Helicopter Aoudad hunting in Tx

[Flbt]

I have family in GA that has land to hunt. I'd likely have to buy a tag too. That's just the cost of doing business though. NJ charges $2 for a coyote special season tag here. I remember having to pay the tag when we hunted with an outfitter in GA. $20-$30 pales in comparison to the fees some outfitters charge.

We hunted with one in GA that was $600 a person. However, lodging and transportation were included.

I don’t know I have not hunted ga since the small game permit was all that’s nessary for hog.

I used to have to buy a out of state big game tag and it was quite a bit more back then.
I got to where I would go with them but not handle the dogs or carry a hunting gun
Until the dogs got back into fl.
Or just stay on the fl side of the line.
Once I got to where I could not get around well it was not worth it.

 

[Flbt]

I have family in GA that has land to hunt. I'd likely have to buy a tag too. That's just the cost of doing business though. NJ charges $2 for a coyote special season tag here. I remember having to pay the tag when we hunted with an outfitter in GA. $20-$30 pales in comparison to the fees some outfitters charge.

We hunted with one in GA that was $600 a person. However, lodging and transportation were included.

With food and room $600 might not be that bad.
There was a group charging $800 for a night hunt. But they supplied all the guns ammo night optics and the trucks.

But most of what I saw in this part was $75-250 for a hunt with nothing included.
But I don’t like those places.
A lot of them would buy wild Cought hogs and put them behind a fence to sell a hunt.
When we were getting a lot had a man from south fl come up and off us 0.35$ a lbs for the hogs we Cought alive and then a $1.50 per lbs if we delivered.
That’s not legal unless you get a Fwc permit.
And that’s how hogs get every where

 

[Red Leg]

I actually would love to hunt one. Not for $6000-$7000 though. I just saw one outfitter charging the same price for mule deer. Just doesn't make sense to me.

I've also heard the same about them not being much of a challenge in high-fence.

Neither are deer.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Neither are deer.

There's a lot we can get into on this. I agree with you and I've seen some pretty depressing stuff.

I had a client to went to TX to hunt whitetail. They told him if he didn't get his buck, he was "guaranteed" an aoudad. Almost like a consolation prize.

There's a place out here that offers "hog hunting" and it's literally hogs up against a fence.

 

[Flbt]

The problem I've always had with TX/OK/GA and hogs is it seems super greedy the way the industry prices hunting them. Granted, having people come in and shoot them is apparently only scratching the surface of the problem. I look at it from the standpoint of: If you're charging $1,000+ for a hog hunt, doesn't seem like much of a problem you are eager to solve, now does it? If there is lodging, meals, and so on, included, that's a different story. However, I've seen $1,000+ just to be driven to a box blind in front of a feeder on private property.

I had no idea, until this post, about the aoudad issue. Seems like a lucrative "problem" to have when places are charging $6,000 trophy fees on them.

Helicopter hunting is a bit different, obviously. Fuel is expensive, insurance isn't cheap, and pilots don't typically work for free.

One thing on the high charges for hog hunts.
Or at least what I was told.
The farmers want to make up for the money for the crop losses now. And they charge a higher price or lease out the hog hunting for enough to off set the damage.

I knew of one place that would do deer hunting by the day in the stand . $50 to hunt anther $50 for a doe and $150 for a buck up to a 8pt and $250 for anything above.
But would let you shoot every hog you saw for the $50 stand fee.

But now people see hunting will pay and anything there money in things happen

 

[Red Leg]

One thing on the high charges for hog hunts.
Or at least what I was told.
The farmers want to make up for the money for the crop losses now. And they charge a higher price or lease out the hog hunting for enough to off set the damage.

I knew of one place that would do deer hunting by the day in the stand . $50 to hunt anther $50 for a doe and $150 for a buck up to a 8pt and $250 for anything above.
But would let you shoot every hog you saw for the $50 stand fee.

But now people see hunting will pay and anything there money in things happen

It is purely what the market will bear. If farmer X now has no trouble getting 3500 a hunter for hogs rather than 1500, it is kind of hard to begrudge him that opportunity.

