I make a trip out west this past weekend with Venatican but for aoudad this time.
I met David at his house a little after noon Thursday and we loaded his stuff in my truck and we hit the road southwest toward Alpine, Tx. It took us almost 8 hours and we got a good night deep for the first day of the hunt on Friday.
It didn’t take us long to get into 3 aoudad rams, but we we didn’t quite have our act together and before we could get a shot they were in a spot where we wouldn’t likely be able to retrieve one.
I did get a short video after we determined not to take a shot.
We moved on and not long after we go another opportunity when we ran up in about 15 rams. I was trying to decide which one was the best as they started climbing the rocks on their way out. It is difficult to judge them especially when a who herd looks about the same. They were heading out, but we were a little more prepared and I was able to take a nice ram with the 300 WM. There may have been a slightly bigger one, but hard to say, and I was happy with the one I got.
We took pictures, pulled the back straps and a ham and claimed the head for a Euro later. Most people don’t keep aoudad meat from what I gather, but I have a “mystery meat” cook event coming up in January so I guess we will find out.
Several made it to the top before I shot mine, and the 300 put him down hard and he fell about 6 or 8 feet from the rock he was one.
We spent the rest of the day looking for another aoudad I could shoot on video with my new Horizon 22 Creedmoor, but with the caveat that it would be on video. Finding them was not a problem. Getting them on video proved to be more difficult. Each time we would see some and try to get on them they would move out of range, over the hill, or into the brush before we could get the camera set up or focused. I’m not sure how many times we tried and failed.
We finally saw some hogs at a distant feeder and set up the video for a shot. The range was 650 yearns and I was resting the bipod on the top of the cab from the back of the truck. My shot was high, but we did get it on video.
We scratched our head about it being high and moved on. Wasn’t long and we had another hog at another feeder. This time David was having heck getting the camera to focus. We were trying to video using his phone thru his 15x binoculars using an adapter made for the purpose. I took the shot at 450 but again was high. Hmmm?
We saw plenty of mule deer, elk and javelina (all of which were not on the “shoot” list, but continued to have a problem getting the camera to focus, even though it had work earlier.
It got dark on is and we went to town for supper and then to our air B&B for the night.
The next morning it was colder, and we decided to check my gun at the on range (which happened to be where I shot the aoudad yesterday. Just as we were getting there we saw a small herd of about a dozen cow and calves elk. We set up a target and after 2 shot it was clear I was an inch high and an inch right. It was on just a few weeks ago when we sighted it in, so not sure what happened. We set the windage but we didn’t have an Allen wrench small enough to reset the zero stop. So we knew I was an inch high so we just calculated the the dope in David’s app based on an inch high at 100 and carries on.
We were seeing plenty of javelina and mule deer, but when we saw 2 aoudad they didn’t get us enough time to set up the video before they walked out of sight. The camera focus issue we learned was still not resolved. What the heck?! David kept scratching his head and then had the revelation that while the phone was videoing thru the binoculars, the camera focus was also dependent on the binoculars being in focus. Good thing we are not camera men by trade $&&@!
A little while later while we were glassing for aoudad, I walked around the curve in the road spotted a group of 15-20 rams across a canyon, and got David’s attention so we could slip into a shooting position. We got set up and ranged it at 650 yards. David was trying to get it on video, but by the time we were ready they were starting to wander off and while I knew which one I was on, he didn’t and I shot before he got it in the frame or hit record. I got a hit, but he didn’t go down, and I got of a second shot, which I though was a hit but he walked about 5 or 6 yards and laid down behind a cedar.
It took us about 15 minutes to drive around to where we knew he was, and tried to get an angle when we got closer to see if we could see him, and determine if he needed another shot. We did see him from about 300 yards but he had stood up but laid down again before I could get one him. So we drove to within about 200 yards and walked in to get a shot. When we knew we were close, we still could not see him. Then I saw movement and he had stood up about 15 yards away, but behind a cedar. I side stepped to get a shot and he started to trot off and shot him going way at about 25 yards at the base of the skull which obviously dropped him. He was only about 35 yards from the road, and David went to get the truck.
When he got back we set up for pictures, and I suddenly realized I had lost my phone. Son is gun!! Well, I had just had it right after I shot, Im the truck, but we had stopped twice on the way to him trying to see if we could get a finishing shot. Then we spent 15 minutes looking for it and panicked I might not be able to find. It. Tried to log on to the find my phone app using David’s phone, but couldn’t get that figured out out. So I called my wife from his phone and had her look my up on her phone in the Life 360 app. Put it on satellite view zoom it in a little, take a screenshot and texti to David’s phone. Text comes in and it shows it be near by in the brush and grass somewhere. So we zero in and search hard and find it in the grass. I guess the cat claw has pulled it out of my belt clip and it fell in the grass. I think I probably stepped in it at some point looking for it, as it had chipped the screen protector.
