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The Fattest Aoudad The World Has Ever Seen

November 7, 2024

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Video world record aoudad sheep

“He’s a damn vacuum cleaner is what he is,” is how Dr. Richard Allen described the moocher aoudad that has made his Goat Creek Ranch near Kerrville, Texas his private buffet. “He’s sucked up several hundred if not thousands of pounds of deer corn since he showed up a few years back. He’s gotta be the fattest aoudad the world has ever seen.”

Also known as Barbary sheep and scientifically as Ammotragus lervia, aoudad is a goat-/sheep-like animal native to the north African countries of Algeria, Tunisia, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Sudan. They were first brought to Texas as a potential game animal by Texas Parks & Wildlife in the 1950s and to private game ranches in the years following. Although it is unknown how many animals can be found behind high fences, the latest estimates put the number of free ranging specimens at well over 25,000. Large free ranging populations can be found in the Texas Panhandle, West Texas and in the Hill Country. The vacuum cleaner at Dr. Allen’s was most likely a member of this latter group.

Aoudad are technically of the species Caprid, which, depending on which scientist you ask, is a member of the sheep or goat family. From a hunter perspective, they are considered a sheep. They are sandy brown in color with a lighter underbelly and darker ridge running the length of the back. Males have long “manes” or “chaps” of hair that run the length of the throat and front legs. Their triangular cross sectioned horns curve outward, backward, then inward and can reach lengths of upward of 40 inches although 30 inches is considered a fantastic trophy. Aoudad stand upwards of just over three feet at the shoulder and can reach weights of 300 pounds.

See also .243 Winchester for Moose Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Moose Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the .243 Winchester a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for moose hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .243 Winchester is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest moose. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the moose, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the moose in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop .243 Winchester Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a moose in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .243 Winchester within the ideal range of suitable calibers for moose hunting?” our answer is: No, the .243 Winchester is UNDERKILL for moose hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber .243 Winchester Animal Species Moose Muzzle Energy 1950 foot-pounds Animal Weight 1200 lbs Shot Distance 200 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a .243 Winchester? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .243 Winchester round is approximately 1950 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male moose? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male moose is approximately 1200 lbs. [Click Here to Shop .243 Winchester Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in moose hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for moose to be approximately 200 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .243 Winchester. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the moose being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .243 Winchester is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest moose - and to this question, the response again is no, the .243 Winchester is UNDERKILL for moose hunting. [Click Here to Shop .243 Winchester Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting moose to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. 2 Comments Debbie Tomaganuk - Dec 02, 2020You are absolutely wrong my friend. A 243 will take out moose cleanly with very little tissue damage to parts that are considered edible. 100 grain sp is suitable. David Gregoire - Oct 03, 2024I have a 243 and a 270. To compare both calibers on deer, the 243 will kill…….but my 3 deers shot with it left no blood trail. All 3 deer took off and ran a good 80 yards before dropping. Bullets went right through, but did not have the same knock down power of my 270. My 270 leaves a really good splash of blood at the shot sight, and deer rarely go more than 20 yards before falling. All deer are shot in the vitals. Yes it could probably kill moose, but i believe it is calling for trouble. I say stick to smaller animals with a 243. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

Except for the one at Dr. Allen’s.

That bad boy was pushing 400 pounds thanks to his never-ending supply of free food.

Thus, the reason Dr. Allen suggested hunter Joel O’Shoney take the animal.

Despite the fact that the aoudad was a notorious raider of deer feeders at Goat Creek Ranch, hunting him proved to be far more difficult as he forwent visiting the feeders when Joel hunted the property. Joel hunted the animal for three weekends with little luck.

“I saw him a few times on the property here and there,” Joel said. “But he was always just out of range or would disappear into a stand of thick cedar.”

Persistence paid off however and Joel took the animal with a single shot just before sundown on the last day of his hunt. The moocher wasn’t big in the horn department as he carried just over 26 inches of curl, but did break the bank in terms of weight. Both Joel and Dr. Allen put the animal’s weight at close to 400 pounds. So too did taxidermist Neal Coldwell who Joel entrusted to mount the massive animal.

“This is the fattest damn aoudad I have ever seen!” Neal said. “And I’ve seen a lot of them.”

I asked Darren Carr, a friend of mine who once guided aoudad hunts in Chad and manages the Indianhead Ranch guide near Del Rio what the biggest aoudad he’d ever seen weighed. He replied, “Maybe 375 pounds.” When I told him of the Goat Creek Ranch’s moocher’s weight of almost 400 pounds, he was astonished.

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“That’s a fat boy for sure.”

Or as Joel said, “That’s a lot of sausage for sure.”

Author Gayne C. Young has contributed to Sporting Classics for more than 20 years. He is the author of And Monkeys Threw Crap At Me: Adventures in Hunting, Fishing, and Writing, Texas Safari: The Game Hunters Guide To Texas, Sumatra, The Tunnel, Bug Hunt, Teddy Roosevelt: Sasquatch Hunter, Vikings: The Bigfoot Saga, and more. In January 2011, Gayne C. Young became the first American outdoor writer to interview Russian Prime Minister, and former Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Visit Gayne at his Amazon page.

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