Written by Enrich Hugo
Hardly any other wild species poses as many puzzles for zoologists as the Barbary sheep. Can the closer relationship be assigned to the goats or the sheep? Many zoologists place it under a separate genus called Ammotragus. Ammotragus comes from Greek and means sand goat. In common usage we mostly find names like Barbary Sheep, Maned Goat, African Tur and especially Aoudad, a term that comes from the Berber language.
The natural habitat of the Aoudad extends across all of North Africa. From Morocco to Chad to Sudan, the Aoudad has adapted to each different habitat. From the rocky, often snow-capped Atlas Mountains to the extremely arid Nubian Desert, this reddish-brown, horned wild species can be found. It is named after the long throat hairs, which are much more pronounced in males than in females.
After HuntGeo managed to open Sudan to international hunters again after 10 years, where the Aoudad is also native to the Nubian Ibex and the Eritrea Gazelle, my personal focus was of course on the Nubian Ibex and Aoudad. After my successful hunt for the Nubian ibex in Sudan, I managed to hunt a Barbary sheep after three safaris in the Nubian desert. During the first two unsuccessful hunting trips, but also during the third successful hunt, I was able to convince myself that the game density in Sudan is very low and over all the years when there has been no legal and controlled hunting, the Aoudad has been poached very heavily and hardly more to be found in Sudan. I was more as pleased to hear from my partner and friend Renauld in spring 2021, where he informed me that he had finally managed to organize the hunt for Aoudad in Morocco for the first time. For more than 10 years, we have been working intensively on this project, and now we have finally managed to hunt the Barbary sheep in its natural habitat, the Atlas Mountains. Ten permits for one hunting season. Only selected male that are at least 7 years old may be hunted. Renauld achieved another milestone with the import license for its own hunting rifle. Although I only forwarded this message to a few of my closest customers and friends of the possibility of hunting Barbary sheep in Morocco, especially among mountain hunters, spread very quickly and it wasn’t long before all 10 licenses were quickly sold out.
The hunting season in Morocco is set from mid-September to the end of March and the first hunter was already planning to come at the end of September. Unfortunately it was still too hot and the sheep were very high in the mountains. At this point it should be mentioned that the Atlas Mountains stretch over an area of about 2,500 kilometers and separate the coasts of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea from the Sahara. The highly rugged mountains have a very contrasting terrain and changeable climate. The highest elevation is the Toubkal at 4,167 meters. The hunting area is located right in these High Atlas mountains and has an area of more than 100,000 hectares. The Tizi n’ Test Pass at 2,100 meters above sea level is the starting point of our hunt.
The mountains are richly forested and offer the game plenty of protection from the changing climatic conditions. Of course, this advantage for the game does not play into our cards and therefore it makes much more sense to wait for cooler weather, especially snow on the mountain tops. The snow drives the sheep further down where they can still find plenty of food. The Barbary sheep feeds on grass and herbs as well as fresh leaves. The first successful hunters finally returned from Morocco in November. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic did not stop in Morocco either and King Mohammed VI, the regent of Morocco, ordered the borders to be closed and it was no longer possible to enter or leave the country from December 1st to February 7th. Immediately after the borders were opened, we were able to continue our hunting program very successfully. My personal presence was requested for the last two hunting guests. A request that I am very happy to comply with, as they are two very good friends and long-standing customers of mine. For the Conklin award winner Bela Hidvegi, with whom I have had the privilege of accompanying on many hunting trips, is the Aoudad in its natural habitat, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, a hunting dream that he would like to realize. But also for my good friend Vladislav Reznik, the Aoudad from North Africa is one of the few sheep species that he has not yet hunted. The Aoudad was introduced to Spain in the early 20th century and from there to North and Central America, where it is still bred and hunted to this day. Hunting in its original, natural habitat is therefore of great importance to many mountain hunters.
