Meet The Crew // Finding Your Passion with Roberto Aguiar

Finding your passion can come at any age. Realizing it can not only become your career and way of life is the secret to happiness.

Roberto Aguiar grew up in the historic city of Loreto nestled on Mexico’s beautiful Baja California Peninsula, on the Gulf of California. Known for it’s colonial buildings, and 17th-century church, the Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto, it’s coastal islands and waters of Bahía de Loreto National Park are home to dolphins, whales and pelicans. The city is backed by the Sierra de la Giganta Mountain Range, where trails lead to prehistoric cave paintings. Loreto, Baja California Sur, was the first Spanish colonial city on the Baja Peninsula, and the home of many Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries. You can glimpse the city’s past as you wander down cobblestone streets surrounded by colonial architecture in the downtown centre. It is where we welcome you to come pursue Desert Sheep with this ace guide.

The terrain is steep and made up of sand paper like rock that crumbles beneath your feet. Unlike the other three North American Sheep, these dark horned rams can be found anywhere from the flats foraging on the abundant feed, to the mountain tops of these beautiful coastal ranges with some of the most picturesque back drops.

For a young Roberto, growing up rurally allowed him to nurture his passion for the outdoors and hone his work ethic from the start. And as fate would have it, it would also be where he found his true calling.

As children, we idolize our parents. For Roberto, he watched as his father provided for his family with hunting and agriculture, and took a keen interest in when his father began guiding clients on Desert Sheep hunts.

“My Dad used to hunt a black tail deer down here just for the meat. And then when I was eight years old he took me on my very first hunt. He would kill a buck, nothing big, but it didn’t have to be- it was for food. But I was so exited to be there with him, and I thought this fun. Pretty soon, everything time he would go, I got to go hunting with him too. When I was 12 years old I was able to kill my fist deer with a 30-30. 

At the time my Dad was guiding sheep hunt in North Baja. Every season that I can remember I would ask him, ‘Dad when will you take me there?’ I really wanted to hunt sheep next, and my Dad kept saying “One day son, one day. You have to finish your school first.” At this time, I knew I wanted to be a guide just like my Dad. I remember the day finally came when I was in middle school and my Dad came to talk to my teacher. He spoke to the teacher about my dream, and he told him I have to take my son out to the mountains. I was just 13 years old!” 

From the moment that Roberto first spotted a group of sheep, he remembers being so impressed and in awe of them. It was his dream come true to be there with his father. Watching them interact, getting to see where they lived, and learn about field judging and why it was so important to know as a guide made the whole aspect of the hunt that much more challenging, but also, that much more rewarding. Being able to hunt and learn from his father was not only life changing, but instilled a lifelong passion for the animals they pursued and the lifestyle that meant so much more to them as a whole. 

“Sheep hunting means a lot to me. Just to be out in contact with the nature, breathing that fresh air that only you find out there in the mountains. You have to push your body and mind to their limits, and the feeling of victory when your client meets his/her goal is unreal. It feels like there are no limits if you work hard and don’t give up. I have to say your clients are like clients in the first couple hours as you get to know each other. After that,  they become your friends. You get to make hunting memories with these incredible people that you will never forget. That is the best experience I believe.  

This lifestyle means that I now have a lot of friends everywhere. That would never happen with out this job. It makes the world seem small, and I can’t wait till the next season to see my friends, meet new people and to make a new friends.

In my opinion to hunt Desert Sheep in Mexico you have to be prepared to deal with everything; the rough terrain, cactus, scorpions, snakes and be prepared for pretty hot weather. There isn’t much water around, and you have to carry your own rations. The Baja Mexico is a real hunt and is completely rustic as compared to other places in Mexico.” 

“The sheep population here is totally wild. Part of the money is used for conservation with the tag process. And just like anywhere else in the world, we deal with illegal Mexican hunters, or illegally guided rams that go to people from other countries. Without the hunts, the sheep wouldn’t have any economic value, and we could lose the population.”

“After that first hunt for Desert Sheep with my father, I began working with him every chance I could. I worked with my Dad for many years before I started guiding. It was when I was twenty-six that I took my first hunter, who has now become a good friend, Dustin Roe. Before this experience I thought I was ready to be a guide. At the same time, after our hunt I also came to the conclusion that I still had a lot to learn! First thing, was to learn the language (English), to invest in better gear, how to make a good plan for the hunt, and how to make sure I had total preparation like how much water, food etc we will need. All of the little things that make a hunt easy or hard.”

“I was so nervous just knowing I was guiding a professional guide! That was the worst, but we became friends and Dustin trusted me to hunt together. I didn’t want to make a mistake, and we got pretty lucky when I found a really big ram. When I spotted this big guy, I remember thinking ‘Okay, Roberto, you can do this!’ It was an awesome experience working through our communication barriers to make this hunt happen. When Dustin killed his ram, and it wasn’t just a ram, but a big one, that was the best feeling in the world. There were no words to explain how I felt. I was guiding one of the best sheep guides, and we were just successful on a ram that was my first solo trip. That felt incredible!”

A team is only as good as its’ members.Having some who is so passionate and talented to help our clients hunt sheep down in the Baja makes it an easy decision to work with someone like Roberto. You can’t fake enthusiasm, and you certainly can’t negate someone when they are so committed to the client and area. If you are hunting with us, you are in for a real treat when Roberto is in your camp.

As the years progressed, all of the things that we learn to think of in preparation become like second nature. But it is those first few seasons that we really are in the training ground. Of course we are learning every day that we are in the field, but as time and experience come together, certain routines begin to establish themselves. Finding a system and a plan to hunt an area the best way we can, making sure that clients are cared for and in good spirits, and utilizing some of the best gear in the industry makes our job as guides that much more enjoyable and makes us more prepared. Our gear is more than a product a company is selling. It’s design goes through a rigorous field testing process, and we cut our teeth with these tools that make our lives easier or more enjoyable. Stay tuned for next week when we recap some of the gear we use on an international basis that keeps us dry, organized and on top of our game.

Outfitter Fact: HUNTING AS A TOOL FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION – THE CASE OF SHEEP HUNTING IN MEXICO, Excerpt from Raymond Lee (Past President/CEO, Wild Sheep Foundation), Best Practices in Sustainable Hunting (2008) pp. 53–58.

Pre-settlement bighorn sheep numbers in Mexico were large; however, the population did not fare well in the face of human activities. Bighorn sheep numbers decreased to the point that bighorn sheep hunting was closed in 1922. Standardized surveys were started in 1993, and hunting was reopened in two states in 1995. The Wild Sheep Foundation is the world’s primary wild sheep conservation organization. One of the ways that the Foundation raises funds is by auctioning wild sheep hunting permits. The Foundation has developed conservation programs in two states of Mexico. Since 1996, 77 permits have been sold for USD 5,626,175. The local communities also derive jobs, a source of self-respect, from these programs. Wild sheep are now their principal source of income.