Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Nialgi hunts

As I have posted several times in the past, we killed them with a variety of cartridges ranging from .243s up to and including the .338 Win Mag. Most of the stories about nilgai absorbing copious quantities of lead result from people taking running shots, often at extended ranges, at spooked animals. Non-magnum cartridges work well with the right bullets if you can place your shots where they need to go. That is the key to successfully putting one on the ground.

The bulls are tough: we had to put down several that were walking around with parts of their intestines dragging the ground after they were ripped up in fights with other bulls.

What are the usual hunting tactics? I have had this one my list for a while but was turned off when it seemed like most of it was done from vehicles.

Do any of the ranches have terrain that would be better suited to a spot and stalk kind of hunt?

Seems to me that JB did a hunt and if I recall right he did it on foot S&S style. Thinking I'll have to get him and Ingwe in the truck and head south one of these days.

Perhaps I'll bring my 22/250....grin. I've seen it dump enough elk to know I'd be all right with the right shot placement.

Gasp....

Dober

For any horned animal in North America.

There are several 6mm properly constructed bullets made which will kill well. Most shooters with "magnum-itis" cannot shoot the their rifles worth a hoot. Give me someone that can put that bullet where it needs to be every time.

Nothing at all wrong with the 7mm's (just that weird Mashburn thingy sorry I had to do it Dober )

Personally I shoot a 388 Win Mag. It is my favorite caliber for deer on up. ymmv

U be nice EH, you may have to ride along on a Wyo sheep hunt (if I ever draw...) and watch me put the cochise to a borrego Mashburn style...

Dober

I still feel bad ya didn't shoot a bullwinkle.....

contact Val he's a member here and a really good guy.

http://qualityhuntconsultants.com/

For what it is worth, the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR offers a draw for nilgai hunts. If drawn you get two days in Feb to hunt on the refuge. Two weekends are available. Cost is $60 only if you are drawn. I've drawn twice. My boys draw nearly every year for deer and the nilgai are FREE (all you want to haul out). Plenty of animals there too!

No worries my friend, I had a super time! And I appreciate your help on it.

Dober

THANKS MUDHEN.... I hope our 'naysayers', nawtherners or not will read your post WITH AN OPEN MIND and learn somthing.

OTOH there are CANNED (hunts) SHOOTS that I think are disgusting.

Just looked back in my hunting notes: I did not hunt the Norias section of the King 10 years ago (the last time I hunted the King) but the Tio Moya. Dunno if the TM is still available to paying hunters, but I hunted it a couple of times for deer, nilgai, pigs and javelina, and it was great.

One of the hunts I did on the TM was an "industry" hunt with a dozen hunters field-testing the then-new .270 WSM with 140-grain Fail Safes. Before the hunt started the guides were nervous, but afterward (with around 30 nilgai taken) they thought the .270 WSM was a GREAT nilgai rounds. They're no tougher than elk, but taste even better.

One of the reason I liked hunting the Tio Moya was the nilgai were hunted on foot in the brushy sand dunes near the coast. I went on one "pickup chase" nilgai hunt (my first) and would never do that again. But still-hunting them is great fun, and productive.

Mark--I'm ready to go back, and I bet E. would come along. If we shared gas money it wouldn't be expensive at all!

Jb and Perro,

Count me in as long as you swing my southern Arizona to pick me up on the way!

John-lets cuss and discuss this a bit this spring while trying to find a suitable bruin for E.

My better half wants to be the nilgai shooter

Dober

Sounds like a deal!

We're heading east for turkeys first, but Eileen is eager to hunt bruins this spring.

ingwe since John and Dober are taking there better half...we better round up Travis, Dan, shrapnel and BGG to make the trip to keep them out of trouble!

Been in contact with Josh down there. The wolves have pushed the moose down to those ranches.

John,

The Tio Moya is just one of the pastures on the Norias Division of the King Ranch. It is on the south end next to the El Sauz Ranch (which used to be a part of the King Ranch).

Ben

I've read this with interest. Many moons ago I was privileged to hunt on a place that had a common border with the King. You could bait some of the King Ranch bucks over the fence and take them. No problem. However you could see others in there that you could not bring out that would make your jaw drop and your eyes water.
If you were stupid enough to cross their fence and get caught God help you. I am sure it is "better" now but back in those days you might just disappear and never be found. That happened more than once as anyone who knows that country can attest.
Anyone, like mudhen, that knows that county will know that I speak the truth. You absolutely did not want to see one of the King Ranch fence riders and you had better not if you were on the wrong side of the fence. Better if you were back away from the fence a ways too. Like a hundred yards or so.
Just like I don't know nothing about hunting elk in the mountains so I keep my yawp shut and just listen. Anyone that don't know about hunting in, on or around the King best just keep still and listen.

Ben,

Thanks for the clarification!

I'm thinking about running down the inter coastal and hunting the spoil islands