Drew Devils River aoudad tag in SW Texas

[Outdoors]

Texas has a drawing for hunts for usual critters like deer but also for alligators and other beasts.

I tossed my application in the hat for a few Texas hunts that are "off season" when I normally would have the guns gathering dust in the gun safe. I got drawn this time!

I drew the aoudad rifle hunt that is mid-March 2012. Hunt is 4 days on public land at Devils River park in Texas. Steep, thorny ridges but no mountains. Primitive camping. No cell service.

No one is allowed but the tag holder. The downside is you are assigned to a "compartment" much like in NM pronghorn hunts you are assigned a ranch. That is just part of the deal.

The huge upside is the tag is good for any and all exotics you encounter including aoudad. No limit on animals taken during the 4 days. Texas wants these animals off the park.

Anyone hunted aoudad on public land or hunted Devils River that can share some tips?

 

[Phantom Hunter]

My friend and I drew it a few years ago. All but one of the Aoudad we saw were across the fence from our area so no shot. We did kill a small ewe and 2 young corsican rams. There are some feral goats that have nice hair but nasty meat. You can't even make "Billie Chili" that is edible. Don't ask how I know . Be prepared for shots from less than 100 yards up to 400+. If you get a shot take it, TPWD wants the exotics gone from the SNA.

 

[EVILNR]

Good Luck on the Tag!!!!
How long did it take to draw?
I've been applying for various TX. hunts for 8 yrs. no luck!!!
Wish I could help ya out, but post up a story when you get back, I would love to hear about it.

I did do a guided hunt down near Presidio once and took a huge free range Aoudad. Great Hunt, need to go back one day.

 

[Outdoors]

I must have had 5 points for EXO. I drew an alligator archery tag for JD Murphree unit in 2008 but Hurricane Ike's devestation cancelled the hunt. I hunted in 2009 in the Panhandle for doves and a pronghorn on a ranch tag. I look forward to being back in the Texas countryside again!

 

[Z]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-12-12 AT 11:16PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-12-12 AT 11:15?PM (MST)

Congrats on drawing!



I am from Del Rio and have been around that area, but not on the park yet. I do have some point for that hunt, but no luck.


Let me know what you would like to know about the area.


And stop calling it a tag, its a permit!!!

 

[Outdoors]

I thought a permit was a fish?

You are correct that I have a permit. Important difference.

I read up some more on Devils River. Even if I eat permit soup, this will be a neat place to hike around.

 

[DoeNob]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-13-12 AT 12:44PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-13-12 AT 12:35?PM (MST)

I drew the hunt January 2006 down there. I stayed in Del Rio at a hotel and drove in daily instead of camping out, its a one hour drive one way, its a haul if you don't camp out.

The terrain is rolling ridges with all rocks and cactus. The ridges are 400-600 feet. So start off in the morning, hike straight up through rocks and cactus, get on a ridge top, follow it around, weave back and forth and glass off both sides trying to locate any animals. Wear tough boots, brush pants, leather gloves. Everything you touch will stick or cut you.

I hunted 2 days before I saw something, finally saw some and was able to shoot the biggest of 4 ewes. I never saw a ram in my unit, the only other animal I saw was a basket racked 10 point white tail. I hunted compartment number 2.

Some guys on the hunt prior killed some axis and black buck in a different compartment.

Let me find my USB stick I'll post some pics....

 

[DoeNob]

Previous hunts bag:

First climb, parked in creek bottom.

Some brush you'll get to bust:

Glassing canyons:

 

[DoeNob]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-13-12 AT 12:49PM (MST)[p]First look at my ewe:

Old goat:

Good luck! You can PM me if you want my number to talk about the hunt more. Honestly not much you can do except draw a good compartment and pound every nook and cranny of it and hope something is there or moves into there.

 

[Snuffy]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-17-12 AT 04:17PM (MST)[p]How do they taste?
Thank You
Rick

 

[TBHShane]

Aoudad provide a very fun and challenging hunt, especially in rough country. But they're not much for table fare. Tough and nasty.

 

[Z]

Toss it in the smoker for about 8hours and you will be good to go.


Can be very good meat if cooked right.

