My Dad and I were lucky enough to be drawn for the Devil's River Exotic Hunt last weekend. We hunted from noon on Friday through end of day Sunday (we could've gone out for a couple of hours Monday, but we both needed to head back). It was an amazing experience--our first draw ever (been applying to a bunch of hunts for the past 6 years), and the most difficult hunt I've ever personally experienced. Rangers Mike and Steven were incredibly welcoming and helpful along the way, and the facilities were actually pretty nice (we stayed in the bunkhouse, which is HIGHLY recommended).

By the end of the hunt, we ended up coming away with one aoudad in the bag, which just so happened to be the only "legal" animal that we saw in our assigned hunting area the entire time that we were there.

If anyone is planning on doing one of these hunts this season or in the future, I would be happy to provide some detail on how the hunt operates and maybe even provide some suggestions on how to go about it.

Check out the pictures below. The scenery is just spectacular! Also check out the "Notes" on the board at HQ. While we were unfortunate to not see more animals in our compartments (9 & 10), others saw groups of up to 50 aoudad at a time, and everyone else reported seeing at least a couple dozen aoudad over the course of their hunts. The real honey holes seemed to be 1/2, and 7/8, while 11/18 also saw quite a bit of activity.

Good deal!!! Thanks for sharing.

Very helpful summary, sure looks like a fun hunt! Glad y'all had some success.

Thanks for taking the time to report. I head down next weekend for my hunt. I have a spot in the bunkhouse. I can't remember where I read it but someone said there is an ice machine at the bunkhouse. Is that true?

Andy

Man, it don't get no prettier than that. Next time somebody tells you Texas ain't the greatest state in the country, just smile and remember that scenery and the opportunity you had to enjoy it as it was meant to be. I will certainly be putting in for that hunt next year.

That's for posting. Congrats on a great hunt.

PM sent

Yep, big ice machine in commercial kitchen you'll have access to.

Thanks for sharing!

Sent PM

No ice machine anywhere on site (though a group from Houston that we hung out with had trailered in a full-sized chest freezer, a gas grill, and a propane wok!). I've had a few requests to put some detail in here for some folks who are headed out next weekend, so I've tried to capture everything that I can think of in this post.

Here are a few basics about the facilities:

• You're a good 75 minutes from anything resembling civilization (Del Rio). There is NOTHING available for purchase in or near the SNA.
• You absolutely must bring in your own water, food, and means to cook your food.
• There is electricity at the Bunkhouse (BYO extension cord).
• There is heating/air at the Bunkhouse.
• There is well water ("non potable") at the Bunkhouse (we used it for coffee and cleaning).
• There are 3x showers (with hot water) and 3x toilets at the Bunkhouse.
• There are 2x showers and 2x toilets at the campsite.
• There is VERY spotty wi-fi at the Bunkhouse and I believe at the campsite as well.
• There is ZERO cellular coverage in camp, though you can get great signals from lots of high points throughout the SNA (especially standing on top of dang near every canyon).

The compartments are quite varied. Odds are, you'll have the opportunity to hunt 2 or more compartments while you're there. A bit of negotiation will happen after the actual draw to make sure that a single hunter doesn't end up in an enormous compartment or that a larger group of hunters isn't stuck with a single tiny compartment. Things can also change if folks leave early or want to explore other areas. Mike is open to folks swapping compartments or things along those lines, as long as it's reflected on the board.

As you can see in the pictures above, everyone was able to bag at least one animal. While Aoudad, Corsicans, and Catalinas were all that was harvested during our hunt, we saw lots of Axis when we were coming and going from the property, just didn't happen to see any on our particular hunts. Those four animals that I mentioned are the primary ones that are allowed for this hunt, basically: any type of sheep or goat + exotic deer (which could theoretically include Sika, Fallow, Red, etc. but are in all likelihood you're only going to see Axis and whitetail, the latter being very specifically NOT allowed for this exotic hunt). Hogs would be legal, but no one saw any, though there we did see clear sign of them. Note: predators are NOT legal game for this hunt. Also note: you are NOT required to pack out meat as you would be with game animals. Almost everyone was taking either the heads only or heads and capes. The simple reason being that the retrieval process isn't going to be an easy one, and not a whole lot of folks were interested in experimenting with the culinary capacity of mountain sheep meat.

Shots are mostly going to occur at distances of 200+ yards. If you've got a cartridge and the skill level capable of taking game at 400 yards, you'll almost certainly have more opportunities. If you're new to hunting mountain sheep, bear in mind that even nearly perfect shot placement probably isn't going to bring down one of these guys with a single bullet. My particular aoudad (who was not a monster by any means) took three shots to bring down: 1st in the neck, 2nd double lung a few inches behind the shoulder, and finally a shot through the heart that ultimately dropped him). Plenty of people had stories of hitting one squarely, drawing massive amounts of blood, and having their sheep go skipping up over a ridge. Shooting sticks/tripods/whatever are essential.

