The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting Nilgai huntingGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Nilgai hunting | Login/Join |
| One of Us |
I've booked a Nilgai hunt on the King Ranch in South Texas. I've always heard that they are extremely hard to put down. I'M TRYING TO DECIDE ON A RIFLE AND BULLET FOR THIS HUNT. Can anyone relate any first hand experience hunting NILGAI. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | ||
|
| One of Us |
Good luck on you're hunt. I'm interested in doing a Nilgai myself. Will this be a low fence or a high fence hunt? | |||
|
One of Us |
Did the King Ranch folks make a recommendation? I have never hunted one, but the times I have checked into booking a hunt it seems like they recommended a minimum of either a .7mm Mag. or a .30 caliber magnum. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
|
one of us |
One rifle, One planet - Holland's 375  Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
|
| One of Us |
I used my 375 this spring on a brown bear hunt and wound up with a severe case of bursitis in my right shoulder. At 71 I'm thinking it may be time to use something that doesn't kick quite so bad. I traded a .45 pistol for a .300 WSM. King Ranch says a minimum of a 7 mag. but I have never liked to use the minimum. They also said if you hit it, you bought it, whether you can find it or not. I've never really thought the 7 mag (used on elk) really killed as good as a 30/06 (also used on elk, deer, black bear etc.) Shots will probably be 200 yds.+. So there should be an advantage to the 300 WSM in trajectory at least. If no one comes up with a good suggestion based on experience I'll either use the 300 WSM or my .338 if I can handle it with my bursitis. If my bursitis clears up I'll use my .338 for sure. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Johnny Reb, yes this is a low fence hunt in a 30,000 acre pasture. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
|
| one of us |
I haven't personally hunted one, but know and have talked with several who have, most used 300 Win Mag area, but one used a .30-06. All had successful hunts. I don't recall all the bullets used, but several used Nosler Partitions. The main point of my post is, especially with the African rules, "hit it, you own it", is don't push your shot. If you're not comfortable, simply don't take the shot, wait for a better situation. BTW, the .30-06 will kill them graveyard dead if you hit them right. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
|
one of us |
I would start at the various .300's, .338 to .375 caliber are even better! I have shot a dozen or so and they can be surprisingly difficult to put down. I saw one lost with a .30-06 just this past February... if you are going to spend the money to make this hunt, don't dick around with marginal calibers. Also the vitals sit far forward in the body cavity, a shot "behind" the shoulder is usually too far back depending on the angle. Always shoot for the off shoulder! Good luck, hunting nilgai is a blast and the meat is second to none. On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I've killed several with several different calibers. Their hide is very elastic so the bigger the hole the better. The biggest bull I've ever killed was with a 308 using a 168 gr TSX. He was quartering to me at about 100 yards. The bullet entered in between his shoulder and neck, took out his heart and one lung then came to rest 3' back in rear of his rib cage. I've also used the 160 gr TSX in my 7x57 to kill several. To me this is a much sexier kill. Most of the guys I hunt with use various 300's with 180 gr TSX's and 338 WM with 225 gr TSX's. You want a tough bullet and SHOT PLACEMENT IS KEY!!!!!! For the record I also killed one with my 22-6mm loaded with a 70gr TSX. Would not really recommend that though. Perry | |||
|
| One of Us |
I'm not really worried about killing one. The problem lies in putting one down fast enough that you can find it in this incredibly thick South Texas brush. I've been told that because of their hide slipping over the bullet hole that a blood trail is very rare. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
|
| one of us |
Break both shoulders or brain them. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
|
| One of Us |
375 or bigger, 45-70 is a good choice. They are not that hard to blood trail if your shot is good. I have never lost one and have made a few less than perfect shots. Bare in mind that they are skin and bones like everything else. Perry | |||
|
| one of us |