 

[Phantom Hunter]

Young Aoudad are very good on the table. I prefer mine with a little raspberry/chipolte sauce. Can't vouch for old aoudad I have not been that lucky yet.

 

[Outdoors]

>Young Aoudad are very good on
>the table. I prefer
>mine with a little raspberry/chipolte
>sauce. Can't vouch for
>old aoudad I have not
>been that lucky yet.

My hunt finished up yesterday. Saw two rams over 20" in my compartment (we drew straws to determine selection order of the available compartments) and I shot the larger one. A bit over 23" which is not a big one if are hunting by a corn feeder but was a bit tougher to actually look for them free range.

More later on lessons learned.

 

[littlebighorn]

It sounds like you were actually pretty successful, given the parameters of your hunt. I'd say a 23" ram isn't bad since they are trying to eradicate them.
Congratulations.

 

[Outdoors]

Here is a recap of what I learned in case someone draws this permit in the future and is looking for a primer.

Roy the biologist at Devils River noted it takes about 1 1/2 days to get up to speed on this hunt. The hunt takes place from Noon on Day 1 until Noon on Day 4 so is 3 days of hunting.

Bring orange vest and orange hat. The nearest store is 3 hour roundtrip.

Bring tire plugs or tire patch spray. Flats are likely due to sharp rocks on the 22 mile gravel round you drive to get to camp and from the cacti and agave.

You attend a briefing on Day 1 at 11am. You then draw numbers that determine selection order. You then select your compartment of land from the ones that are open. You are given topo maps and you can ask questions as you are making your selection.

Let's get up to speed on the critters.

Aoudad are the main animal you will be hunting. You will see Corsicans, rattlesnakes on warm days, Catalinas, whitetail and lizards plus hawks. You might see Axis but no one did on our hunt.

When the winds get going good the aoudad drop into the canyons just below the tops where the wind does not hit them.

When the day is hot the aoudad will usually be around a ledge of rock outcropping that is sheer and 30' or more tall and spans along the all of the canyon for more than 100'.

The auodad will bed up on the table tops between canyons and the beds are dug out 6" or so and are 6' in diameter.

The aoudad droppings are roundish and are the largest droppings you will encounter as are waling around there.

Aoudad will spook if they see movement but I sat and glassed a herd at 250 yards as I faced the wind for an hour and they would look at me but then go back to feeding.

I had the best success keeping the wind in my face and easing up on the canyon walls a few steps at a time and glassing the far sides looking for ledges that were shaded or out of the wind. Was high 80s and cloudless skies during my hunt.

The canyons are old so they are not sheer. This means is difficult to peer down from above so is best to glass from the opposite side. Some canyons were 800 yards wide but most were under 400 yards. I used good binos as a way to keep my day pack weight under 30 pounds since you need to carry plenty of water.

The compartments are about 2 miles x 4 miles so I could hike all the canyons 2x a day by walking the rims. If you head to the bottom of the canyons, take care as some sides are very steep. I averaged 20 minutes to get from top to bottom of canyons and 45 minutes to get from bottom to top. Obviously, walking the rims was easiest.

When cutting through mesas to get to the next canyon I would bump Corsicans but the brush was such was point and shoot. Did not see any rams until found a herd in bottom of canyon and was just 1 adult ram.

Gear suggestions:

Snake guards worn around the shins lower the amount of cacti issues.

Wear long sleeve shirts and gloves to reduce the sunburn risk.

Get a strong walking stick that is adjustable and has a "v" on top to use as shooting stick. 300 yards when wind is blowing is plenty of challenge without trying to freehand a shot.

Bring plenty of water. Bring food. There is water but is not potable.

Reserve one of the 10 bunks (2 in each room) and you will have electricity, lights, flushing toilets, bathroom sink and a small bed. Bring bedding and towels.

If you want to camp, you will camp next to the bunkhouse. You can not camp in your hunting zone.

I have Verizon cell service and got no service even on the high places.

Good luck.

 

[DoeNob]

Congrats and Pics Pics Pics!

I have been putting in for a different EXO ever since I drew that one. I have like 13 archery mule deer points, should draw that tag in the next couple years.