Pending Texas record desert bighorn

OutdoorWriter

Long Time Member
Messages
8,340
1649859683172.png

Pending record desert bighorn​


Story by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News

Bobby Theis recently harvested what will likely become the new Texas state record desert bighorn sheep while hunting south of Alpine on the Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The ram scored 185 5/8 inches and is undergoing a 60 day drying period before officially earning the title.

Theis bought his desert bighorn tag through a Wild Sheep Foundation auction in 2021 as a conservation permit, and 100 percent of the proceeds were put toward wild sheep restoration in Texas. He elected to have his longtime friend, owner and founder of High West Outfitters, Jim Breck Bean, guide him, alongside guide Jasper Klein and the Elephant Mountain WMA manager and biologist Cody McEntire.

“We chose to make the hunt during the spring for several reasons,” Theis said. “For one, the rams are typically known to be in large bachelor groups during this time of year; and not to mention, mild weather is usually the norm.”

Bean agreed springtime gave the group the best chance at seeing the large inventory of rams that the landscape had to offer.

“You’re very likely to see the majority of the rams that inhabit that area during the springtime, as they are almost always bachelored-up,” Bean explained. “We felt as if this would give us the best chance of encountering the oldest and biggest rams that lived there.”

Unlike some auction tag hunts in which the majority of the scouting is done well before the hunter gets involved, Theis was there from the beginning to take in the whole experience.

“Bobby is definitely the exception to most auction tag hunters, in that he really wanted to be a part of the entire hunt process,” Bean said. “We didn’t do any scouting prior to his arrival for the hunt.”

Bean said the WMA staff, along with McEntire, gave him photos and descriptions of what they felt like was probably one of the oldest and largest rams in the area.

“We made it our mission to put eyes on this sheep as quickly as possible,” Bean said.

Theis arrived for day one of his hunt, checked to make sure his rifle was sighted in, went through the introduction and debriefing with the WMA staff, and then set out into the field with Bean, Klein and McEntire.

“We saw 23 rams that first afternoon,” Theis said. “Later that evening, we consulted back with the staff who had been scouting, and came up with a plan for the next morning.”

The next day, they scoured the whole range the next day and saw 56 rams.

“At mid-afternoon, a group of rams that supposedly included the sheep we were told about was spotted,” Bean said. “We were able to glass him from about 1,200 yards away, and it was clear he was a ram we should definitely get a better look at.”

Theis and crew worked their way above the rams to try to get a better vantage point to observe the one that captivated their attention.

“There were 19 rams in this group,” Theis said. “Everybody weighed in on how big and old the ram that we were chasing was, and we finally decided that I should take him.”

Bean and Theis worked in about 20 yards closer to the group of rams until they found a good spot to lie down. Theis made a perfect, 305- yard shot from the prone position with his 6.5 PRC, and the ram went down.

“When we walked up to the ram, we knew right away that he was going to surprise us,” Theis said. “He was exceptional in every way.”

The ram was originally thought to be 10 years old, but after Theis harvested him, the staff aged him at 11.

“We also had underestimated how big he really was,” Theis said. “Bean had him estimated in the high 170s, but he surpassed that with ease. We had no idea he had the potential to become the largest desert bighorn ever harvested in Texas.”

The current record desert bighorn stands at 184 points, shot by Stephanie Altimus in 2007.
 
That's funny right there! Comes a time in every old man's life when you look like ****, and you need to buckle down, clean up your act, and get a haircut! :)
 
"Unlike some auction tag hunts in which the majority of the scouting is done well before the hunter gets involved, Theis was there from the beginning to take in the whole experience"
 
People slamming Texas hunting for sheep have obviously never looked at the West Texas and Big Bend country, or Elephant Mtn, Black Gap, or Sierra Diablo WMAs. When the booklet offers the following disclaimer "be prepared for 6500 ft elevation, ascends and descends of 2000 feet, and slopes exceeding 50%". Not easy.
 
Elephant mountain WMA isn't a petting zoo. The sheep come and go as they please. The state spends piles of money on habitat developments, Predator control, and whining out almost any animal that competes with them.

The vast majority of sheep in Texas die of natural causes. The land they inhabit is extreme and they have been known to travel dozens of miles to other habitats.

I know that yall have been influenced to believe differently but the fact is Texas has more free range hunting opportunity than any other state in the lower 48. There are millions of free range whitetail, hundreds of thousands of mule deer, tens of thousands of free range elk, tens of thousands of aoudad sheep, thousands of antelope, and somewhere right around 2000 desert bighorn here.