I used my 300 H&H, 180 gr Hdy I-lock. DRT. I'll never forget the guide asking me "what happened" after my shot. Turned out there was some brush in his way and he couldn't see what happened to the animal when I shot. Pancho LTC, USA, RET "Participating in a gun buy-back program because you think that criminals have too many guns is like having yourself castrated because you think your neighbors have too many kids." Clint Eastwood Give me Liberty or give me Corona. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Swampshooter, I am in the country Nilgai originated from. I have seen them shot with all sorts of calibers, shotgun with buckshot & including a 22LR (not recommending it, but just saying..). I have shot large bulls with a 223, but most of the time it's been either a 30-06 or a 375 H&H. Hit well, neither seems to be better than the other. 2 large bulls with a 223, behind shoulder shots...distance +-50 yds to 160 yds...neither went more than 20-30 yds... I keep reading about Nilgai in Texas and how difficult they are to kill etc. etc....no more so than any other animal. Poke a hole through heart lungs, and it's not going to go far! True, I have never shot Nilgai in Tx, though I lived in the US for 25+ years, but I cannot them being much different from the animals that raid my farm in India..and now they have been declared "vermin" so I can shoot as many as necessary to protect my crops <wink> If you are worried about having to trail them etc. in thick brush, I would suggest hitting them on the shoulder 3-4" below the top of the shoulder..high shoulder shot, messes up the spine...they go 3 feet..straight down! | |||
|
One of Us |
I would use a .30 cal with a heavy 180 or 200 gr tough bullet like an a-frame or barnes tsx and go for a shoulder shot if possible. A .338 or a .35 would probably be even better. | |||
|
| one of us |
Ive hunted the King ranch a number of times, some of it is fenced and some not, but even the fenced portion is the size of a small state.. The Nilgai has hide up to about an inch thick over the shoulders, depending on the age of the bull and range condition..That's damn hard on bullets. If you can shoot a .338 or 375 without recoil concerns then that's the caliber to use..I saw a bull Nilgai shot center chest with a 340 Wby. Thought he broke a leg so the insueing tracking went on for two days and no recovery..4 days later he was found dead about 7 or 8 miles from where he was shot..Lesson learned by all. Sometimes they can be pretty wild as they get hunted hard on a daily bases, to use less gun could very easily be a mistake..I have used the .338 Win with 250 or 300 gr. bullets as a rule..I and my boy used a Win 1886 in 45-90 with 350 gr. Hornady rn one year...it worked well enough but we made sure our shots were close..two bulls and two cows longest shot was 125 yards..A couple of those animals went near 300 yards and required a finisher. I see them as tough animals to kill, much harder than elk, Moose or Eland it seems to me, but that said they are not bullet proof and a lighter caliber with proper bullets would work most of the time I suspect..But why take the chance cause if you wound, you may have to pay and go home empty.. Giving yourself the advantage is never a mistake... Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
|
| One of Us |
Ray, I respectfully disagree with you a little bit. Unless the Texas Nilgais are a different breed from the Indian Nilgai...or have evolved to be tougher animals. My personal experience...I have seen them shot with everything from a 22lr to a 458 Lott. The last one I saw shot, a couple of weeks ago was with a 375 H&H...perfect shoulder shot at about 150 yds. animal dropped straight down..now we are walking up to it, it comes to life again and takes off..my nephew gives it the "Texas Heart Shot", it drops down...not dead..took another 3 shots before we could load it up. I have shot big bulls with a 223, and they have not gone more than 20-30 yds after being hit. With all the different calibers I have seen used, including a 357 Mag (and the bull just sat down on its ass and rolled over), I would say a good 30-06 is plenty. Of course, you have to place the bullets right otherwise borrow a 20 mm anti-tank rifle. Here in India, where I am, they (along with wild boar) have been declared "vermin" due to the damage they cause to crops...so I am looking forward to experimenting with different calibers ( I need to protect my fields). Will report back to you | |||
|
| One of Us |
I have to go along with what Mr. Atkinson said. Even though I have not hunted Nilgai yet, all the accounts both written and oral I have read or heard, they are tough animals. Lots of factors combine on the effects a shot has on any given animal. Others will have had different experiences, but from my hunts for other hoof stock, an animal that has not been basically alerted, for lack of a better term, reacts to a hit differently to a hit from a bullet than an animal that has been alerted that something is wrong. Basically one animal is calm and the other is tensed up and ready to try and escape. That may not make sense to anyone, but the manner in which Nilgai are hunted in Texas, keeps those animals alert and ready to run, and better able to withstand a solid hit and travel farther after the hit. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Swampshooter, Have you considered loading a little light and/or slower on the 375? A good bullet at moderate speed should be no harder than your 338. Get em down to 376 Steyr level If you think every possible niche has been filled already, thank a wildcatter! | |||
