# Pictures of our Desert Bighorn hybrids



## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

Here are a few pictures of our Desert Bighorn Hybrids. These sheep are 6/8 Bighorn and 2/8 European Mouflon. We had Texas A&M University head the project when we bred them.

I just thought I would share a few pictures being as you don't see animals like this every day.


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## jtburf (May 26, 2004)

Very neat how the Ram in the first picture far left curls inward. how long before you can hunt them?

John


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

Beautiful animals. Can't really see their coloration, but looks like some have the white on their sides like mouflon. Can I ask why you cross bred them? Just to hunt for the horn size? Why not just the straight big horn?

The ram on the left, with the curled in horns, is the more typical shape of the mouflon. The big one in the middle with the straight down horns is a BOSS and has the typical big horn shape.


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

Very cool, what are the long term goals for the rams?


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## DadSaid (Apr 4, 2006)

Wow... That's very impressive. Thanks for sharing


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## WildThings (Jan 2, 2007)

I think those are really cool as long as they don't interbreed with pure strain BHs in the wild


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## ROBOWADER (May 22, 2004)

Pretty cool looking animals but tell us more about the project........why did you do this? What are the long term goals?


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## Cynoscion (Jun 4, 2009)

Very impressive! Especially to someone who dreams of hunting "real" sheep but knows it is WAY out of his league. I assume these are in Texas and will be huntable at some point? Be sure and keep us posted as to when this may be and the pricing b/c I may be interested in the new "poor man's bighorn".


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## bigfishtx (Jul 17, 2007)

Since they are Hybrids they will not be protected federally?


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## elkhunter49 (Jun 7, 2004)

Those look incredible Robert!


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

Great pics, looks like some are about 4-6 yrs old


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

Sorry I must have got side tracked when initial posting this. I must have been thinking about my Desert Bighorn Hunts for sale.

These sheep are a cross between Rocky Mt. Bighorn and European Mouflon. We have most at 6/8 Bighorn right now. 

Our goal is to produce a sheep to hunt that's as close to a bighorn as possible. Just for a fraction of the cost though. 

These sheep are hybrids therefore no restrictions on them. 

In previous years we have harvested a total of 3 Rams. 

Yes these Rams are in the TX Hill Country. That also means no possible way for them to breed the pure wild bighorns.


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## duhunter (Nov 17, 2009)

I wonder what you would get if you mixed a little Ibex in there too!


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## bigfishtx (Jul 17, 2007)

duhunter said:


> I wonder what you would get if you mixed a little Ibex in there too!


Sterile offspring


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

duhunter said:


> I wonder what you would get if you mixed a little Ibex in there too!


You would not be able to mix Ibex with them.


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## bigfishtx (Jul 17, 2007)

Robert Stuart said:


> You would not be able to mix Ibex with them.


AI maybe. Remember the outfit that crossed zebras and giraffs?

No doubt that hybrid is far enough apart in the gene pool to be sterile though. There are not too many mule breeder studs around.


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

bigfishtx said:


> AI maybe. Remember the outfit that crossed zebras and giraffs?
> 
> No doubt that hybrid is far enough apart in the gene pool to be sterile though. There are not too many mule breeder studs around.


I doubt even with AI you can.

There has been allot of people try to hybridize some stuff like that. No one has yet to be successful


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

Congrats, looks like you may have found a cash cow... or Ram.


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## Whitecrow (May 26, 2004)

Didn't Thompson Temple attempt some sort of desert bighorn cross years ago?? Seems like it didn't work out well for him, IIRC. Need to cross them with something that tastes good.....


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

Whitecrow said:


> Didn't Thompson Temple attempt some sort of desert bighorn cross years ago?? Seems like it didn't work out well for him, IIRC. Need to cross them with something that tastes good.....


Yes he actually did successfully crossbreed them.

He had a few sheep turn out ok. They were not quite high % of Bighorn as these Rams are.


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## jtburf (May 26, 2004)

Good luck with them, its neat.

John


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)




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## backlashingcooger (Aug 2, 2006)

http://www.hillcountrybighorns.com/


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

backlashingcooger said:


> http://www.hillcountrybighorns.com/


My sheep are the only ones proven and have papers to back up their % of Bighorn they are.

Our sheep are much larger as well.


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## Cynoscion (Jun 4, 2009)

I will say that your pics are more impressive animals than in the link posted above.


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)




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## Capt. Marcus Canales (Aug 25, 2005)

Beautiful, Robert! Congrats!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk


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## Captn C (May 21, 2004)

Cynoscion said:


> I will say that your pics are more impressive animals than in the link posted above.


I don't know...that one that has been photo-shopped looked pretty!


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

Captn C said:


> I don't know...that one that has been photo-shopped looked pretty!


No photo shop needed


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## Captn C (May 21, 2004)

Robert Stuart said:


> No photo shop needed


LOL I see that...good looking animals! :walkingsm

But you have to admit...that was about the worst photo-shop ever! Looks more like something out of a scary movie! LOL


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

first thing is to treat any and all aoudads the same as a moz terrorist...
shoot w/predudice... gut-shot, butt-shot, don't matter...
then get the Moulf out...
we could have bighorns west of Del Rio by now were the aoudads gone.


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

kweber said:


> first thing is to treat any and all aoudads the same as a moz terrorist...
> shoot w/predudice... gut-shot, butt-shot, don't matter...
> then get the Moulf out...
> we could have bighorns west of Del Rio by now were the aoudads gone.


I don't think your post has much relevance to the initial post.

These are located in Camp Verde, TX in a H/F ranch

So there is no bighorns are besides the 6/8 hybrid Rams.

Yes Bighorns could thrive all over the state if there was no competition.

It would take allot of sheep to repopulate from Del Rio to further west.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

maybe not...
but if your goal is pure bighorn released to free range, it could be..
if it's just hi-fence hunting, then, no.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambouillet_sheep
these sheep ( which we ran for many yrs) accounted for the 
demise of native bighorns...ranchers eliminated native sheep to preserve their wool sheep.
aoudads also out-compete and push off BH which is why BH populations in WTx are slow to recover after the sheep industry has declined.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

and BTW, your bucks are dang nice....
now breed the Mouf out


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

That's our plan we are going todo an embryo breeding program. We will have some that should be 7/8 Bighorn and be as close as possible to being pure. When we complete that project. 

Any time you cross something with a European Mouflon. The traits heavily favors the mouflon. It's just a really strong trait. 

So if we can get 7/8 bighorn it's should really resemble them allot.

I would love to get 100% pure herd to raise in a H/F. 

I do believe sometime in the near future with these hybrids and crossing them back to pure bighorn. We will end up with some that are pretty much Pure.


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)




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