In thinking of a hunt for sheep one thing to bear in mind is that for the most part sheep, even wild sheep of the world, are not that wild. Meaning not that likely to be cautious and sneaky like say a whitetail deer.
Consider also that if you go to a "put and take" operation which means any of them outside of TX really you are going to be looking at sheep that for the most part were pen raised. Someone raises them in basically a barn yard environment until they are of a size ready to sell. They've been fed by humans and they KNOW they've been fed by humans all of their lives. They have no fear of man. They know him as friend and provider of food not as predator.
Muflon and Auodad are two exceptions. Generally. But if raised like I mention above even they are going to lose most of that natural wariness they seem to possess. Once several years ago someone opened up a Game Ranch on 200 acres of rolling country side here in Bama just a short way from me. They brought in lots of exotics and even had a small her of American Bison. I can't recall all of what I saw but it was a good representation of what's available to hunters these days. This wasn't a hunting ranch but was for viewing only. The Muflon and Auodad both on it were quite tame. Didn't try to run and I have photos of both taken from feet not yards away.
So really it is a matter of how they've been raised and where as much as anything. Once back in '91 I think it was I took my wife and both oldest and youngest sons with me and we went to TX on a ram hunt. This was my wife's first big game hunt and prior to this she had only killed a squirrel. She was a fairly good and practiced shot but had no real hunting/killing experience. So I wanted her to not have to shoot over about 50-60 yards.
We went to the Duderstat ranch near Kerrville and stayed on the ranch and she also hunted on it. The first morning the guide took us not into the 200 acre pasture where the permit sheep were but into the 400 acre pasture next to it where some of the permit sheep had escaped to.
NOTE: This was a hunt with Thompson Temple. At the time lots of folks were working with him to offer "free" certificate hunts where you pay only the daily guide fee but no trophy fee. I got hers when I renewed my HHI membership. The guide said there weren't many rams in the certificate/free pasture at the time and there were some nice escapees next door.
So we took off after them one morning. She and I rode in the back of the pickup sitting on a 2"x8" board while our oldest son rode in the truck with the guide. Youngest son stayed at camp watching TV. We bounced around in the back of that pickup all morning without ever managing to get her within 50 yards of a ram. Oh we got out and made a few foot stalks but by now these rams knew we were after them and they didn't like that idea too much. One time a group of 4-5 did pose beautifully for us about 75-80 yards out. I threw a pad on the truck cab and just before she was ready to take the shot the guide moved ahead. I think she would have made the shot but they were over 50 yards and I had told him I didn't want her to have to shoot over that. So he tried to ease closer. Off they went.
After lunch she was a nervous wreck and I knew about ready to give it up. So I told him to forget those rams and take her where she could shoot one. He did. We drove up to one in the certificate pasture and from about 35 yards she popped him as he stood looking at us. Her first real big game animal was on the ground. If you want to read the entire story of the hunt and see the six rams the three of us took the story is on the Campfire Tales at this link.
http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/campfiretales/rams.htmlHere is my gold medal ram.
So were those rams really a hunt? Well they wouldn't have been for me but were for her. Almost too much of a hunt for her at her stage of development as a hunter.
My biggest ram and my son's biggest were a bit more of a hunt but still not like a deer hunt by any means.
Yeah this is really long already but is gonna get longer.
Flash backward in time to March of that same year. I went to hunt with Thompson for the first time. My plan was to take a gold medal Corsican and catalina goat both. I was taken to the Smith Ranch also known as the Goat Ranch about 50 miles as I recall from Kerrville.
This was a 80 acre ranch on two levels. Basically two 40s side by side. At the road it was dead flat but rose quickly about 100 yards in from the road to a bluff that over looked the entire area. I'd guess 150' higher than below. Oh they had plenty of gold medal corsicans and goats all right. But they were so tame you had to kick them in the butt to move them out of your way.
There were two muflon on that ranch that at no time while there was I ever within iron sighted handgun range of. Yeah that's what I was hunting with. There was one goat I felt was a catalina but they said was an ibex and wanted ibex price for. I saw him only once and no way could I have taken him with that revolver. Ditto for a pair of addax. The rest I could have taken with spear and maybe a knife.
Morale of this too long story is don't go expecting a "real" hunt if you're going after exotic sheep.
If you go to a place where they are raised where hunted and NOT in a barn yard you might be pleasantly surprised. If you go for Muflon or Auodad changes are good you will get a pleasant surprise if they are pure. But Corsicans and that includes the color phases of Texas Dall and Hiwiian black are not likely gonna give you much of a chase. Use a bow or iron sighted handgun to increase the challenge.
GB
