The rugged Davis Mountains of the Trans-Pecos provide the cover and terrain necessary for sheep to outdistance predators.

I asked Ross for tips on judging trophy quality. He said that aoudad rams are completely mature at eight years, physically peak at nine to eleven years, and anything longer than twenty-eight inches of horn length is considered a trophy. Thirty inches is considered exceptional, and any ram thirty-two to thirty-four inches is a flat out monster. Desert Safaris' average ram last year was thirty-one inches. Ross said that we would be looking for a good mature ram in the thirty-inch-plus range.

The next morning dawned cool and clear. It took us more than thirty minutes in the Jeep to reach the mountainous interior of the ranch. As morning's pink rays flooded the high desert, we hiked the edge of a canyon to a vantage allowing us to glass a couple thousand acres of some of the most rough, but beautiful, country I've ever seen. I had no idea such a place existed in Texas, and it took me a while to stop admiring the view and start glassing for sheep.

Our first two glassing sessions were fruitless, but as soon as we sat down at the third spot, we spied movement across the canyon about three-quarters of a mile away. It was a small band of aoudad crossing into another canyon. We gathered our gear and headed out, hoping we could get a better look.

Shots at aoudad may come at a good distance. Be prepared to use local topography, shooting sticks or some other method of steadying your hunting rig before the shot.

Some twenty-five minutes later, we eased into position on the gentler slope where we hoped the sheep were feeding. Ross immediately spotted the group. There were five ewes, a lamb, a small ram and a big, mature ram. I threw my pack over a rock and slipped my rifle into position, but Ross told me to hang on. The sheep had no idea we were there, and at less than 100 yards, we could really study the big ram. After some deliberation, Ross advised passing on the ram.

"He's a dandy, probably twenty-nine inches, but it's the first day. I know what kind of rams are on this ranch, and I think we can do better. If it were day four, I wouldn't hesitate to have you shoot as he is definitely a mature trophy ram, but I think we can find a bigger one," he said. I've learned over the years to never try to guide the guide, so I eased the shell out of my Encore and collected my gear.

The aoudad was one of the most majestic animals I've ever had the privilege of watching. There was a twenty mph cross wind, and his long beard and chaps blew wildly to one side as he watched over the small band of sheep. The little lamb stuck close to the big ram, which I found curious. Ross commented that he was surprised the big guy was even with such a group.

"The rut is usually in September and October here, and that is when we normally see mixed herds. Generally by this time of year, mature rams are either in bachelor groups or solitary," he explained.