November 2023 Off Range Oryx hunt

colbam

colbam

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I was fortunate to draw an off-range oryx tag for November 2023.

I'll be coming down from Alaska in my RAM Promaster campervan and hunting deer in Wyoming enroute.

I can dedicate almost the entire month to this endeavor and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to hunt such a unique species in the US.

I've read just about everything I could find about hunting oryx on this forum and several other popular hunting forums.

I think my campervan with its rooftop deck will give me a nice glassing platform. Being able to sleep in the campervan also will give me the ability to spend more time in the field closer to where the animals roam.

I'd appreciate input and advice on how to maximize my chances to be successful-- Not sure even which side or general area off of WSMR to begin exploring come November and then widen my search out from there.

I could use advice specifically on the following:

1. My .300 Win Mag has a 2.5-8x Leupold scope-- I've been delaying upgrading it to a new scope that goes up to at least 12x power just because it shoots so well. Wondering if this hunt should become the forcing function with the possibility for much longer shots than what I've experienced in my bear, goat, and caribou hunts up here in Alaska.

2. Thoughts on having some sort of shooting sticks with me for the final stalk and shot based on what I've read and seen about the open terrain not being conducive to lying down or using a tree to help steady the shot.

3. Advice on meat processors in the local area and turn around time.

4. Recommendations on taxidermy services in the local area (or Arizona since I'll be heading that way after the hunt and could deliver the skull, hide and cape).

5. I've recently gotten back into bowhunting. With the amount of time I have available to dedicate to this hunt should I attempt bowhunting first? Or is it just such a low chance proposition to bowhunt oryx that I should stick to rifle only?

Also, based on my follow on travel and work plans I might be seeking to donate some of the meat. Any recommendations on food banks that accept oryx meat?

Thank you for your assistance and those who responded to the other oryx related posts... such a wealth of knowledge and friendly forum.

I welcome DMs if you don't want to share your input with the larger community as well.
 
Hello

1) if you’re comfortable with it, keep it the way it is. You may need to take a longer shot, but then again, you may not.

2) DEFINITELY bring shooting sticks. Good chance you don’t have a solid rest available.

3 and 4) a lot of options for you there.

5) if you are willing to eat tag soup and get the experience, try it. They are killable with archery, but you more than likely aren’t going to have chances every day.

I don’t know of any food banks that take oryx meat. Haven’t looked though, so could be some.

As far as an area to start, if you have the whole month, and a mobile camp, might as well try around the whole base. Experience the area, there is a lot of awesome stuff in this area.
 
I'd do everything in my power to keep your meat. Possibly send it home via air or whatever means possible. Oryx is among the best wild game meat I have ever eaten! If you don't want your oryx meat bring it by my home in Colorado in route back to Alaska!

Oryx are super tough critters. Make sure you have a great shot and are as close range as possible. It can be super windy at times so the lower you are to the ground the better in windy conditions. You are probably aware that their vitals are between their legs so make sure to angle your shot through that area...either at an angle or through one front leg.

There will likely be mesquite and other tall bushes that grow super tall. I didn't have shooting sticks and was able to shoot prone off a rock. I often carry my spotting scope on a tripod and have used that setup to shoot from when in taller brush/grass.

Cover lots and lots of country with truck, legs, and eyes! Get up high and glass...glass....glass!

You have plenty of time so enjoy!
 
1. .300 Win Mag and 2.5-8x Leupold scope is enough.

2. Shooting sticks absolutely. There are (almost) no trees. Mine was an example of sticks at 140 yards in the mesquite hummocks.

3. I used A&M Meat Processing in Alamogordo. Delivers batches to ABQ and can ship. There are others east and west. Price was competitive, service

4. Mountain Legends Taxidermy in Belen (south of Abq)
Fast TAT and competitive prices. Carl does excelent work and is a good businessman.

5. Oryx have been taken with a bow, very infrequently. It would make a great hero story. I saw a video (on MM probably) of some guy swatting a sleeping oryx on the butt in a big wind. They are super wary and can have you made from 500 yards. The hardest part of off-range hunts is finding the beasts. We didn't even see any until late on the 4th day, and they were 4.1 miles away and 3 miles on the wrong side of the WSMR fence (My bad for even looking over there).

