ColoradoBob
Active Member
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My apologies for the poor photo. It doesn't do justice to such a great animal. But cameras & camcorders are banned from the White Sands Missile Range. If you are caught with them --you will be escorted off the base & not be permitted back on . They are serious about security.
I drew a once in a lifetime tag for Oryx at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. My hunt was for the weekend of 1/31 and 2/1. My wife and I planned on driving down on Friday, so we packed the truck on Thursday night. Horror of horrors----a gang of thieves worked my neighborhood that night. They broke into my truck---stole both my rifle and spotting scope. So at 6AM on Friday morning I was scrambling to borrow a rifle that a south paw could use. All of my buddies are right handed and their rifles all had cheek pieces--so I could not wrap my cheek over. Finally found a Ruger 77 in 300 Win Mag. It was sighted in with 180 Ballistic tips----not my first choice in bullets but it would have to do. I had a 300 mile drive to get to Socorro, New Mexico.
I planned on meeting a fellow board member (UTHUNTING) in Socorro. He too had drawn a tag and we planned on hunting together. My wife, Jean, and I met Clynt and his wife, Amy, at the Holiday Inn in Socorro. As sportsman often do, we hit it off and quickly became friends. We scouted out the route to the Stallion gate for the mandatory 5:30 Am meeting and hunter check-in.
At dinner, Clynt said that he had been talking to several workers from a contractor, who were working on the base. They said that they would see Oryx everyday on the drive into the base about 15 miles from the gate. We decided that would be a good starting point the next morning.
Next morning there were 160 hunters at the mandatory meeting. After the meeting, Clynt and I sat in our trucks as the others raced out of the parking lot. We drove down the road and saw several Oryx just past the gate, the first Oryx that either of us had ever seen. Several hunters had already filled their tags from this group. A once in a lifetime tag filled in 10 minutes. We both decided to enjoy this hunt and look over several oryx before pulling the trigger.
We went the 15 miles and there was a cross road. I was leading and wanted to turn west but a truck was ahead of us and went west. So we turned east. We went up the road and Jean saw a group of 5 Oryx. We stopped the truck and looked them over. One was a shooter, about a 36" cow, I thought. But they were spooked and were on the move. We left them and went up the road. We got to a high earth embankment and went up on it to glass. We found the same group of Oryx and decided to try a stalk on them. I got to what I thought was 250 yards. I had a rest on a 4x4 fence post. My shot went under the belly of the lead Oryx. It was closer to 400 yards. Oh, well -- let's hunt some more.
We then went up a power line. We chased a lone bull for awhile, but he gave us the slip. So Clynt and I decided to split up. I went further up the powerline. Clynt would go back down the powerline. Clynt did jump that bull again but didn't connect.
Jean and I went up the powerline about 1/2 mile. The road was really rough but our little 4x4 pickup was doing fine. We rounded a bend, and I saw a bull. We glassed him but decided to pass because his left horn was broken. It was no more than 18". The bull kept looking over his shoulder, I knew he was not looking at us. I glassed down the arroyo and saw what he was looking at, three more bulls. I glassed them, one was huge but he was bald -- both horns were gone!! The other two also had broken horns.
I keep glassing, and then I picked up movement, another Oryx headed up the arroyo away from us. He was about 600 yards and walking away. I knew as soon as I saw him he was a good one!! I put the binocs away and grabbed the 300 Win Mag. Jean asked me if I wanted the binocs -- Nope. I knew he was the one. We had walkie-talkies, so I took one and headed up the arroyo in hot pursuit of the bull.
I got down in the arroyo and was trying to make time. Jean got on a point and was glassing the Oryx and then trying to pick me up in the arroyo. We were talking over the walkie-talkies. She was telling me he was still there moving away slowly and I was closing the distance. I was getting detailed reports, like, "He's eating a cactus," and "Now, he is relieving himself." I was stalking him for about 15 to 20 minutes. Finally I looked up over the edge and saw him about 300 yards ahead. I dropped back into the arroyo and moved up. I came up for another peek and saw him about 150 yards away. There was a mesquite bush about 25 yards in front of me, and I belly crawled to it. I wanted a rest, especially with a new gun. I got to the bush, the bull was looking back at me. He wasn't really sure what he was looking at, he was at a slight quartering angle. I put the crosshairs in the crease of the shoulder planning on the bullet to angle its way into the heart. At the shot he jumped straight up about 3 feet. He ran about 25 yards and piled up.
My wife wished she had a camcorder. She could see the bull, then pick me up stalking, then back to the bull, pure excitement. At the shot, she was looking at the bull through her binocs and was wondering what happened. She saw the bull jump straight up!! Then she heard the report of the rifle. It would have made a great video.
The bull has horns of 39 1/4" & 38". His bases were 7" plus. He green scored 90 3/8 in SCI. Not sure what that means, gold or silver. It really doesn't matter. He's great in my book!!
I recovered the bullet. It went between two ribs and into the chest cavity. The top of the heart was severed. The bullet had shed its jacket. I have both the copper jacket and a partial lead core. It was in the meat of the off shoulder, it did not exit. I think partitions are a better bullet in the 300 Mag.
