher gave me was to have the sun to my back and look at the side of the mountain where the sun shines in the morning and on the other side at sunset.

This is timely!

DPReef, are you Texas local or coming from out of state?

As best I understand, you should be balls deep in the rut hunting Nov 21. I considered that timeframe, but the 21st is the opening of mule deer in the Texas Panhandle where I live, I’ll be chasing mulies from 11/21-11/25 north of Lubbock.

I wish you the very best of luck on your hunt! If you happen to be traveling through Lubbock to or from your hunt and find yourself needing a stop, my wife and I have plenty of room and an open door policy for hunters.

 

[Shane]

Take your best backpack, and carry a lot of water. Take a first aid kit, a good knife, rubber gloves, game bag for cape and whatever amount of that nasty meat you want to haul out, paracord, and whatever else you like to keep in your day pack. Take your best boots. You need good grippy soles and good ankle support. It's ROCKY down there. No high elevation to make you winded, but walking over baseball to volleyball sized rocks up and down hills all day isn't an easy stroll. Spotter would be great, but good binoculars are plenty adequate.

Take shooting sticks. There's not a lot of trees to rest on, and you may not have a good rock or anything else. Long shots aren't uncommon. You need a solid rest. Shoot them where the neck comes out of the shoulder, right in the center of that crease. That spot is spine, jugular, and fragments into the heart. Or shoot them right through the shoulders, about 4" up from bottom of chest. They have a big hump on their back, so the spine is midline or a little lower. Above that is just meat. Gotta stay low to get vitals. Don't just shoot them through the ribs/lungs. They're tough as heck. They'll die, but you may not like where they die if you allow them to run a ways. They'll go off a cliff if they can. Hit some major bone and vitals to anchor them and keep them from running.

Hunt them like you would mule deer in the canyons of the Panhandle. Rut is great, but they're still around the rest of the year - eating, drinking, laying in the shade, etc.... One advantage of hunting when it's not the rut is that you can find lone rams and smaller bachelor groups. Fewer ewes and fewer eyes and ears to deal with on a stalk. The advice about putting the sun at your back is good. Get on a high vantage point, but don't skyline yourself. Stay just below the rim. Stay in the shadows as much as possible. Don't just walk right up to the rim. Take your time approaching and glassing gradually all the country below you as you approach the rim of a canyon. You need to see the aoudad before they see you. They have great eyesight and hearing. You'll hear rocks rolling under their hooves as they start running off if they see you before you see them. Try to see them first.

 

[wyosteve]

Great info Shane. I'm heading down in February to hunt near Van Horn.

 

[easttex]

Peak rut for Aoudads in west Texas is mid September-mid October. By mid November the big rams have mostly drifted away and started to form up into bachelor groups.

 

[loadsandlattes]

Take your best backpack, and carry a lot of water. Take a first aid kit, a good knife, rubber gloves, game bag for cape and whatever amount of that nasty meat you want to haul out, paracord, and whatever else you like to keep in your day pack. Take your best boots. You need good grippy soles and good ankle support. It's ROCKY down there. No high elevation to make you winded, but walking over baseball to volleyball sized rocks up and down hills all day isn't an easy stroll. Spotter would be great, but good binoculars are plenty adequate.

Take shooting sticks. There's not a lot of trees to rest on, and you may not have a good rock or anything else. Long shots aren't uncommon. You need a solid rest. Shoot them where the neck comes out of the shoulder, right in the center of that crease. That spot is spine, jugular, and fragments into the heart. Or shoot them right through the shoulders, about 4" up from bottom of chest. They have a big hump on their back, so the spine is midline or a little lower. Above that is just meat. Gotta stay low to get vitals. Don't just shoot them through the ribs/lungs. They're tough as heck. They'll die, but you may not like where they die if you allow them to run a ways. They'll go off a cliff if they can. Hit some major bone and vitals to anchor them and keep them from running.

Hunt them like you would mule deer in the canyons of the Panhandle. Rut is great, but they're still around the rest of the year - eating, drinking, laying in the shade, etc.... One advantage of hunting when it's not the rut is that you can find lone rams and smaller bachelor groups. Fewer ewes and fewer eyes and ears to deal with on a stalk. The advice about putting the sun at your back is good. Get on a high vantage point, but don't skyline yourself. Stay just below the rim. Stay in the shadows as much as possible. Don't just walk right up to the rim. Take your time approaching and glassing gradually all the country below you as you approach the rim of a canyon. You need to see the aoudad before they see you. They have great eyesight and hearing. You'll hear rocks rolling under their hooves as they start running off if they see you before you see them. Try to see them first.

Tons of good information in here! Thank you for that, Shane.