 

[Flbt]

It is purely what the market will bear. If farmer X now has no trouble getting 3500 a hunter for hogs rather than 1500, it is kind of hard to begrudge him that opportunity.

I completely understand that especially making up for the damage.
I had 20 acres of clover get taken out in a night. And the people side of me had a whole field of satsumas and drip tape get taken out.
$35 a new saplings + lose of fruit for the next 4 years or so and drip tape at about $2.75-3.90 a foot. (At the time of the damage)

But when does the money from the hogs over ride trying to kill off a bunch of invasive animals? And when does the farm become a hog hunt ranch and not a farm?
And what does that do to neighbors that still farm?

I see both sides .
I have heard some stats are talk of stopping all hog hunting.
That way there no money in keeping them around.

Idk and have no idea on how to solve the problems it’s caused.

 

[Gemsbok45]

Ok 6-7 k. They are a cool looking animal. Go look at any other sheep hunt. I plan on getting on one as soon as possible.

 

[coreydb]

I shot a Texas Aoudad in April and the trophy fee was about the same as an Axis. I don't know where they are such a nuisance, there's nothing but ranches. Just like wild hogs......if they are such a nuisance, why isn't there an open season on them? Nope....you pay $$$ to hunt hogs.

 

[375Fox]

Yup. For $6000-$7000. It's not horrible. It's not great considering its invasive.

I defer back to the question: How did they get there in the first place?

Invasive isn’t the right word. Introduced is. $6000-$7000 per hunt, tough animals that survive well in tough conditions with few predators, year round season without restrictions. The economics of why many landowners want them in far west Texas is easy to see.

Calling them invasive is like calling lechwe or sable in South Africa invasive. They are introduced.

 

[Philip Glass]

Completely uneducated guess but: Sounds like they're looking to efficiently cull the "escapees" while still making sense for the outfitters to continue charging the trophy fee on high-fenced captives.

In some cases but for the most part this relates to the far west Texas ranches. These are big unfenced properties for the most part. The aoudad have taken over prime big horn habitat and the state is trying to build the sheep herd out there. Most sheep and goats carry upper respiratory viruses that big horn die from. This is the dilemma. Helicopter gunning has been going in for some time hence my curiosity as to why a new law is needed. And of course I have a solution! Privatize the big horn and there will be 10,000 of them in Texas in no time. The landowners will kill the aoudad in favor of the more lucrative sheep.

 

[Philip Glass]

Plenty of hunting ranches have them, but I had no idea they were such a problem.

If they make decent table fare, I would think a no closed season, no bag limit would take care of the problem.

Nearly inedible by all accounts.

 

[Philip Glass]

Then my question would be are they mostly a problem on public or private land? If there are large tracts of public land that hunters can legally access, that would make for some good hunting.

If the problem is on private ranches, that complicates the issue.

Texas has 2% public land and most of that is Big Bend National park where there is no hunting. Black Gap and others have hunting

 

[Philip Glass]

No public land open to hunting in west Texas

Not true. There is not much as a % but the Black Gap and other adjacent lands are open to hunting.

 

[Philip Glass]

So the problem is with overpopulation on private ranches?

And the private ranches want big $$$ to hunt Aoudad, to the detriment of the native Mule Deer and Bighorn sheep population.

Have I got that right?

Yes but the problem is the state controls the big horn tags. If you can shoot a hundred trophy aoudad annually are you going to get rid of them hoping in 10 years maybe the state will reward you for your efforts in protecting and growing big horn? No. I detest aoudad but the state leaves most ranchers no choice.

 

[Philip Glass]

On much private land in West Texas, the aoudad is a critical "cash crop" for many land owners. As a result, they carefully manage the take whether the state fish and wildlife office cares or not (which they do not - just like our elk, nilgai, axis, blackbuck, and mountain lions). They represent every bit as challenging a hunt as they would on the North African coast were they still extant in huntable numbers there. Moreover, our desert bighorns are so rare that only the very rich or very lucky get to hunt them. This sort of control measure sickens me.

We should use the elk as the example in Texas. They are considered an exotic even the free range ones. If we did the same with big horn problem solved. Aoudad gone tomorrow!

