Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Nilgai- Hype or Hard to Kill?

10-4, noted, Thanks Rattler.

Gunner

I have eaten a lot of them and never had a bad one. Blind taste tests were done at the Meats Lab at Texas A&M comparing nilgai with beef and lamb and it came out on top in every category.

Very nice, I'm gonna have to slate the calendar for a Nilgai hunt.

Gunner

I hunted them, and well they can be spooky if they chase them with a truck. I shot mine with a 338 @ 250 gr Nosler Partitions. I took a walk during lunch and spotted a bull by a little pond, the guide was not to angry about it. Because the way they were doing it all morning, never gotten close enough for a shot. That one around 65 yards. dug the bullet out of him when we dressed him out. I say they will die with a good hit with a good bullet out of pretty much any cartridge suitable for deer hunting, leaving the 22's out of it. I hunted with one fellow and he told me a 270 is plenty cartridge for them, just don't go chasing them with a truck. I think riding a horse to cover the ground you have to at times might be a very effective and enjoyable way to hunt them. Don't know way its not done.

I've been on a few nilgai hunts, due to many of the rifle and ammo companies using them as "test hunts" for a while, and inviting some writers down.

The last one was when the Fail Safe bullet was still relatively new, and the .270 WSM was brand new. There were about 15 people all together on the hunt, counting writers and industry people, and the King Ranch guides were all nervous about shooting nilgai with .270's. By the end of the hunt they thought the .270 WSM was one of the best nilgai rounds they'd ever seen.

The funny thing was, the same deal had been done a year or two before with the .300 WSM and 180 Fail Safes. The guides hadn't been all that impressed, and when questioned why they said our group shot better overall. Score another point for bullet placement being the biggie in "killing power." We were each allowed two nilgai on that trip, a bull and cow, so a total of 30 nilgai went into the skinning shed, half of them bulls.

All I've eaten have been excellent, even the big bulls, but apparently I haven't hunted nilgai when the huisache is blooming. For the past couple of years I've been thinking anotgher nilgai in the freezer would be a good thing....

We harvested three last year. One with a 375 H&H using factory ammo. DRT result. Another using a .300 Weatherby and 180 gr. Partition. Good shot placement but required two shots. The last one was harvested using a .300 Winchester mag. with 180 gr. TSX. Good shot placement also but required a second shot. All bulls taken were standing shots, none running. The bull Nilgai hide in the front half is very thick and "elastic". If tracking a wounded Nilgai, this is why sometimes there is not a blood trail. They are very good eating. Try it if given a chance.

Been on a Nilgai hunt twice. Only one was killed (not by me) guy got a complete pass thru with an arrow and it expired about 75 yards later.

A group of us went on a Nilgai hunt a few years back in south Texas on the Ytteria Ranch. (sp)??. Borders the King Ranch. There was 6 of us, and we killed 6 big, mature bulls. Mine was shot with a 338 RUM, 200 grain Nos Partions. High shoulder shot, DRT, no exit. My Dads was shot with a 338 RUM using a 250 grain Swift A Frame. Classic, tight behind the shoulder shot. Bull ran 75 yds and died. Small hole going in, and about a double the diameter exit hole. The other were all shot with 30 caliber rigs and premium bullets. No lost bulls, and no exits. They are big, and very thick hided, but once again, you put it in the right spot, and they will die. I have heard from numerous people that the most of the guides on the King Ranch suck, and start hollering shoot, shoot and running off animals. This is all here say, and I have no experience on the King Ranch. I will say that there was literally hundreds of animals on this ranch that we hunted. The outfitter was Lyndal Laxton and I would recommend this hunt to anyone that is wanting a quality hunt.

Toby Joe