6. I have a food bank in the freezer in my garage and can accept oryx meat. :)
 
Don't change your rifle setup. If you know how it shoots, don't muff up what may be your only shot should you get the opportunity.

No clue on the cut up and taxi, I do my own.

shooting sticks - ✔️

Glass. And then glass some more. After that, glass again. Keep mobile. Oryx move around all day. Yes, you will even see them mobile in 20 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 30 mph. It's their home, they're used to it.

Your hunt can last 1 hour or 10 days later. We've never had to hunt more than two days before an opportunity announced itself. Doesn't mean we scored - either ran off before shooting or a miss.

Did I mention glassing?

Be persistent and consistent in an area where your seeing sign, aka, road and fence crossings. They move around all day, in case I didn't mention that.

Bring your shotgun. Quail season begins Nov 15.
 
1) I've never needed more than 3x9 scope, so you should be fine.
2) Shooting sticks a must - very rare to be able to sit down and shoot with mesquite and other tall brush
3) Eagle Rock Meat in ABQ
4) Rumor is Carl/Mountain Legends Taxidermy is retiring and not taking any more work. I've heard good things about Imperial in Santa Fe, but never used them. Never used Mountain Legends either for that matter.
5) Tough bowhunt, but honestly may be easier than spot and stalk pronghorn, since in many areas you do have some cover such as yucca cactus and mesquite bushes. If you are prepared to hunt all month, why not try?
6) Post here and a dozen guys will line up to take any extra meat off your hands.
7) Echo another poster - tough w/out 4WD between sand and mud (if there is rain); have a spare and a plug kit, mesquite thorns can be a bugger on tires. Have spare gas too, you may end up covering a LOT of miles...
 
After our last oryx hunt, I'm no longer convinced that the confidence instilled by having a 4x4 is a good idea when faced with sand. :)

I (now) know a guy in San Antonio who will come out to pull your truck out of the pit you've dug in the sand by spinning the 4x4.

We only lost a few hours (fail quickly, eh?) and were back out glassing the last couple hours of the day after chasing down more cash in Socorro.

I carry two full size spares.
 
I tend to agree coloradoman, but I think it also depends on the truck. My Tacoma would virtually never get stuck in only sand. But a heavy truck might.
On an off-range oryx hunt with daughter during incredible monsoons I needed chains and a heavy foot on the accelerator even in my truck.
 
Thanx for all the advice and input from all those who have responded so far. Extremely helpful.

I'll be getting shooting sticks for the hunt and still leaning toward putting off the rifle scope purchase for another year based on feedback.

Got me a bit concerned now about my RAM Promaster campervan for driving and access... it's not a 4x4 Mercedes sprinter van but it does have the good off road KO2 tires.

I also have a full sized spare tire and repair kits, air compressor, and those fix-a-flat cans for my Alaska travels... they'll be coming with me.

Guess I'll just have to try hunting with the campervan to begin with... maybe leveraging the top deck for glassing longer distances and being willing to hike after them will be enough to overcome a bit of the road access issues I might encounter.

And if I can't access an area and need a 4x4 maybe I can rent something locally for several days.

Another option would be finding somebody from this forum that has the experience hunting oryx and time and proper vehicle to team up with for a few days. Like I said-- more than willing to share some meat. So maybe some opportunity will arise.
 
Great advice. Not much to add. I would look over into the range just to see one through your glass so you know what your looking for. You would think with their size, color contrasts and clown faces they would be easy to spot. However, they are masters at standing still and their buff coat seems to blend in well. The swishing horse tail can give them away even when standing still.

Find their heart shaped tracks. Very unique. They can see you standing/walking a mile away and your vehicle even further.

They sometimes stand and stare because they are the baddest thing in the desert, but, just as often they run off, stopping occasionally to look back, but, putting miles between you and them.
 
If you are going through Prescott, Arizona check out Pearson Taxidermy. Craig does incredible work. Also join the New Mexico Oryx Facebook group. Those guys are great!
 
NMPaul said:
You would think with their size, color contrasts and clown faces they would be easy to spot. However, they are masters at standing still and their buff coat seems to blend in well. The swishing horse tail can give them away even when standing still.
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But once you learn what to look for, they stand out like a sore thumb it seems like.
 
