BWH
AH legend
Howdy y’all,
Now that I’m back home & decompressing from a long weekend, I thought I’d compose my report before reality sets in for me tomorrow with a 7:30am meeting.
Several months ago I booked an Aoudad hunt with @gizmo w/ Rockin G Ranch. This is some what full circle for me as I started hunting these dudes not 10 miles away, almost 20 years ago. As Life would have it..... I never connected. Don’t get me wrong, over the last 20 years, I’ve amassed & accomplished quite a collection and memory bank of hunting trophies..... but not the Aoudad. Opportunity presents itself & I book a hunt with good buddy & AH @gizmo.
We decided on mid October for a few reasons.... Fall coming in, deer season isn’t really upon us, dove season on the wind down, etc..... plus it’s when both of our crazy schedules aligned.
Friday the 13th is here..... I arrive at the Rockin’ G about noon on Friday. No bogeys, except that it is 90+ degrees. About 15 or 20 more than normal. Get greeted by Erik & all the superb staffers (Ranch hand, cook, etc). After getting unpacked, settled, sighted in.... were off for afternoon hunt.
Lots of glassing, climbing, descending, ascending, thorns, miles on the UTVs...... the heat/Mother Nature, did not allow us to connect.
Day 2. Morning temps in 70s, sunny & hot.... temps rising fast. As many animals as I know are on this place.... the heat has them ghosted. I mean how the hell does 2000lb white Scimitar hide, big ass axis with monster horns no show, 400” stag not exist..... plus my quarry the elusive Aoudad..... a no show. We hiked, walked scraped canyons, cedar breaks, mesquite bluffs, etc. occasionally bumping something.... but no opportunity presents with a shooter.
Day 3. Cold blast moves in. Temps drop 50 degrees. Wind goes bipolar.... hard south to hard north. We change our game plan.... we see a lot more game. Monster Axis (lucky bastard), blackbuck, fallow, etc.... no Aoudad. Erik says, “F this, let’s keep moving”. We bump 2 rams.... stalk hard. No luck. We get mobile in his Kawasaki Mule, do some driving. We spot a small ram on a canyon away, about 300m. About that time, we see a larger ram rush up canyon wall to join behind a large grove of cedars & mesquites. We get on a bluff, into position & wait...... and wait & wait. An hour goes past, no movement. Erik says let move a draw/canyon over. So we go stealth mode. Keeping close watch, they don’t see us & don’t move.
Then....... a couple of mule deer (buck & doe), start grazing toward them.... that got them moving. They move out from behind the protection of the wind & their sunning bed. Not 2, not 3, but 4 rams appear. Keep in mind, these damn things make a life of playing hide & seek.
Erik quickly points out the largest of the 4. Boom, pow, drt.... 180 turn, quick nose dive into the cedar break. We got our ram.
In short....
Erik is an awesome dude
Rockin G is an incredible place
Staff is friggin Amazon
You will hunt your ass off
That will keep you from gaining weight from the great food.
Accommodations are great
I highly recommend this outfitter..... Aoudad is not for everyone. So please take that into consideration. However, he has something for everyone & all abilities. Deer, turkey, hogs, quail, dove & like 20 exotic species.
It is not a flat hay meadow. This is rough country. I love it!
Now that I’m back home & decompressing from a long weekend, I thought I’d compose my report before reality sets in for me tomorrow with a 7:30am meeting.
Several months ago I booked an Aoudad hunt with @gizmo w/ Rockin G Ranch. This is some what full circle for me as I started hunting these dudes not 10 miles away, almost 20 years ago. As Life would have it..... I never connected. Don’t get me wrong, over the last 20 years, I’ve amassed & accomplished quite a collection and memory bank of hunting trophies..... but not the Aoudad. Opportunity presents itself & I book a hunt with good buddy & AH @gizmo.
We decided on mid October for a few reasons.... Fall coming in, deer season isn’t really upon us, dove season on the wind down, etc..... plus it’s when both of our crazy schedules aligned.
Friday the 13th is here..... I arrive at the Rockin’ G about noon on Friday. No bogeys, except that it is 90+ degrees. About 15 or 20 more than normal. Get greeted by Erik & all the superb staffers (Ranch hand, cook, etc). After getting unpacked, settled, sighted in.... were off for afternoon hunt.
Lots of glassing, climbing, descending, ascending, thorns, miles on the UTVs...... the heat/Mother Nature, did not allow us to connect.
Day 2. Morning temps in 70s, sunny & hot.... temps rising fast. As many animals as I know are on this place.... the heat has them ghosted. I mean how the hell does 2000lb white Scimitar hide, big ass axis with monster horns no show, 400” stag not exist..... plus my quarry the elusive Aoudad..... a no show. We hiked, walked scraped canyons, cedar breaks, mesquite bluffs, etc. occasionally bumping something.... but no opportunity presents with a shooter.
Day 3. Cold blast moves in. Temps drop 50 degrees. Wind goes bipolar.... hard south to hard north. We change our game plan.... we see a lot more game. Monster Axis (lucky bastard), blackbuck, fallow, etc.... no Aoudad. Erik says, “F this, let’s keep moving”. We bump 2 rams.... stalk hard. No luck. We get mobile in his Kawasaki Mule, do some driving. We spot a small ram on a canyon away, about 300m. About that time, we see a larger ram rush up canyon wall to join behind a large grove of cedars & mesquites. We get on a bluff, into position & wait...... and wait & wait. An hour goes past, no movement. Erik says let move a draw/canyon over. So we go stealth mode. Keeping close watch, they don’t see us & don’t move.
Then....... a couple of mule deer (buck & doe), start grazing toward them.... that got them moving. They move out from behind the protection of the wind & their sunning bed. Not 2, not 3, but 4 rams appear. Keep in mind, these damn things make a life of playing hide & seek.
Erik quickly points out the largest of the 4. Boom, pow, drt.... 180 turn, quick nose dive into the cedar break. We got our ram.
In short....
Erik is an awesome dude
Rockin G is an incredible place
Staff is friggin Amazon
You will hunt your ass off
That will keep you from gaining weight from the great food.
Accommodations are great
I highly recommend this outfitter..... Aoudad is not for everyone. So please take that into consideration. However, he has something for everyone & all abilities. Deer, turkey, hogs, quail, dove & like 20 exotic species.
It is not a flat hay meadow. This is rough country. I love it!
