New Mexico Barbary Sheep /
Aoudad
Barbary
Sheep, natives of north Africa, had been introduced in to the Roswell area
when they escaped from a private enclosure in the 1950s. The sheep have
thrived in the barren, dry country of eastern New Mexico. These are
free-range animals, able to jump stock fences as easily as the local mule
deer. As we were to find out, they are spooky and hard to hunt, much harder
to approach than the mule deer on the ranch.
Aoudad have
an exotic appearance. They have long, blocky faces, with a much longer snout
than native North American sheep. Their ears are long and relatively
pointed, more like a mountain goat than a sheep. Their copper-colored
bodies are big and blocky, a build that offers an indicator of how tough
they are to kill.
Their horns
do not curl like those of native sheep do, but rather sweep out, back, and
down, each forming a sort of crescent shape. Like other sheep, both sexes
have horns, but the ewes are considerably smaller. Mature rams will have a
horn length from 27 inches up to maybe 35 inches, although realistic
expectations for a trophy are in the 27 to 30 inch range.
An equally
compelling part of the trophy are the chaps and beard of a ram — long,
flowing blond hair that cascades from the front of the ram’s neck and from
his front legs all the way down to the knee.
Barbary/Aoudad Sheep, which
are native in northern Africa, were
released along the Canadian River by the Game and Fish Department beginning in 1950. By
1967 the herd was estimated to be between 175 and 225 animals. Numbers have
grown and pockets of the herds are spread throughout Southern New Mexico.
During our two day 2011 Barbary Sheep
Hunt we saw over 50 Barbary Sheep in just two days of hunting! WOW... to say
the least we were blessed!
The very next weekend Kevin took his
wife out and she harvested a great 24" Barbary Ram!!!!
Whether you call them Barbary Sheep or Aoudads the professionals at Howell
Wildlife Outfitters are prepared to take you on a "Free Ranging New Mexico
Barbary Sheep Dream Hunt Come True"!
Barbary Sheep, which are native in northern
Africa, were released along the
Canadian River
by the Game and Fish Department beginning in 1950. By 1967 the herd was
estimated to be between 175 and 225 animals. An unauthorized release was
made in 1956 in the Largo Canyon area of San Juan County, and a small herd
is known to exist in the Hondo Valley southwest of Roswell (Burt and Lee
1967) (Findley, 1975)*01*.
Records of occurrence: Specimens examined (total 4): HARDING: Canadian River, 2 (1
MSB,
1 USNM); 2-3 mi.
N Roy, 1 (MSB).
HARDING and MORA: county line,
Canadian River,
1 (MSB). Not mapped (Findley, 1975)*01*.
Barbary sheep populations exist in the northwest region of Texas, and live
not far from the Texas/New Mexico border (Jones, et al., 1987)*12*.
1996:
Barbary sheep are rare within the
White Sands Missile Range. This exotic is occasionally reported on WSMR,
primarily in precipitous mountainous regions (Burkett and Kamees, 1996)
*20*.
2002: Most
Barbary
sheep are observed around
Mt.
Taylor. A few are also observed in the Laguna Mountains (Schull, 2002) *30*.
The
Professional Guide Team at HWO has
been successfully hunting these 'Truly Wild Free Ranging New Mexico Barbary
Sheep' in the wild - steep and deep terrain of New Mexico's South West! We
have been 100% successful in 2010 and 2011. In February of 2011 the HWO Team
filmed a great 26" Ram being harvested! (VIDEO FOOTAGE is soon to be
available on this site in 2011!)
Whether you call them Barbary Sheep or Aoudads the professionals at Howell
Wildlife Outfitters are prepared to take you on a Dream Hunt Come True!
CALL
GOOSE TODAY and he will gladly discuss the areas you should be applying
into, to hunt these awesome Barbary Sheep - in the steep and deep!!!
Thank
you for your time in reviewing this info!
Respectfully,
"Goose"
928-526-6833
