August Off-Range Oryx?

[muley505]

Has anyone been successful in taking an Oryx off-range this month? I have hunted 8 days thus far, seen 27 oryx (most of which were broken), and all of the ones I have seen are on range and know exactly where the fence is. This hunt had a 56% success rate last year, and I'm curious if anyone has gotten any this month so far. Thanks.

 

[dang302]

Where did you find the success rate for this hunt. I always assumed it was much lower, but could never find it.

Since you mention that there are a lot of broken horns:
Are there this many in africa with broken horns or is there something about NM that makes it so prevelant?

To answer your question: I know of one person that has killed in August and 2 that harvested in July. (thats all that I know about with tags).

 

[JRABQ]

I was also surprised the success rates were still this high.

http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/recreation/hunting/harvest/documents/2012_ORYX_HARVEST.pdf

 

[rcutchen]

I just got back from Botswana in July. We saw tons of oryx and I think I saw 1 that was a broken horn.
It's weird, I don't know why there are so many broken horn oryx on WSMR.

 

[muley505]

After 11 days of hard hunting, I finally tagged out in August. I felt very blessed by the Almighty to have gotten one that was not broken. He was a fairly young bull, but he wasn't broken, and I was just glad to find one that had more than six inches of horn left. I saw a total of 42 Oryx, and only 4 of them were not on range.

I think the reason so many of the Oryx in NM are broken is because of all of the fences that they go under. Every crossing I found had the bottom wire either completely broken or very bent, and there is someone who comes along and repairs the breaks, and the Oryx come back right to the same spots and break the new wire that has just been strung. I don't know what the fence situation is like in Africa, but I think the fences are largely responsible for all of the broken horns here.

I'm going to contact NMDGF to voice my concerns about the excessive amount of off-range tags they are giving out. I think they have given out too many and it is making for a very difficult hunt. I would rather wait a little longer and have a higher-quality hunt than be drawn more frequently and have a more frustrating hunt because of the lack of animals.

 

[quackaddict]

"I'm going to contact NMDGF to voice my concerns about the excessive amount of off-range tags they are giving out. I think they have given out too many and it is making for a very difficult hunt. I would rather wait a little longer and have a higher-quality hunt than be drawn more frequently and have a more frustrating hunt because of the lack of animals"

Umm...They are a non-native. I don't understand why you would want to manage a free-ranging non-native. Yes, I get that it's a cheap safari of sorts, but why not put more effort into managing natives over these things?

 

[dang302]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-28-13 AT 01:16PM (MST)[p]The non-natives thrive and give lots of hunting opportunity, while the natives flounder requiring lots of attention.

I will never get a bighorn sheep tag, but have killed 4 oryx, 1 barbary sheep and had a bow ibex tag...and I'm only 31 years old.

The exotics were the best thing to happen to hunting in this state!

I applied for 9 different species in the draw this year. If that doesn't increase your odds of getting a tag, I don't know what will.

I imagine Game and Fish want the off-range hunts to be difficult, because the whole point is to make sure there aren't very many off range. I don't mind it being difficult, because the odds are bad enough as it is. Summer months are like 10:1 now. My dad and uncle have never drawn and I make them put in every year. Winter months get to more like 20:1, you can go your entire life and not draw that.

 

[majo22]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-28-13 AT 01:48PM (MST)[p]Im sure G&F knows how many are out there. I went scouting in June saw one on the first morning about 1 1/2 into trip. Buddies grandpa had tag and saw 8 shooters didnt get a shot. He ended up getting a 30" the first weekend. They are out there and we saw very recent sign everywhere. Maybe we were in right place at right time or you were in wrong place at wrong time just hunting ya know? They are tough hunts though between the heat and terrain it gets hard. But they also give you a whole month to fill the tag. Congrats on the bull they're amazing animals and taste just as good.

 

[majo22]

Also I think that August is one of the few months that they do not do any on range hunts? I might be wrong. But maybe this accounts for not as many being pushed off range by hunters on the range. Maybe there is no pressure during August and they finally get a break from being shot at on the range.