|
| One of Us |
A 45-70 with a 500 grain Hammerhead at 1250 fps will do the job quite nicely. Put one in the middle of his shoulder, and the only place he will go is straight down. | |||
|
One of Us |
I'm another one of the "Take your .375 and hunt the World" folks. My son and I are putting together a Nilgai hunt. I plan on taking my .375 loaded with 250 gr. TTSX bullets. I really like to break bones and get an exit hole. Here at home, I used the 270 Old Style NP's for everything. They do less meat damage than a .270 on those Sitka Blacktails. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I keep kicking around the idea of doing a Nilgai hunt at the King, and should I pull it off, I will be using my .375 with either 235 grain or 250 grain Barnes "X" or "TSX". Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I have hunted them. About like an elk or eland. I would use a .300WM or .375HH. Hit in the right place, them go down. I have not seen 1" thick hides, but the are stout for sure. | |||
|
One of Us |
Swampshooter, If your .375 is bothering your shoulder how about something on the order of a .35 Whelen or .350 Rem mag? Both offer a lot of thump for relatively little recoil. As long as the range isn't way out there they are amazingly effective without being abusive to your shoulder. I've had a .350 RM for quite a while and whatever I shoot at always seems to fall down pretty quick. Roger ___________________________ I'm a trophy hunter - until something better comes along. *we band of 45-70ers* | |||
|
| one of us |
Esskay, With all respect, Any animal can be killed with a .223 IMO, or a 22 L.R. as you state, but that's not a practical caliber for Nilgai, and a hunter paying the cost of a King Ranch hunt would be set up for failure to hunt there with a .223, or even a 257 or 308 IMO. You wound one and you pay for it and go home empty handed.. Your very own post contradicted your disagreement with me in that you tell of a Nilgai your son shot that that took a several .375s to kill it, so why do you respectfully disagree with my post which BTW is just my opinion based on shooting Nilai over the years...  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
|
| One of Us |
I have a great deal of respect for you. And I apologize if you thought/felt that I was in any way being disrespectful to you. The point of the 375 story and multiple shots was just to illustrate that sometimes it doesn't matter what you shoot them with, that's all. As you know better than I, it's primarily where you hit them. Of course, the fee and costs are a major factor. Regards Saeed | |||
|
| one of us |
NO offence was taken my friend, just conversation without the addition of a campfire and a few cool ones.  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
|
| One of Us |
King Ranch will not allow any caliber smaller than .270 Win. and require bonded or mono bullets. Hunt is strictly on food. No vehicles of any kind allowed. Vehicles must be left at the front gate. Cost is $850.00 per day with an $1100,00 trophy fee. Must be paid on any animal hit. velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I've shot four or five of them there. All were one-shot kills with a .300 Win Mag pushing a 180 gr. Barnes TSX. They get hunted hard there, so be prepared for a shot between 200-300 yards. | |||
|
One of Us |
Where I hunt Nilgai, there is no need for long range rifles or shooting as the brush cover is so thick that shots are never over 100 yards and often they are only partially visible in the cover. They are not easy to stalk, but then neither are wild turkey, but it can be done. I have taken 2 with a .405 Winchester and my son has one with his .458 Socom; both were DOA. A 45-70 is deadly at close range and stalking close is very rewarding. TIP - study their anatomy and you will know where the vitals are and a bullet through the heart and lungs is a stopper. My PH friend taught me to use the African antelope shot when a broadside is possible; bring your sight up a front leg and fire when 1/3 up the body(do not pause or stop, just shoot). This takes out the heart, the front the lungs, and may break one or both forelegs. You want a cartridge that will shoot through the animal - a tough bullet. Have fun and enjoy the eating. NRA Life Benefactor Member, DRSS, DWWC, Whittington Center,Android Reloading Ballistics App at http://www.xplat.net/ | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia