Date of Hunt: 7/10/10 – 7/11/10

Outfitter: MMK Outfitters

Guide: Mark Knight (owner of MMK Outfitters)

Weapon: Smith & Wesson 629 .44 magnum topped with Leupold FX-II 2x20mm scope

Ammo: Federal Premium CastCore 300 gr. ammunition (experienced problems…..see results below)

Game Hunted: Scimitar Horned Oryx bull

Game Seen: Whitetail, Axis, Blackbuck, Fallow, Elk, Red Deer, Gemsbok, Blesbok, Eland, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Aoudad, Pure Mouflon Sheep, Nubian Ibex, Hybrid Ibex, Dama Gazelle, Grants Gazelle, White Bearded Wildebeest, Impala, Nile Lechwe, Zebra, Waterbuck, Addax, Nyala, Sitatunga, Pere David Deer, and American Bison.


I was blessed enough to receive this hunt as an early graduation present from my Mom and Dad. I will graduate from Sam Houston State University in December. I have wanted to hunt an Oryx since I was a little kid and I finally got my chance this past weekend. I set the hunt up thru MMK Outfitters. After three trips with Mark, I now have great faith in him and his company. They are a relatively young operation, but with such excellent customer service, they will be around for a long time.

We arrived at the ranch (located near Giddings, TX) Saturday morning and were greeted with a great home-cooked breakfast. We unpacked our stuff and got settled into our rooms. Mom and Dad had their own private bedroom and bathroom, and I had my own as well. After breakfast we headed out to find my Oryx. I’m new to handgun hunting, so Mark and I set up in a pop-up blind, hoping to get a shot within my comfort zone of 50 yards. After sitting for a while, the bull showed up and began heading our way. He actually came out closer than I would have liked at first. He was walking at a steady pace at 23 yards and I grunted to stop him. When he stopped he looked right at me and bolted…..ran about 20 yards and I let out a whistle. He turned broadside at 40 yards and, using my shooting sticks to steady myself, I put the crosshairs right on the back crease of his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. Mark was watching thru the binoculars and said the shot was perfect. The Oryx ran across a large pasture and had a solid stream of blood pouring from the exit wound as we both watched thru our binoculars. He ran about 300 yards and laid down where we could see him and we figured he wouldn’t last very long. Well here is where things go south…..

The ranch manager comes and meets us at the blind and 30 minutes later…..to my amazement…..the bull is still alive. He is still laying down, and he looks very close to expiring, so we figure we can just drive over to him and put in a finishing shot. Wrong!! When we get about 100 yards from him, he gets up and starts running again. Both of his front legs are solid red with blood and I just don’t understand how he’s still alive. If you would have showed me a picture of this first shot, I would have bet any amount of money that he wouldn’t make it longer than a few minutes. We spend about 20 more minutes trying to get in position for another shot. The ranch manager drops Mark and me off on a small pond dam and drives the bull toward us, in hopes that I can get a shot into him. Well it worked, thank God!! The bull comes to within 30 yards and stops slightly quartering away and I shoot him high at the back of the ribs since we are above him on the dam and he is quartering away. He starts running again and I shoot him again free-handed while he’s running at 50 yards, dropping him instantly. It was a spine shot. He’s still alive, so I walk up and finish him with a fourth shot thru the chest cavity from the top (between his shoulders) and thru his heart. He dies very quickly.

I’ve hunted my whole life and shot quite a few animals…..and I’ve never had any animal live more than 5 minutes after being shot. Seeing as how this ordeal lasted nearly an hour, I was very upset and nearly sick to my stomach. This ammunition came highly recommended from several people whose opinions I respect. However, I will never use it again. It is designed not to expand, but to penetrate completely thru and thru. I figured a .44 caliber hole should be more than enough to quickly kill an animal, but that simply wasn’t the case. I did my part, my shooting was nearly perfect, even under the stressful conditions of shots 2, 3, and 4. The bullet performance was not to my satisfaction whatsoever.

In any case, it was finished and I had my long awaited trophy bull Scimitar Horned Oryx…..and I am definitely happy about that. He was a mature bull, weighing around 400-450 lbs with 37” horns with very heavy bases. We spent the remainder of the trip taking lots of pictures and doing some fishing. The ranch is mainly a breeding operation for both whitetails and exotics, but they do hunt parts of the ranch as well.

Everything about the lodge and the property was absolutely first class. I’ve visited quite a few game ranches here in Texas, but none can hold a candle to this place. I’ve never seen so many animals of superior quality before in my life. The amount of rare African game was absolutely staggering, as well as their GIGANTIC herd of Red Deer with genetic lines imported directly from New Zealand. They have many breeder stags scoring between 400”-450”.

