The country music star bagged a world-record Transcaspian urial ram in Texas, adding fire to the high-fence hunting debate.<\/p>\n
PublishedSeptember 9, 2025 3:25 PM EDT\u2022UpdatedSeptember 9, 2025 3:19 PM EDT<\/p>\n
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Cody Johnson is now a world record-holding hunter.<\/p>\n
The country music<\/a> star recently took down a massive Transcaspian urial ram at the Covered S Ranch near Snyder, Texas \u2014 a hunt that landed him in the Safari Club International (SCI) record books.<\/p>\n “I never thought in a million years that I would hold a world record,” Johnson wrote on Instagram<\/a>. “And I\u2019m so grateful not only to Patrick [Smith] and Chet [Pharies], but to Mark and Andrew at the Covered S Ranch for their hard work and preparation that made this hunt possible.”<\/p>\n Johnson called it “my greatest hunting<\/a> accomplishment so far in my life,” and referred to the trip as “the hunting experience of a lifetime.”<\/p>\n The Transcaspian urial is native to Central and South Asia, with a natural range from Iran to Kazakhstan. The species has been successfully introduced on a number of Texas ranches, including the 3,000-acre high-fence preserve at Covered S, where the dry, rocky terrain mirrors its original habitat.<\/p>\n Pack your bags, football fans! OutKick is sending one lucky winner and a friend to Athens for Georgia vs. Alabama. Travel\u2019s on us, VIP tickets in hand, and bragging rights for life. Enter Now!<\/a><\/p>\n The Covered S Ranch posted its own congratulations<\/a>, calling the ram “truly a magnificent Transcaspian Urial ram of a lifetime.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Of course, social media being social media, not everyone was thrilled. Critics were quick to chime in with comments like, “World records should only be set when the animal is in its wild, native habitat,” and “I feel like \u2018hunt\u2019 is being used super loosely here.”<\/p>\n Welcome to the high-fence hunting debate.<\/p>\n While exotic, high-fence hunts are legal and regulated in Texas, they\u2019ve long sparked debate within the hunting community. Some see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on private land. Others argue that record-book animals should be taken on free-range, fair-chase terms. SCI accepts certain high-fence hunts into its record book, provided they meet strict fair-chase criteria. Other organizations, like Boone and Crockett, do not.<\/p>\n In other words: it depends on who you ask.<\/p>\n Either way, Cody Johnson walked away with a world-record trophy.<\/p>\n Love all things hunting and outdoors? Follow OutKick Outdoors on Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a>!<\/p>\n