As far as clothing, it'll be cold in the mornings, but you'll be shedding things fast once you're hiking. Plan accordingly. Lots of water is a must. I was drinking a gallon a day while I was out there, and was still thirsty. Everything out there has stickers or spines. Heavy canvas-lined (brush-busting) pants and stout leather boots are mandatory.

I brought a spotting scope along, but found it to be unnecessary as my 10x binoculars could spot things over half a mile away with ease. If I had one major piece of advice for anyone who hasn't hunted this sort of territory before, it's this (and I'm paraphrasing Ranger Mike here): "Move a little; Glass a lot." Just because you don't see anything in a particular canyon, doesn't mean that there won't be something there when you glass it 15 minutes later. If you're not hunting solo, I would highly recommend splitting up (walkie talkies are essential) and spending time glassing large territories separately. The folks who had the most success were covering massive amounts of ground each day. Our particular compartments (9 & 10) wasn't very friendly to approaches from above, so we mostly stayed on the floor. Had we made it a point to get up on the saddles and cover ground that way, perhaps we'd have had more luck.

If you have the ability to download detailed satellite images in advance, DO IT! I use MotionX, which only allows downloads of topos. I know that there are other apps out there that will allow you to download satellite detail, which is far more helpful to studying the terrain and determining where the easiest approach angles will be. The best plan of attack would be to make the SNA HQ your "zero point" and download maps for about 15 miles in every direction. That should more than cover the hunting areas. Do note that they'll provide you with Topos, but that's not going to show you were some old Jeep trails or hiking trails are that might help you on your hunt, but those sorts of trails WILL show up on satellite imagery.

Roads aren't TOO bad, but some of the creek bed crossings can be tough. 4 wheel drive and high clearance is a good thing. There were a couple of spots where I worried about high centering. Water/mud shouldn't be an issue unless there is serious weather while you're there. You're going to have decent access to the edges of your compartment, but you're not going to be able to do any off-roading, as there is no driving allowed off of the main roads.

Don't forget your orange vest and hat. Those are mandatory to be worn everywhere outside of the main camp areas.

That's all I can think of for now. If there's anything I missed, just ask in this thread or shoot me a PM, and I'll do my best to fill in the gaps.

Cheers!

You must be thinking about a different spot (Big Satan unit, perhaps?) No kitchen; no ice machine. Bring everything you think you might need along.

No sir was there 2 years ago and had access to kitchen that was in same building as meeting room. Ranger house behind and bunkhouse nearby with camp area across road.

Yep. I was there 2 yrs ago and I cooked breakfast for me and another guy that was staying in the bunkhouse at the kitchen. I put all my cold storage in the kitchen fridge, and there was a ice machine in a back supply room at the back of the kitchen. Then I grilled my steaks on a small pit I brought on the porch of the kitchen/conference room. That was a fun hunt, but tough.

I too hunted there several years ago and had access to a cook shed and bunk house. Are you sure your not thinking of Devils sinkhole?

Devil's River has 2 units Dan Allen Hughes Unit and Del Norte Unit. Del Norte has the bunk house and cook shed Dan Allen has no lodging or camping facilities on the unit.

My buddy & I were in 7&8 and shot lots of sheep as you can see in the board above. We missed several as well and left lots for the next groups including several big rams. I killed 3 nice ones & my buddy killed 2. My advice is get up high & glass and be prepared to take off to get into position once you spot them. Some compartments are thicker than others and the sheep like the more open areas better.

Del Norte. Took 11 years to draw the hunt. I killed 4 Aoudad, 2 Corsican and hiked a many a mile. I stayed in the bunk house that was right next to the building that had a fenced yard, walked in to a center room where check in and check out was, to left was a great room with a fireplace and to the right was commercial kitchen facility where I cooked every single meal I ate there. The kitchen may not have been available on your hunt but the it was on mine. Hunt manager stayed in a small place behind the main building and the head biologist house was aways away into the WMA. Had to drive past the to get to most hunt compartments...

Well, I guess things have changed. I noticed that there was what looked like a second bunkhouse that was clearly closed off (the entrance to the "driveway" was blocked off). It was right next to Mike's residence. That must've been where you stayed. No idea why they would've closed that up, but it was not open for us. Maybe getting renovated? Sounds much nicer than our bunkhouse, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the one they're using for this season.

Actually, the kitchen/conference room was the first building you came up on, then just past that is the bunkhouse, all to the left. Just past that on the right was the building/office where we checked in, along with a tent campground. Then on up the road was the residence.

Yeah (I know we're way off track now). Mike's residence is back behind that first building. He referred to it as his "FEMA Trailer" LOL. I'm guessing the residence on up the hill is either not currently in use or perhaps is in use during the "high season" . . . ?

Ok, I remember now. I don't remember the name of the guy living at the house, but he was the guy that stayed out there all the time. The guy staying in the fema trailer was only there to help for the hunt. There was only 5 hunters including me on that hunt, which was archery only. Yeah, they must have done some changes.
Either way, it's a great place and a BIG change from what most people are used to hunting to. Just wished it was a little cooler when I went (mid Oct). Walked up on a 7ft.+ rattle snake. Lucky for me, he was on the move and saw him crawling and not coiled up under a bush!!!