If you are looking for a great hunt…..don’t hesitate to book with MMK Outfitters. They are truly a first class operation and the best outfitter I’ve ever personally dealt with. You can reach Mark Knight at 281-851-1183 or visit their website at www.mmkoutfitters.com.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures. Some of them have fences in them because they were taken in breeding areas. Please note that they do not conduct hunts in the breeding pens.



Note the placement of the first shot right behind the shoulder. How any animal can live so long after a shot like that is beyond me…..






Massive chocolate Fallow buck bedded down…..


Gemsbok and Impala…..


More Gemsbok…..


Gemsbok and Blesbok with babies…..


Big Nyala bull with one of his females…..


Nice Axis buck…..


Blesbok ram…..


Pere David Deer…..


Massive Aoudad ram…..


Picture of a “Scimbok” (hybrid Gemsbok/Scimitar Horned Oryx)


Zebras…..


Elk…..


Buffalo taking a dip to cool off…..


Red Stags…..


The ranch manager’s pet Ringtail Lemurs…..these were some of the coolest, most friendly pets I’ve ever seen. They were truly amazing.


Whitetail bucks getting out of the sun…..


Absolutely HUGE breeder bull Elk. They expect him to score between 450” and 500”…..


Inside the main lodge…..


Me holding a huge set of 400” Red Stag sheds…..


Big Eland bull…..


Addax…..


Wildebeest…..


Scimitar Horned Oryx…..


Blesbok…..


Blesbok with crazy looking horn…..

Did you recover any of the slugs?

Can you post oics of the expanded bullets?

No bullets were recovered. All of them exited, which is what they are designed for. They are not supposed to expand. They are a hard cast lead bullet. I guess I should have known better, but I read many good reports of people using them on all types of animals big and small. I was deeply disappointed.

Congratulations. What a beautiful beast. One day with our efforts, we may be able to hunt them in their homeland. You captured several species nicely; wonderful studies in their elegance and anatomy.I particularly enjoyed the Nyala pair. Out of school and into La Garganta del Diablo.....good luck. Jim

Thank you for the kind words bronxfats. Here is another picture of the Nyala pair that I really thought was nice......

Great pics and a nice bull.

Please dont take offence to this but your shot placement was too far back. On gemsbuck and family you need to shoot on the shoulder, not just behind. You only got the lungs and these guys can go a long way on lung shot with a solid/non expanding bullet. If there is a next time for gemsbuck, wildebeest etc then make sure you hit them on the shoulder, break bone and go for the heart.

Well done again

A very nice animal.

How big is the area you have hunted?

No offence:I have never hunted a exotic ranch but this place looks more like a zoo than a place to hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by Manyathelo:
Great pics and a nice bull.

Please dont take offence to this but your shot placement was too far back. On gemsbuck and family you need to shoot on the shoulder, not just behind. You only got the lungs and these guys can go a long way on lung shot with a solid/non expanding bullet. If there is a next time for gemsbuck, wildebeest etc then make sure you hit them on the shoulder, break bone and go for the heart.

Well done again

I agree, I have only taken 3 oryx, but the damn things are more tenacious to life than anything I have ever hunted; including elk, and pronghorns and pronghorns can go a long ways with tons of ammo in them.

first of all congradulations on the fine trophy and thanks for the excellent pictures. No to your problem. Like was said in earlier posts no two animals die the same. Ive been hunting with cast pistol bullets for 20 years and have taken lots of big game with them up to 1600 lbs. Handguns arent rifles. they dont impart that knock down smack in most cases. Ive seen many animals drop at the shot but ive also seen just what you experienced. What ive come to do is treat a animal hit with a handgun just like an animal hit with a bow. Unless i can see the animal and absolutely know its dead i will wait at least 30 minutes before i start looking for it. Most times an animal that is hit hard will run a short distance and lay down. Once they lay for a short time there not going to get up again. Chase them to fast and it seems like they find a couple more gallons of blood on the trail. this advice goes for cast or jacketed handgun hunting as there very little differnce in effect between the two on animals. Handguns do not kill with ft lbs of energy or massive tisue dammage. they kill by drilling a hole in the heart or lungs that allows the animal to blead out through. But in the same aspect ive had heart and lung shot deer with rifles go over a 100 yards and liver shot and single lung hits go a long long ways.

Very nice trophy, it's always important to remember that the lungs are not the spine or the heart.

