Winter 2016

TEXAS LAND / Lifestyle Issue
hey’ve been called a “poor man’s bighorn”. Some
taxonomists do not even consider them to be a true sheep,
since they also possess morphological traits that are more
like a goat, but make no mistake about it, these hardy animals
have become a popular quarry for hunters who are looking for
a unique and challenging hunting experience
The Animal
Native to North Africa, aoudad sheep, also occasionally
referred to as Barbary sheep, were brought into the United
States sometime around 1900. For decades, these exotic
sheep were strictly held in zoos and private breeding facilities.
The first introduction into the wilds of the Lone Star State
occurred in 1957, up in the top of Texas, just outside of
Claude. This introduction project was a cooperative effort
between a private landowner and the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, and many felt that aoudads could potentially
occupy a habitat niche in the Palo Duro Canyon region that
was not being filled by another animal, namely mule deer.
Aoudad numbers from this release effort flourished over the
next several years and eventually the state allowed restricted
harvest through a limited permit and closed season structure.
Other aoudad releases in various Texas locales took place
through the 1960’s and these exotic sheep eventually gained
a toe-hold in many areas of the state, both on high-fenced
game ranches, as well as on free-ranging landscapes. Today,
the Trans-Pecos region of Texas is home to the greatest
number of aoudads, followed by the Panhandle, but you’ll also
find some scattered free-ranging herds in the Rolling Plains,
Post Oak Savannah, and Edwards Plateau, though the herds
are generally more localized and fewer in numbers in the latter
three of these eco-regions.
Aoudads are strong, hardy, and adaptive creatures. Studies
have shown that they can make a living off a variety of
grasses, forbs, and woody browse. They tend to thrive
even during the most arid of conditions and can apparently
metabolize much of the moisture that they need through their
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