BrianID
Very Active Member
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- 2,151
I've been trying to draw Oryx for years and finally got lucky. I have the June hunt which doesn't give me as much time to scout as I would like. However, I don't live far from the missile range so I hope to be able to scout at least five or six days before the hunt opens.
I have a few questions and hope some of you might be willing to help me out. I already have a few ideas of where to look for off range Oryx but wouldn't mind any tips on areas to look if anyone is willing to share. I've killed about 10 coyotes in Southern New Mexico in 2018 so I'm familiar with some of the areas around the missile range. I have never hunted Oryx or been on an Oryx hunt. I'm experienced at hunting elk, deer and pronghorn. I'm not interested in a guided hunt. I would rather kill a small broken horn cow by myself than kill a monster with a guide. Any Oryx would be a trophy to me, if I consistently see some larger Oryx while scouting then I will probably hold off shooting for the first part of June but by the end of June I would like to take some quality meat home. If I don't see much while scouting I'll probably shoot the first legal Oryx I see.
#1 Does anyone think it would be a mistake to shoot the first legal Oryx? I'll probably have 8 or so days spread through June to hunt. Mostly weekdays.
#2 I plan on hunting Oryx like I would pronghorn. Is it true that it can be productive to hunt Oryx in the middle of the day like it is for pronghorn?
#3 How are Oryx affected by wind? On windy days will they stay bedded down or in more protected areas or do they seem to not care about wind?
#4 My main strategy will be to cover a lot of ground like I was hunting pronghorn. I stop and glass good looking areas for 5 or 10 minutes but at this point don't plan on glassing one spot for long periods of time. Even though most of the country looks fairly open I know they can blend in but I don't plan on hunting them like mule deer where I will sit on one good spot and glass for 2-4 hours in the morning. Does anyone think getting on one good vantage point and glassing from a tripod for 2-4 hours in the morning is effective use of time?
#5 How nomadic are the Off Range Oryx? With 10 months of hunting pressure I'm guessing they are very nomadic . Do they come back to the same areas after being spooked or will they be 10 miles away (or on back on the missile range) and not likely to return? If they aren't spooked by hunters, do they tend to stay in the same areas or are they always on the move?
#6 How is the hunting pressure? There are 80 tags and a lot of square miles to look for Oryx so I'm expecting to not see many if any other hunters. I'll mostly hunt weekdays, spread throughout the month.
#7 Is it reasonable to try to kill one with a bow? I'm planning on having my 338 Lapua as my primary gun and 300 Win Mag as a back up gun. I've kill several deer and elk with my bow but I've found spot and stalk pronghorn hunting to be much more challenging. Since I don't think I would get many stalk opportunities, I was going to leave the bow at home. Anyone ever get an Off Range Oryx with their bow?
#8 I plan on hunting public land only. Is it a mistake to not look for private land to hunt on?
#9 Is it a mistake to not get a guide for this hunt? The money isn't an issue and horn size isn't either. I've always done my hunts without a guide and enjoy the satisfaction of getting it done myself. However, I would be disappointed if I spent a 15 or so days between scouting and hunting without ever seeing an Oryx.
#10 How good are their eyes? Are they like pronghorn or more comparable to deer and elk?
#11 Any other advice that you have for someone that hasn't hunted Oryx?
If I could get some answers to most if not all these questions I would really appreciate it. I'll probably have more questions in the next month or two. I've been on MM for over 15 years and will keep my hunt updated with pictures. The more help I get here, the more I'll come back and give updates. Send me a PM or email if you don't want to share in an open forum.
I have Friday and Saturday off and was planing on going turkey hunting but now I'm thinking about scouting for Oryx.
I have a few questions and hope some of you might be willing to help me out. I already have a few ideas of where to look for off range Oryx but wouldn't mind any tips on areas to look if anyone is willing to share. I've killed about 10 coyotes in Southern New Mexico in 2018 so I'm familiar with some of the areas around the missile range. I have never hunted Oryx or been on an Oryx hunt. I'm experienced at hunting elk, deer and pronghorn. I'm not interested in a guided hunt. I would rather kill a small broken horn cow by myself than kill a monster with a guide. Any Oryx would be a trophy to me, if I consistently see some larger Oryx while scouting then I will probably hold off shooting for the first part of June but by the end of June I would like to take some quality meat home. If I don't see much while scouting I'll probably shoot the first legal Oryx I see.
#1 Does anyone think it would be a mistake to shoot the first legal Oryx? I'll probably have 8 or so days spread through June to hunt. Mostly weekdays.
#2 I plan on hunting Oryx like I would pronghorn. Is it true that it can be productive to hunt Oryx in the middle of the day like it is for pronghorn?
#3 How are Oryx affected by wind? On windy days will they stay bedded down or in more protected areas or do they seem to not care about wind?
#4 My main strategy will be to cover a lot of ground like I was hunting pronghorn. I stop and glass good looking areas for 5 or 10 minutes but at this point don't plan on glassing one spot for long periods of time. Even though most of the country looks fairly open I know they can blend in but I don't plan on hunting them like mule deer where I will sit on one good spot and glass for 2-4 hours in the morning. Does anyone think getting on one good vantage point and glassing from a tripod for 2-4 hours in the morning is effective use of time?
#5 How nomadic are the Off Range Oryx? With 10 months of hunting pressure I'm guessing they are very nomadic . Do they come back to the same areas after being spooked or will they be 10 miles away (or on back on the missile range) and not likely to return? If they aren't spooked by hunters, do they tend to stay in the same areas or are they always on the move?
#6 How is the hunting pressure? There are 80 tags and a lot of square miles to look for Oryx so I'm expecting to not see many if any other hunters. I'll mostly hunt weekdays, spread throughout the month.
#7 Is it reasonable to try to kill one with a bow? I'm planning on having my 338 Lapua as my primary gun and 300 Win Mag as a back up gun. I've kill several deer and elk with my bow but I've found spot and stalk pronghorn hunting to be much more challenging. Since I don't think I would get many stalk opportunities, I was going to leave the bow at home. Anyone ever get an Off Range Oryx with their bow?
#8 I plan on hunting public land only. Is it a mistake to not look for private land to hunt on?
#9 Is it a mistake to not get a guide for this hunt? The money isn't an issue and horn size isn't either. I've always done my hunts without a guide and enjoy the satisfaction of getting it done myself. However, I would be disappointed if I spent a 15 or so days between scouting and hunting without ever seeing an Oryx.
#10 How good are their eyes? Are they like pronghorn or more comparable to deer and elk?
#11 Any other advice that you have for someone that hasn't hunted Oryx?
If I could get some answers to most if not all these questions I would really appreciate it. I'll probably have more questions in the next month or two. I've been on MM for over 15 years and will keep my hunt updated with pictures. The more help I get here, the more I'll come back and give updates. Send me a PM or email if you don't want to share in an open forum.
I have Friday and Saturday off and was planing on going turkey hunting but now I'm thinking about scouting for Oryx.