Yeah, I'm hoping I get a decent broadside shot so that I can punch through the shoulder. I'll be hunting with a 7mag and 160gr Nosler Accubond bullets. Should do the trick out to 600+ or so reliably. I'm confident out to that distance but am hoping to keep it under 400. Guess we will see how sneaky and lucky I am.

The good news is I will be solo and not having to worry about accommodating anyone else, or them making noise. I'm beyond excited!

 

[Shane]

160gr ABs in a 7mag will be great. Same round and bullets I used when I hunted aoudad at Devil's River SNA 4 years ago. As long as you put them in the right spot, you're good. I've killed aoudad with 100gr Partitions out of my .240 Wby Mag too. You don't have to shoot a canon, but a good quality bullet in a good spot will do the trick. Just break them down. Hit some major bone, not just ribs/lungs.

I didn't take shooting sticks on the last hunt. There's lots of yucca though. I picked up 3 sturdy dead yucca stalks that were nice and straight. I lashed them together with a spare boot lace from my backpack. Made a great set of shooting sticks. Light weight, easy to carry. Nice for a hiking stick while going up and down the rocky hills too.

 

[loadsandlattes]

160gr ABs in a 7mag will be great. Same round and bullets I used when I hunted aoudad at Devil's River SNA 4 years ago. As long as you put them in the right spot, you're good. I've killed aoudad with 100gr Partitions out of my .240 Wby Mag too. You don't have to shoot a canon, but a good quality bullet in a good spot will do the trick. Just break them down. Hit some major bone, not just ribs/lungs.

I didn't take shooting sticks on the last hunt. There's lots of yucca though. I picked up 3 sturdy dead yucca stalks that were nice and straight. I lashed them together with a spare boot lace from my backpack. Made a great set of shooting sticks. Light weight, easy to carry. Nice for a hiking stick while going up and down the rocky hills too.

Just out of curiosity and because it would save me some weight - I have a couple of rifles. My lightest is a 6.5 creedmoor with a 16" barrel. Scoped and suppressed it runs right at 8.5lbs. I've killed a lot of white tail and mule deer with 140gr Nosler Accubonds out of that rifle.

How comfortable would you feel with that setup for sheep? I'd love to take that instead of my heavy mag, I just have reservations about the bullet being able to punch through the shoulder bone and get into vitals at more than 300yds. Would you punch an aoudad's landing gear with that round, or would you stick to the neck/shoulder crease?

 

[Shane]

I'm a magnum guy, personally. I don't own a Creedmoor. I just prefer flatter shooting rounds that hit harder. That 16" barrel on the CM would reduce the velocity even more. Are you comfortable shooting it accurately out to 400 yards? (You can almost always stalk to at least that distance, if not closer.)

I don't know how the CM would do on aoudad. I imagine it would kill one though. Whatever you feel most comfortable shooting accurately is probably best. An extra few ounces isn't going to be that big of a difference. You won't be climbing up to 14,000' elevation or anything. And I assume you won't be packing camping gear and everything either. I wouldn't overthink the rifle. Just take the one you're most confident shooting.

 

[stoddc4]

We took this one 2 weeks ago with a 6.5 creedmore in one shot through the heart at 250yds but what if you can’t get that close?


I would go bigger. Short range under 300 I’d say yeah no problem but the old adage it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FLAK]

I've got a guided TX hunt coming up in Feb.,,, I'll be using my 300 Win Mag and hot 200gr. Partitions.

 

[DPReef]

This is timely!

DPReef, are you Texas local or coming from out of state?

As best I understand, you should be balls deep in the rut hunting Nov 21. I considered that timeframe, but the 21st is the opening of mule deer in the Texas Panhandle where I live, I’ll be chasing mulies from 11/21-11/25 north of Lubbock.

I wish you the very best of luck on your hunt! If you happen to be traveling through Lubbock to or from your hunt and find yourself needing a stop, my wife and I have plenty of room and an open door policy for hunters.

I'm coming from Houston area. As others noted, I think it will be hunting Post Rut, for West / SW Texas will let you know how it goes. I'll be around the Devil's River (a few miles away) area on a private ranch. Haven't hunted much up north, I need to head that way!

 

[Indyal]

I hunted aoudad near Del Rio last year. I recall it was more hilly and brushy than mountainous.
There are good videos online about judging aoudad horn size. I think they all look big until you see one with 30" in horns beside a smaller one.

There is a small restaurant called the J and P Bar and Grill in Comstock north of Del Rio, very good burgers.

You might think about snake chaps.

A good pair of tweezers for cactus thorns

The advice about spare tires is good. The rocks around there seem to fracture and have sharp edges that are heck on side walls.