DoeNob
Active Member
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Here's a write up of my experience out there. Hunted with Ben from KIOWA.
My friend Andrew was kind enough to accompany me on this hunt and helped me burn down the 12 hour drive Thursday. We met our guide and talked about what I wanted, I said I prefer a bull to a cow and I don't need the biggest one out there, just a good one. The finest restaurant in town appeared to be Chili's next door so we ate there.
Ben picked us up at 815 am the next day and we went to get in line to check in the Tularosa gate. After they checked my tags and ID and searched the vehicle we went to the orientation spot. After the speech they told us we would be able to hunt Friday afternoon - which was not guaranteed. About Noon the race began as advertised with people peeling out of the parking lot.
The forecast was for high winds as a front was blowing through that afternoon - sustained 27 with higher gusts. We started north and a couple miles up the road we could see the front line charging toward us - it was a huge wind/dust storm. A wall of sand being blasted by a hard north wind. We drove through it and wondered how the hell we were supposed to hunt in a sand storm. We drove to a couple places to try and glass, it was nearly impossible to see anything. It was like looking through a fog, not to mention trying to hold yourself still and upright with gusts blowing you over. We all theorized they didn't want to be getting sand blasted any more than we did and they'd be in the bottoms, where there was a bottom, in this desert country. We drove back south to find a place to bail off and start on foot. I looked back far to the south over the White Sands National Monument and a white sheet hung in the sky from all the sand whipped up by the storm. Clouds hung on Sierra Blanca peak to our east 8000 feet above us and to say the feeling weather was biblical does not understate the case at all.
We started off on foot with the wind over our left shoulder working the dunes - the terrain was rolling with head high dunes with creosote brush and mesquite on top of them. Just enough to see a couple hundred yards out but not much farther. I was kind of skeptical if this was going to work as we stopped to glass every time we gained a little elevation. Andrew said "RIGHT THERE BEHIND US" and I turned to get my gun up but the first Oryx we would see was making a beeline dead away at 400 yards in between bushes, no shot. We continued on and soon walked right up on one. It trotted off a ways and wisely stopped about 100 yards out to survey us directly behind a bush with just its head and horns sticking out - no shot. After a standoff and being told it was a good one, the animal bolted thru the brush into the wind. I could see a window to shoot and got on it, when the oryx crossed and the sight picture felt right I pulled the trigger - and hit 3 feet behind the thing! 30 mph winds + running animal + I had my scope dialed up to 12 - not much lead at all and certainly not the 6 or so feet I would have needed to put it in the right spot. I apologized and hoped that I would get a better opportunity than the one I had just blown. We made a large semi circle continuing due north dead into the wind gusty winds.
About 1/2 a mile later our guide Ben motioned for us to get low. We snuck around the terrain but the animal he had seen in the open was gone in a flash while we had crept forward 10 yards to set up for a clear shot. We continued on and another 1/2 mile repeated the same exercise. This time I could clearly see the oryx on his feet tucked into a mesquite bush. He was quartering hard away - I got set up on Andrew's shooting platform and asked for a range - 249 and shooting straight into the wind this time. The guide said shoot him and I squeezed the trigger as soon as he turned broad side and hit him exactly where I wanted to and broke the front leg at the elbow. This is where all the diagrams say to shoot as their heart is tucked behind their legs - these animals are african grazers and have HUGE guts - which puts all the vitals farther forward than a deer or elk. The loud WHUMP of a bullet hitting meat was followed by Ben yelling at me "KEEP SHOOTING!!" as the animal regained its feet and started running to the east. I knew the hit was good but remembered to orientation - "Keep shooting till they are down and dead". I took off at a sprint and made it 150 yards or so in the loose sand before I had to slow down get the whole crew caught up. I saw good lung blood on his track and knew the hit was lethal but I also knew they could travel quite a ways dead on their feet. We edged forward and walked right up on the bull - He turned and ran straight away while I tried to get on the stick and shot once and missed over his left flank. I put the crosshairs on the bush that was covering him up as ran away, shot and heard the WHUMP again - another solid hit. I hoped I hadn't just blown out a ham. Later we would find out that bullet went thru his tail and hit him 1/2 inch left of the bung hole and split his pelvis. We hurried forward again and found the animal - he was still moving but in a very bad way as he limped toward us he turned slightly and i put one in the crease on his neck and he collapsed in a heap.
We shook hands and got up to him, we all guessed him low to mid 30's but were shocked when the tape came out to 29. They tell you to judge them by the head and 2+ head lengths usually is over 32 with average head being 15-16 inches. This one fooled all of us and he's a little shorter than the 33 average - he has great mass and rings and character and a beautiful hide and will make an excellent mount. WSMR has special photo rules, you can only take pictures of yourself and the ground and the animal because top secret military research goes on there. This was really too bad as the clouds on the mountain behind us had cleared to reveal a fresh dusting of snow on Sierra Blanca and the setting was truly spectacular.
Since it was late in the day and they have strict rules about getting out before dark, the guide left us to go get his ATV and we gutted the animal and took more pictures. If I had passed this one and kept hunting I might have gotten a bigger one, but doing it on foot in a sand storm in that place was a fun and very cool hunt and the trophy of that experience outweighs a couple more inches on the wall. The pressure is definitely on with a 2 day hunt. We checked out and drove him straight to the taxidermist where they skinned him out and then quartered him for us.
The tag is a Once in a Lifetime (OIL) tag so I can never again draw it. But I may put in for broken horn hunts, it is expensive but man it was fun.
HUGE thanks to my amigo for helping me drive out there, 12 hours each way, we put in 24 hours of windshield time for a 2 hour hunt. He takes great photographs too! LOL.