I wouldn’t take off down a sandy road without 4x4 on an Oryx hunt ! You can go a long ways in 2 wheel drive in places but I have never been on an Oryx hunt where I didn’t need it. If you’re in an area that has a lot of sand and get bogged down it’s over without 4x4, shovel, some 2x6,s or a railroad jack. Ive hunted them in a big F250 to a Tacoma. In your van and especially without 4x4 you need to be carful where you go. Last year in a 4x4 2009 Dodge 3500 pickup the transfer case was going out on us and we had to back up to get turned around about a mile while holding the 4x4 shifter in, spinning most of the way, because it wouldn’t stay in 4x4 . We were talking about who we would call to come get us but we made it back to a road and called it a day with that truck. I see 4x4 pickups for rent at Enterprise rental in Alamogordo every now and then. I would call and talk to them about a truck. Good luck on your hunt.
 
I'm a taxidermist here in Albuquerque. If you come this way give me a call.
Geno 505-203-5138. Send me a text and I can send you pics of my work.
 
Adding another question since I've never hunted in this region.

Is there cell phone coverage throughout the area?

I deal with a lot of deadspots or no coverage areas while hunting in Alaska...
 
Cell service is generally available throughout most of NM, especially compared to AK; however, there is the definite possibility you won't have service when you need it here LOL. But say you get stuck or something, you can at least walk to a high point or a mile or two and get service...Alaska...not so much.
 
Find high spots and glass a lot. Cloudy days they are tougher to spot. Lots of big country to try and find them in. Post closer to Nov and you may get some volunteers to go with you .
 
Meat is amazing and you have a solid plan. IMO bowhunting them is tough, I suggest rifle. I butcher and cape my own stuff, not to hard and no waiting on someone. Cape, clean and salt and it will be fine - maybe cooler it with meat if possible. Get it mounted back home (saves shipping). Fun hunt, neat animal.
 
Well..I hunted hard for the first 6 days of November and mid way thru the 7th until I needed to head out for awhile.

I hunted mainly in the Northwest area off WSMR and just wasn't seeing any animals. Spent my time dawn to dusk up on the deck of my campervan glassing or slowly driving and glassing.

I did a few long walks to look over terrain inaccessible by vehicle but no luck using that method either.

I saw quite a few pronghorns and several mule deer and coyotes, rabbits, and badgers over all those days.. primarily at first light or as the sun was setting.

Most people I bumped into during that time frame also hadn't seen any oryx.

I finally was able to spot a herd of about 10 but they were on the Armendaris Ranch. It was cool just watching them but I would have liked to have been able to put on a stalk or two over all those days in the field.

I'll be heading back for a quick ~3 days to try and fill my tag before I need to fly to the Midwest for the Thanksgiving holiday.

If I'm still not successful I'll come back for the last couple of days of season.

Thank you to all those who already reached out to me via PMs and texts-- great info and guidance!

Any other helpful hints would be much appreciated.

Hope my path will cross with one of these majestic animals in the next few days.
 
Oh... forgot to mention... as I was leaving on the 7th I decided to take one last drive down a road... and got stuck in the sand. Didn't think it was going to be bad getting out.. only a little bit of digging... yeah right... over 4 hours later I called it quits as night was falling and called a towing service...

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Yikes! Looks like your van could use a high-lift jack in the tool kit! As stated some of those roads can get really bad when wet OR dry.
 
roadrunner said:
I carry 2' lengths of 2x6's and 2x10's with a small hydraulic jack for just such predicaments.
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Yep.. Great idea... it really was totally my fault that I got stuck. I wasn’t paying attention and was driving too slow in Drive and by the time I started to get bogged down I couldn't get downshifted quick enough and build up speed to traverse the little sand dune area.
 
Although might be handy, the problem with boards and a small jack is you have to be able to crawl under the rig. A high-lift with available lifting points on front and rear bumpers is huge benefit. Especially in mud...
 
smarba said:
Although might be handy, the problem with boards and a small jack is you have to be able to crawl under the rig. A high-lift with available lifting points on front and rear bumpers is huge benefit. Especially in mud...
Click to expand...

