US EditionTexas legalizes shooting invasive sheep from a helicopter for sport
- Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1245 in May, allowing hunters to shoot aoudads from helicopters starting September 1 to control the invasive sheep population.
- The bill responds to the large and expanding aoudad population, introduced in 1957 in Armstrong County, which harms native species and competes for scarce resources.
- Aerial hunting joined feral hogs and coyotes in Texas’ wildlife permit system, aiming to reduce the damage aoudads cause to grazing lands and ranch management.
- More than 30,000 aoudads roam Texas, carrying harmful bacteria and impacting native species, while a 2019 USDA study found helicopter hunting reduced hog populations by 31%.
- This new management tool may help control aoudads but complete eradication remains unlikely, as experts say reducing their impact requires more measures beyond public hunting.
13 Articles
13 Articles
The Berberia sheep are huge beasts with large half-moon-shaped horns and a mane that covers them from the base of the neck to the stomach. Also known as aoudads, these animals originate from the mountains of North Africa. In the 1950s, they were brought to western Texas. Seventy years later, farmers and ranchers claim that the sheep is an invasive species that devours all vegetation and competes for resources with Texas native grazing animals, s…
Officials issue warning over unexpected threat to state park: 'Their damage can't really be contained'
Invasive species are causing devastating damage to Tyler State Park in Texas. What's happening? New reporting by KLTV revealed the worsening problems from invasive species in the park. The culprits are feral hogs and pine sawyer beetles. The beetles were found to be eating the local pine trees, causing major damage and stripping the bark away from the trunks. The hogs have annually caused $500 million in damages across Texas, largely because of …
Houston Chronicle
Texas legalizes shooting invasive sheep from a helicopter for sport
Aoudad sheep are joining the short list of animals Texas lawmakers allow to be shot from a helicopter for sport, along with coyotes and feral hogs.
Texas Adds Aoudad to the List of Animals You Can Hunt from Helicopters
Lone Star lawmakers recently added aoudads to the list of animals hunters can shoot from helicopters in Texas as part of a management tool to aid in the ongoing fight against the invasive sheep. Senate Bill 1245, which passed both state legislative chambers and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, will go into effect Sept. 1. The bill expands Texas’ aerial wildlife management permit system, which previously only listed feral hogs and…
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