It is pretty tough at first glance to tell the difference between cows and bulls. If you have a spotting scope it will definitely help out! You can usually see the penis under the belly on bulls. Oryx are 1 species where the cows can actually have just as long or longer horns than bulls. For the most part bulls have more massive horns all the way to the tips and cows are thinner, especially from 1/2 way up to the tips.
I have never liked using ears, nose, or any body parts for judging horns or antlers. More times than not this has totally screwed me up! Some animals may have relatively longer ears or nose than others. A lone immature oryx with shorter nose and smaller body may have horns that seem longer than they really are because his body is smaller?
If you run into a group of oryx it is usually pretty easy to tell which ones have the longest horns. If there are any mature bulls in the group they generally are larger in body and body features and the horns are much more massive.
A yard stick is 3' long (36") and from the hunts I've been on that is the average length of many of the oryx I've seen shot.
Just like any other species, if you see a real monster you usually don't have to hesitate and take another look. The more animals you look at the better you'll be at judging. Unfortunately the oryx hunts are only a couple days long so that doesn't give you much time to dink around.
A yard stick is 3' long (36") and from the hunts I've been on that is the average length of many of the oryx I've seen shot. If you get one in the 38+ range you have done very well...especially a bull!
The on and off-range hunts don't seem to be producing the number of long horned oryx they once did so it may not be worth being super picky unless you are willing to go home empty-handed. Weather can really make or break those hunts because oryx literally disappear if it is cold and windy! Be sure to take care of the meat because it is delicious. Have a great time and best of luck!