 

[quackaddict]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-28-13 AT 02:02PM (MST)[p]>LAST EDITED ON Aug-28-13
>AT 01:16?PM (MST)
>
>The non-natives thrive and give lots
>of hunting opportunity, while the
>natives flounder requiring lots of
>attention.
>
>I will never get a bighorn
>sheep tag, but have killed
>4 oryx, 1 barbary sheep
>and had a bow ibex
>tag...and I'm only 31 years
>old.
>
>The exotics were the best thing
>to happen to hunting in
>this state!
>
>I applied for 9 different species
>in the draw this year.
> If that doesn't increase
>your odds of getting a
>tag, I don't know what
>will.
>
>I imagine Game and Fish want
>the off-range hunts to be
>difficult, because the whole point
>is to make sure there
>aren't very many off range.
> I don't mind it
>being difficult, because the odds
>are bad enough as it
>is. Summer months are
>like 10:1 now. My
>dad and uncle have never
>drawn and I make them
>put in every year.
>Winter months get to more
>like 20:1, you can go
>your entire life and not
>draw that.

I don't think that BHS should be considered a non-native. They ARE native, they just had to be re-introduced. I also don't believe that exotics are/were the best thing to happen to NM. Is it cool that they are here? Sure. Would it bother me if they were all gone(minus the BHS)? Not a bit.

Sorry to get off on a tangent here. Congrats to the OP on some fine meat and a nice little bull.

 

[dang302]

I meant that the bighorn sheep are the best example of a worthless NATIVE.

 

[Reuben_Soady]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-28-13 AT 03:39PM (MST)[p]Thats a hamdsome trophy there Jonathan! Stuff that beast on your wall and only a cad would say anything about it's size. The ears even look like they are in good shape (no frostbite).

 

[whaletail32]

When the nmdgf introduced oryx on to wsmr they did it thinking they would stay on range. Oryx breed like rabbits and the cows don't go into estrus at certain times of the year like most of our native deer species do. They can have a calf every 9 months and be bred again rite after that. The numbers exploded and the nmdgf wants to bring the numbers back down. That's why they give out so many tags. They want to shrink the heard off- range to where they are not a menace to ranchers and private land owners. If anyone can answer this ? I would appreciate it. If a rancher has a certain amount of land can he get oryx tags from g&f like he could for deer or elk. If he can't rite now then if the terk bill passes would he then be able to get tags from the g&f .

 

[dang302]

I am pretty sure than any rancher (private land owner) can sell an unlimited number of "ranch only" oryx tags and I believe they are good for a month like the off range oryx tags. I don't think it matters whether or not there are actually oryx there. I believe it is done like deer in most of the state. You secure permission the you buy the tag over the counter.

 

[Oryxrus]

Congratulations!!!! It's a very difficult hunt, but a very rewarding hunt.
In regards to your broken horn question, there may be several factors that are involved as to why you see some many broken horn Oryx. In my opinion selectivity is one of the major factors. For over 30 years hundreds and hundreds of hunters have harvested typical trophy animals and have passed on non-typical animals, which leave more broken horns to harvest especially in the last 4 to 5 years as the population has been reduced.
There also could be a mineral deficiency, genetic and or environmental factors as well. They also can break their horns by fighting. I've seen several Oryx with partial horns imbedded in their body. To the best of my knowledge fences are not the reason why there are so many broken horn Oryx. Does it happen, it's possible, but it's not the contributing factor in my opinion. The biggest environmental factor that can be measured was the deep freeze of 2011. For the first time I saw 1 to 2 year old Oryx with broken horns. The freeze in my opinion was a huge issue for Oryx. The recruitment that year was horrible. The prolonged freezing temperature basically froze the bone cores, killing it, making the horns brittle. The freeze also created many earless Oryx due to frost bite. If we have multiple periods below freezing or subzero conditions you can almost guarantee they will be affected. Although they have thrived, they weren't made to withstand sever winter conditions. I hope this helps.