New Mexico Barbary Sheep draw odds?

[okie archer]

I can't seem to find the draw odds for this tag. I've been on NM website but it gives some formula to go through but I can't make sense of it. Anyone actually know what the draw odds are?

 

[madtom]

If I remember right, unguided nonresidents get 6% of the tags. So, calculate 6% of the unit's quota and divide that by the number of applicants to get the odds.

It's been a while since I looked into it, so someone else should correct me if I'm mistaken.

 

[TLowell02]

By estimation they were 8%, 6%, 10%, <1% for hunts 100-103, respectively, for 2017.

 

[mrcowboy]

TLowell02,
You numbers look correct by my estimation.

 

[npaden]

I actually have the New Mexico Odds spreadsheet pulled up in front of me right now looking at some of the youth hunt options for my son.

BBY-1-100 Units: 32, 34, 36, 37. = 8.4% 36.6%
BBY-1-101 Units: 29, 30. = 6.0% 25.4%
BBY-1-102 Unit 28 McGregor Range, military only = 10.0% 40.0%
BBY-1-103 Unit 28 McGregor Range = 0.4% 1.6%

Those are my rough odds. First number is Nonresident Unguided, 2nd number is Guided.

I calculate odds in New Mexico by dividing the number of tags awarded by all the applications for that tag 1st through 3rd choice. Actually odds should be "slightly" better than that because of duplicates.

 

[npaden]

Doing the math my way for instance on a youth elk tag I'm showing 2.8% draw odds and toprut is showing 4.0% draw odds. They take the actual drawing information and run simulations to get their odds which take into account the fact that many folks either don't put down 2nd and 3rd choices or may get drawn out before they would have had a chance on the 2nd and 3rd choices. I just take into consideration my odds are a little conservative. Using the actual spreadsheet from game and fish I can sort and filter for things I'm looking for a little easier.

 

[LopeHunter]

Best "bighorn" sheep odds in North America. On public land, a barbary (aoudad) ram hunt is likely more challenging than 75% of the rocky and desert bighorn hunts. Apply, apply, apply, apply. Be in shape, have great optics and a rifle that shoots out beyond 300 yard.

If you hunt Barbary on private then is best to have a suitable chain link fence camo pattern and try not to let a piece of flying corn hit your eye. That would hurt.

 

[npaden]

Best "bighorn" sheep odds in North America. On public land, a barbary (aoudad) ram hunt is likely more challenging than 75% of the rocky and desert bighorn hunts. Apply, apply, apply, apply. Be in shape, have great optics and a rifle that shoots out beyond 300 yard.

If you hunt Barbary on private then is best to have a suitable chain link fence camo pattern and try not to let a piece of flying corn hit your eye. That would hurt.

There are plenty of Aoudad hunts on extremely large low fence ranches in Texas that don't utilize corn feeders. They do limit the pressure on them though so your chances of finding a larger horned animal is going to be much higher than in New Mexico on public land. Of course you are going to have to pay to hunt on private land.

There are Aoudad hunts in Texas on high fenced ranches with corn feeders as well. You need to do the research on them.

One of the biggest negatives from my perspective is that everything I've heard on Aoudad or Barbary sheep is that the meat just isn't very good. Tough and not very tasty. Which is the opposite of all the other sheep. I had a chance to hunt a Aoudad ewe on a big West Texas ranch for free but I turned it down because of all the negative I had heard about how bad the meat is.

 

[TLowell02]

There are plenty of Aoudad hunts on extremely large low fence ranches in Texas that don't utilize corn feeders. They do limit the pressure on them though so your chances of finding a larger horned animal is going to be much higher than in New Mexico on public land. Of course you are going to have to pay to hunt on private land.

There are Aoudad hunts in Texas on high fenced ranches with corn feeders as well. You need to do the research on them.

One of the biggest negatives from my perspective is that everything I've heard on Aoudad or Barbary sheep is that the meat just isn't very good. Tough and not very tasty. Which is the opposite of all the other sheep. I had a chance to hunt a Aoudad ewe on a big West Texas ranch for free but I turned it down because of all the negative I had heard about how bad the meat is.

I think you should harvest one for yourself and report back with your finding on the quality of meat. If nothing else, you could get a bunch of burger and sausage! I say that because I was super lucky a couple years ago and drew the Palo Duro hunt and came home with a nice ewe. Of course everyone I talked to mentioned I should have just left the meat for the scavengers because no self-respecting human should eat that meat. I will simply say they were all wrong. She was quite delicious.

 

[mrcowboy]

TLowell02
I agree with you on the meat. Delicious. A friend of mine tagged an OTC NM barbary ewe this past January. I helped him butcher and we had fresh made burgers that morning on the grill. Fantastic. Also gave me some backstrap. Also delicious.