Congrats on a handgun kill too!

quote:

Originally posted by Lloyd Smale:
first of all congradulations on the fine trophy and thanks for the excellent pictures. No to your problem. Like was said in earlier posts no two animals die the same. Ive been hunting with cast pistol bullets for 20 years and have taken lots of big game with them up to 1600 lbs. Handguns arent rifles. they dont impart that knock down smack in most cases. Ive seen many animals drop at the shot but ive also seen just what you experienced. What ive come to do is treat a animal hit with a handgun just like an animal hit with a bow. Unless i can see the animal and absolutely know its dead i will wait at least 30 minutes before i start looking for it. Most times an animal that is hit hard will run a short distance and lay down. Once they lay for a short time there not going to get up again. Chase them to fast and it seems like they find a couple more gallons of blood on the trail. this advice goes for cast or jacketed handgun hunting as there very little differnce in effect between the two on animals. Handguns do not kill with ft lbs of energy or massive tisue dammage. they kill by drilling a hole in the heart or lungs that allows the animal to blead out through. But in the same aspect ive had heart and lung shot deer with rifles go over a 100 yards and liver shot and single lung hits go a long long ways.

I have to agree with Lloyd.

The bullets performed as they were designed.

Congratulations on the great trophy!

Wow did you ever shoot a nice scimitar.

Your photos are great, especially the blesbok and scimitar photos.

That stag with the big drop tine looks like he will be amazing in a few years.

quote:

Originally posted by D99:
Wow did you ever shoot a nice scimitar.

Your photos are great, especially the blesbok and scimitar photos.

That stag with the big drop tine looks like he will be amazing in a few years.

Thank you.....and yes, he is going to be incredible. He's only 3 years old right now. I can't imagine what he'll look like in 3 more years.

quote:

Originally posted by Caracal:
A very nice animal.

How big is the area you have hunted?

No offence:I have never hunted a exotic ranch but this place looks more like a zoo than a place to hunt.

The area I was hunting was a couple hundred acres.....

But like I said above, most of the pictures were taken in breeding pens where they breed these animals to sell live.

Scimitar Oryx aren't all that challenging of a hunt, but I have wanted one since I was a little boy. So now I have one and I couldn't be happier. He is at the taxidermist right now.

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:

quote:

Originally posted by D99:
Wow did you ever shoot a nice scimitar.

Your photos are great, especially the blesbok and scimitar photos.

That stag with the big drop tine looks like he will be amazing in a few years.

Thank you.....and yes, he is going to be incredible. He's only 3 years old right now. I can't imagine what he'll look like in 3 more years.

In 3 more years he will have rubbed his horns down a bit.

I’m glad you liked the operation…MMK is where my sons & I will have my Bison & their exotic hunt this November or December.

quote:

Originally posted by D99:

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:

quote:

Originally posted by D99:
Wow did you ever shoot a nice scimitar.

Your photos are great, especially the blesbok and scimitar photos.

That stag with the big drop tine looks like he will be amazing in a few years.

Thank you.....and yes, he is going to be incredible. He's only 3 years old right now. I can't imagine what he'll look like in 3 more years.

In 3 more years he will have rubbed his horns down a bit.

No I meant the Red Stag with the drop tine will look incredible in 3 more years. Around 6 years old is when their antler growth peaks, much like whitetails.

My Oryx was quite a bit older than 3 years old.....

I hate to cast a pall on your thread or the experience you enjoyed, but I really can't understand how anyone can be proud of taking any game on what amounts to a zoo.

The pictures of the fencing containing the animals really turn me off. I've only hunted big game in areas that are wild. The experience you had I wouldn't consider "hunting"

Sorry.

I agree with you rcamuglia.

well, i have to agree that the bullets worked as expected. i also have to agree that first shot was too far back, what appears to be a perfect shot on a whitetail is not on african game, if you were bowhunting it is highly likely that animal would've been lost. vitals on oryx is right behind shoulder and low, you were lucky to clip the lungs. that said, i agree i don't get the same wound channels with hardcasts i do with high quality expandables, problem has always been to have expandable that stay together reliably, well shoot xtp's or barnes xpb loads (my favorites) and you will get bigger wound channels but slightly less penetration. i hate to say it though, you could've shot that thing with a .375 HH with expandables and it would've run forever. just too far back. not dogging ya though. i've done the same thing bowhunting several times before i really learned african game anatomy. that said, Congratulations, still a more humane kill than anything nature was likely to provide. beautiful animal too.

also, i don't care where you shoot the animal, what some here don't understand is while it's not the same as tracking the animal through the african grassland, due to these game farms is the ONLY reason these oryx still exist in huntable numbers. they are basically not present in huntable numbers in their native habitats and rumors of them being completely extinct are coming up now. the only reason they exist on game ranches is b/c people like us pay to hunt them. he posted results of his experiences with a certain type of ammo, not to gain approval of a fence or not. this shouldn't even come up. once again, congrats.

quote:

Originally posted by tradmark:
also, i don't care where you shoot the animal, what some here don't understand is while it's not the same as tracking the animal through the african grassland, due to these game farms is the ONLY reason these oryx still exist in huntable numbers. .

