Suddenly, the crash of brush and the scratch of gravel broke the silence. I looked over to the side of the trail to see three aoudad rams that had just come up out of a draw not 40 yards away. Instinctively I raised my camera, only to realize that I had a wide-angle lens. My telephoto lens was in my bag, which the rams had just passed at the top of the draw. So I just stood quietly and watched the magnificent animals work their way up the rocks to the top of the ridge.
Aoudad sheep are common sights along the trail.
Introduced by landowners in 1957, the species has since flourished and competes with native wildlife for precious food and water resources. Though their existence is controversial, mature aoudads are an impressive sight. Mule deer and white-tailed deer, their chief rivals for food, also are seen frequently, along with raccoons, bobcats, coyotes, porcupines, opossums and foxes. Birders have observed more than 175 species, including bobwhite quail, turkeys, several different types of hawks and golden eagles. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Clarity Tunnel was the last active railroad tunnel in Texas and now is home to a colony of Brazilian free-tailed bats.