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NM Barbary Sheep

Thunderflight

Thunderflight

Dignitary Member
17,770
167
Shermans Dale, PA
Saturday is the big day! A friend and I drew Barbary Sheep tags in NM. We leave this weekend and will be hunting near Roswell.

I have been told by several others that being able to shoot 600 yards can mean the difference between going home with a ram or eating tag soup. I decided to upgrade my scope and bought a Vortex Crossfire II 2.5x25x50 (BTW if you are a vet use their military discount. I saved 50%). It is pretty bad ass and affordable too.

I'm shooting a Model 700 SPS 300 WSM and using 150 grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertips. I also put a muzzle break on it to tame the recoil (made a HUGE difference too).

I'm zeroed at 200 and shooting eight inch groups at 700. I have range cards made for 500 and 4000 feet with bullet drop and MOA per every 50 yards. I also have wind drift inches up to 20 mph.

The weather isn't going to be to bad, mostly sunny with highs in the 60s and lows in the high 30s. Bad thing is they are calling for 10 to 15 mph winds.

Luckily the area we are hunting isn't to steep. I had been doing a lot of hiking with a light pack and lifting weights, but two weeks ago I pinched a nerve in my lower back. It took a good week before I could do anything again so I haven't been able to work out like I should. I'll just take it slow and I should be OK.

I'm holding out for a biggen. I have heard mixed reviews about the meat (tough, questionable flavor and etc.). Also flying means more money for extra/over weight baggage. The tag was only around $375, I'm using frequent flier miles, the rental is cheapish, and we are camping vise staying in a motel. Overall the trip isn't to expensive which makes eating tag soup easier..... LOL
 
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Matt

Matt

Active Member
932
61
Norton, OH
Sounds awesome! 600 yards is quite the poke, I hope you can seal the deal. I might have missed it, but how long will you be there?
 
Thunderflight

Thunderflight

Dignitary Member
17,770
167
Shermans Dale, PA
Sorry for not providing an update until today.

This was by far the toughest hunt I have ever been on. The difficulty wasn't physical (although it was in now way easy either), but more challenging because of all the obstacles that we encountered.

Challenges:

1. ACCESS: We spent most of the first two days just trying to figure out access to the BLM and NM state land. Public and Private are checkerboarded and it was not uncommon to be driving down a county road on BLM and find a locked gate at the private property line. NM has a regulation where if the county road is not maintained by county for one year the owner can take ownership what crosses though their land. Could you imagine how that would go over in Ohio? It amazes me what the ranchers out west get away with. Also there were several areas that had agreements with local ranchers to close off BLM so their cattle/domestic sheep could graze. In return they opened up portions of private property for hunting. If you were just going off your GPS or OnX Hunt App and didn't know this you could easily get in trouble.

2. WEATHER: We only had two days with moderate or no wind. Monday was around 10 mph, Tuesday it was 1520 mph and the wind chill was in the low 20s (teens at night, we stayed in a motel that night). Wednesday there was almost no wind and it was in the 50s. Thursday and Friday high winds 25 to 30 mph, but luckily the temps were in the 60s. Night time temps averaged low 20s to high teens. After this trip I'm pretty much done with backpacking camp sites. Although I was overall comfortable, sleeping on the ground isn't as fun as it used to be. LOL

3. TERRAIN: We hunted two spots. One had steep rolling hills and the other had gradual rolling hills with a few tall mountain like peaks. All where littered with baseball to basket ball size rocks that proved to be real ankle busters. Multiple species of cactus and agave plants littered the terrain and I swear they would literally jump out of the ground to stab you in ankles, shins, and calf's…. LOL That said, the most challenging part was being able to glass from the ridgeline. Once on top you could see for 25 plus miles, BUT the next ridge was typically 300 yards away and only see the top 1/4 and the remaining area was obscured by the terrain. This wasn't to bad on the gradual slope area, but it was covered in roads and several road hunters which probably kept the sheep hidden.

4. FINDING SHEEP: This was by far the most difficult challenge. The first day by friend jumped two during the first 30 minutes of the hunt (we went separate ways to cover more ground). After that we didn't find another sheep until Wednesday and they were well over a mile away. Undeterred we went after them, but by the time we got to a stalkable location they where gone. We saw TONS of mule deer, a couple coyotes (I missed one), and even a porcupine, but finding a Barbary Sheep was literally like finding a needle in a hay stack. Barbary Sheep are nomadic and don't hang around in one area very long. They are not like deer or elk where you can pattern them, find evidence that they had recently been in the area, rubs, scrapes and etc. They are literally either there or they are not. We covered a LOT of ground looking for them (8-10 miles a day according to my Samsung Health app). They are also very wary and have incredible eyesight. There is a real possibility that they may have seen us well before we saw them and took off.

The success rate for this tag is reported at 41%. Based off that you would assume that you would at least see sheep. The reality is that the majority of that percentage comes from outfitted hunts on private ranches. Just like deer and elk once the shooting starts they are going to go to the place with less pressure; private land. Also, a NM resident who has hunted that area for years is going to have a much better chance. Another friend of ours in Albuquerque got one on an over the counter area. This guy is the epitome of an adventure hunter and it took him three years before he saw his first Barbary.

So, a lot of complaining and painting this trip with doom and gloom. I honestly went into this hunt with low expectations. What I really hoped to get was a week away from the hassles of work, family, PA winter, and other life BS. That is exactly what I got and the time away really did me some good. I had a great time, but honestly I doubt I'd ever do this hunt again. The reason is because for non resident to come out and hunt with no local help and be successful is going to be almost impossible. Unless you hunted the whole season and were able to cover a lot of ground pulling it off in five or six days would be difficult (unless you lucked into one).

I'm probably going to hunt Barbary's again, but next time I'm hiring a guide and doing it in Texas. The reason for Texas is because they are bigger, as a disabled vet I get a free hunting license where as NM has a draw and the tag is around $350, and the price tag is about the same if not less than NM. I was going to go next year, but it looks like I'm probably going to CO for the second elk/deer rifle season with a friend from Johnstown. Elk tags are OTC and I have enough points to draw a mule deer tag.

I'll post a few pictures later.
 
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Thunderflight

Thunderflight

Dignitary Member
17,770
167
Shermans Dale, PA
A few pics
 

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