What is the favorite hand gun/caliber to take an Aoudad with?
Going to TX this Sept to try to shoot one!!!

And those of you who have shot one...what was the distance?

I have never taken an aoudad. I used a .30/06 and a .270 Winchester rifle on Corsican and Black Hawaiian rams. The ranges were 75 and 200 yards. They were not easy to aproach. I should think that your 7-30 Waters Contender would be a good choice. I hope this helps.

Thank you wheeler

I am going with a very good friend. I am sure he will load me the proper ammo
The reason I asked is the guide doesn't think a 7x30 is big enough He said the shots are 2-450 yds Practice Practice

Wolf. I wound be doing some serous practicing for 300-400 yard shots...

I think your Waters would be just fine out to 200 +/- with good handloads. This is JMHO, but for the 400 yard factor I would look at a 257 Rob AI, 25-06, or 270 (or something similar,) platform in the Encore. The other thing you can do is tell your PH that you need to get 150-200 yards. That is his job!

In my opinion a 7x30 is not enough for a 400 yard shot at an Aoudad - they are big and tough. If you're expecting shots that far it sounds like a free-range hunt in the mountains of West Texas. 400 yards is a very long shot with any handgun and you really have to have your dope right. I would be far more comfortable with a 30-06 in an Encore or perhaps something in a custom bolt gun and practice not only shooting on level ground but also at angles.

I know they've been taken with archery tackle, so as mentioned, tell your guide your limitations. Hope you get one!

Dick

Can't help you Annie but good luck.

I would go with the .308-

Just imagine shooting a goat the size of a small cow--they are very tough --but they still smell like a goat--a billy goat

Annie, congrats on the chance to hunt Auodad. A 7 x 30 Waters is not enough gun in energy or bullet weight to go after a mature Auodad ram. Auodad are one tough mutha to put down. Many big game hunters compare their durability to that of a Rocky Mountain Big Horn ram. A mature Auodad ram will weigh 250 pounds. At more than 200 yards the 7 x 30 does not have the energy for a .284 bullet in the 120 gr. range to get to the vitals of a big ram. I would use nothing less than a 308. If you limit your range to 75 yards or less the 7 x 30 would be OK. Annie, a 30/06 would be a great choice. Good Luck, but go w/ a 30 cal as your minimum. Auodad are one of the toughest exotics to hunt and put down.

Anne, David (Franchise) has said it all in the above post. Good luck and good hunting....

That is about what I was thinking. The '06 will get the job done.

Annie
What ever you decide to hunt with be comfortable with it. Shoot a bigger gun if you can but if a .308 is to much gun use your 7-30 and get to 100 yds or so,
You know that gun and have proven you can handle it. Use a good premium bullet and put it in the right place,put a bullet thru both lungs or heart they die. By all means practice as much and as far as you can ,you have until Sept. test your self and know your limits, then stay
within them. You have the final say on shoot or not shoot! Good luck and shoot straight

Annie,
What weapons and chamberings do you have access to?
Ernie

IMO seems like the hunters that have responded with useful info are divided yet agree at teh same time: if you go with your 7X30 Waters and a premium bullet, make your guide aware that you want a 100 yard shot max and stick to your guns, you are paying him he works for you; but if you are ok to go with longer ranges and can afford to buy a bigger gun, then go that route and practice a lot. I would agree, esp. if your future points to bigger game.

In that case go with a 30-06 with a good brake as SSk or Magnaport and never look back..

I agree that the 7-30 is not quite enough for Auodad. I have a friend that shot one with 7-30. Did not recover him and the range was about 100 yds. The 338 JDJ#2 did a good job on another, though.

Make sure you understand the anatomy of an aoudad too. Not all animals should be shot behind the shoulder.

Aoudad are spookier than white tails and they are much tougher. On free range hunts, the best guide in the world, no matter how much you pay him or her may be able to get you with in 100 yards and that's the truth. Remember that many folks consider the Auodad to be the "wildest" of all exotics. Most of the Aoudad that are taken are taken on high fenced ranches. If the average range is 200 - 450 yards this will be a tough hunt and probaly free range. You can't expect to get with in 100 yards. You have to be mentally prepared for a long shot. I am not trying to discourage you or anyone from going after free range Auodad, but it will be a more difficult hunt than most think. Be prepared to walk and climb hills all day. Use as large of a gun as you can handle. You have plenty of time to get comfortable with a 308 or 30/06. A good muzzle break will help and practice shooting at 200 yards as your starting point. GOOD LUCK!!!

While I agree with Franchise, in general, in specific locations and on some ranches (such as the Palo Duro Canyon area of Texas or in places along the eastern Caprock in the Texas Panhandle) the Auodad are not hunted much. Thus, they are somewhat "less wild." Certainly, a long shot 250-400 yds is possible (and may be necessary), but it is also possible (especially if you are not looking for them) to see them at 100-200 yds.

