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New Mexico Oryx Once in a Life Time Hunt

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Juiceking

Juiceking

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Dec 6, 2020
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Talk about won of the gems of New Mexico public draw hunts.... what hunt can you leave your house at 530 am and be back by 930 pm with a African big game animal...woohoo!! This hunt took place on White Sands Missle Range. We checked in at gate around 10am they let us start hunting at 12pm and i harvested at 230pm 38" bull 104 yrds 30.06 180 gr winchester. He dropped so hard i didnt see it and almost shot another one luckily i snapped at last minute. 20201206_123417.jpg 20201206_123417.jpg 20201024_165426.jpg 20201023_145657.jpg
 

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I've hunted that range successfully twice, once my buddy's hunt, once mine. The first was pre 911 so it was a bit more relaxed. We were even allowed to camp on the range in the Stallion Range Admin Building parking lot. They also provided a large a frame for skinning and quartering if needed. The next time was my hunt, the year after 911 and they were very tight on security. We needed to be at the gate a 5:30 AM, go through security with three agencies, and then on to the admin building for the mandatory orientation. Out to hunt about 7:30. Once an animal was down you called in and your hunt was over. You had to field dress, load and depart as ASAP with security guys watching your every move. The funny part is I got my animal 45 minutes in, we were out the gate, and I was home by a bit after noon (Taos area). About 5:30 I get a call from the Army wanting to know where I was? The guard checking us out forgot to mark us gone so they thought we were still on the base somewhere. Bet he got his ass chewed!
I've hunted off range as well, which are draw hunts.
Those
Oryx tastes good too!
 
Rubone said:
I've hunted that range successfully twice, once my buddy's hunt, once mine. The first was pre 911 so it was a bit more relaxed. We were even allowed to camp on the range in the Stallion Range Admin Building parking lot. They also provided a large a frame for skinning and quartering if needed. The next time was my hunt, the year after 911 and they were very tight on security. We needed to be at the gate a 5:30 AM, go through security with three agencies, and then on to the admin building for the mandatory orientation. Out to hunt about 7:30. Once an animal was down you called in and your hunt was over. You had to field dress, load and depart as ASAP with security guys watching your every move. The funny part is I got my animal 45 minutes in, we were out the gate, and I was home by a bit after noon (Taos area). About 5:30 I get a call from the Army wanting to know where I was? The guard checking us out forgot to mark us gone so they thought we were still on the base somewhere. Bet he got his ass chewed!
I've hunted off range as well, which are draw hunts.
Those
Oryx tastes good too!
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I like the camping part...ive never seen that...my biggest complaint having been on 3 hunts (including my own) is that hunt is so quick i never get to explore WSMR...but yea super fun hunt
 
A 38-incher too, wow! Congrats! Nice trophy! I had to travel 13 hours on a plane, five hours on a truck and several hours on foot for mine. Oryx is a funny animal, it looks way better as a shoulder mount than it ever did when it was alive. I'm not sure if I need new glasses but their body composition reminds me of a hog and not an antelope, but the head sure is pretty. ;)
 
hq said:
A 38-incher too, wow! Congrats! Nice trophy! I had to travel 13 hours on a plane, five hours on a truck and several hours on foot for mine. Oryx is a funny animal, it looks way better as a shoulder mount than it ever did when it was alive. I'm not sure if I need new glasses but their body composition reminds me of a hog and not an antelope, but the head sure is pretty. ;)
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Thank you... sounds like you got yours on the african continent....its interesting because the place doing the mount is in Silver City..Royal Jons Taxidermist..and hes doing an african gemsbook and man the horns are so weathered and scarred you can tell thats an animal that has to fight to survive vs WSMR base where only predator is man...pretty cool checking out african cousin
 
Absolutely great.
I shot mine in Namibia after 6 days of looking for a good male. When he was taped, he was 34". Yours is super.

Also, you get to eat it. In Namibia the landowner owns the carcass and the hunter only gets the head. I had to to go to a restaurant in Windhoek to get a gemsbok steak. It was delicious.

Congratulations to you. :thumbup:
 
Milt1 said:
What does the meat taste like, is it tough tender or what?
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Nice and tender like most antelopes. Even the old 40" bull I shot was great, even though the PH kept telling me that younger ones are so much better. My personal favorites of African game meat are wildebeest, eland and kudu, in that order. Giraffe is a real "experience", just not a pleasant gustatory one. Think rancid fat-flavored chewing gum. :eek:
 
Why is there a huntable population of Oryx on the White Sands Missile Range?
 
Speedo66 said:
Congrats, beautiful animal!

Looks like very lean meat, enjoy!

Back story, how did they get there?
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Probably not factual but ive alwsys been told it was a big wig general that like to hunt and had 100 brought in the early 70's and i have heard it was some science study so i dont really know except they have done so well there are now a handful of off range public draws you can do for them
 
Patocazador said:
Juiceking, was it a cow or a bull?
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He was a bull..i messed up on an even nicer one not 30 min before one i shot...we're cruising real slow rolling type stuff pockets of tall grass and scrub brush...we come by pocket of that we spook a big boy right next to driver window im in passenger seat buddy hits the brake and im staring at this oryx not 20 ft away my eyes shift to look at my buddy and he shrieks GET THE F$!!! OUT OF THE TRUCK i snap jump outta truck he takes off into thick brush cant locate him again...haha man oh man got caught watching instead of hunting
 
Juiceking said:
Probably not factual but ive alwsys been told it was a big wig general that like to hunt and had 100 brought in the early 70's and i have heard it was some science study so i dont really know except they have done so well there are now a handful of off range public draws you can do for them
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That's fantastic, either way, made for a hunt of a lifetime for you.

As long as he didn't also bring over any African predators. lol
 
Juiceking said:
Probably not factual but ive alwsys been told it was a big wig general that like to hunt and had 100 brought in the early 70's and i have heard it was some science study so i dont really know except they have done so well there are now a handful of off range public draws you can do for them
Click to expand...

I had read the actual story about 40 years ago and, if I remember correctly, gemsbok (oryx) and Persian ibex were released by the New Mexico game dept. to fill a void in areas that didn't hold any native big game animals. The gemsbok went to White Sands and the ibex went to the Florida Mountains.

H&H Hunter here hunted the ibex when he was younger and everyone who has had to bust their butts since those mountains are so steep and treacherous. Evidently, the oryx hunt is easier.
 
Patocazador said:
I had read the actual story about 40 years ago and, if I remember correctly, gemsbok (oryx) and Persian ibex were released by the New Mexico game dept. to fill a void in areas that didn't hold any native big game animals. The gemsbok went to White Sands and the ibex went to the Florida Mountains.

H&H Hunter here hunted the ibex when he was younger and everyone who has had to bust their butts since those mountains are so steep and treacherous. Evidently, the oryx hunt is easier.[/QUOTE
Makes sense...and your right ibex is risky different hunt..an air man died hunting up there lost year.. he fell...i still would love to get an ibex
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They are impressive..just not something you ever see running around while hunting...thanks for the article about gemsbok and White Sands...i had never read that before
 
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