Right now the only big game animal in decline here is the pronghorn.

I will not be surprised if we legalize bear hunting here in the next decade.
 
But at least they're not in a petting zoo. :rolleyes:
Elephant mountain WMA isn't a petting zoo. The sheep come and go as they please. The state spends piles of money on habitat developments, Predator control, and whining out almost any animal that competes with them.

The vast majority of sheep in Texas die of natural causes. The land they inhabit is extreme and they have been known to travel dozens of miles to other habitats.

I know that yall have been influenced to believe differently but the fact is Texas has more free range hunting opportunity than any other state in the lower 48. There are millions of free range whitetail, hundreds of thousands of mule deer, tens of thousands of free range elk, tens of thousands of aoudad sheep, thousands of antelope, and somewhere right around 2000 desert bighorn here.

Right now the only big game animal in decline here is the pronghorn.

I will not be surprised if we legalize bear hunting here in the next decade.
I rarely agree with Tri, but he is spot on. Some folks should stick to cooking french fries.
 
People slamming Texas hunting for sheep have obviously never looked at the West Texas and Big Bend country, or Elephant Mtn, Black Gap, or Sierra Diablo WMAs. When the booklet offers the following disclaimer "be prepared for 6500 ft elevation, ascends and descends of 2000 feet, and slopes exceeding 50%". Not easy.
It's great that Texas is producing bighorns. But having 56 rams -- and probably more -- on 23K acres is not common in normal bighorn ranges. The Kofa Wildlife Refuge in AZ, with two mountain ranges and at more than 665K acres, has served as a nursery for AZ's bighorn transplants for years. The current population is about 500 sheep, & hunts are conducted annually. I doubt anyone would ever come close to seeing 56 rams over two days even in the spring when they bunch up.

I bet the self-guided driving tour at EM would be neat, tho.
 
I hunted just north of the Kofa's in December and saw 23 Rams in one day. That was definitely the biggest numbers day, but I saw double digits every single day. If the area is navigable by vehicle, where a guy could cover a lot of ground, he could easily see that many on a good day. The day I saw 23 rams, I didn't even cover 1/4 of the unit.

Congrats to the TX Hunter. He's got me beat by 3-4 inches.
 
I hunted just north of the Kofa's in December and saw 23 Rams in one day. That was definitely the biggest numbers day, but I saw double digits every single day. If the area is navigable by vehicle, where a guy could cover a lot of ground, he could easily see that many on a good day. The day I saw 23 rams, I didn't even cover 1/4 of the unit.

Congrats to the TX Hunter. He's got me beat by 3-4 inches.

You did good. Congrats.
 
Your ignorance is showing Outdoor Writer. I’ve hunted with Highwest Outfitters and consider Jim Breck and Jasper friends. This hunt is far from being in a petting zoo. Yes, there’s a high number of rams, but it’s still free range, and a hunt that still requires them to actually put in the work. These guys are the best at what they do, and it’s pretty incredible what Jim Breck has built as a guy in his mid 20’s.
 
You’re ignorance is showing Outdoor Writer. I’ve hunted with Highwest Outfitters and consider Jim Breck and Jasper friends. This hunt is far from being in a petting zoo. Yes, there’s a high number of rams, but it’s still free range, and a hunt that still requires them to actually put in the work. These guys are the best at what they do, and it’s pretty incredible what Jim Breck has built as a guy in his mid 20’s.
I second that. The amount of ranches he has leased up is amazing. And all low fence as far as I know of in far west Texas. Standup guy for sure.
 
I hunted just north of the Kofa's in December and saw 23 Rams in one day. That was definitely the biggest numbers day, but I saw double digits every single day. If the area is navigable by vehicle, where a guy could cover a lot of ground, he could easily see that many on a good day. The day I saw 23 rams, I didn't even cover 1/4 of the unit.

Congrats to the TX Hunter. He's got me beat by 3-4 inches.
That was a Great Ram you got!
 
Your ignorance is showing Outdoor Writer. I’ve hunted with Highwest Outfitters and consider Jim Breck and Jasper friends. This hunt is far from being in a petting zoo. Yes, there’s a high number of rams, but it’s still free range, and a hunt that still requires them to actually put in the work. These guys are the best at what they do, and it’s pretty incredible what Jim Breck has built as a guy in his mid 20’s.
Okay, I'm convinced. You guys have cured my ignorance. :rolleyes:
 
You seem to think you’re an expert on a lot of things you know very little about. I’ve guided 5 desert sheep hunts this year, and in my opinion, their hunts, while maybe not as difficult as some other sheep hunts, are still very much a hunt, and comparing it to a petting zoo is insulting.
 