After all that drama was over, we took more pictures, pulled back straps and tried to determine where my shot had went. Turns out the cross canyon wind had blown my bullet more than I had figured and hit the ham.
Now that I had one with botth rifles, it was David’s turn to get one in camera.
On the way to find more aoudad, we saw some more mule deer, javelina and elk. The we saw a hog that was leaving quick and I jumped out and got a shot at him as he was gaining elevation, about 80-100 yards. The 22 Creedmoor put him down.
We came in a group of aoudad and this time the camera issue was figured out, the camera was zooms in and David has a nice 450 yard shot up the hill. He took thru shot and it was beautiful! He hit the rock he was standing on perfectly!
“What the flipping heck!!! Something it bad wrong!” He said. “No way. Something’s not right” Then, “Dang, it! My suppressor is loose!” I called it the “Bermuda Triangle of west Texas” where everything seemed to go wrong at some point. Tightened the suppressor, and a test shot proved everything was back on track.
We move and and see a few more but never in time for a set up or on camera. We do see some more javelina and elk, and some hogs that disappear as quickly as they appeared. But as luck would have it we come across a totally clueless hog, and the camera work for a change. This hog was only 180 yards from the top of the cab.
Out time is running out as the sun is getting lower. We see another aoudad, but again he goes over the hill before we can set up the camera. As we are about out of time we decide to go back to the box canyon where we had seen the 3 aoudad the first morning, and that would be the same canyon the last one we saw appeared to go into.
We drive in, and see nothing. Not looking good. We drive to the dead end and get out to glass the cliffs. Nothing. I guess it’s over. We get back in and start to turn around when David spots 2 aoudad in the cliff face 200 yards straight up almost. We get out, I get the camera set up and David takes a shot with his 22 Creedmoor.
It was a spectacular fall done the cliff, but didn’t make it to where we had a chance to retrieve it. That was the end of great 2 days of hunting, seeing lots of game and making a few flub ups along the way.
The next morning we made the long drive back home. The last couple of days I worked a little on my Euro mounts. Still have some whitening to do, and getting the horns bond’ed back on before they are complete.
Always a good time getting to hunt with David, seeing new country and having an adventure.
I met David at his house a little after noon Thursday and we loaded his stuff in my truck and we hit the road southwest toward Alpine, Tx. It took us almost 8 hours and we got a good night deep for the first day of the hunt on Friday.
It didn’t take us long to get into 3 aoudad rams, but we we didn’t quite have our act together and before we could get a shot they were in a spot where we wouldn’t likely be able to retrieve one.
I did get a short video after we determined not to take a shot.
We moved on and not long after we go another opportunity when we ran up in about 15 rams. I was trying to decide which one was the best as they started climbing the rocks on their way out. It is difficult to judge them especially when a who herd looks about the same. They were heading out, but we were a little more prepared and I was able to take a nice ram with the 300 WM. There may have been a slightly bigger one, but hard to say, and I was happy with the one I got.
We took pictures, pulled the back straps and a ham and claimed the head for a Euro later. Most people don’t keep aoudad meat from what I gather, but I have a “mystery meat” cook event coming up in January so I guess we will find out.
Several made it to the top before I shot mine, and the 300 put him down hard and he fell about 6 or 8 feet from the rock he was one.
We spent the rest of the day looking for another aoudad I could shoot on video with my new Horizon 22 Creedmoor, but with the caveat that it would be on video. Finding them was not a problem. Getting them on video proved to be more difficult. Each time we would see some and try to get on them they would move out of range, over the hill, or into the brush before we could get the camera set up or focused. I’m not sure how many times we tried and failed.
We finally saw some hogs at a distant feeder and set up the video for a shot. The range was 650 yearns and I was resting the bipod on the top of the cab from the back of the truck. My shot was high, but we did get it on video.
We scratched our head about it being high and moved on. Wasn’t long and we had another hog at another feeder. This time David was having heck getting the camera to focus. We were trying to video using his phone thru his 15x binoculars using an adapter made for the purpose. I took the shot at 450 but again was high. Hmmm?
We saw plenty of mule deer, elk and javelina (all of which were not on the “shoot” list, but continued to have a problem getting the camera to focus, even though it had work earlier.
It got dark on is and we went to town for supper and then to our air B&B for the night.
