Oryx Hunt

[beerman3133]

I have drawn an oryx tag on White Sands Missile Range, the Rhodes Canyon hunt. I am wondering if my 50 Cal is up to the task? This is a once in a lifetime hunt, and do not want to take a risk of wounding an animal, and not recovering it. My backup plan is a 45-70 stoked with Goex, and a 420gr bullet. Been a while since I have had the time to cruise around here, seems between work, church, and teenagers I have no time. Thanks for the inputs.

Dave

 

[John Wasmuth]

Yes sir, a .50 will do it, providing you keep your shots with in a respectable range, and have that .45/70 within arms reach. They can be pretty rank and the game wardens up there have a lot of respect for them, as do the local Police down in El Paso, as they tend to drift into the north east portion of the county on the Texas side and cause mishaps with vehicles. They can gut a jeep real quick. Good luck and have a blast!

 

[BrownBear]

I haven't hunted them, but have been around them several times while hiking in the monument. I'm guessing 50 cal RB would work within its range, but the last part would be my concern: Getting within range. As you probably know distances can stretch out there. But if you could find a group that wasn't moving, good stalking skill would take care of distance concerns out in the wide open. Stalking is the most enjoyable part of a hunt to me, so I'd be looking forward to yours with more than a little excitement.

 

[Pearson]

Watch out, those suckers are aggressive. Had one charge our truck, and another that charged a Dodge Ram head on and took itself and the truck out. Good luck!
Mike

 

[Britsmoothy]

yep, from what I have read thems mean, maybe if you get them curious you won't have a range problem at all :thumbsup:

 

[bigbore442001]

I'd querry some people in the fish and game department as to what methods would work. Having been to New Mexico and hunted there as well, I would have to say that the open spaces will be the most challenging part. It would be a shame if the closest you can get to an oryx is about 200+ yards.

I am not sure about their temperment. I suspect that on a game ranch such as the YO and others like it the animals may not have a healthy fear of man. These animals are free ranging and may be quite wary.

If I were to hunt such an animal I would do the following.

1. Practice with the most accurate load out of my rifle as much as possible. I would shoot with in the field positions out to 125 yards or so.

2. I'd install a set of peep sights on the gun. I suspect that you wont have any optics so a fine set of peeps will be the best thing.

3. I tend to think out of the box, so bear with me on this idea. I successfully bagged a nice record book antelope using a handgun in that state many years ago. To get close enough in that terrain we stalked within range using a plywood cut out of a cow. Being rangeland the antelope didn't associate cattle with danger. I wonder if you could do the same . In fact, make an oryx cut out, so to speak. Use it as a sheild to stalk within an acceptable range.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

Thats an awesome place to hunt! My brother in law and a friend went there last year. Prepare for a LONG shot! My brother in law was telling me that they chased them all over the place and had to settle for a 300 yard shot. They couldnt get closer than that without the herd seeing them crawling on their bellies.

 

[Bill Hall]

50 cal, they'll give you an idea of how hard these animals are to kill at your pre-hunt meeting, along with a diagram of their vitals and the best shot placement.
Many of my family and friends have made good shots with '06's and .270's, only to lose the animal or have a two or three hour stalk to finally place the killing shot. The bottom line is, they are just really really hard to kill, so don't expect a knock-down shot, and do expect to do alot of tracking after the shot. Good luck, Bill

 

[beerman3133]

I am familiar with the area that I am hunting, I used to work out there on occasion. There is not a lot of wide open, there is a lot of mesquite and greasewood, most of it varying from 4 to 8 feet tall. They can be quite hard to spot, and they have thinned the herd quite a bit in the last year or so. I may have to take a dove hunting expedition out there in Sept., no scouting allowed, but if you have a range badge you can hunt small game out there when the seasons are open, I will check my map and see if it is an open area. They move around a good bit, and can be unreliable from week to week, I have seen some nice sized bulls out there, and then nada for weeks. I may have to rethink my choice of weapon, I am sure my 300 Win Mag will get the job done, it has accounted for caribou and grizzly bear, so it may get the call again. Thank you for all of the inputs.

Dave

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks." Thomas Jefferson

 

[cptleo1]

I think a .54 would be better given the size of the animals involved.

That being said, a double lung from either would do the trick.

The best advice offered here is about adding the peep sight.

With my Hawken I increased my effective range by 60 yds.

With some serious practice with the peep/Hawken I think 150+ yds effective range (with a .54) is possible.

Figuring the wind actually would take more practice than the trajectory.

Seems to me there are several members here from Africa. Seek them out for some experienced advice.

IMHO

Leo

 

[paulvallandigham]

Stalking is a needed skill. Move when their heads are down. Stop when the tails twitch indicating they are about to lift their heads.