Even worse!

Shooting an endangered Oryx inside a high fenced ranch!

I don't care if it was raised for that purpose. It's amazing what some people consider "hunting".

Enough of the sitting in boxes on stilts overlooking feeders, and in high fenced areas to boot, killing giants for the record book and actually calling it "hunting".

Hunting is getting a tag, scouting an area, then during the alloted season trying to find the animals with a vehicle or on foot.

Pitiful.

Awesome trophy and certainly a lot of good eats coming up! I have to really admire how healthy all the animals appear in those breeding herds.

At least good stock is available should their native lands become a wasteland.

Quote: "I hate to cast a pall on your thread or the experience you enjoyed, but I really can't understand how anyone can be proud of taking any game on what amounts to a zoo." quote

If you hate to do it...why do it?

This hunt is not to your taste...fine. It's not to my taste either. But the fact remains that these animals still exist today only because of their availability for this type of hunting-for-pay. Would your delicate sensibilities be less offended if they were actually allowed to become extinct?

It never fails...there's always someone waiting in the wings, ready to decry those whose ethics, morals or beliefs don't perfectly align with their own.

Pitiful indeed.

John

quote:

Originally posted by rcamuglia:

quote:

Originally posted by tradmark:
also, i don't care where you shoot the animal, what some here don't understand is while it's not the same as tracking the animal through the african grassland, due to these game farms is the ONLY reason these oryx still exist in huntable numbers. .

Even worse!

Shooting an endangered Oryx inside a high fenced ranch!

I don't care if it was raised for that purpose. It's amazing what some people consider "hunting".

Enough of the sitting in boxes on stilts overlooking feeders, and in high fenced areas to boot, killing giants for the record book and actually calling it "hunting".

Hunting is getting a tag, scouting an area, then during the alloted season trying to find the animals with a vehicle or on foot.

Pitiful.

That's more than a bit mean spirited, wouldn't you say? You expressed your distate for it in your first post, but didn't have to expound on it again. I hunt primarily with handguns and I think a scoped rifle is too easy, but I don't talk down on others who use scoped rifles. To each his own.

I hunted an eland cow on a high fenced ranch once.

I used my ironsighted 450 No2, because I wanted to shoot something big with it. I also wanted the meat. Another DRSS member hunted one with me as well.

We hunted them on foot, we did not spot them from a vehicle first, but just "started walking".

It was a fun hunt, and it was not easy.
We "worked" harder for the 2 eland than I have on many animals I have taken "in the wild".

As others have stated if it was not for these ranches many of these animals would be extinct.

Excellent Trophy!

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
I hunted an eland cow on a high fenced ranch once.

I used my ironsighted 450 No2, because I wanted to shoot something big with it. I also wanted the meat. Another DRSS member hunted one with me as well.

We hunted them on foot, we did not spot them from a vehicle first, but just "started walking".

It was a fun hunt, and it was not easy.
We "worked" harder for the 2 eland than I have on many animals I have taken "in the wild".

As others have stated if it was not for these ranches many of these animals would be extinct.

I hunted the Camp Cooley Ranch as well.....in fact, that's where I shot my Eland back in 2003. It was hands down the most fun hunt I've ever been on.....and it was extremely challenging. It took 6 full days of hunting over the course of 3 trips for me to get a reasonable shot at a big mature "blue bull". We walked many miles on that property chasing after Eland.

Your photos are very impressive. Wondering what camera/lens and processing software.

Congrats on the Oryx.

The camera is a Samsung Pro 815 and I use Picasa, which is a free photo program by Google.

Thank you for the pics they are clear, sharp and I enjoyed them.

The animal you harvested may very well be in short supply....

But here on AR we have a surplus of Jackass!!! (as you may have read in the above)

Your parents gave you a great gift, thank them

I don't have any problem expressing my opinion when I feel as strongly about something as I do this. I also don't have to resort to name-calling when someone expresses a different opinion than mine.

HC's right about you

Were you one of the above to express a negative point of view towards Eland Slayers graduation gift from his parents?

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
Were you one of the above to express a negative point of view towards Eland Slayers graduation gift from his parents?

Twice?

Ted,

anyone with one good eye connected to a partially functioning brain by an optic nerve can piece that together.