In years past when I spent a lot of time on a ranch that bordered the Palo Duro, I have seen many along the rim of that canyon. Some will be at full speed 400 yds away. I have also had them stand and look at me at less than 100 yds. Because I think they are ugly, I never really wanted to shoot one. Plus, they inhabit really rough, steep, parts of the canyon rim. I certainly did not want to try to haul one out of there.

Here, most who hunt them in such places, take the head & cape & leave the rest for the varmits. Those who have extracted a whole big ram from the Palo Duro Canyon generally do not want to do it again.

I also agree that they are tough animals, much tougher than deer. While they have been killed with various calibers, I would prefer something on the order of a 308 or larger.

In more recent years they have been "delisted" as a game animal in this area. Thus, there is no season on them. In certain locations they are hunted indiscriminately as vermin (like hogs here). Other land owners do not feel that way. The easiest way to hunt them in this area is to have access to a place that has a wheat field near the canyon rim or near the rough parts of the caprock. Very early or very late in the day they come out to graze on the winter wheat. That also removes the need to try to get them out of the roughest country in the Panhandle.

Alternatively,in locations where they are hunted heavily, they are extremely wild. At the Y O ranch in Texas (42,000 ac with a lot of brush and trees) the auodad are a sought after trophy and very difficult to even see. Because the population was not being controlled by the sport hunters, the ranch finally had to use a helicopter with a shooter using a semi-auto rifle to thin them.

Good luck on your hunt.

Thanks for the information everyone. Don't hesitate if you have more. I have a G2. I spoke with JDJ yesterday. Looking at some choices for a new barrel to get me some more range
Keep em coming...It all helps me

Ann,
When you are looking for more range, and a animal that can be difficult to bring down, you need to "up your game" in terms of velocity to deliver a medium to heavy bullet (designed to perform on tough game) for that given caliber.

In my opinion the G2 is not a 1/4 mile Auodad set-up regardless of the chambering.
One, I have never hunted Auodad before.
If I did, I would approach it in the same way as I do elk.

The G-2 is very capable of taking an elk or an Auodad, not just at those distances.

It cannot safely handle the higher pressure cartridges that will give you the velocity you need for the impact velocities to be high enough at those longer distances for the bullet to perform correctly.

I do not think JD is a proponent long-range hunting to begin with.

I do believe he can tell you what the G-2 is capable of on Auodad with various chamberings, and will give his opinion of what those max distances should be, based upon his experiences and the experiences of others.
My guess is that he will will recommend either the 309 JDJ, or the 338 chambering for the G-2.
Your max distance may not be 450 yards, but I believe you can still have a successful hunt and stalk to a closer range.

If you want to have a specialty pistol in the future that is capable of 1/4 shots on game to elk and Auodad toughness give me a holler-- 307-257-7431

Anniex,

I would seriously doubt that you will need to make a 400 yds shot. That is a long way for me (not for Ernie, though). However, IMHO you should be prepared for a 250 maybe 300 yd shot and hope that you get one at 200 or less.

IMHO, the 309 JDJ will definitely do the job at those ranges with a good 165 gr bullet. As I posted earlier, the 338 JDJ#2 will do the job with 200 gr bullets. However, I feel that the recoil from the 338 is a little more than from the 309 in a similar setup.

If you choose to acquire a bbl for this hunt, identify your expected longest shot (250 or 300, etc.). Then listen to J D. Follow his advice. He has shot truck loads of animals all over the world with the various calibers. He knows what they will do.

J D regularly shoots at my friend's farm in Ohio (for pleasure and when testing new things). He is always working on something new (for us or for the government). He is a wealth of knowledge. However, his is also virtually immune to recoil. If that is a consequential issue for you, do not hesitate to discuss your personal preferences and limitations.

Good luck.

I've never hunted an Auodad so I guess I'm a little lost here but I don't understand why a partition, Barnes, etc bullet from the 7x30 placed through the vitals of an auodad wouldn't bring him down. Are these guys super creatures or something? I wouldn't hesitate taking the 7x30 after elk if I had one and I just have a hard time seeing how the auodad would be tougher than an elk. In my opinion, it should be all about the bullet construction and the bullet's placement. If its strickly a range issue, then just get closer and make it happen. If you can't, well, that's why they call it hunting and not killing I guess. So, what is the deal with these "goats"? What makes them impervious to anything under a 308? This is a serious question, I've just never been around them and I know that sometimes, some animals are just tough to bring down sometimes and this could be one of them from what I'm reading. But, if you listen to some people, they will tell you that hogs are little tanks that can stop any bullet. But.....they aren't hard to kill when the bullet is in the right place and the bullet is constructed to take the abuse of the thicker hide and such. So, is the auodad sort of a mixture of both? Just a tough animal to start with but some folks hunting with improper equipment or unprepared for certain shots have given it the reputation of being super tough?

