PORT ARTHUR — The Texas Hill Country has a wild, new resident.

Thanks to rancher and exotic hunting innovator Thompson Temple, a new breed of exotic sheep is part of the diverse fauna of the region.

It is called the “Hill Country Bighorn”.

Thirty years ago Temple attempted to create a bignhorn-mouflon hybrid that would be able to live in the rocky regions of Central Texas.

“The problem is bighorns have very poor immune systems so when they get close to domestic sheep they can die. The first experiment did not work out but the Lord blessed me with a unique opportunity in recent years,” Temple said.

According to Temple, Milt Sanburg of Montrose, Co. had a herd of mouflon sheep. Rocky Mountain bighorn rams from the nearby national forest periodically came over and bred a number of ewes. The result was 10 to 15 rams and ewes that were 1/2 bighorn and 1/2 mouflon.

“The rams were very impressive,” Temple said.

“Alan Baier of Collbran, Co. and myself met with the Colorado Fish and Game. They were anxious to get the crossbreeds out of Colorado. An agreement was reached to transport the sheep to my ranch in Texas.”

In recent years, Temple began replacing the mouflon portion of the sheep with a larger breed of sheep- Stumberg Sheep.  

“I have also purchased Urial rams to do the same thing. The results have been fantastic. Heavy bodied rams with large thick horns have been harvested,” Temple said.

True bighorns whether they are the desert or Rocky Mountain variety are extremely expensive to hunt. Hunters pay upwards of $20,000 (and in some instances much more) or draw tags in a lottery system to pursue these prized animals.

“I wanted to create a bighorn that is affordable for anyone. We have had only a limited number available because our herd is still growing but these cost a mere fraction of what a typical bighorn would cost,” Temple said.

I spent last Saturday at Temple’s ranch in Real County and was amazed at how wary these sheep are in comparison to corsicans that were present for example. Most ram species hunted in Texas range from only semi wary to truly wild.

These Hill Country bighorns were extremely wild.

During my brief stay, it was impossible to get photos of them on the main ranch but even in the breeding pen, they ran into their hiding area as soon as I walked up. This trait will make them a worthy quarry and give them the ability to elude predators like cougars and coyotes.

Texas hunters are blessed to have more than three dozen species of exotic animals to hunt 365 days a year in Texas. I have always been a fan of the rams because of their regal beauty and because when the meat is handled correctly, it is great on the pit.

Hunting opportunities for these animals are limited at this point but Temple’s herd is growing and within the next decade, they will likely become one of Texas’ most sought after exotics.

Encountering them in person was fascinating and I am excited there is a bighorn available for the average hunter.

  For more information on Hill Country Bighorns, call Thompson Temple at 830-486-6702.



(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at cmooreoutdoors@yahoo.com. You can hear him on "Moore Outdoors" Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI. you can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/extremewildlife.)