My neighbor sent me a couple of his game camera pics. This was a few days ago in Walker County. These are the first we've ever seen there.....I'd heard rumors that audad were slowly moving up from south Texas. Another option is that last week's big wind storm blew a tree over someone's fence. The closest high fence area that I know of is about 12 miles away, but I supposed audad might not need high fence. I don't know much about them, other than I've been told they don't taste good.

I get suspicious about non-native species........they tend to cause a lot of unintended damage. I've heard rumors they run off the whitetail deer. For those of you who have experience around them, what say ye? Should we keep the audad or eliminate them before they can get established?

A couple like that wandered through my place northwest of Junction several month ago. 'Had a couple of pictures on trail cams. I think they kept moving. I had a shoot on sight order 'cause of the damage I hear they can do. Apparently, if they decide to, they can tear the hell out of a thin-walled stand-and-fill feeder. You'd need all thick gauge steel feeders and I only have a couple of those. They also supposedly breed like rabbits. The state, even though they introduced them during the 7 year drought in the '50s, is almost beside themselves on what to do about the large herds that graze scorched-earth through Bighorn sheep habitat in west Texas. (They're gonna have to helo eradicate them.)

Don't, I think, have them. And I've never killed one. But I'm in the eradicate before they can get established camp.

They don't belong. Shoot on sight assuming of course it's your land or you are authorized to hunt it.

Wow! East Texas? That is a real surprise.

I was surprised to see a pair in Montague County, North Texas just last month, but east Texas? Woah.

With the number of dead trees falling on fences, not surprised.

They are worthless except for buzzard bait after they are shot. I am sure someone will say you can eat them and you probably can, but you won't enjoy it. To me they are not even impressive looking mounted, but what do I know. They are just something to hunt when nothing else is in season, about like feral hogs.

I was told that they dont do well in the eastern part of the state due to the wetter climate and them getting hoof rot, not sure how much truth there is to that. I also think of them of as feral pigs, blast away.

If see them on my place in Freestone Co, eliminate them before they can get established.

I have a shoot on sight order on axis too. Apparently, there is an advantage to not having live water on the place. Just a few drift through from time to time. No big herds like down at the Llano.

And I've held off as long as I can stand it - it's "Aoudad". (It's hard, I put the 'u' before the 'o' just typing this. ) "Barbary Sheep" is easier to remember, and spell.

Thats an escape from a game ranch....they are not "moving up from South Texas" as South Texas only has them behind fences as well, or recent escapees.


They like rocks....they do ok in the rugged terrain of the Hill Country but thrive in the Trans Pecos and Palo Duro area.



One of my favorite animals, great game animal to hunt in the proper setting.....but under a feeder in the Piney Woods isn't it.

No, but they may be moving in from west Texas where they are feral. They were hunting them regularly at Prude Ranch nearly 2 decades ago. PR is a low fence dude ranch with some hunting.

You really think they are gonna cross I-35? Ft. Davis is a long, long way away from east Texas


They tend to live in very rough country and enjoy that type of terrain. They won’t move east because once you get off the Balcones escarpment their preferred terrain ceases to exist.

Are you sure about this statement? I have not seen them personally but have heard from at least 2 trusted sources that they have established themselves and are breeding outside these fences. Maybe my sources are mistaken.

Fort Davis is a long way away, but they have been living wild out there for at least 2 decades and are not "recent" escapees.

Keep in mind that aoudad were intentionally released in in the late 50s as game animals, some 44 individuals. Today, the wild population is estimated at over 5000 individuals.

This is all counter to the claim that the only exist various places behind fences, LOL. Aoudad are established in the wild of Texas, plain and simple.

Do I really think they will cross I-35? Deer, hogs, and coyotes cross I-35 at various times, I don't see why these aoudad would be any different. I have certainly seen them cross I-20.

Preferred habitat is not the only habitat they will use.

The only free range herd I'm aware of is right outside the Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, but Del Rio isn't true South Texas.

I know of no areas in South Texas that has a free ranging, established herd of Aoudad.

I know of several that got out and are wandering around the Pearsall Area. But like I said, they were escapees and I know what ranch they came off of.

Do some studying on Aoudad. You will understand why they didn't walk to East Texas.

The state released them in the 50's in the Trans Pecos and Palo Duro area, 70 years later they still are largely confined to those areas. Its environmental preference. Same reason they are Native to the Atlas Mountains and Barbary Coast, and not the rest of Africa. The habitat wasn't preferred. They had been there for thousands of years but they didn't walk to Tanzania or Kenya.