Every once in a while a hunting opportunity comes along that simply seems too good to be true. Growing up in the areas that I did, we regularly saw California bighorn sheep roaming the hills. Being as bighorns are a once-in-a-lifetime draw here in Oregon, that had cast a shadow upon my enthusiasm for hunting sheep altogether. Working closely with my friend Zach Bruce of AOA Outfitters, a sheep hunting adventure finally came to pass.

The Barbary sheep — or aoudad, as they are more commonly called — is seen throughout the Western United States. Places like Texas and New Mexico have especially seen huge booms in Barbary sheep proliferation. The dry, rocky and steep terrain is perfect for these and other implanted species of sheep, such as the ibex of Arizona and mouflons here in Oregon. As they are not indigenous to these areas, some states consider these animals to be feral and don’t regulate them with tags or season limits, but a hunting license for whichever state you choose to hunt will still be required.

For hours we glassed rims, hillsides, thickets, saddles and draws. Seeing bighorn sheep and mule deer was encouraging, but there was no sign of the elusive aoudad. Hiking around in the rocks, my old friend and I were able to catch up on all manner of subjects, from family matters to major world events. Fair-skinned as I am, I felt like the wind and the sun were in a deeply contested race to see who would be first to redden my skin. Half the day passed, and we hiked back to the truck thinking our hunt was over.

After reflection, Zach thought of one other place he wanted to check out before we threw in the towel. Finding a consolation prize in the form of a shed forked-horn mule deer antler, our luck was about to completely change. As we traveled to the area to do our one last check, I thanked him for the day and expressed my gratitude for our chance to be out in the hills hunting together just like old times.

Nearly instantly after setting up his Swarovski spotting scope, Zach excitedly spotted a group of Aoudads feeding on a rim. They looked stunning stretched out across the hillside, rams, ewes and lambs. After planning a stalk, I took everything superfluous out of my hunting pack to minimize weight, grabbed my rifle and shooting sticks and off we went. Our stalk was slow and methodical as we made our approach. We were reduced to crawling the last few yards to set up a shot. The wind was right, allowing us to get within 150 yards of the small herd.

At last, the moment of truth. The only problem was, I couldn’t shoot through a barrier of brush from any field positions. Thankfully I had brought along my Bog-pod, a lightweight, collapsible hunting tripod. Slowly I placed my .30-06 over the rest and, kneeling behind it, still found myself unable to take the shot.

The sheep were getting nervous, uncertain of what we were. Locating a small window in the brush through which to pilot my bullet while simultaneously arranging myself and my rifle to the proper angle for the shot proved difficult. Finally, Zach set my pack between my legs and bottom which propped me up to the exact necessary angle.

Flicking off the safety, I held the crosshairs on the center of the shoulder on the largest ram. Taking in a breath, I started to slowly exhale as I squeezed the trigger.

At the shot, the ram was down in an instant. I cycled the action but there was no need — he was done as the rest of his band disappeared in a flash. As I stood up, the quivers of excitement caused my hands to shake. I uttered a short prayer of gratitude as I bent down to pick up my empty brass case. Zach smiled and patted me on the back, the unspoken congratulations between old friends and finally said only, “That will do!”

After getting pictures and dressing the ram, we loaded him onto our packs and started the descent back to our vehicle.

This will forever live as a special hunt in my heart. The uniqueness of the aoudad, the physical requirements of the hunt, the resourcefulness required for the shot and, most of all, the camaraderie of two country boys getting to share yet another great adventure together.

Do you love to hunt sheep? Write to us at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com and check us out on Facebook!