Now......I fully understand the "justification" of "needing" a new barrel! New barrels are just plain fun so Annie, get you another one!!! Just out of curiousity, what did JD recommend to you for more horsepower? I think if I had it to do all over again, I'd not buy the 375 that I have fired a whopping 30 rounds through or the 309. Both are extremely accurate but if I were to start again, I'd probably opt for the 338 #2 only. I have come to think that it may well be just about perfect in the contender. Seems easier to push a heavier bullet than the 309 and you are faster and flatter than the 375 with plenty of punch. Lots of choices in bullets in that caliber also. Really cool caliber in my opinion but I don't know how to compare the recoil to the others. The 309 is very mild. Without porting or some type, the 375 can have some healthy muzzle rise. The 338 is sort of a nice medium from what I can tell.

Glenn,
A 7x30 Waters as will a 30-30 definitely kill them as it will an elk. You just have a limited range.
From what I was seeing is that Ann wanted to be able to have more range if possible for her hunt.

Glenn,

The country inhabited by the Auodad in the transpecos area of Texas (as well as the Panhandle) is wide open, steep, rough, desert mountains, or deep canyons, etc. It is not always easy to get a lot closer. The auodads (here in the Panhandle) prefer the ledges along the underside of a steep canyon rim. Often a human can only climb in or out of the canyon at certain places because it is a sheer drop from the rim to the first of the ledges. The sides of the canyons are littered with boulders (often bigger than autos) and infested with cedar trees. Thus, one might not be able to get a shot at the ram unless you will take it at the distance where he is spotted. Other times, obviously, a stalk can be made to get closer.

It is my experience that a 250 yd opportunity should not be beyond expectations, unless that population has been very heavily hunted. Then the mostly likely sighting will be "the south end of a northbound auodad."

BTW - I agree with you on the 338 JDJ#2. Several years ago, I owned the 309, 338#2, and the 375 (and others). I never used the 375 or the 309. I sold them. The 338#2 would do all I needed. (I have since reacquired a 375 and a couple of 309s) I cannot pass up a "bargain" as people transition from contenders to encores. However, there is little that we are likely to encounter in the lower 48 that the 338#2 will not handle easily.

7-30 observation ---- I really like this caliber. It is light in recoil, adequately flat shooting, and performs reasonably well with the right bullets. However, be careful. Some 7mm bullets are stoutly constructed (for the bigger 7mm rifle cartridges) and will not expand at 7-30 handgun velocities. I have had this experience with a 120 gr Sierra in past years. A 7mm hole striaght through an animal does not stop them well. In addition, as the weight of the bullet is increased from the 120s, velocity and trajectory are adversely affected. For a 250-300 yd shot I would want close to 2400 fps muzzle velocity.

My observation over the years is that most of the better contender rounds (6.5 JDJ, 7-30, 309 JDJ, 30-30 AI, etc) will deliver about 2400 fps muzzle velocity with a given weight bullet. That is adequate for reasonable trajectory out to near 300 yds if the bullet has a good ballistic coefficient. To obtain this result the 6.5 needs a 120 gr, the 7mm needs a 120-130, but the 309 JDJ can do it with a 165 gr. Thus, it shines when "more gun" is needed. As you have already stated, the 338#2 can do about the same with a 200 gr.

Auodad are tough. They are a little like the "blue bulls." Can soak up more lead than you expect them to be able to do. Thus, the recommendations to Ann were generally to take a little more gun --- meaning a heavier bullet at a reasonable velocity.

The auodad ram that was the "record" for many years was killed in the Palo Duro canyon with a 30-30 rifle. However, the cowboy that shot him rode up on him horseback and shot him at 75 yds (in the head) with his 30-30. Who knows whether or not that is where he was aiming. LOL

That was my one concern with the 7mm bullet and the possible impact velocity was not getting expansion. I think I was reading the responses wrong in that it was more of a range/caliber combo than just an inadequate caliber

The partition gives decent expansion down to 1800-1900 fps or so but at the cost of losing some penetration depth most likely at those distances. I like launching larger chunks of lead when at all possible just because they still penetrate well when they get downrange just due to weight basically so I fully understand the desire for a heavier caliber. She just needs to borrow one of Ernie's cannons set up with a Nightforce and a drop chart and go have fun

Funny you mention the Blue Bull, after reading all of the posts earlier, that was one of the tougher ones that I have heard of over the years that came to mind. I would love to shoot one at some point with the 475. From what I've been told, the hide alone on those guys is pretty impressive and sometime very "elastic" which doesn't allow pass throughs sometimes. Funny looking critters too

Yes, the nilgia are strange animals -- very small horns for their size. They look especially strange as they lope or run. They remind me of wildebeest.

While I have never hunted them, a friend and guide at the Y O used to guide on the King ranch. He has told me enough stories about them that I believe that they can be hard to put down.