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Each year at the Wild Sheep Foundation’s (WSF) Sheep Show, the spotlight shines on the wild sheep themselves, on the mountains they inhabit, and on the conservation successes that keep them there. But behind the scenes, two of the most important gatherings take place in a quieter setting: the Wildlife Professionals Meeting and the WAFWA Wild Sheep Initiative Meeting.
 

There is more free-roaming aoudad west of the Pecos River in Texas alone than there are bighorn sheep in Canada, Mexico, and the United States – over 100,000. Texas was home to more than 1,800 desert bighorn sheep just a decade ago; now, there are only 400. Sheep Fever discusses WSF’s new policy on aoudad, along with what can be done with several guests close to the situation in Texas, and the history of desert bighorns.

There are far more aoudad (Barbary sheep) west of the Pecos River in Texas than there are desert bighorn sheep on the planet.  With some estimates citing as high as 80,000 to 100,000 aoudad, the North African import has not only taken a foothold in the region but is in the process of displacing native wildlife along the way. The most critically affected species is the desert bighorn sheep.

A mature aoudad ram is an impressive animal. With thick, sweeping horns, a sandy-brown coat, and a long mane that runs down the chest and legs, aoudad are prized by many hunters. But there is more to aoudad than meets the eye, as these animals create a gigantic ecological footprint across the desert Southwest and beyond. 

Squeezing the trigger on an aoudad hunt demands more than a clean shot and a steady shooting position. If it's in a state where bighorn sheep roam, aoudad hunters must be 100 percent confident it's actually an aoudad (Barbary sheep) they are putting the crosshairs on.

Sheep Fever co-host Gray Thornton joins WSF Director Emilio Rangel, Dr. Sam Cunningham, Texas Bighorn Society President, Froylan Hernandez, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and Jim Breck Bean of High West Outfitters to discuss aoudad as a big game animal, their value to Texas landowners, and their impact on the health and viability of desert bighorn sheep.