All you need is to get under a wheel, that way you're not having to lift half the truck and suspension to make any headway.

Have done it both ways.
 
roadrunner said:
I carry 2' lengths of 2x6's and 2x10's with a small hydraulic jack for just such predicaments.
Click to expand...
Very wise. 2x10s are perfect. Wisdom comes from having traveled the road previously or learning from others who have.

Personally, I throw in a high lift Jack, a small hydraulic Jack, a 50’ chain, a 30’ fabric pull strap, a shovel, a come-along, a 50’ 3/8 cable and a snatch block. When I travel in heavy sand dune country, like the Paunsaugunt, I now include a sand anchor (after a very sweaty afternoon in the sun)
 
Still not successful harvesting an oryx...and no oryx spotted Saturday.

Weather definitely different than the first part of the month.

And the vegetation is changing color.

Big clouds and high winds moved in as the sun was setting... made for some epic photos and several intense rainbows cropping up. Possibly the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen.. photos just didn't do it justice...

Gorgeous New Mexico terrain. Blessed to just be out here experiencing it all.

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colbam said:
Still not successful harvesting an oryx...and no oryx spotted Saturday.

Weather definitely different than the first part of the month.

And the vegetation is changing color.

Big clouds and high winds moved in as the sun was setting... made for some epic photos and several intense rainbows cropping up. Possibly the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen.. photos just didn't do it justice...

Gorgeous New Mexico terrain. Blessed to just be out here experiencing it all.

View attachment 126679
Click to expand...

Check your private messages...
 
colbam said:
Still not successful harvesting an oryx...and no oryx spotted Saturday.

Weather definitely different than the first part of the month.

And the vegetation is changing color.

Big clouds and high winds moved in as the sun was setting... made for some epic photos and several intense rainbows cropping up. Possibly the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen.. photos just didn't do it justice...

Gorgeous New Mexico terrain. Blessed to just be out here experiencing it all.

View attachment 126679
Click to expand...
That’s an awesome picture brother !
I’m gonna send you a PM
 
Well... I had to leave the hunt area to head to the Midwest for Thanksgiving and some whitetail hunting.

But I got the bug for these oryx and will get back down for the last 3 days of the season and hope to intercept an oryx... thanx for all the info shared and DMs.. definitely keeping me motivated to keep at it...

Regardless-- it's been amazing out in this vast landscape and the final sunset before I had to leave was just epic.

It's nice with being retired from the Army that I can go at a much more leisurely pace to enjoy the grandeur of the US.

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Well...I got back Monday morning to hunt hard the last 4 x days of my November oryx tag.

Promptly got stuck in the sand again at 0215am Monday morning after driving all night from Phoenix... and then real tragedy struck on Tuesday when my campervan went deadlined with a radiator puncture from the brush guard.

But through it all--- and with the generosity of a guy I met out in the hunt area who offered to take me out when I was stuck waiting on the repair shop and rental car to open on Wednesday -- I was able to persevere and harvest a 31" bull. Still can't believe it all came together on the 2nd to last day of the hunt.

A much more detailed write up to follow when i get time... focusing on the repair issues at the moment.

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Super impressed with and grateful for those on this forum who reached out to me with helpful advice and words of encouragement to keep me pushing thru to get my first oryx.

Special thanx to @mozey @PerezA @landop @roadrunner @BUGLEnmIN

There are many others as well and I apologize if I haven't specifically mentioned you or reached out with a DM yet to express my gratitude.
 
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That's a really kool pic of a stuck camper van with a busted radiator, but can't wait to see some grip-n-grin pics of a kool oryx!! Don't take this serious, just razzin' you man! :D :D

Seriously, congrats for sticking with it when it got tough. Can't wait for the story. And pics. :D:D
 
colbam said:
Super impressed with and grateful for those on this forum who reached out to me with helpful advice and words of encouragement to keep me pushing thru to get my first oryx.

Special thanx to @mozey @PerezA @landop @roadrunner @BUGLEnmIN

There are many others as well and I apologize if I haven't specifically mentioned you or reached out with a DM yet to express my gratitude.
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Super happy for you buddy! Nice to see a guy bust his ass like you did ! Putting in all those miles and overcoming obstacles to get it done!
Would be nice if all tag holders had that type of drive!
Did you not put a picture of him up ?
 
