Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire hunting abandoned farm animals

You never know. I'd hate to be skinning said Bovine when the rancher approached with several of his hands. Would likely be quite a tense situation.

I would not want to eat a feral sheep.

someone told me there are few abandoned sheeps on BLM or other public lands and we can shoot/take them any time.

assuming animals are abandoned, is it legal to take them? i don't want to call Idaho Fish and Game because i trust you more.

Jim;
Good afternoon, I hope that this first day of the month/last day of the week finds you and all of your fine family well.

In ancient times, I want to say the mid '80's, I was hunting for Columbia Blacktail on one of the Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and Washington.

My hunting partner used to live there and knew some of the locals so we had a bit of an in on some private land. The local fellow upon whose couches and floor we crashed, mentioned to my friend that the local feral sheep had been spotted recently by the outfit logging the chunk of land we'd be hunting.

There was some animated discussion regarding a couple instances where locals had attempted to eat one and found it much less than a satisfying culinary experience.

Sure enough, early the next morning as we were easing into the spot, I spied what looked like a blackberry bush moving slowly along or perhaps something in a homemade ghillie suit. Upon further examination with binos, we both spied the roughest looking unshorn, long tailed mess of a sheep one can imagine.

Even now as I type this Jim, I shake my head at how, well filthy and disheveled this thing looked.

Both of us wondered aloud just how hungry one might have to be to kill and attempt to eat it.

We also wondered if some sheep shed their wool naturally or if they just got so heavy eventually they couldn't stand.

In the back of my mind I want to say this thing looked like there were maybe patches of wool missing, but I might be totally wrong about that too Jim, as there's been a whole lot of memories made and lost since that hunt.

All the best to the OP in his quest for feral mutton for sure, though I'd love to hear if it's edible or not.

Best to you all.

Dwayne

I would not want to eat a feral sheep.

About all those abandoned donkeys and horses....

Hate to bust your bubble, but those critters you see wandering round on public land belong to someone

They are the ancestors of someone's livestock.

A friend who is a part time game warden (or the local equivalent) in New Zealand tells a story about trying to cull a feral sheep in his area of responsibility. It absorbed multiple hits from 12 gauge slugs with little apparent damage other than getting knocked down with every hit, and was finally put down by a .222 round to the head. They found the shotgun slugs imbedded in the thickly matted wool- - - -not a one had made it under the skin, let alone hit anything vital.

At the resort in Utah, which my daughter is employed, there had been several sightings of a loose Bovine. Within two hours of her Facebook post stating such, a rancher rolled up with three shepherds and a trailer full of saddled horses. He said it was his bull & had been missing for quite a while.

You never know. I'd hate to be skinning said Bovine when the rancher approached with several of his hands. Would likely be quite a tense situation.

Jim;
Good afternoon, I hope that this first day of the month/last day of the week finds you and all of your fine family well.

In ancient times, I want to say the mid '80's, I was hunting for Columbia Blacktail on one of the Gulf Islands between Vancouver Island and Washington.

My hunting partner used to live there and knew some of the locals so we had a bit of an in on some private land. The local fellow upon whose couches and floor we crashed, mentioned to my friend that the local feral sheep had been spotted recently by the outfit logging the chunk of land we'd be hunting.

There was some animated discussion regarding a couple instances where locals had attempted to eat one and found it much less than a satisfying culinary experience.

Sure enough, early the next morning as we were easing into the spot, I spied what looked like a blackberry bush moving slowly along or perhaps something in a homemade ghillie suit. Upon further examination with binos, we both spied the roughest looking unshorn, long tailed mess of a sheep one can imagine.

Even now as I type this Jim, I shake my head at how, well filthy and disheveled this thing looked.

Both of us wondered aloud just how hungry one might have to be to kill and attempt to eat it.

We also wondered if some sheep shed their wool naturally or if they just got so heavy eventually they couldn't stand.

In the back of my mind I want to say this thing looked like there were maybe patches of wool missing, but I might be totally wrong about that too Jim, as there's been a whole lot of memories made and lost since that hunt.

All the best to the OP in his quest for feral mutton for sure, though I'd love to hear if it's edible or not.

Best to you all.

Dwayne

Cows gotta be stump broke! All you need is a pair of rubber boots for sheep.