Country star Cody Johnson dropped a huge Transcaspian urial ram at the Covered S Ranch in Texas this week, an animal he says landed him in the Safari Club International (SCI) record books. The ram, a high-horned exotic animal native to Central Asia, was taken on the ranch’s 3,000-acre high-fence preserve near Snyder during a hunt coordinated by longtime friend Patrick Smith and guided by ranch staff.
Johnson thanked Smith for making the introduction to ranch owner Chet Pharies, calling the hunt “my greatest hunting accomplishment so far in my life.”
“I never thought in a million years that I would hold a world record, and I’m so grateful not only to Patrick and Chet, but to Mark and Andrew at the Covered S ranch for their hard work and preparation that made this hunt possible,” Johnson said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
The Covered S Ranch echoed the excitement on its own social channels, writing, “COJO and a new world record! — This is truly a magnificent Transcaspian Urial ram of a lifetime.”
Set in mesquite country, Covered S Ranch sprawls across 30,000 acres of cattle land. It features a 3,000-acre high-fence preserve located on Flat Top Mesa, offering hunting opportunities for exotic species such as blackbuck, gemsbok, ibex, markhor, scimitar-horned oryx, white-bearded wildebeest, and Transcaspian urial. Hunters can choose from spot-and-stalk methods or opt to hunt from a blind or high rack. They can even varmint hunt from the ranch’s helicopter.
The Transcaspian urial is not native to the Lone Star State, but arrived there through the state’s exotic game hunting industry. These wild sheep naturally call Central Asia home, with a home range stretching from Iran to Kazakhstan, where the species is considered vulnerable due to poaching and habitat loss.
Urials have taken to Texas like fish to water. The dry, rocky country feels a lot like their home turf in Central Asia, and the ranches here have helped the species thrive outside its native range.
The High-Fence Hunting Debate Continues
While Johnson’s ram is undeniably impressive, not everyone is cheering. As soon as photos of the ram hit social media, critics started crawling out of the internet woodwork.
“World records should only be set when the animal is in its wild, native habitat,” one critic wrote.
“I feel like 'hunt' is being used super loosely here,” wrote another.
That debate is nothing new. Texas is full of high-fence outfits running exotics and big-antlered whitetails. Hunters have been divided for decades on whether those expensive pay-to-play hunts should carry the same weight as a free-range trophy. Regardless, SCI keeps the record books, and they include high-fence animals, whereas they are excluded by other organizations like Boone and Crockett, but only if the hunter adheres to specific requirements that meet SCI fair-chase standards.
At the end of the day, Cody Johnson’s massive Transcaspian urial ram is part bragging rights, part record-book trophy, and part of the conversation- and controversy-starter surrounding exotic hunting in the United States. Some folks will see it as a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, others will see it as nothing more than pricy, high-fence target shooting. Either way, it gives us something to argue about around the campfire.
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