For the short version: if you're looking for a free range aoudad hunt, Matt Cousins (cuz) is your guy. His guides took great care of my wife and I and were able to put us on some huge rams. I really wanted to stick one with my bow but my patience ran thin....
Matt, thank you for setting this trip up and working around the handful of changes that came up on my end, I can't tell you how much my wife and I enjoyed this trip. We can't wait to hunt with you again next year!
Years ago I got drawn for an exotic hunt around the Devils River. We were able to stalk a few groups of aoudad but never got a shot opportunity. The last morning of the hunt, my dad and I spotted a huge ram. It was the first truly mature ram I had seen in person, I couldn't put a score or inches to it if I had to, but it was huge. There were spots the size of volleyballs on both shoulders from his horns rubbing when he turned his head. We hurried down the canyon they were traveling towards and tried to set up on a well worn trail. The ram was in the lead and at about 30 yards before we had time to set up. He spotted us tucked behind some brush and climbed back the way he came before I could draw my bow. Its an encounter I wont forget, and one that sparked the desire to chase them again.
That was probably 14 or so years ago. I find myself now married to a very supportive wife who is growing to love to hunt as much as I do. She has tagged along on many of my hunts and decided she wanted to hunt on this trip. I got her set up with my dads .270, a gun he used to hunt with before the archery addiction took hold.
On the second day, our head guide respotted the group we put to bed the night before, they were a loooong ways out. Over the course of the day we made our way closer and adjusted plans according to the herds movement. An opportunity to stick one slipped away so we got set up about 300 yards from a bedded ram. By this time most of the herd had moved over the top of the ridge we were glassing with no way for us to chase them without being seen by the stragglers of the group. After a few minutes of chaos and a missed opportunity by my wife, I decided to ditch the bow (I'll be chasing a free range ram again someday, hopefully with a little more patience and time) and set up for a shot with the rifle. We decided which remaining ram was the biggest and I settled in behind the scope. The first range finder reading was 325, he worked his way up the ridge and away from us, crosshairs following with finger on the trigger, ready for him to stop. First shot was solid, the ram dropped. I hate to admit it but I struggled to find him in the scope after he fell. We gave it a few minutes and glassed the ridge he was on, we knew he was hit hard and fell, so we decided to ease that way with eyes open and the rifle ready for a follow up shot if needed. We were about half way to him when I picked him up through the scope, his head was up but he was clearly his hard. The ram eventually staggered back to his feet, soaking up 2 more follow up shots before the recovery, these dudes are built like tanks and don't go down easy. I have the utmost respect for these animals, the country they live in is unforgiving and tough as they are. We had to have seen over 100 aoudad in this group, and the one I got most definitely was not the biggest, I think most of the herd had topped the ridge and were put of sight when we got set up, carrying the bigger rams with them.
If you're looking for a solid aoudad hunt in some of Texas' untouched country, reach out to Cuz on here, I can't say enough good things about his operation. Bring lots of ice, lots of water, and be ready for long shot! Thanks for everything Matt!! Our guides were awesome, thank you guys for your hard work and your insane skills behind the binos, its truly impressive to say the least.
He taped out at 32 inches
.270 with 150 grain nosler partitions
After the recovery, I ranged back to the rock outcropping we were tucked behind, roughly 400 yards.
Matt, thank you for setting this trip up and working around the handful of changes that came up on my end, I can't tell you how much my wife and I enjoyed this trip. We can't wait to hunt with you again next year!
Years ago I got drawn for an exotic hunt around the Devils River. We were able to stalk a few groups of aoudad but never got a shot opportunity. The last morning of the hunt, my dad and I spotted a huge ram. It was the first truly mature ram I had seen in person, I couldn't put a score or inches to it if I had to, but it was huge. There were spots the size of volleyballs on both shoulders from his horns rubbing when he turned his head. We hurried down the canyon they were traveling towards and tried to set up on a well worn trail. The ram was in the lead and at about 30 yards before we had time to set up. He spotted us tucked behind some brush and climbed back the way he came before I could draw my bow. Its an encounter I wont forget, and one that sparked the desire to chase them again.
That was probably 14 or so years ago. I find myself now married to a very supportive wife who is growing to love to hunt as much as I do. She has tagged along on many of my hunts and decided she wanted to hunt on this trip. I got her set up with my dads .270, a gun he used to hunt with before the archery addiction took hold.
On the second day, our head guide respotted the group we put to bed the night before, they were a loooong ways out. Over the course of the day we made our way closer and adjusted plans according to the herds movement. An opportunity to stick one slipped away so we got set up about 300 yards from a bedded ram. By this time most of the herd had moved over the top of the ridge we were glassing with no way for us to chase them without being seen by the stragglers of the group. After a few minutes of chaos and a missed opportunity by my wife, I decided to ditch the bow (I'll be chasing a free range ram again someday, hopefully with a little more patience and time) and set up for a shot with the rifle. We decided which remaining ram was the biggest and I settled in behind the scope. The first range finder reading was 325, he worked his way up the ridge and away from us, crosshairs following with finger on the trigger, ready for him to stop. First shot was solid, the ram dropped. I hate to admit it but I struggled to find him in the scope after he fell. We gave it a few minutes and glassed the ridge he was on, we knew he was hit hard and fell, so we decided to ease that way with eyes open and the rifle ready for a follow up shot if needed. We were about half way to him when I picked him up through the scope, his head was up but he was clearly his hard. The ram eventually staggered back to his feet, soaking up 2 more follow up shots before the recovery, these dudes are built like tanks and don't go down easy. I have the utmost respect for these animals, the country they live in is unforgiving and tough as they are. We had to have seen over 100 aoudad in this group, and the one I got most definitely was not the biggest, I think most of the herd had topped the ridge and were put of sight when we got set up, carrying the bigger rams with them.
If you're looking for a solid aoudad hunt in some of Texas' untouched country, reach out to Cuz on here, I can't say enough good things about his operation. Bring lots of ice, lots of water, and be ready for long shot! Thanks for everything Matt!! Our guides were awesome, thank you guys for your hard work and your insane skills behind the binos, its truly impressive to say the least.
He taped out at 32 inches
.270 with 150 grain nosler partitions
After the recovery, I ranged back to the rock outcropping we were tucked behind, roughly 400 yards.
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