Here's a pic of the 168 gr XXX recovered from just under hide of the far side shoulder of a Scimitar-horned Oryx my wife shot at about 150 yds. MV of 2700+ from .308 win. The recovered weight after cleaning is 167.5 gr.

Dontcha just hate that weight loss?? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Lovely!!!!!!!
badger

Performance like that is gonna leave someone cussing! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> Betcha it was the Oryx! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Tidy work,on all counts.

Congratulations all around..................

Here's a pic of the beast. He didn't go right down, but he couldn't coordinate an escape either. He danced around in circles for a bit before expiring. Note the entrance hole in the shoulder.

GREAT picture! Thanks for hanging it up to share...........

Two good pictures. Thanks for sharing. That bullet looks awesome!

Don't tell make the prettiest mushrooms you ever saw and 100% weight retention. Beautiful.

That's a mighty fancy looking, heavy "sporter" your wife was using. I'm glad to see somebody with serious iron knows the difference between an X and a MatchKing. E

Nice pictures and congratulations on the Oryx. Does your wife carry that heavy rifle around, or do you carry it for her? I only ask because when my wife goes hunting she camplains about the weight of the rifle and her rifles are light (I think).

Congratulations on a nice oryx.
Oryx have a strange skeletal structure in that the spine does not follow the top of the back as in a deer for instance, and the vital organs are lower. If one shoots what would be a high lung shot, or even a center lung shot on a deer, he will just hit meat. Some animals are lost as a result of this.

They are also difficult to kill for their weight. I remember also a book by Elmer Keith where he made a statement that they were as tough as old tires.

Jerry

ktg
Thats some of the best eating you'll ever find.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Charlie

SD300, she packs the rifle as long as it's no more than a mile or 2. I asked to pack it for her on this hike, but she said no.
jmartin, We hunted Gemsbok Oryx last year on White Sands. They instruct that ONLY a front shoulder shot should be taken as the vitals end at the back of the shoulder. A shot just behind the front shoulder is a gut shot and a spine shot is very difficult because of it's unusual curvature. The shot in the pic above took out the heart. The Gemsbok I shot last year took 900 grains of lead from my 338 lapua at about 100 yards. They are extremely tough. The fellow who skinned mine said it had the thickest hide he had ever seen, including horse & mule. (I don't know how he knew that.)
Charlie, I'm fixin' to try some steaks soon. The Gemsbok meat seemed a little dry to me, but I like my steaks WELL done.

ktg,
Interesting. I was the first military to get a permit. I think it was '78. Mine took three shots with a 7 Rem Mag and 175 Nosler bullets. They are hard to kill I think, although many are killed with standard cartridges and one shot I hear.

I thought that the meat was some of the best I have eaten, including beef, moose etc. even though the warden said it was the biggest taken since the hunts began.

Mine was a once in a lifetime hunt, and so I have not been able to hunt them again.

Congrats again.
Jerry

That really is a great picture. Congrats to you both.



I did the White Sands hunt in 1987 and though I don't have the pictures here it seems that my Oryx had the black face 'mask' and lower body side mouldings of the Gemsbock I've taken in Africa. Maybe it's the photo but your wife's appears to not sport this coloration. If not, did you notice this as normal to the others you saw down there? I'm curious as to whether that characteristic is evolving out of the New Mexico herd...that would be interesting.



BTW, like jmartin I used a 7mm Rem Mag, but with 160 Partitions. Raking shot at about 80 yards that went in forward rib cage and exited the chest. Critter took off chasing the bullet but piled up in about three strides.



New Mexico has some of the coolest transplant hunting around. I also did Siberian Ibex in the Florida Mountains in 1988 and that is an absolutely awesome hunt.



(edited to clarify that the 1987 hunt was at White Sands)

J-man- Just a question, are these free-range hunts or a put and take operation like found in TX?

pointer,



Around 100 Oryx were planted on the White Sands range, about 3,000 square miles, in the late 60's. Hunts started in the mid-70's. When I hunted there in '87 they told us there were 1,700 animals on the range, but that a good number had escaped into the adjoining National Monument property and that some had traveled farther. Maybe ktg knows how many are there now?



To answer your question I guess I'd say that no, it's not a canned hunt per se, but it ain't exactly tough either. I recommmend it, and anyone who takes a trophy like Mrs. ktg has reason to be proud.



The Ibex are similar. They were planted in the Florida Mountains south of Deming, have taken hold and are migrating. Now this one is a real hunt, though again not truly 'difficult' to tag out. Imagine hunting goats in 10.000 foot mountains in 90 degree heat. I found the terrain and tactics similar to Coues Deer hunting in the Steens area.



I was a New Mexico resident at the time of these hunts and they were by drawing just like other controlled hunts.

jm
This is a scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), not the same as the gemsbok (Oryx gazella) on White Sands... They run 10% or so smaller than the gemsbok but with horns that average quite a bit bigger. Notice they curve, too.

I got the White Sands tag two years ago and had a tough time of it because of 9-11. They bunched ALL of the hunts together and I did not realize my hunt was the last of a week straight or so. They were anything but assissted-suicide hunts...
art

Thanks Art. I did notice the swept horns but was ignorant to the fact that the 'mask' wasn't common across the board. I've been trying to recall the success rates from when I was at White Sands but my jet-lagged brain can't quite make the leap... Do you know how many head there are now, and the success rate?

Thanks for the info guys! I'll look into it and start filling out the applications. A guy in my office shot one while in grad school and has the #2 Barbary Sheep from there. He said that was one tough hunt!

Journeyman, Sitka Deer is right. This is a different kind of Oryx than the ones on White Sands. We hunted White Sands last year. It was tough because they made all the hunts 1 day plus ours was a female only hunt (DON'T apply for female only hunts!). I cooked a little of the Scimitar last night. Mmmmm, goood.

Pointer
In all honesty, after doing the White Sands hunt I looked at what it cost me as a nonresident... Africa is cheaper... Tag was $1,500 plus a license fee, rental vehicle and hotel (though they are dirt cheap there) added up to more than a one-day hunt was realisticly worth.

I had a good time and saw/shot a critter I had not seen before. Met Lee C and had my eyes opened a number of ways there (did I mention he used to be a race car driver... er... still is? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) so I cannot by any means say it was not a great trip, just that value is easier to get elsewhere, IMO. Some hunters did not get an oryx on the day I hunted and that means nothing but eating a once-in-a-lifetime, high-dollar tag.
art

SD- Mucho thanks for that info. I won't plop $1500 on one day. It does sound like a fun hunt though.

Holy crap - 1,500 bucks! I think I paid around $80 and that was for a two person "buddy tag", plus a small trespass fee to the range, don't recall the amount. Hunt was two days. I looked through some stuff in my trophy room last night and see that my bull's horns were both 35-ish inches and the butcher charged me for processing 180 pounds meat...

Art,
Now you're making me blush <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />
I still have fond memories of that hunt. It sure did'nt seem like a slam dunk at the time did it? I bet we traveled 150 miles that day on the range. Hunting an oryx out there right now is as tough a hunt as you can do. I did hear recently that they were going to open it back up where you do not have to be escorted. Hope all is well.

Lee

Lee
Missed your post somehow... been busy is my lame excuse <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Yes, it was a good day in virtually every way! Not sure it would have been anything like as good had we gotten to just bang an easy one.

Have you gotten to do anymore hunts out there? The ability to run around on your own could be two-edged sword... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Still think the free-ranging over the counter ibex would be an interesting hunt.

Can imagine Hunter is growing like a weed and loving this time of year.
best to all of you
art

Great thread.

That is one impressive bullet.