LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-11 AT 11:14AM (MST)[p]I've killed four barbarys on five DIY hunts. I disagree with those that say they are not good eating--makes me wonder what they did to screw it up. In my mind they're very similar in taste to a corn-fed whitetail, although the big rams can be significantly tougher, but they make really good jerky.
What I've found really curious about barbarys is how often I observe them hanging out with desert muleys. The buck I shot this year was hanging out with five other deer and about 23 barbarys (the closest barbary being inside 10' from the buck). I've observed ewes and does licking each other. My guess is that deer rely on the barbarys' superior eyesight, and the barbarys rely on the deers' superior hearing and sense of smell. Makes them very difficult to get inside rifle range when they're hanging out together. Where I hunt, the barbarys on average are slightly bigger than the muleys.
Barbarys are tough to bring down, and their vitals are more forward than a deer--immediately behind the shoulder is probably a gut shot; hold five or six inches forward of where you would on a broadside deer. My two one-shot kills were through the neck (one from behind (300 WSM at about 100 yards), and one from the front (7mm Rem Mag at 305 yards). Broad side shots through the ribs took two shots from 7mm (inside 100 yards and still a long time to expire) on my largest ram, and three shots (300+ yards) from my 300 WSM on my smallest ram.
Where I hunt them, all of the vegetation is of a nature to stick/skewer you. I'd recommend at least 10" leather boots and chaps or brush buster pants. Otherwise, a couple hours in the field means two weeks of pulling needles out of your hide...