My friend Andrew was kind enough to accompany me on this hunt and helped me burn down the 12 hour drive Thursday. We met our guide and talked about what I wanted, I said I prefer a bull to a cow and I don't need the biggest one out there, just a good one. The finest restaurant in town appeared to be Chili's next door so we ate there.
Ben picked us up at 815 am the next day and we went to get in line to check in the Tularosa gate. After they checked my tags and ID and searched the vehicle we went to the orientation spot. After the speech they told us we would be able to hunt Friday afternoon - which was not guaranteed. About Noon the race began as advertised with people peeling out of the parking lot.
The forecast was for high winds as a front was blowing through that afternoon - sustained 27 with higher gusts. We started north and a couple miles up the road we could see the front line charging toward us - it was a huge wind/dust storm. A wall of sand being blasted by a hard north wind. We drove through it and wondered how the hell we were supposed to hunt in a sand storm. We drove to a couple places to try and glass, it was nearly impossible to see anything. It was like looking through a fog, not to mention trying to hold yourself still and upright with gusts blowing you over. We all theorized they didn't want to be getting sand blasted any more than we did and they'd be in the bottoms, where there was a bottom, in this desert country. We drove back south to find a place to bail off and start on foot. I looked back far to the south over the White Sands National Monument and a white sheet hung in the sky from all the sand whipped up by the storm. Clouds hung on Sierra Blanca peak to our east 8000 feet above us and to say the feeling weather was biblical does not understate the case at all.
We started off on foot with the wind over our left shoulder working the dunes - the terrain was rolling with head high dunes with creosote brush and mesquite on top of them. Just enough to see a couple hundred yards out but not much farther. I was kind of skeptical if this was going to work as we stopped to glass every time we gained a little elevation. Andrew said "RIGHT THERE BEHIND US" and I turned to get my gun up but the first Oryx we would see was making a beeline dead away at 400 yards in between bushes, no shot. We continued on and soon walked right up on one. It trotted off a ways and wisely stopped about 100 yards out to survey us directly behind a bush with just its head and horns sticking out - no shot. After a standoff and being told it was a good one, the animal bolted thru the brush into the wind. I could see a window to shoot and got on it, when the oryx crossed and the sight picture felt right I pulled the trigger - and hit 3 feet behind the thing! 30 mph winds + running animal + I had my scope dialed up to 12 - not much lead at all and certainly not the 6 or so feet I would have needed to put it in the right spot. I apologized and hoped that I would get a better opportunity than the one I had just blown. We made a large semi circle continuing due north dead into the wind gusty winds.
About 1/2 a mile later our guide Ben motioned for us to get low. We snuck around the terrain but the animal he had seen in the open was gone in a flash while we had crept forward 10 yards to set up for a clear shot. We continued on and another 1/2 mile repeated the same exercise. This time I could clearly see the oryx on his feet tucked into a mesquite bush. He was quartering hard away - I got set up on Andrew's shooting platform and asked for a range - 249 and shooting straight into the wind this time. The guide said shoot him and I squeezed the trigger as soon as he turned broad side and hit him exactly where I wanted to and broke the front leg at the elbow. This is where all the diagrams say to shoot as their heart is tucked behind their legs - these animals are african grazers and have HUGE guts - which puts all the vitals farther forward than a deer or elk. The loud WHUMP of a bullet hitting meat was followed by Ben yelling at me "KEEP SHOOTING!!" as the animal regained its feet and started running to the east. I knew the hit was good but remembered to orientation - "Keep shooting till they are down and dead". I took off at a sprint and made it 150 yards or so in the loose sand before I had to slow down get the whole crew caught up. I saw good lung blood on his track and knew the hit was lethal but I also knew they could travel quite a ways dead on their feet. We edged forward and walked right up on the bull - He turned and ran straight away while I tried to get on the stick and shot once and missed over his left flank. I put the crosshairs on the bush that was covering him up as ran away, shot and heard the WHUMP again - another solid hit. I hoped I hadn't just blown out a ham. Later we would find out that bullet went thru his tail and hit him 1/2 inch left of the bung hole and split his pelvis. We hurried forward again and found the animal - he was still moving but in a very bad way as he limped toward us he turned slightly and i put one in the crease on his neck and he collapsed in a heap.
We shook hands and got up to him, we all guessed him low to mid 30's but were shocked when the tape came out to 29. They tell you to judge them by the head and 2+ head lengths usually is over 32 with average head being 15-16 inches. This one fooled all of us and he's a little shorter than the 33 average - he has great mass and rings and character and a beautiful hide and will make an excellent mount. WSMR has special photo rules, you can only take pictures of yourself and the ground and the animal because top secret military research goes on there. This was really too bad as the clouds on the mountain behind us had cleared to reveal a fresh dusting of snow on Sierra Blanca and the setting was truly spectacular.
Since it was late in the day and they have strict rules about getting out before dark, the guide left us to go get his ATV and we gutted the animal and took more pictures. If I had passed this one and kept hunting I might have gotten a bigger one, but doing it on foot in a sand storm in that place was a fun and very cool hunt and the trophy of that experience outweighs a couple more inches on the wall. The pressure is definitely on with a 2 day hunt. We checked out and drove him straight to the taxidermist where they skinned him out and then quartered him for us.
The tag is a Once in a Lifetime (OIL) tag so I can never again draw it. But I may put in for broken horn hunts, it is expensive but man it was fun.
HUGE thanks to my amigo for helping me drive out there, 12 hours each way, we put in 24 hours of windshield time for a 2 hour hunt. He takes great photographs too! LOL.