Use a decoy- it doesn't have to be life size-- to cover your movement. ( They don't have binocular vision which helps them tell distance or size. That is why they tend to run when they have any doubt about anything.)

Move smoothly, and Not in sudden Jerks. Its the sudden movements that they pick up on, and will cause them to run.

There is a reason Whites described stalking as " putting the Indian on him". Indians learn stalking skills as small boys, in order to help feed their families, and tribe. The better stalkers were also more likely to come home with game. Their status in the family and tribe rose accordingly.

Use all available cover to conceal you movement.

Take your time. Remember that these animals also use the vibrations they feel through their hooves to tell them when a predator is close. Unlock those knees and "GLIDE "your feet along, rather than stomping around like you normally do.

Use the Foxwalk, if you are walking( more than 50 yards from your prey) You keep your knees unlocked, which shifts the weight to your rear foot. When you place your foot down, put the outside edge of the foot or shoe( boot) down first, then slowly rotate the foot so it is flat on the ground. If you feel a stick, or something else underfoot that will hurt, or make you stumble, or make noise when you put your weight down, MOVE YOUR FOOT! Only when the foot is parallel to the ground do you shift your weight slowly from your rear foot to the forward foot.

If you get as close as 50 yards, you should have a good shot. If you need to get closer, that is when you crawl behind that decoy. Never stand up during a stalk, unless you have a very large tree to hide behind while you do so. You should be bent at the waist, and walking with bent knees, NO FASTER than the prey walks while grazing. Choose an approach path that angles towards the prey, rather than moves directly towards them.

Your Normal walk involves slamming the heel of your shoes down first, and then moving the weight forward to the rest of your foot. Its that initial slam of your weight on that heel that sends out the alert to all animals who " listen " to their feet! :shocked2: :hatsoff:

Always read the winds. Stay downwind of the quarry. Use plants and dirt in the area to mask your scent. Baking soda can mask odors well, and is cheap to buy. Dust from your crotch down, because that is the normal scent " zone " of prey species.

 

[NMRog]

I havent drawn an oryx tag yet, but most of my freinds have hunted them on the range. From what they have all told me 200 yards is a close shot on that hunt.

 

[beerman3133]

I have a co-worker who managed to get one with one of them new fangled wheelie bows, but I would agree that getting close will be a huge challenge, I have hunted for years with traditional archery tackle, with a self imposed 25 yard limit, so I know all about getting close, and how difficult it can be.

Dave

 

[paulvallandigham]

There is a difference between " Hunting " and " Shooting " that many people don't understand. If you are hunting with a bow and arrow, you understand. If you are going to hunt with any primitive weapon, then you are going to spend a lot of time honing your skills as a HUNTER. The vast majority of people who get tags consider an hour a year at the range shooting their rifle with half a box of shells is all the " Training " they need to do to become a hunter. They rarely have a clue. :nono: :thumbsup:

 

[renovato]

A .50 will do the job if you can get close. I have a friend who took one with a .30-30. Getting close is the problem. My friend lives on land east of El Paso. His land butts up against McGregor Range and oryx come into the area occasionally. He took another recently with a .45-70.

If White Sands doesn't work out for you, get to know some landowners east of El Paso and see if they'll let you hunt their land. A lot of local folks have been taking them regularly. I've tried a few times but luck wasn't with me. I think I'm going to "downgrade" to a conical for the extra range, just in case I do get a chance at one. Seems a close shot is a pretty rare occurance.

 

[beerman3133]

Well I picked up a box of T/C Maxi-Balls, 370gr. Going to give them a try and see how they do. Anyone know about when the Maxi or conical became commonplace? I do like tradition, but I am not totally hung up on an exact timeline, the range and, speed of loading are still pretty primitive even with a more modern projectile. The delivered energy increase is needed in this case, I still plan on shooting RB, especially for deer and rabbit, the larger projectile should help out when it comes to the bigger game, such as elk, and God willing, moose again someday. Thanks again for all of the replies.

Dave

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks." Thomas Jefferson

 

[paulvallandigham]

1840s is when flat base conicals began being used. Minie balls- or hollow based conicals-- were invented by a Frenchman in the 1840s. And, of course, the advent of percussion ignition hastened the adoption of the conicals, too. While the first percussion cap design is in some dispute, its believed to have been invented in the 1820s, but did not receive popular interest until the 1840s. Some American units in the Mexican War of 1845-46 were armed with percussion rifles shooting conicals. :thumbsup:

 

[beerman3133]

Thank you, trying now to find a reasonably priced mould.

Dave

 

[BrownBear]

Among my circle of friends this one is emerging as the premier hunting bullet. They're accurate as sin in all but slow twist guns, and that big flat nose really smacks any game it connects with. If you're concerned about killing power and longer ranges, I'd sure give it a look-see. You can get much the same bullet in the Hornady Great Plains if you want to try some before buying a mould.