The next morning it was colder, and we decided to check my gun at the on range (which happened to be where I shot the aoudad yesterday. Just as we were getting there we saw a small herd of about a dozen cow and calves elk. We set up a target and after 2 shot it was clear I was an inch high and an inch right. It was on just a few weeks ago when we sighted it in, so not sure what happened. We set the windage but we didn’t have an Allen wrench small enough to reset the zero stop. So we knew I was an inch high so we just calculated the the dope in David’s app based on an inch high at 100 and carries on.
We were seeing plenty of javelina and mule deer, but when we saw 2 aoudad they didn’t get us enough time to set up the video before they walked out of sight. The camera focus issue we learned was still not resolved. What the heck?! David kept scratching his head and then had the revelation that while the phone was videoing thru the binoculars, the camera focus was also dependent on the binoculars being in focus. Good thing we are not camera men by trade $&&@!
A little while later while we were glassing for aoudad, I walked around the curve in the road spotted a group of 15-20 rams across a canyon, and got David’s attention so we could slip into a shooting position. We got set up and ranged it at 650 yards. David was trying to get it on video, but by the time we were ready they were starting to wander off and while I knew which one I was on, he didn’t and I shot before he got it in the frame or hit record. I got a hit, but he didn’t go down, and I got of a second shot, which I though was a hit but he walked about 5 or 6 yards and laid down behind a cedar.
It took us about 15 minutes to drive around to where we knew he was, and tried to get an angle when we got closer to see if we could see him, and determine if he needed another shot. We did see him from about 300 yards but he had stood up but laid down again before I could get one him. So we drove to within about 200 yards and walked in to get a shot. When we knew we were close, we still could not see him. Then I saw movement and he had stood up about 15 yards away, but behind a cedar. I side stepped to get a shot and he started to trot off and shot him going way at about 25 yards at the base of the skull which obviously dropped him. He was only about 35 yards from the road, and David went to get the truck.
When he got back we set up for pictures, and I suddenly realized I had lost my phone. Son is gun!! Well, I had just had it right after I shot, Im the truck, but we had stopped twice on the way to him trying to see if we could get a finishing shot. Then we spent 15 minutes looking for it and panicked I might not be able to find. It. Tried to log on to the find my phone app using David’s phone, but couldn’t get that figured out out. So I called my wife from his phone and had her look my up on her phone in the Life 360 app. Put it on satellite view zoom it in a little, take a screenshot and texti to David’s phone. Text comes in and it shows it be near by in the brush and grass somewhere. So we zero in and search hard and find it in the grass. I guess the cat claw has pulled it out of my belt clip and it fell in the grass. I think I probably stepped in it at some point looking for it, as it had chipped the screen protector.
After all that drama was over, we took more pictures, pulled back straps and tried to determine where my shot had went. Turns out the cross canyon wind had blown my bullet more than I had figured and hit the ham.
Now that I had one with botth rifles, it was David’s turn to get one in camera.
On the way to find more aoudad, we saw some more mule deer, javelina and elk. The we saw a hog that was leaving quick and I jumped out and got a shot at him as he was gaining elevation, about 80-100 yards. The 22 Creedmoor put him down.
We came in a group of aoudad and this time the camera issue was figured out, the camera was zooms in and David has a nice 450 yard shot up the hill. He took thru shot and it was beautiful! He hit the rock he was standing on perfectly!
“What the flipping heck!!! Something it bad wrong!” He said. “No way. Something’s not right” Then, “Dang, it! My suppressor is loose!” I called it the “Bermuda Triangle of west Texas” where everything seemed to go wrong at some point. Tightened the suppressor, and a test shot proved everything was back on track.
We move and and see a few more but never in time for a set up or on camera. We do see some more javelina and elk, and some hogs that disappear as quickly as they appeared. But as luck would have it we come across a totally clueless hog, and the camera work for a change. This hog was only 180 yards from the top of the cab.
Out time is running out as the sun is getting lower. We see another aoudad, but again he goes over the hill before we can set up the camera. As we are about out of time we decide to go back to the box canyon where we had seen the 3 aoudad the first morning, and that would be the same canyon the last one we saw appeared to go into.
We drive in, and see nothing. Not looking good. We drive to the dead end and get out to glass the cliffs. Nothing. I guess it’s over. We get back in and start to turn around when David spots 2 aoudad in the cliff face 200 yards straight up almost. We get out, I get the camera set up and David takes a shot with his 22 Creedmoor.
It was a spectacular fall done the cliff, but didn’t make it to where we had a chance to retrieve it. That was the end of great 2 days of hunting, seeing lots of game and making a few flub ups along the way.
The next morning we made the long drive back home. The last couple of days I worked a little on my Euro mounts. Still have some whitening to do, and getting the horns bond’ed back on before they are complete.
Always a good time getting to hunt with David, seeing new country and having an adventure.
