Hunt a Big Horn Ram...

[SHANEA]

News from the Texas Bighorn Society in which I'm a member of...

[RichardM]

Silly me, I thought the Texas Bighorn Society's mission was to nurture and protect the bighorns.

http://texasbighornsociety.org/[/url]"]Mission Statement

To restore Desert Bighorn Sheep to all their native ranges in Texas, and to insure the viability of their habitat!

[Undertaker]

By selling a single hunt at the price they make provides for a lot of range.

[JeffB]

I wonder how good they are to eat?

[RichardM]

I wonder how good they are to eat?

I figured they were only hunted for "sport".

[JeffB]

I googled "bighorn" and "eat".  Apparently they are pretty good, so long as they are hunted before rut.

What I didn't know is that the Bighorn is listed as endangered.  I'm not a hunter and don;t know much about wildlife management but it seems like a bad idea to hunt endangered species.  Shane, what is your opinion of this?  Are they actually endangered and why would a hunt be allowed?

[SHANEA]

:-k

They are not endangered as to going extinct, it's just that they are no longer in great numbers in Texas.  What the Texas Big Horn Society, TBHS, is doing is trying to reestablish the heards in Texas - Black Gap WMA, Sierra Diablo WMA, and Sierra Diablo WMA.    This saga has been going on for quite some time.  There have been numerous attempts over the years to reestablish heards, but due to mountain lions, disease, etc. it was not too successful in the past.  At the turn of the century back in the 1900's, bighorn were everywhere, but were hunted out by the locals and the railroads.l  With concentrated efforts by TBHS to help manage the lands, build water guzzlers, fences, etc. they have had some pretty good success.   If you are ever out at BGWMA, you will see guzzlers all over the place - used by the bighorn and also by other wildlife.  Most of the guzzlers that TBHS built and maintains are up in the mountains as that is where the bighorns are at.    

Undertaker is 1000% correct and goes to the class.  If I recall correctly, a hunt is up for bids at the TBHS yearly Roundup meeting and I believe it goes upwards from about $100K.   :shock:   That helps out TBHS with their work and they have also purchased a number of land inholdings and donated them to TPWD.

for a TPWD writeup.

for more information @ BGWMA.

Used to be a working webcam  out there seems as if it is busted.  Was never quite sure how they got this to work out in the wilds.  I "think" they were able to pickup a cell signal from up in the mountains and had a solar array to power it.  I need to check on this and see why it is not working.

And, yes, I'm a card carrying member of this fine organization.  Get some neat decals to plaster on the Avalanche and R2D2.

[JeffB]

Well if the hunt brings in $100K then obviously that goes a long way for the org.  Thats not chump change and I'd bet the fellow who bids that amount doesn't do it for the right to shoot one animal, or because they taste good.  Probably a rich fellow who will enjoy the hunt and also the satisfaction of donating a lot of money to the org.  I can't win the bidding but maybe I could attend the bar-b-q.

[SHANEA]

I'd bet the fellow

does it to have it mounted and placed next to the other dead animals hanging on the wall..

Oh, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against hunting, really, it's just I don't like dead animals staring at me with those blank black eyes.

[Boojum1]

Well if the hunt brings in $100K then obviously that goes a long way for the org.  Thats not chump change and I'd bet the fellow who bids that amount doesn't do it for the right to shoot one animal, or because they taste good.  Probably a rich fellow who will enjoy the hunt and also the satisfaction of donating a lot of money to the org.  I can't win the bidding but maybe I could attend the bar-b-q.

Desert Bighorn is needed to complete a North American Grand Slam of all four sheep species.  http://www.wildsheep.org/about/history.htm

I believe there is one permit that is auctioned and one permit issued by drawing.

I was an Angelo State Ram for a time, but the mascot was always a domestic ram.

[Roger, Roger]

Desert Bighorn is needed to complete a North American Grand Slam of all four sheep species.  http://www.wildsheep.org/about/history.htm

I believe there is one permit that is auctioned and one permit issued by drawing.

In Texas, there are several ways to get a permit.  I don't remember the exact number off-hand, but last year I think there were about 11 issued total: 7 to private owners, one to FNAWS, one to TBS, etc.  And this year is the first free public drawing.

As far as bighorn hunting, and hunting in general even, I think hunters are generally great stewards of the land (there are always exceptions of course).  They put water on the ground, clear brush so native grasses can grow again, etc.  If the land is in poor shape, their game won't be around...thus the incentive.    

The increase in hunting popularity has also allowed cattle ranchers to reduce dependence on livestock and return the land back a lot closer to what it was before we were there.  I'm speaking only of far West Texas here, since high fences are dominating other parts of the State, which I hate.  I would never hunt a high-fenced property, no matter how big it is.  Free range, fair chase is all I care to do.

And Shane, I'm with you on the mounts...the eyes creep me out.  I only do the European mounts.

[RichardM]

I guess if this fundraiser is really successful, they can work on putting in a new hunting blind like this one:









I'm surprised they didn't go with the La-Z-Boy recliner option for shooting out the windows. :roll:

[presidio]

I'm surprised they didn't go with the La-Z-Boy recliner option for shooting out the windows. :roll:

Oh, but the touch of camouflage on the INSIDE is the creme de la creme of let-the-game-come-to-you mindset.

I'm sure some will disagree, but hunting from a blind (at least for large game...not waterfowl) is not hunting at all. Doesn't take any effort to do that. It's only a step below hunters who only cruise roads hoping that something will appear and they won't have to hike the woods/desert and actually HUNT.

[Vince T]

I am with you, Presidio.

[SHANEA]

I guess if this fundraiser is really successful, they can work on putting in a new hunting blind like this one:

Any idea where that is at Richard?  Maybe around Del Rio?