My journey to Marrakech is very pleasant. I chose the Spanish Iberia as the airline. No problem with the gun carrying and the flight goes via Madrid to Marrakech. Rached is already waiting for me at Marrakech airport and helps me with the formalities and registering the gun with the airport police. After 40 minutes I’m already at my friend Renauld, who has his private property in Morocco, a little further out and to the south. Only 500 meters away is a comfortable hotel where our guests are accommodated upon their arrival. Right next to a reservoir with fantastic views of the Atlas Mountains. From his terrace, with this incredible view, we discuss the course of the next few days. There have been some shifts in the flight connections of our guests. Vladislav, who originally wanted to fly in with Turkish Airline, had to rebook and take the flight with Qatar Airways. Istanbul was temporarily closed due to heavy snowfall. Bela chose Air France for his flight, which flew in a day earlier. The plan was quickly made. Vladislav Reznik will try his luck hunting the Barbary wild boar for the first two days and will hunt near the orange plantations around Casablanca and Bela will be the first to hunt the Aoudad. The next morning we found out how changeable the weather is. Not much is left of the pleasantly warm 20 degrees from the day before. Rain and a cool 4 degrees await us in the morning. Ahead is a 2 ½ hour drive to the Tizi N Test Pass. According to the weather report, we should expect 10 to 15 centimeters of fresh snow there
Despite the change in weather and the sometimes heavy rain, we can make out the many different facets of the landscape. Very barren sandy hills but also wide green areas with orange and lemon trees, rocky gorges and cliffs overgrown with cedars, pines, oaks and olive trees. The landscape is rounded off with the very typical Berber villages in the middle of the rocky mountains. The clothing of the Berbers is just as typical as the houses. Men usually wear colored, floor-length coats or capes with a pointed hood. For women it is the traditional abaya that is kept very simple. On special occasions, a long dress, the so-called kaftan, is worn which, with its decorations and embroidery, does not require any other accessories. The closer we get to the pass at 2,100 meters above sea level, the less we can believe that we are in Africa. The rain has changed to snowfall and the landscape is much more reminiscent of a deep winter Alpine road in Austria or Switzerland. A small restaurant awaits us at the highest point of the pass road. With heavy snowfall and temperatures high in the single digits below zero, hunting is not really an option and we are all the happier about the open fire in the restaurant. For lunch we have the national dish, the tajine. A delicious stew of meat and vegetables that is prepared in a pointed clay pot and stewed over a long period of time. Then a freshly brewed black tea with fresh mint. For dessert, some of Bela’s hunting experiences are served. Somehow we almost forget that we are pursuing a special goal, the hunt for the Barbary sheep in the High Atlas Mountains.
The snowfall has eased significantly and our local guides employed by the Forest Service have informed us that visibility further down has improved significantly. Like most sheep, the Aoudad are very active in the afternoon foraging and we hope they will take particular advantage of the easing snowfall. In fact, visibility is much better at about 1,700 meters above sea level and we move to a sheltered vantage point and start scanning the
Market
ridges for sheep. Shortly before 7 p.m. we break off and return to the pass. Except for a few female and a young ram, nothing was to be found. The restaurant also has a small, brick guest house where we will spend the night. After a good dinner and some good anecdotes from Bela and Renauld, we treat ourselves to a few hours of sleep before we continue the next morning. During the night it continued to snow and gave us another 15 centimeters of fresh snow. Dense fog, which also envelops the mountains below, does not allow a hunt and we just have to wait. Like yesterday, the fog only clears again in the afternoon and we try our luck again. In the last few days before the snowfall, forest workers have seen some Aoudad at work. Although the ascent to this position is not easy, Bela still wants to try. The first hundred meters of altitude can be managed quickly with the help of donkeys and mules, but after that the ascent becomes too dangerous with the help of our four-legged friends and we continue on foot. It is already 5 p.m. when we reach the place where the forest workers saw the sheep before the snowfall.
As with every mountain hunt, we start to search the terrain with binoculars and spotting scopes. As we prepare for our descent, barbary sheep suddenly appear out of nowhere. First there are two, a short time later there are already four and a few minutes later we have a group of twelve sheep in front of us. There is a ravine and a distance of 400 meters between us and the Barbary sheep on the opposite slope. Two ram stand out from the rest. The difference in size between the mane and the horns of these two and those of the rest of the group can be clearly seen. Unfortunately, we only have a short time to enjoy the sight of the sheep. Firing a shot is out of the question. It’s already too late and we have to hurry to reach the vehicle before sunset. The sight of the sheep and the fact that the weather forecast promises better weather for tomorrow makes us hope for the best tomorrow.