I know a owe a detailed hunting story to go with this thread... and I'll get it posted very soon... I promise.

In the meantime... wanted to give back to the community with some of my lessons learned and thoughts about the hunt. Hope it'll help a few other who are blessed to draw an off-range tag and are researching how to hunt smart and not just hard... I definitely made it much more difficult for myself with getting stuck a couple of times and having the deadlining accident.
 
Lessons Learned During this Hunt:

I believe one of the possible explanations why I wasn’t seeing more oryx even though I spent so much time out in the field in prime habitat where others had suggested I hunt was my optics set up. I have been satisfied with my set of Minox HD 10x52 binos and wear them in a Kuiu bino harness on my chest. This set-up has served me well in Alaska and the Midwest—however, I think a tall tripod set-up is almost a prerequisite for any serious oryx hunter and preferably 12x or 15x binos. My hunting partner on the day I was successful has just such a set up— binos mounted on a tall tripod. And I think his binos are at least 12x power. Even though I spotted the oryx first, his set-up is so much more stable than me standing and glassing or leaning my binos on top of my bipod Trigger-stick. That morning he was seeing javelinas a mile out and I was never able to spot them thru my binos. Quite possibly, the only way I was able to spot the oryx before him was the use of the trigger-stick setup which stabilized me a lot more than my preferred standing and glassing technique.

I even skimped on the shooting sticks and bought the cheaper bipod version vice the tripod version. I did this largely based on weight consideration and believing that I might not use the Triggerstick in other hunting settings so it was a one-time purchase. I know that’s why I never considered buying a tall tripod and mounting my binos or a second and higher magnification pair on it.
So, it is quite possible (and my hunting partner firmly believes), that during all those days that I was glassing my natural muscle motion, shaking from the wind or campervan engine running was more than enough to mask the movements of an oryx way off in the distance.

Also—having a hunting partner is invaluable and obviously was the prime decisive element contributing to my success after all the time and effort solo hunting. Not only does having two hunters in the field double the eyes glassing—at times the passenger would be the only one truly paying attention and dedicated to spotting oryx. Another hunter also provides the added benefit of having somebody to help direct you toward the animal during the stalking phase (especially in the areas with a lot of dunes or taller vegetation). Finally, it is so much easier field dressing an oryx with help. I’ve solo-hunted so much over my life and the past few years that I forgot how helpful it is to have somebody holding the hind legs or pulling the hide down the side as you’re working on skinning. Also, if I would have been successful harvesting an oryx during one of my hikes it would have been two trips to take all the meat and hide and horns back out solo.

I got myself in trouble (stuck in the sand) way too many times during this hunt and having another hunter with me would have most likely prevented every single incident as well.

I’ve mulled over my use of the campervan and whether that hindered me from being successful—after all, the day I harvested my oryx I wasn’t using my campervan. My Ram Promaster doesn’t have 4-wheel drive and also isn’t lifted to provide more ground clearance—those are undeniable limiting factors. There were certain roads and trails that I went down that I had to turn around at gullies and washes because of my vehicle’s limitations. Also, the pickup trucks I saw in the hunt areas were driving much faster than I was comfortable driving my campervan—so they could cover more ground in a day or transition more quickly to another promising hunt area.

The advantage of utilizing a campervan is that it allowed me to stay in the hunt areas for the entire duration. I didn’t need to drive out of the hunt area to find a hotel, campground, or AirBnB for the night. I would glass until I could no longer see and then either eat dinner and go to sleep or drive to a location that I thought would be promising for the following day’s sunrise. As the sun was rising I was up on the roof on my campervan glassing with my binos. So, the total time spent “hunting” was greatly increased and enabled by my campervan setup. I only left the hunt area when I needed to get more gas, restock food or to do laundry and shower.

The fact that I was able to spot some oryx (although they were always on-range or on Armendaris Ranch) throughout the hunt while in my campervan also leads me to believe it wasn’t a critical shortfall overall. However, for the day I harvested my oryx, due to the 4x4 pickup we were using, we approached the hunt area from a trail I wouldn’t have even dared to consider attempting to drive down.