 

[Philip Glass]

Thank you for a little help on this understanding the issue.

From what I'm able to gather, private Landowners can profit from the Aoudad, but not Bighorn or Mule Deer. Without all of the facts someone from that area has, it seems to an outsider that all of this is to the detriment of the native wildlife.

I helped on several Arizona wildlife restoration projects while I was stationed there, so I care very deeply about the Desert Bighorn and Mule Deer population.

Sit down, have a cup of coffee and lay it out for us. I'm more than willing to listen.

Wild sheep in the US are struggling with governments managing them. In Mexico private landowners went to Tiburon Island many years ago and bought desert bighorn and began breeding them. Now the numbers and the hunting opportunities are many and prices are reasonable at least in terms of wild sheep. Why can't we do that in Texas where we have the example of stewardship and the saving of many species from extinction? I have Addax that are functionally extinct in the wild. There are getting to be so many of them now the prices are going down. Bad for me but good for the Addax. I would propose a program for large landowners in west Texas, whether fenced or not, who were willing to control predators and eliminate all aoudad and other sheep and goats to have some bighorn they can privately own and manage. This would work and we would be Hunting more bighorn than the rest of NA in a few years. In fenced areas I would propose taking the ones tested and positive for the mycoplasma that causes pneumonia to be treated and released. They just kill all of them now. What a waste! I doubt this will ever happen. Governments like their control and it Makes too much sense!

 

[HookMeUpII]

Invasive isn’t the right word. Introduced is. $6000-$7000 per hunt, tough animals that survive well in tough conditions with few predators, year round season without restrictions. The economics of why many landowners want them in far west Texas is easy to see.

Calling them invasive is like calling lechwe or sable in South Africa invasive. They are introduced.

Fair point but it still doesn't mean I'm going to pay $6000-$7000 for one. It's comparative, in my eyes. You can have a guide put you on a pretty nice mule deer for the same cost. Why would I pay the same price to hunt something that's been introduced and the state is somewhat acknowledging is a problem? Both are free range, both are probably challenging hunts too.

That's my logic. Not saying it's right or wrong. If someone wants to go pay that to hunt one, that's fair for them as well. I can see that it might make sense to someone being they are native to northern Africa.

Their money is just as green as mine.

The economics of it just don't work for me.

 

[HookMeUpII]

One thing on the high charges for hog hunts.
Or at least what I was told.
The farmers want to make up for the money for the crop losses now. And they charge a higher price or lease out the hog hunting for enough to off set the damage.

I knew of one place that would do deer hunting by the day in the stand . $50 to hunt anther $50 for a doe and $150 for a buck up to a 8pt and $250 for anything above.
But would let you shoot every hog you saw for the $50 stand fee.

But now people see hunting will pay and anything there money in things happen

I get that but you also at some point have to make it worthwhile.

If you want to charge $1,000 - $1,500 a weekend with lodging in a nice lodge, cooked meals by a chef, transpo, access, and shooting a couple or as many hogs, that makes some sense.

Charging that same price to just sit in a blind with no accommodations, no thanks.

It is a matter of personal optics I suppose.

 

[375Fox]

Fair point but it still doesn't mean I'm going to pay $6000-$7000 for one. It's comparative, in my eyes. You can have a guide put you on a pretty nice mule deer for the same cost. Why would I pay the same price to hunt something that's been introduced and the state is somewhat acknowledging is a problem? Both are free range, both are probably challenging hunts too.

That's my logic. Not saying it's right or wrong. If someone wants to go pay that to hunt one, that's fair for them as well. I can see that it might make sense to someone being they are native to northern Africa.

Their money is just as green as mine.

The economics of it just don't work for me.

They have no problems selling the hunts. Hunting a free range aoudad in Marathon or Fort Davis is a true mountain hunt in huge country with lots of glassing. It’s not shooting an aoudad at a feeder on a whitetail ranch in hill country. There are tons of YouTube videos if you want to watch. I personally find the average aoudad a much more impressive trophy than the average mule deer in comparable price range. I also don’t plan on paying to hunt another mule deer unless it’s a giant. I didn’t find it a particularly challenging hunt. They have very different characteristics than a whitetail deer.