Elephant mountain WMA isn't a petting zoo. The sheep come and go as they please. The state spends piles of money on habitat developments, Predator control, and whining out almost any animal that competes with them.

The vast majority of sheep in Texas die of natural causes. The land they inhabit is extreme and they have been known to travel dozens of miles to other habitats.

I know that yall have been influenced to believe differently but the fact is Texas has more free range hunting opportunity than any other state in the lower 48. There are millions of free range whitetail, hundreds of thousands of mule deer, tens of thousands of free range elk, tens of thousands of aoudad sheep, thousands of antelope, and somewhere right around 2000 desert bighorn here.

Right now the only big game animal in decline here is the pronghorn.

I will not be surprised if we legalize bear hunting here in the next decade.

Honest question. Are most of these animals on private land, or public?
 
You seem to think you’re an expert on a lot of things you know very little about. I’ve guided 5 desert sheep hunts this year, and in my opinion, their hunts, while maybe not as difficult as some other sheep hunts, are still very much a hunt, and comparing it to a petting zoo is insulting.
Are you talking Aoudad?
 
"Unlike some auction tag hunts in which the majority of the scouting is done well before the hunter gets involved, Theis was there from the beginning to take in the whole experience.

“Bobby is definitely the exception to most auction tag hunters, in that he really wanted to be a part of the entire hunt process,” Bean said. “We didn’t do any scouting prior to his arrival for the hunt.”

Bean said the WMA staff, along with McEntire, gave him photos and descriptions of what they felt like was probably one of the oldest and largest rams in the area."

He was there for the entire process except the part where they took photos of every ram and showed him the photos to talk about which one to shoot. Great ram none-the-less, just funny they make a point to say this and then say they had the rams sorted and ranked before he got there.
 
My hat is off to Mr. Theis. Any desert breaking 180"s is a monster especially when it's an old ram in it's prime. I also appreciate the fact that they didn't have the ram tied up as soon as he got there.
If I had the money to buy an auction tag I would insist that it be done that way. I hope he had a great experience with that magnificent trophy.
 
I believe all but 2 are allocated to land owners by the state. These are also based on the annual surveys performed by the state and fluctuate from year to year.
 
Hopefully they’ll do as good as the Aoudads have. You’d think it would be in the landowners best interest for the population to greatly expand. It could be a great opportunity for everyone in the future!
 
Last edited:
You seem to think you’re an expert on a lot of things you know very little about. I’ve guided 5 desert sheep hunts this year, and in my opinion, their hunts, while maybe not as difficult as some other sheep hunts, are still very much a hunt, and comparing it to a petting zoo is insulting.
It’s really amazing how egos show and writers sour with misinformation! The only bighorn hunting in Texas is on vast free range ranches in the most inaccessible terrain in Texas , the 2 state permits are usually very difficult physical hunts , I am way to poor to plan a private hunt or do the auction, but do buy a lottery chance, I would love to invite outdoor writer on the hunt if I win just so he could recount the hunt and it’s difficulty for prosperity sake , but he would need to pass a mental and physical test, as I ain’t life flighting a old dude to El Paso, or midland! Maybe he would be interested in paying his way on a aoudad hunt so he can truly evaluate how Wild West Texas hunting is before he shoots his mouth off about somthing he doesn’t have a clue about
 
It’s really amazing how egos show and writers sour with misinformation! The only bighorn hunting in Texas is on vast free range ranches in the most inaccessible terrain in Texas , the 2 state permits are usually very difficult physical hunts , I am way to poor to plan a private hunt or do the auction, but do buy a lottery chance, I would love to invite outdoor writer on the hunt if I win just so he could recount the hunt and it’s difficulty for prosperity sake , but he would need to pass a mental and physical test, as I ain’t life flighting a old dude to El Paso, or midland! Maybe he would be interested in paying his way on a aoudad hunt so he can truly evaluate how Wild West Texas hunting is before he shoots his mouth off about somthing he doesn’t have a clue about
“difficult physical hunts”

Interesting, things must have drastically changed since I worked and hunted that area in the 90’s. The only difficult thing I remember was how hot the summers got. It’s definitely no more difficult than the area I hunt elk in.
 