I think in the end it is just another factor that comes into consideration and might limit your approach toward the hunt or cause you to work a little bit harder to persevere— sort of like weapon of choice limitations or how overall physical fitness impacts mountain hunting in Alaska. Also, I plan on continuing to apply for oryx hunts and will utilize my campervan again if drawn in the next few years.

In my pre-season research and in talking and texting with others about how to approach oryx hunting almost everybody mentioned to look for fresh tracks, especially at fence crossings, and for fresh scat and then focus and remain in that area. I feel this is solid advice, however it wasn’t until the last 2 days of my hunt when I was actually seeing more than the occasional lone track or fence crossings. That greatly lifted my spirits, however, it also increased the pressure since I was running out of remaining hunt days at the end of November and wished I had discovered these areas much earlier. I think this reinforces the other advice given that you must be willing to cover a lot of ground to be successful in filling an off-range oryx tag. I’ve heard people say to expect to spend 10 days and 2000 miles… and that was essentially accurate for me… although they didn’t mention multiple calls to tow truck services. In the end I spent over 11 full days hunting and due to having to leave the hunting area multiple times to head back to the Phoenix area to catch flights I am sure I put well over 2k miles on the campervan and quite possibly closer to 3500.

As for hunting technique— all advice I received mentioned glassing and more glassing. Mainly that would mean finding a high point and sitting down to glass or using my campervan roof. A few people recommended hiking into various areas and just glassing as you go or finding high points along the journey and stopping and glassing for a while. I did use this technique several times and enjoyed these few hikes to break up the monotony of driving and glassing. The desert terrain was quite beautiful and the weather cooperated throughout the entire time I was in the field. The areas I covered by foot looked very promising but I never spotted any oryx using this method. I did come across some interesting rock formations and picked up several cool rocks. By hiking, you also gain a much greater appreciation of the variations of elevation in what initially appears to be quite flat and barren terrain. There are plenty of gullies and draws and minor elevation changes for oryx and other wildlife like mule deer and pronghorn to disappear or reappear mysteriously. It also makes it possible to stalk closer to an oryx for a shot in what initially might appear to be totally flat terrain without any helpful vegetation.

I didn’t hunt on any of the land controlled by Ft. Bliss (NOT to be confused with the on-range tags), although several people mentioned it to me as a good option or to hunt the BLM or state land immediately adjacent. I attempted to register thru the iSportsman program but was unsuccessful getting my rifle registered online even though I followed the instructions exactly and completed the safety briefings and other requirements. I spoke over the phone with numerous people at the Visitor Control Center and part of the Hunting Programs and Wildlife Enforcement on Ft. Bliss and left probably a half dozen messages with the iSportsman POC without ever getting a call back. I just couldn't get anybody to open my email with the weapons registration form and approve it and then greenlight me in iSportsman. In the end, to be able to leverage this program, I would have had to take the time to drive to the Visitor Control Center and register my weapon in person and then wait an unspecified number of days to get that entered into the iSportsman program so I could “legally” sign out into hunt areas on Ft. Bliss controlled land. As a non-resident, I didn’t want to take that time and effort away from spending time actually in the field hunting so I never drove to Ft. Bliss. This entire process was quite frustrating as I’ve used it with such ease and assistance and friendliness in Alaska and other states and my rifle is “in the system” and registered at multiple other military bases across the US. My plan if I draw an off-range oryx tag again is to start the process at least two months prior to the month of the hunt and to call even more frequently to force the system to work.

Hope some of this info is of help... and by no means do I think I'm any sort of oryx hunting pro or expert...
 
Congrats on the oryx harvest!

From what I read in the new proclamation, Ft. Bliss (or lands controlled by Ft. Bliss) are closed for off-range oryx hunting. I copied and pasted the language in the oryx section of the new proclamation: "Closed Areas: GMU 28, White Sands Missile Range, Jornada Experimental Range, San Andres National Wildlife Refuge, Holloman Air Force Base, Fort Bliss/McGregor Range in GMU 19 and other lands closed to hunting."
 
Thanx for the input-- you might be 100% accurate.. I don't want to steer anybody wrong... my point and disappointment is with the ineffective and inefficient system at Ft. Bliss which would affect basically anybody wanting to hunt any species on the land they control if they try to follow the online registration guidance.

