Rhodes Canyon vs. Stallion Range

GarrettH · Feb 26, 2018

I am a New Mexico resident and will be applying for oryx for the first time. Any thoughts on which is better?

BUGLEnmIN · Feb 26, 2018

Both good ! Drawing....not so good...

cosmic_cowboy · Feb 26, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Feb-26-18 AT 05:21PM (MST)[p]Never been on Stallion but went on Rhodes hunt with a friend that had the tag in 1998... Drove to a high point before first light Started glassing and every 10 degrees I turned binoculars I found another group they were literally everywhere saw hundreds. They all looked the same size to me so we passed on several at under 200 yards. Finally about 10:00 AM he shot a very nice 36" Bull. Got back to camp/staging area around 1:00 Pm and out of about 40 hunters only a very few had not filled their tag. There were only 3 or 4 bigger than his. Don't know if its the same now but from my experience in Rhodes Canyon it would be almost impossible to not fill your tag unless you wanted something 40" or over.
Jack

GarrettH · Feb 26, 2018

>Both good ! Drawing....not so good...
>
Yeah, but I figured I might as well put in anyways with it being my last year qualifying as youth.

nmbighorn · Feb 26, 2018

GarrettH · Feb 26, 2018

>LAST EDITED ON Feb-26-18
>AT 05:21?PM (MST)
>
>Never been on Stallion but went
>on Rhodes hunt with a
>friend that had the tag
>in 1998... Drove to a
>high point before first light
>Started glassing and every 10
>degrees I turned binoculars I
>found another group they were
>literally everywhere saw hundreds. They
>all looked the same size
>to me so we passed
>on several at under 200
>yards. Finally about 10:00 AM
>he shot a very nice
>36" Bull. Got back to
>camp/staging area around 1:00 Pm
>and out of about 40
>hunters only a very few
>had not filled their tag.
>There were only 3 or
>4 bigger than his. Don't
>know if its the same
>now but from my experience
>in Rhodes Canyon it would
>be almost impossible to not
>fill your tag unless you
>wanted something 40" or over.

Sounds like it was awesome! I'm definitely putting in for Rhodes Canyon youth hunt for my first choice. I just didn't know if I should choose RC or SR for my second choice because everything I've read about them said they're both great.

BigDaddyL · Feb 27, 2018

If you are lucky enough to get drawn, hit me with a PM. I am a military guy on WSMR and have some connections that know where the Oryx are at all times. I would almost guarantee that you will have the opportunity to shoot regardless of where you are drawn for on post. Good Luck!

This is my little girl from the herd reduction hunt a couple of years ago!

smarba · Feb 27, 2018

No offense but RC or Stallion in 1998 is WAY different than today. Nowhere near the quantity or trophy potential as there used to be.

Not trying to disuade you from applying, but you're not going to see oryx every direction you look anymore.

Carl

Prime_Beef · Feb 27, 2018

>No offense but RC or Stallion
>in 1998 is WAY different
>than today. Nowhere near
>the quantity or trophy potential
>as there used to be.
>
>
>Not trying to disuade you from
>applying, but you're not going
>to see oryx every direction
>you look anymore.
>
>Carl

This has been my impression, as well.

Recently drove the range road from Stallion Gate all the way to HAFB. Didn't see many oryx north of Mockingbird Pass.

GarrettH · Feb 27, 2018

>If you are lucky enough to
>get drawn, hit me with
>a PM. I am
>a military guy on WSMR
>and have some connections that
>know where the Oryx are
>at all times. I would
>almost guarantee that you will
>have the opportunity to shoot
>regardless of where you are
>drawn for on post.
>Good Luck!

If I get drawn I will for sure! That would be amazing, thank you so much!

vinihunt · Feb 27, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Feb-27-18 AT 04:40PM (MST)[p]are you going to put in youth? or regular draw?

I have been on both range many time and I think SR have more broken horns than RC and

RC youth on 100%successful harvest.

good luck on draw...

GarrettH · Feb 27, 2018

>are you going to put in
>youth? or regular draw?
>
>I have been on both range
>many time and I think
>SR have more broken horns
>than RC
>
>youth on 100%successful harvest.

For my first choice I will be putting in for youth. If I'm not mistaken there is only one youth hunt and it's for RC.

crazeymaez · Feb 27, 2018

>LAST EDITED ON Feb-27-18
>AT 04:40?PM (MST)
>
>are you going to put in
>youth? or regular draw?
>
>I have been on both range
>many time and I think
>SR have more broken horns
>than RC and
>
>RC youth on 100%successful harvest.
>
>good luck on draw...

+1 Yup RC for better quality more broken horns on stallion

cosmic_cowboy · Feb 27, 2018

Smarba Why do you think it has changed so much over the last 20 years ? Less Oryx ? More tags ? Moved off range ? Hunter success ?
All of the above ? In 1998 I was shocked at how many Oryx were in RC
They have no natural predators... have seen pics of dead Mt. lions skewered on their horns. So its not caused by predators. Your thoughts ?
Jack

Prime_Beef · Feb 27, 2018

Jack, there simply aren't as many oryx on WSMR now as there were in 1998. 20 years ago, the oryx herd had grown to 3-4 times the original target of 1200-1500 animals. They were everywhere, including a lot of places where they weren't particularly welcome. The DGF ramped up the tag numbers, issuing around 1000 permits a year, on-and-off range (mostly on). They did that for years. I believe they're down to around 450 tags, now.

It wouldn't surprise me if the oryx numbers are a quarter of what they were in '98.

IAFF51 · Feb 28, 2018

Garrett, I sent you a pm.

smarba · Feb 28, 2018

Prime Beef nailed it: G&F wanted to reduce numbers, accomplished by more tags, more hunts. It's worked.

mozey · Mar 1, 2018

Based on my experience, the RC is the better hunt but the SR is easier to draw. But success rates for either hunt are still very high. Also, like others have said, there appears to be more broken horns on SR. If you're inclined, it's a pretty simple repair for a good taxi.

rockn9858 · Mar 15, 2018

IN 09 there was about a 40% die off due to the extreme cold. Before that there where still large groups of Oryx in every direction on the range, and there was a hunt every month sometimes 2 hunts per month. Starting in late August and going to March. there where 90 OIL tags per hunt and 15 Broken horn tags. now after the freeze we are down to 45 OIL and 25 Broken (broken horn tags are up this year).
In the past BF(before freeze) RC was the range to hunt, now it a toss up. I would split your choices between the 2 and you will have a good hunt.

delmag1942 · Apr 5, 2018

Exactly what James said above. I was just on range (Stallion) in January. Saw 100's of oryx. My brother killed a massive 40" bull first half day of the hunt. I killed my 40" cow on Rhodes in 2011. Either.