If you have a rifle and a spare helicopter, it’s about to be hunting season in Texas. Starting September 1st, Texan hunters will be allowed to shoot aoudad sheep from helicopters, a method previously limited to feral hogs and coyotes. Lawmakers say the North African imports, introduced in the 1950s, now overgraze drought-hit rangeland, bulldoze fences, crowd out native wildlife, and can spread disease to bighorn sheep.
Ranchers welcome the move, noting chopper services cost about $1,000 an hour and trophy hunts already run several thousand dollars on foot. Outfitters add that hunters may now keep carcasses recovered from the aerial shoots, turning pest control into a high-priced sport. Critics doubt weekend flights will thin herds enough, but supporters argue every animal taken eases pressure on fragile West Texas habitats.
Source: Texas Tribune