Since I've been branching out from hunting mainly in Alaska and drawing tags in the Western states I always call the fish and game office to clarify my prerequisites to hunt a tag I drew just to be sure. I have found the people in both Wyoming and New Mexico I dealt with this year very helpful, knowledgeable, and kind.
 
Off range is a tough hunt. The stuff you mentioned you learned will make you a better hunter for most species in the west.
 
I had my oryx dropped off for processing in Las Cruces the same day I shot it (29 Nov).

I was able to pick the meat up and take with me when I headed toward Arizona in the rental vehicle on December 1st.

I had two types of summer sausage made: Jalapeño and Pepper&Garlic.

I had some fajita meat made and a lot of burger.

The backstraps were cut into steaks and the tenderloins were wrapped up as well.

I haven't tried any of the steaks yet but have had the other meat and sausage multiple times and have shared with family and friends at some recent holiday gatherings. It's been a huge hit with everyone who has tried it.

It really is excellent tasting meat as everybody had told me prior to the hunt... very mild tasting without any "gamey" flavor or odor.
 
And I've tried the burger meat numerous ways:

* Simply as burgers in the air fryer-- can't go wrong with this method

* Lightly browned in soft tacos--add a strip of bacon to really make the flavor pop

* And being a little bit more creative I tried deviled oryx sliders -- which were super tasty but very messy to eat. Just make deviled eggs with your favorite recipe and insert a mini oryx burger between the two eggs--yummy

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Congratulations and great job on sticking with it to the very end! My son drew a off range youth tag back in February of this year and we literally lucked out on the second day finding a herd that was in a position for an awesome stalk. We had prepared for long range shooting and we were able to get under 150 yards from a large cow. Everything you wrote up in your lessons learned are spot on. As someone else mentioned, things like large glass, tripods, etc come in very handy on many western hunts so the investments would probably be used more than one would initially expect. I like your ability to not have to leave your hunting areas being in your camper van, but one consideration if you draw the tag again would be to bring a UTV of some kind. Some places will even rent them. If you could combine the benefits of the van along with a means of transportation around the unit that allows for quicker traveling and less chances of getting stuck you would have a great set up. Again congratulations!

Jeff
 
huntswnm said:
Congratulations and great job on sticking with it to the very end! My son drew a off range youth tag back in February of this year and we literally lucked out on the second day finding a herd that was in a position for an awesome stalk. We had prepared for long range shooting and we were able to get under 150 yards from a large cow. Everything you wrote up in your lessons learned are spot on. As someone else mentioned, things like large glass, tripods, etc come in very handy on many western hunts so the investments would probably be used more than one would initially expect. I like your ability to not have to leave your hunting areas being in your camper van, but one consideration if you draw the tag again would be to bring a UTV of some kind. Some places will even rent them. If you could combine the benefits of the van along with a means of transportation around the unit that allows for quicker traveling and less chances of getting stuck you would have a great set up. Again congratulations!

Jeff
Click to expand...
Yes... Great idea.. my campervan doesn't have a trailer hitch on it... yet... you got me thinking 🤔
 
Well... my son and I had an amazing spring break exploring the Land of Enchantment. Did a little bit of javelina hunting on his youth draw tag and enjoyed the beauty of nature from our campervan.

Believe it or not...I didn't get the vehicle stuck on this trip!!!

This trip also included picking up my oryx euro mount.

I love the contrast between the white skull and the dark black horns. It was good to hold my trophy again and have the memories of the hunt swell up inside.

My son was really impressed with these unique animals and the size and characteristics of the horns. We were able to spot a small herd on range and I helped my son familiarize himself with spotting them at long range with the binos.

He's all stoked to hunt them now and hopefully the draw results will be good to us In 2024.

Got the horns back to Arizona and mounted on the wall temporarily in my sister's house.

Unfortunately the lower jar was really brittle and fell off when I took the bubble wrap off. Any recommendations on best adhesive to repair them?

Screenshot_20240401_061338_Gallery.jpg


Screenshot_20240401_061509_Gallery.jpg


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Gorilla super glue is what I use for skulls where the smaller bone segments separate (I use it for loose teeth too). It works well, and you can’t see it if you do it right. Very nice euro!
 

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