We go early to our bed room because tomorrow after breakfast we’ll be on our way to return to the same place of today. The weather in the morning is also much better. The clouds are still hanging low, but it is snowing only a little and the snow-free breaks are getting longer. Already at 10 a.m. we are at the place where we saw the sheep yesterday and today everything goes much faster. It is less than half an hour before the same group of yesterdays emerge again from the shelter of the oaks and cedars. For our part, we use this tree cover to stalk closer to the sheep. At 250 meters the time has come. Bela has a very good view of the strongest ram in the group and a good rifle rest. He uses my Steyr Tactical in caliber 300 WinMag and a Steiner scope with a ballistic turret.
The distance of 250 meters is set quickly and Bela unlocks the gun. Seconds later the shot breaks and the Aoudad breaks fatally hit in the shot. We wait a few more minutes and then make our way to the dead ram. Now we can admire the harvest ram in detail. Even the renewed snowfall is ignored and Bela and the entire team are overjoyed. After a few memory photos, we make our way back. The snowfall has become heavier again and the well-being and health of our hunting guest has top priority. In the late afternoon we are back at our guest house. Vladislav and his companion Evgeny are already waiting there. Together with our friend Alexander, who guided both of them to the Barbary wild boar, all the experiences of the last few days are exchanged over dinner and it is already after midnight when we finally fall into our beds. Tired but satisfied.
The next day Alexander takes over our successful Aoudad hunter Bela and drives him back to Marrakech where Bela is now trying his luck on a wild boar. I’ll stay with Renauld and accompany Vladislav on his hunt for his Barbary Sheep. The weather has changed and the sky is almost cloudless. The Atlas Mountains show their different face and we look forward to the upcoming hunting day. Three people from Renauld’s have been out since the early hours of the morning and are scouting the area where we want to hunt today. While we were still having our breakfast, we received the message from the scouting team. A group of seven Aoudad was sighted. We get ready immediately and a few minutes later we are already in the car and on our way to the agreed meeting point. Our scouts are giving Renauld and myself a brief overview of the situation. After only 30 minutes of walking along a snow-covered forest path, we reach a small platform from where we can already see the sheep.
They are on the opposite slope, 600 meters away from us and about 150 meters above us. Together we think about how we can do the best stalk. Cover is plentiful, but the sometimes deep snowpack has its pitfalls. Our stalk begins when we first try to compensate for the difference in altitude. We need a little more than an hour until we are on the same level as the sheep, who don’t move much and let themselves be warmed up by the sun. After another 30 meters of altitude, we now continue our stalk horizontally. Again and again we stop and watch the sheep, which are now slightly below us. Some just remain and others pluck the leaves of the surrounding bushes. We manage to stalk them unnoticed up to a distance of 150 meters. From our location we have a very good overview of the whole group of Barbary sheep. It doesn’t take long for us to select the best ram. He stands alone on a rocky outcrop. It almost looks like he’s overseeing his little kingdom from his throne. Vladislav already has his sights set on him but for now he only shows himself from the front and Vladislav is waiting for his broadside. Moving does not appear to be one of his forte and will test our patience. Finally the long-awaited turn to the right. Now Vladislav has the desired position of the Barbary sheep and he won’t let this chance go away and the shoot break. The ram immediately jumps a few meters further down the valley where he remains lying in the snow, fatally wounded. It’s almost devoutly quiet here.
No one says a word and all eyes are on the ram that has been harvest . It’s hard to describe the emotion of that moment, but the hunter’s wet eyes speak volumes. The first to break this silence is Isbar, the fox terrier from Renauld that always accompanies us. With his barking, he just wants to let us know: Let me finally go to the ram I’ve killed! Of course, not only he but also the shooter now wants to pay his last respects to the Aoudad. The rest is routine as always. A few trophy photos and then the descent and care of the ram that was killed.
Hunting for Aoudad in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco is something very special. A very demanding mountain hunt in a wonderful landscape. With many new impressions, memories and emotions along with fantastic trophies in our luggage, we start our journey home and were able to convince ourselves again that ethical and controlled hunting is a major part for conservation of our wildlife.
