My eldest daughter has applied for four New Mexico oryx hunts in her young life. Despite crappy odds, she has drawn three tags - a youth hunt, a hunt outside of the White Sands Missile Range (the core area), and most recently her "once-in-a-lifetime" hunt on the range. On the youth hunt she got a nice 33" cow and last January she killed a big-bodied 33" bull off range. For this year's oryx, she wanted to beat her standard. We hunted hard, made a good attempt with lots of stalks, but in the end, 33 is just her number. She filled her once-in-a-lifetime tag with this pretty 33" bull.

Good for her that's awesome. What caliber of gun she used?

Awesome! Beautiful bull.

quote:

Originally posted by kennedy:
Good for her that's awesome. What caliber of gun she used?

For most of her big game hunting, she has used a shortened Ruger M77 Hawkeye in .338 Federal. This year we concluded that, despite my projections that she would remains relatively little like her momma, she had outgrown the stock on that rifle. Since we haven't decided on her "life" rifle (aka the last one I buy her) yet, she used my Kimber 8400 in .300 WSM shooting handloaded 150 grain Barnes TTSX. As usual, it worked with minimal fuss. Interestingly, out of dozens of animals killed with this rifle/load, including two other oryx, this bull was the first critter to stop a Barnes bullet. You can see it just under the hide.

Congratulations to your Daughter, she has a good teacher. Really a nice picture.

Well done young lady!

And thanks for starting another lifetime hunter.

Congrats to you all. Those oryx are truly an awesome animal. If you need help eating some of the meat please shoot me a PM.......!!!

Wow,congrats to the young lady and her teacher.

Very well done!!

That's great, fine shooting too.
How old is she?

Pretty animals, didn't realize
their size, thought they were
half that size.

She'll make a great hunter one
of these days with a bit more
practice.

thanks for sharing.

George

Congrats!

I was up on stallion and saw a ton of them by the National Guard Camp last week.

The big bridge on highway 7 before Mockingbird gap has a pair of hornless bulls that live near it.

I haven't seen any on the El Paso Gate road in a few months, but I don't drive that road every day.

I am not sure I would put in for the SMR unless it was my last choice. While there are tons of oryx there, there is so much cover it makes for a harder hunt.

Neighbor went 3 for 3 on oryx this year. They usually end up with at least 2 tags a year.

Good for her. Nice photo! Fun hunting with kids.

Congratulations to the fine young hunter.
May she enjoy many many more hunts with family.

Great job by the little lady DesertRam !
I always love seeing your kids posts of successful hunts you are doing a great job as a dad, keep it up.

Congrats to your daughter, DesertRam.

I still remember quite fondly the oryx hunt you accompanied me on in Rhodes Canyon. Great time, and a good hunt with a fine rifle and fine company.

Bill

quote:

Originally posted by JGRaider:
Congrats to you all. Those oryx are truly an awesome animal. If you need help eating some of the meat please shoot me a PM.......!!!

Well, if you ever wander through southern NM on I-10, you have but to send a message. I’m sure we can wrangle a beer and a steak.

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
That's great, fine shooting too.
How old is she?
George

I won’t say exactly, but she’ll be heading out on her own in the next year or two. I have bribed her to return to hunt with Dad by offering to pay her hunt application fees as long as she’s in college.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Congrats!
…
I am not sure I would put in for the SMR unless it was my last choice. While there are tons of oryx there, there is so much cover it makes for a harder hunt.

Thanks. I killed my first oryx on the SMR in 2000, and went on several good hunts there with others before they suspended hunting for several years. It’s not a bad place, you just have to look harder.

quote:

Originally posted by llamapacker:
Congrats to your daughter, DesertRam.
I still remember quite fondly the oryx hunt you accompanied me on in Rhodes Canyon. Great time, and a good hunt with a fine rifle and fine company.
Bill

Thank you Bill. I too recall that hunt fondly. I shared the story of that hunt with her on this trip, which was on Rhodes as well.

Congrats on a great bull!!!

Need to rethink my application strategy and start putting for one of these hunts again.

Any change you have a picture of the bullet?

quote:

Originally posted by graybird:
Congrats on a great bull!!!

Need to rethink my application strategy and start putting for one of these hunts again.

Any change you have a picture of the bullet?

Thanks. If you need any input on applying, just send me a note and I'll try help out.

I didn't have a picture of the bullet initially, so I took one. It looks like it could be in a Barnes advertisement, like pretty much every one I have recovered.

Congratulations to both of you.

Wonderful harvests, DR. It has been a year and a half since I was in Rhodes Canyon, but I saw a lot of oryx up there. Sure made me want to hunt. I was part of a caravan to visit the gravesite of Eugene Manlove Rhodes up top there.

Where did you guys put in for this year?

I put in for all 4 returning vet hunts, with the SMR as my last choice, and the WSMR population management hunts, since I have base access.

Congrats!!! Very good table fair!!!

Seth, I didn't apply for oryx this year. Just antlerless elk in Unit 34 again.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Where did you guys put in for this year?

I put in for all 4 returning vet hunts, with the SMR as my last choice, and the WSMR population management hunts, since I have base access.

Pretty much all over: Stallion, Rhodes, Red, off-range. We all like different hunts, so I spread us all around. Maybe one of us will get something.

I did elk in 16C, 34 and the two rifle 6Bs.

Deer was the areas near Jicarilla.

Ibex rifle billy, muzzleloader billy, and the winter nanny tag.

Javelina was near Demming. We have them on base, but the odds suck.

Sheep in the Gila

Aoudad in 28.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Seth, I didn't apply for oryx this year. Just antlerless elk in Unit 34 again.

C'mon Bill, get after those oryx. They're all but in your back yard. I would be happy to come over and help out. I've got everything we need to have a great hunt - except the tag! So get one!

That's awesome. Congrats to the both of you!

Thanks for sharing the recovered bullet photo as well. One of the first things I noticed when I looked at the photo was the bump and wondered if that was indeed the projectile. More (and more valid) info can be gleaned from things like that than from any advertising hype. What was the range of the shot and your load's approximate muzzle velocity?

Congrats again!

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
More (and more valid) info can be gleaned from things like that than from any advertising hype. What was the range of the shot and your load's approximate muzzle velocity?

Thanks Bobby, I agree.

I don't know the exact range; somewhere around 175 yards. Muzzle velocity is 3280.