I went to White Sands this weekend for the first hunt of the season. It was in the Rhodes Canyon Range. 85 hunters. I think the area is about 800-1000 square miles.

Most folks road hunted. We hiked in the foothills on the Western border. It was extremely hot. We saw many animals, but really spooky from all the pressure. Saw a good number "moving" before bedding down during the midday heat.

We moved south during midday and eventually found a small group right at the edge of the foothills and mountains about an hour before sunset. Setup a 1+ mile stalk and took the animal at 416 yards - dropped on the spot.

Up and down some canyons and got there in time to take pics before it got dark. Quartered it out and the two guides and I packed it back out in the dark over the canyons and ridges. It was a helluva a hard hunt - hot, spooky animals, hard stalks, long shot, and hard work. Couldn't have enjoyed it more.

This was a cow - 38" right, 37.5" left side; there was a smaller bull in the group, but the cow had a much larger body - so took her.

I got lucky and drew on my first application to the range. I used Cabela's TAGS and Upfront Outfitters - Mike Jenkins and Scott Hiam. Great guys. They had just come off several weeks hiking and spotting elk in the Gila for their fall hunts. I can't say enough good things about these guys.

Congratulations! Beautiful animal, lots of good eats.

Nice shot on a beautiful animal!

Congrats on a successful hunt!!!

AH, Congrats to another NR drawing OIL oryx. Very nice animal and great to eat as well. I also drew on my first try and considered myself very lucky to have taken my bull 35" with less than fifteen minutes to go on the last day. My shot was a short 305 yards with the same results.

Some say it is an easy hunt but they must make it tough only for us NR Texas hunters!

Someone got a 39" bull on Saturday - that is a whopper!

Awesome!!! I'll be there in March for my Oryx Hunt.
It was my first time drawing too.
Congrats. Real nice trophy.
W.

Hell of a shot!! Congratulations. That's a hunt I'd definitely like to do someday.....

By March they are all in the foot hills and into the mountains - that's what the game warden said.

So, if you don't have an outfitter - head for the hills to hunt.

congrats!!!

That one will eat GOOD. Great shot.

I kept the back straps and having the hinds made into roasts; donated the rest.

Congrats on a great Oryx!! What a great hunt and a great shot! You are a better man than I. I would not have donated even one ounce of the meat...........it is just too good to eat!!!


Bob

Nice, conglads. What caliber rifle were you using? I took mine with a 300 Win Mag a few years ago on the Stallion Range. They are a pretty tuff critter & can take a punch. CB

Nice animal. Good work.

Great cow!

Careful everyone....cameras are not allowed on WSMR!

they allowed cameras this year - picture with you posed with the animal only - no landscape pics nor pics of animals without you.

AH,

That's a beautiful animal..
Great shot an your part.
Kudos on the kill.


Don

AH and others. There is a pic up over on campfire of a 40" taken I think during this hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by rcamuglia:
Great cow!

Careful everyone....cameras are not allowed on WSMR!

No longer the case. Starting early this year cameras can be taken and used subject to specific rules - no scenery shots, no facilities, only the hunter and a dead oryx, closely cropped. Yes, they inspect your camera on the way out and make you delete any questionable shots. According to the oryx hunt coordinator for WSMR, he/they lobbied hard for this exception to Army rules and were finally successful - that's why you've seen a lot of photos of oryx this year compared to the past.

And yes, that's a dandy oryx to be sure. My recent experience mimicks yours - get out of the truck and hit the brush if you want to be really successful. Unfortunately there are still a lot of folks that won't get more than a couple hundred yards from a road.

I saw a lot of UFOs flying around, but didn't take any pics.