 

[npaden]

Have either of you guys eaten a ram? I guess all the folks I have heard saying it was close to inedible were talking about mature rams.

It is good to hear some positive feedback even if it is on ewe's.

I hear all the time how mature boar hogs are terrible but I've eaten several 200+ pound boars that all tasted fine to me. I know for a fact that sows are tasty as well.

 

[LopeHunter]

Not sure I am following why an animal has to be edible in order to be hunted. Who eats crow or cougar? Who eats elk eye balls? Even with domestic hogs, there are a lot of items that end up ground into oblivion then made into a hotdog. I hunt and follow the law re the meat that is to be removed from the carcass. I do eat a lot of chili, jerky and summer sausage if is suspected that the game meat will be stronger than my preference. I do not hunt primarily to put meat in the freezer. I give away 75% or more of the game meat I harvest each year. Two people eating 1/2 pound of elk a day would take a year to eat up a bull elk. Add in a pronghorn or two and a deer or two then is just more meat that can eat in a year.

 

[mrcowboy]

Haven't eaten any barbary ram. The ewe my buddy harvested had a nice amount of fat on her. I was really surprised by that. I harvested a boar javalina this year and I have liked it so far. Did one front quarter slow cooked in crockpot and also made some snack sausages. Tasty so far.

 

[npaden]

Not sure I am following why an animal has to be edible in order to be hunted. Who eats crow or cougar? Who eats elk eye balls? Even with domestic hogs, there are a lot of items that end up ground into oblivion then made into a hotdog. I hunt and follow the law re the meat that is to be removed from the carcass. I do eat a lot of chili, jerky and summer sausage if is suspected that the game meat will be stronger than my preference. I do not hunt primarily to put meat in the freezer. I give away 75% or more of the game meat I harvest each year. Two people eating 1/2 pound of elk a day would take a year to eat up a bull elk. Add in a pronghorn or two and a deer or two then is just more meat that can eat in a year.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that everyone should only hunt what they are willing to eat. That's just my personal preference. I just don't think I would find any joy in shooting a Aoudad ewe and then leaving it lay (which would be legal in Texas) so I chose not to go on that hunt. To me personally I would prefer not to hunt the animal if I don't eat it or have someone lined up that will take the meat.

It sounds like I may have made a mistake if the meat from a aoudad/barbary ewe is in fact good to eat. If that offer comes up again I may have to take them up on it.

 

[TLowell02]

Nor have I eaten a ram. I suspect an overwhelming majority of negative sentiment stems from rams. Nonetheless, I am always suspicious when people claim "x animal is unfit meat." Seems I hear/read that thought in regard to mule deer and pronghorn as well.

 

[Khunter]

killed this free range aoudad in Texas. Tastes ok to me. Never considered leaving it lay despite Texas rule that would have allowed me to.

 

[TonyS]

I have heard that long tail meat is pretty good.

 

[timberman56]

My son & I just got back from my 3rd and his 1st free range Aoudad private ranch hunt in SW Texas. Aoudad is by far the most physically challenging hunt I have been on including WY mulie, CO mulie and elk, WA elk and deer, and AK drop camp caribou inside Arctic Circle. I had only harvested ewe on first 2 hunts (taste great) but ate some burger from my buddies ram last yr and it was the best wild game burger I have eaten. I think the key to good aoudad meat is cooling it down quickly as the temps in their range can easily be in the 80's or higher even during the fall (as my Nov 2015 hunt) or late winter. The myth that the meat is inedible could have been mad up by folks who just didn't want to put in the effort to get the meat off the mountain since the pack out can be a real killer

 

[brockel]

I'll be heading down in three weeks for a free range aoudad hunt. I'm pumped

 

[okie archer]

Old thread I know but I want to second the fact that the meat is very good. I killed a mature ram last year and and the meat was good. I had heard the same thing about just take the head and leave the meat. That's just not me with the exception of predator/fur bearers. I personally don't like the idea of killing an animal and letting it rot if it can be eaten. I am a taxidermist so I went prepared to skin for life-size mount and a frame pack to get the animal out. I did have a helper with me. We made a quick recovery, took some pics, and went to work skinning. Got skin off and deboned the meat putting meat in game bags and getting it in shade quickly. Temps did reach 85 by the time we got it out. Two of us packed out all the deboned meat, whole skin, and head in almost one trip. It was brutal all though it took less than two hours to pack out and get meat on ice. I usually process my own but because of the rumors about meat not being good I took meat to a professional processor. Had brawts, summer sausage, smoked sausage, ground, and steaks. Everything was good. The steaks had good flavor but was a little tough.