Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Nilgai hunt

I have been invited to go on a Nilgai hunt next weekend. Need some advice as although I have seen them in the wild, I have never shot at one. Understand they are very hard to knock down and due to their thick skin, don�t leave much of a blood trail.

My question relates to shot placement. I will be using my 338 WM with 210 gr Nosler partition bullets. No time to work up another load but I expect these to work if placed correctly. Range will be around 200 yds or more. Mostly more as cover is sparse due to low rainfall this year.

I hope to take a cow. This will be a meat hunt. So I don�t want a bunch of blood shot meat. But if I have to shoot one in the shoulder to avoid losing it, I will shoot the shoulder. Now, what part of the shoulder? One third of the way down from the top of the back in line with the leg or in front of the leg to hit the spine? Or half way down?

You guys that have shot Nilgai, tell me where the spine is in the shoulder. Please relate it�s location to the top of the back. And where I should aim to hit it. Mule Deer posted something about the location of the spine one time in the past but I have searched and searched but could not find it. I believe he said one third of the way down from the top of the back would hit the spine on most animals. Don�t know if that will work on Nilgai.

Thanks for reading this. Please help if you can.

I've never shot one, but I've eaten them. Trust me when I tell you that you need to shoot 'em where it kills 'em...they are the BEST game meat obtainable!...
Go to
"Ask the Gunwriters" forum and see if you can rally Mule Deer, I know hes shot a couple Nilgai...
Ingwe

Just put one in the Heart Lung, and enjoy some of the finest eating you can get. Nilgai are not that tough, the vitals are just a little lower in the body. Most miss the vital by shooting to high and have a chase. Now if you are worried about meat, then go for a neck shot, if you can. As for the 338 / 210 gr Nosler Partitions, plenty cartridge and bullet. I hunted them on the Kennedy Ranch, when I got my shot, I took a walk after lunch by myself and found a good bull by a water hole, 60 yard shot. They do a lot of riding around in trucks on the Kennedy, the place is huge. I was shooting a 338 as well and 210 gr Barne's X, the first head of game I took with a Barnes X.

I took a group of guys on a Nilgai hunt a couple of years ago. We killed 5 bulls, and not one got away. 2 of us were shooting 338 rum, I high shoulder shoot mine, bang flop. My dad shot his behind the shoulder, ran around 100 yds, not much blood, but very dead. We were both running 200 gr nosler partitions. My buddies were shooting a 30-06 and a 270, and a 30-378. All heart lung shoots, and not much blood, but all less then 100 yd recoveries. If I was shooting for meat, I would go for a behind the ear shot. I dont know where you are hunting, but where we were at, there was literally hundreds of nilgai. They are spooky, but it you use some common sense, it should be not hard to get within 75-100 yds, for a good ear shot. If you choose to go the heart lung shot, I would not quit shooting until either you cant see no more, or the animal is dead. Tracking in that thick crap in south Texas can be hard, especially with no blood. You can kill one with a 22-250 if you hit them right.

Toby Joe

Be sure and post photos. I am a native Texan and still haven't done a Nilgai hunt. I have had the meat and it is great.
I would watch for snakes!

Good luck.

stumpy

Thanks guys for all your help.


I will be back in a week and let you know how I did.

We will be calling Turkeys as well as hunting Nilgai.

See ya,

Richard

I shot one in the neck years ago with a 338-06, 210 gr partiton. I was walking and found him feeding shot was about 100 yds. I agree with Toby Joe about keep shooting as long as you can i know a couple of guys that had big magnums and thought the bull was dead but it got up and was gone. Good Luck you will have a great time!!!

good luck- they taste good.

I have a bad taste in my mouth from partitions and nilgai... they are the reason a number of us that used to shoot them on a regular basis swapped to X bullets.....

Vitals, very much same as deer, hair lower and a tad further forward.

Want em dead now? Shoot em in the head. The neck hide is so thick that it could be an iffy shot at times IMHO. I"d go either lungs or head. One guy here bought a 460 wtby finally... but he refused to go to X bullets, kept shooting standard bullets and such...

GREAT eating if they aren't browsing on greened out Juisache.

Jeff

Please take some pictures of your hunt and post them for us.