Glass, glass and more glass. Aoudad Sheep live in some of the biggest, steepest habitat in the world. If you’ve ever been to West Texas you’ll know what we are talking about. These sheep have sponge-like hooves that allow them to grab and grip to traverse around sheer cliffs. Due to where the sheep live, you need to have really good optics as sheep are often found at 1,000 yards plus in high, steep places. We suggest good binoculars, good spotting scopes and good rifle scopes. Female Aoudad can often times look similar to males, so before you take the shot you want to make sure you are certain you have a mature male if that’s what you are hunting. We suggest Vortex Optics – they make crystal clear, lightweight optics at a very reasonable price.

Also, if you take the time and money to go Aoudad hunting, make sure you take an accurate rifle along that you have spent time behind and know. Nothing is worse than missing out on an opportunity after all the time and money spent because you didn’t bring an accurate rifle that you know is dead on.

Is your first time hunting Aoudad? If so, it can be overwhelming deciding how to hunt them and where to hunt them. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a licensed Outfitter. They will place you in an area where there are sheep and will provide a guide to make help you from start to finish. We suggest you talk to our good friend Caleb Wright or Nevada Grassie who both send customers to outfitters for a living.

While you are out there hunting Aoudad, there is another fun little critter that shares the desert habitat with the sheep and they are a blast to hunt – the Javelina. Javelina are a peccary, or pig-like animal that roam the desert. They have big tusks like wild feral pigs but have much smaller bodies. Javelina make for a really cool European mount and some claim they make great breakfast sausage as well. They will test your hunting ability as they are a small target and are hard to locate when glassing.

Also, ask your outfitter if you can do some predator control while you are at it and shoot some coyotes!

Hunting the desert for Aoudad Sheep can end up being a trip that you will never forget if you do it right! Do your homework, ask the right people, hunt with those you love, bring the proper gear and you will have a trip of a lifetime.