It was a great hunt. I got a good bull and best of all made friends with a fellow hunter.
Colorado Bob
I drew a once in a lifetime tag for Oryx at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. My hunt was for the weekend of 1/31 and 2/1. My wife and I planned on driving down on Friday, so we packed the truck on Thursday night. Horror of horrors----a gang of thieves worked my neighborhood that night. They broke into my truck---stole both my rifle and spotting scope. So at 6AM on Friday morning I was scrambling to borrow a rifle that a south paw could use. All of my buddies are right handed and their rifles all had cheek pieces--so I could not wrap my cheek over. Finally found a Ruger 77 in 300 Win Mag. It was sighted in with 180 Ballistic tips----not my first choice in bullets but it would have to do. I had a 300 mile drive to get to Socorro, New Mexico.
I planned on meeting a fellow board member (UTHUNTING) in Socorro. He too had drawn a tag and we planned on hunting together. My wife, Jean, and I met Clynt and his wife, Amy, at the Holiday Inn in Socorro. As sportsman often do, we hit it off and quickly became friends. We scouted out the route to the Stallion gate for the mandatory 5:30 Am meeting and hunter check-in.
At dinner, Clynt said that he had been talking to several workers from a contractor, who were working on the base. They said that they would see Oryx everyday on the drive into the base about 15 miles from the gate. We decided that would be a good starting point the next morning.
Next morning there were 160 hunters at the mandatory meeting. After the meeting, Clynt and I sat in our trucks as the others raced out of the parking lot. We drove down the road and saw several Oryx just past the gate, the first Oryx that either of us had ever seen. Several hunters had already filled their tags from this group. A once in a lifetime tag filled in 10 minutes. We both decided to enjoy this hunt and look over several oryx before pulling the trigger.
We went the 15 miles and there was a cross road. I was leading and wanted to turn west but a truck was ahead of us and went west. So we turned east. We went up the road and Jean saw a group of 5 Oryx. We stopped the truck and looked them over. One was a shooter, about a 36" cow, I thought. But they were spooked and were on the move. We left them and went up the road. We got to a high earth embankment and went up on it to glass. We found the same group of Oryx and decided to try a stalk on them. I got to what I thought was 250 yards. I had a rest on a 4x4 fence post. My shot went under the belly of the lead Oryx. It was closer to 400 yards. Oh, well -- let's hunt some more.
We then went up a power line. We chased a lone bull for awhile, but he gave us the slip. So Clynt and I decided to split up. I went further up the powerline. Clynt would go back down the powerline. Clynt did jump that bull again but didn't connect.
Jean and I went up the powerline about 1/2 mile. The road was really rough but our little 4x4 pickup was doing fine. We rounded a bend, and I saw a bull. We glassed him but decided to pass because his left horn was broken. It was no more than 18". The bull kept looking over his shoulder, I knew he was not looking at us. I glassed down the arroyo and saw what he was looking at, three more bulls. I glassed them, one was huge but he was bald -- both horns were gone!! The other two also had broken horns.
I keep glassing, and then I picked up movement, another Oryx headed up the arroyo away from us. He was about 600 yards and walking away. I knew as soon as I saw him he was a good one!! I put the binocs away and grabbed the 300 Win Mag. Jean asked me if I wanted the binocs -- Nope. I knew he was the one. We had walkie-talkies, so I took one and headed up the arroyo in hot pursuit of the bull.
I got down in the arroyo and was trying to make time. Jean got on a point and was glassing the Oryx and then trying to pick me up in the arroyo. We were talking over the walkie-talkies. She was telling me he was still there moving away slowly and I was closing the distance. I was getting detailed reports, like, "He's eating a cactus," and "Now, he is relieving himself." I was stalking him for about 15 to 20 minutes. Finally I looked up over the edge and saw him about 300 yards ahead. I dropped back into the arroyo and moved up. I came up for another peek and saw him about 150 yards away. There was a mesquite bush about 25 yards in front of me, and I belly crawled to it. I wanted a rest, especially with a new gun. I got to the bush, the bull was looking back at me. He wasn't really sure what he was looking at, he was at a slight quartering angle. I put the crosshairs in the crease of the shoulder planning on the bullet to angle its way into the heart. At the shot he jumped straight up about 3 feet. He ran about 25 yards and piled up.
My wife wished she had a camcorder. She could see the bull, then pick me up stalking, then back to the bull, pure excitement. At the shot, she was looking at the bull through her binocs and was wondering what happened. She saw the bull jump straight up!! Then she heard the report of the rifle. It would have made a great video.
The bull has horns of 39 1/4" & 38". His bases were 7" plus. He green scored 90 3/8 in SCI. Not sure what that means, gold or silver. It really doesn't matter. He's great in my book!!
I recovered the bullet. It went between two ribs and into the chest cavity. The top of the heart was severed. The bullet had shed its jacket. I have both the copper jacket and a partial lead core. It was in the meat of the off shoulder, it did not exit. I think partitions are a better bullet in the 300 Mag.
It was a great hunt. I got a good bull and best of all made friends with a fellow hunter.
Colorado Bob
Hey Bob, check out my post under the sheep board for a pic of Toni's Desert. ;-)