“difficult physical hunts”

Interesting, things must have drastically changed since I worked and hunted that area in the 90’s. The only difficult thing I remember was how hot the summers got. It’s definitely no more difficult than the area I hunt elk in.
Yeah it’s hot for sure. Here is a summer big horn hunt video , in wide open range on the River
 
What a great ram! Congrats to the hunter, and big thanks to him for his contribution to sheep conservation funding. His ram is 20" bigger than the one I felt blessed to take a few years ago in Texas.

I hunted the easily accessible petting zoo at Sierra Diablo WMA. I won't comment on Outdoor Writer's ignorance.


Desert%20Bighorn%20Hunt%202013-2662-XL.jpg


Desert%20Bighorn%20Hunt%202013-2646-XL.jpg


Desert%20Bighorn%20Hunt%202013-2722-XL.jpg
 
That's funny right there! Comes a time in every old man's life when you look like ****, and you need to buckle down, clean up your act, and get a haircut! :)
Gotta say, I've seen a better pic now and Don Imus he isn't. Just a bad hair day.

That is rough and rugged country. And why someone would think it's some kind of easy hunt because of animal numbers shows some ignorance.
In know an area in Wyoming that a person could see 20+ rams in a day and it's for sure not high fenced or a "petting zoo".

Beautiful ram and beautiful country TBHShane.
Thanks for sharing a view of the country out there.
 
Hopefully they’ll do as good as the Aoudads have. You’d think it would be in the landowners best interest for the population to greatly expand. It could be a great opportunity for everyone in the future!

The Texas Bighorn Society has been working in partnership with Texas Parks & Wildlife and several landowners for the last few decades. They've done a great job in bringing the desert bighorn back to its native range in West Texas. Competition and disease from aoudad and other sheep is a problem. Mountain lions are another. But the populations are doing pretty well. Nothing like Nevada, but there's a healthy enough population to provide some very limited hunting opportunities.

 
But at least they're not in a petting zoo. :rolleyes:
I am happy TP&W didn’t let a precious resource go to waste And let a ram reach maturity
1C5F9D30-3024-46A7-895B-84E2D0457E51.jpeg
55C1DC72-6BD6-413F-8DAC-5245F1F20F63.jpeg
, and is this a legal ram any where? “” I finally drew one this year. Below is the result. He's not a B&C ram, but he's dead, tagged and at the taxidermist.
The ram is from Unit 45C on the southern part of the Kofa Wildlife Refuge's Castle Dome Mts. Killed him on the 2nd day we actually hunted and had the pleasure of having good friend Tom Joiner (TJ) along to help and witness my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity””

Uploaded: 12/9/2012 by Tony Mandile
 
I am happy TP&W didn’t let a precious resource go to waste And let a ram reach maturity View attachment 74124View attachment 74125, and is this a legal ram any where? “” I finally drew one this year. Below is the result. He's not a B&C ram, but he's dead, tagged and at the taxidermist.
The ram is from Unit 45C on the southern part of the Kofa Wildlife Refuge's Castle Dome Mts. Killed him on the 2nd day we actually hunted and had the pleasure of having good friend Tom Joiner (TJ) along to help and witness my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity””

Uploaded: 12/9/2012 by Tony Mandile

If your aim is an attempt to shame or embarrass me, it does neither. If that was a problem, I wouldn't have posted all those photos on this site to begin. In fact, considering my physical condition at the time, I felt pretty good with getting it done at all.

It's always interesting to watch a thread like this devolve into personal ad hominins rather than stay on the issue, which in this case was the easy hunting of sheep on the 23K-acre Elephant Mt. WMA & research facilty. Instead of explaining why that is untrue, several cretins thought adding personal insults would do the trick. That's how 5th graders behave.

Have a nice weekend.
 
Last edited:
If your aim is an attempt to shame or embarrass me, it does neither. If that was a problem, I wouldn't have posted all those photos on this site to begin. In fact, considering my physical condition at the time, I felt pretty good with getting it done at all.

It's always interesting to watch a thread like this devolve into personal ad hominins rather than stay on the issue, which in this case was the easy hunting of sheep on the 23K-acre Elephant Mt. WMA & research facilty. Instead of explaining why that is untrue, several cretins thought adding personal insults would do the trick. That's how 5th graders behave.

Have a nice weekend.
Hunting in that area is far from easy. You pretend to know everything, but you keep embarassing yourself.
 
Wow, didn't see your name in the article , where you there sir?
How in heck would you know it was an easy hunt unless you were there for every step?

Keep digging.
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom