Well last weekend found myself and Creedmore headed from Dallas to his family place just north of the Texas/Mexico border outside of Del Rio,Texas.
For ten years or more they have been seeing several varieties of free ranging exotic animals on their game cameras. Fallow deer and Auodad sheep mainly.
The Auodads have become a major competitor for food with the local whitetails and as a result need to be removed.
The racoons are also a problem. Any supplemental feeding for the deer herd results in large nimbers of coons in the feed sights.
Time for a little pest control :mrgreen:
Problem is, in ten years no one has ever seen an Auodad while on stand with a rifle in hand.
I personally have been there three weekends and have never seen one either.
Since it is bow season Creed had a stick and string (and since we're so close to the border an AR)
I packed my 264.
Saturday morning was pleasant, temps in the mid 60s and an east wind.
Both of us were on stand long before shooting light.
I had a couple of whitetail fawns entertain me for a bit after it got light enough to see.
About ten yards away from the stand as a matter of fact.
They disappeared into the cedars about 7:45.
I sat there for fifteen minutes or so and low and behold I see movement in a draw about 150 yards below me.
A pretty good Auodad walked out of the draw into the open and stopped. No binos needed, he's a shooter.
Grabbed the 264, dialed up about 10 power magnification and set the crosshairs in the sweet spot low behind the shoulder. He's quartering away slightly and only about 150 yards.
Safety off, sight picture.....
BOOM!
A 130 grain Berger VLD hunting bullet left the muzzle at 3500 fps.
I recovered from the recoil to see the Auodad trot slowly into the brush in the bottom of the draw.
Long and short of it, thank goodness Creed had his AR.
The Berger exploded on contact and blew about a three inch gash in the hide, never penetrating the ribcage. No bloodtrail at all.
We found the sheep and got two more rounds into him at about 40 yards.
My first Auodad. My last Berger bullet on anything but paper or varmits.
For ten years or more they have been seeing several varieties of free ranging exotic animals on their game cameras. Fallow deer and Auodad sheep mainly.
The Auodads have become a major competitor for food with the local whitetails and as a result need to be removed.
The racoons are also a problem. Any supplemental feeding for the deer herd results in large nimbers of coons in the feed sights.
Time for a little pest control :mrgreen:
Problem is, in ten years no one has ever seen an Auodad while on stand with a rifle in hand.
I personally have been there three weekends and have never seen one either.
Since it is bow season Creed had a stick and string (and since we're so close to the border an AR)
I packed my 264.
Saturday morning was pleasant, temps in the mid 60s and an east wind.
Both of us were on stand long before shooting light.
I had a couple of whitetail fawns entertain me for a bit after it got light enough to see.
About ten yards away from the stand as a matter of fact.
They disappeared into the cedars about 7:45.
I sat there for fifteen minutes or so and low and behold I see movement in a draw about 150 yards below me.
A pretty good Auodad walked out of the draw into the open and stopped. No binos needed, he's a shooter.
Grabbed the 264, dialed up about 10 power magnification and set the crosshairs in the sweet spot low behind the shoulder. He's quartering away slightly and only about 150 yards.
Safety off, sight picture.....
BOOM!
A 130 grain Berger VLD hunting bullet left the muzzle at 3500 fps.
I recovered from the recoil to see the Auodad trot slowly into the brush in the bottom of the draw.
Long and short of it, thank goodness Creed had his AR.
The Berger exploded on contact and blew about a three inch gash in the hide, never penetrating the ribcage. No bloodtrail at all.
We found the sheep and got two more rounds into him at about 40 yards.
My first Auodad. My last Berger bullet on anything but paper or varmits.
Would prefer something tougher in that case.