And no, I didn't express a negative opinion about the gift. My opinion concerned describing the outing as a "hunt" and all the praise about the "trophy" from others. The photos are great, but reinforce my characterization of the hunt as like one in a zoo.

When anti-hunting groups see outings like this it gives them plenty of ammo to further their cause.

How much satisfaction and sense of accomplishment can you get from a "hunt" like this? I would be embarrassed to have people see the mount and ask me where I got it if I had to tell them the truth that I shot it in Texas on a farm that raises them in a fenced property. LOL

I have a real distaste for this activity especially when a clean kill can't even be made on a farm-raised animal.

If you want to do some bullet testing and need meat, pay a rancher for a good looking young steer and "hunt" it.

It would be just as challenging as this bullsh!t.

Oh, next post I'll tell you how I really feel

rcamuglia wrote: "I have a real distaste for this activity especially when a clean kill can't even be made..."

Wow...if that isn't the POT calling the kettle black...

A while back, you took a 930 yard shot on an animal (coyote) with a .24 caliber cartridge/bullet combo that DID NOT AFFORD ANY EXPANSION at that range and had less energy than a .22 Magnum.

And you MISSED the target by 16 inches and hit it in the arse, wounding it and leaving it lying while you rode around and made the drive up to it. Then you dispatched it.

So, since a clean kill could not be made on your first attempt, why did YOU take that shot?????

If you are going to preach, I might suggest you follow the advice of your own sermon...

--

Eland Slayer-

Nice trophy and great photos...thanks for sharing.

Quite a comparison and selective quotation there, Genius.

Let's see,

A 934 yard shot that puts down a fawn killer compared to a 30 yard shot at an exotic in a pen?....hmmmmm

The coyote, a fair chase one at that, was even dispatched more quickly.

Thanks for bringing that up Bobby! I almost forgot about it it's been so long ago! I guess it made an impression on you. I sense a bit of jealousy in a guy that would bring it up after so long.

It was an amazing shot that I'm happy I made, especially with a witness right by my side! I love shooting deer and livestock killing coyotes, especially at that range. If I could shoot 100 a day like that, I'd quit my job!

Of course I'd post them here to make wannabees like you who are so envious of something you'll never be able to duplicate even more crazy! Ha!

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
rcamuglia wrote: "I have a real distaste for this activity especially when a clean kill can't even be made..."

Wow...if that isn't the POT calling the kettle black...

A while back, you took a 930 yard shot on an animal (coyote) with a .24 caliber cartridge/bullet combo that DID NOT AFFORD ANY EXPANSION at that range and had less energy than a .22 Magnum.

And you MISSED the target by 16 inches and hit it in the arse, wounding it and leaving it lying while you rode around and made the drive up to it. Then you dispatched it.

So, since a clean kill could not be made on your first attempt, why did YOU take that shot?????

If you are going to preach, I might suggest you follow the advice of your own sermon...

--

Eland Slayer-

Nice trophy and great photos...thanks for sharing.

That is when he made my ignore list. I figured anyone claiming that level of incompetence has to be a troll or does not have the mental capacity to add anything to the conversation.

rcamuglia wrote:

quote:

I sense a bit of jealousy

During the 1986 trapping season (Dec-Jan) alone, I took 88 coyotes in a stretch of just over 2 weeks. So yes, you caught me, I am highly jealous -- the proverbial green with envy -- of that single, arse-shot 'yote.

And for your information, I actually have NO PROBLEM with the shot you took. But when you come on here and start preaching your holier-than-thou venom and degrading what someone else has done, then I figure it's time for me to speak up. And I see others feel exactly the same as I do.

I've communicated in a PM to him that I meant not to hurt his feelings or diminish his experience or his family's thought of the gift on such a special occasion before you chimed in.

I understand the purpose of everone's posts.

I'm passionate about this type of "hunt" and the way animals are "hunted" in other areas of the country to which are foreign to me. I've never "hunted" that way. I would have to classify it as deer "shooting" as there really is no hunting involved. Put out a feeder or plant a food plot then shoot the animals you've raised from a house on stilts while you have the latest camo pattern on....utterly rediculous to call this activity "hunting".

I've actually heard guys who "hunt" like this say how hard they "hunted" during the season to bag something. They wouldn't last to noon on any hunt I've been on.

And to compare trapping coyotes to spotting one at over a mile, stalking as close as possible, ranging him, dialing the data you've worked hard to develop into your scope, chambering a round that you developed, reading the wind, making a good trigger squeeze, then watching 4 legs in the air at 934 yards, is quite a stretch!

It was real hunting and a real shot that I may not even ever have the opportunity to attempt again. I'm glad I got out of bed that morning!