We are leaving tomorrow morning for a 2 day hunt with Lomas Chicas for nilgai near Sarita TX. Went to the range today and was extremely pleased with the Federal 225 grain Barnes Triple Shock in my .338 Winchester Model 70. I still have not decided whether to hunt with the 338 or go for overkill with my 416 Remington Magnum. Will post report Sunday.

146 days to Africa and counting down

Good luck and have fun. We expect some pics when you return! Those things are supreme eating!

Nilgai are extremely tough animals to put down. You will be happy to have the larger calibers.

Mike,

You will have a good time hunting with Sam. Tell him that Bill & Linda said hello.

WLA

My dad, a buddy and I hunted with Sam and the gang Easter weekend and shot three nice bulls! You will have a great hunt! Either rifle will work... I've shot them with .416's, .375's, .338/.340's, 9.3's and .300's! They all work with premium bullets and good shot placement. Good luck and shoot straight.

Overkill?

I once shot a ground squirrel with a 300 grain TSX out of my 375 H&H. I killed it.

Unless what you shoot it with destroys too much meat or the cape, I can't understand "overkill".

I've considered hunting these critters for awhile now and Lomas Chicas has gotten some good press on this forum recently. I don't believe I want to stuff one to hang over the fireplace, but I'd like to know how they taste? I'd drive down from Montana and bring back a pickup bed load of meat depending on you guy's response.

The meat is fabulous!

Perry

The meat is excellent!

And Fjold... no such thing as overkill on a mature nilgai bull! They are 700 pound antelope with real tenacity! Most nilgai guides carry .375's as back-ups but don't take my word for it... come down and hunt them yourself and see. They are tons of fair-chase fun!

And ask me about the Wyoming elk guide who brought his .270 down...

I can see it now, a liesurely hunt for nilgai, pigs, and alligator. Drink a little Lone Star, eats some BBQ. Life is good.
Thanks guys.............I'm good to go.

Any best time of year? Keep in mind that Montana sucks in January and most of February.

Mike70560,
Do you have a web address that I may look at his site?

Thanx !
Hipshoot

Hipshot,

I think that Mike his hunting there as we speak,or write. The website is www.lomaschicasoutfitters.com

WLA

They look like they were assembled from leftover spare parts to me. Still wouldn't mind getting one someday.

I am home now and what a trip we had with Lomas Chicas Outfitters.

I went Nilgai hunting with two friends Ronnie and Leo, who had never even seen a nilgai. Actually when we first talked about the hunt their question was "You want to hunt what?" I have hunted nilgai many times, even being a pseudo guide and skinner. It is important to remember my excellent nilgai skills.

Our group arrived late Thursday night and our host Richard was there to meet and greet us. The accommodations and food were excellent.

Friday morning after breakfast we met at the barn and received our orientation. Sam and his guides like large calibers and prefer a spine shot. They showed us a picture of a nilgai and told us where to shoot. We discussed stalking nilgai and we were fired up and ready to go. We split up with our guides, Ronnie with Fred, Leo with Richard, and I went with Sam. The hunting vehicles were in good shape and set up well for hunting. Leo carried a 300 Win Mag loaded with Remington 180 grain extended Range Boat Tail bullets, Ronnie carried a 338 Win Mag with Swift A-Frames. I brought my 416 Rem Mag with Swift A Frames and my 338 Win Mag with Barnes Triple Shock bullets.

Sam and I begin seeing nilgai almost immediately. We spotted a bull and stalked within 40 yards of it and another bull which had joined the first bull. We were never able to get a good shot on the larger bull through the cover and they disappeared. It is amazing how they can just evaporate in the dunes and cover. They can also run fast and far. The rest of the day we spent spotting and stalking nilgai but were never able to get a good shot on a bull I wanted. Even though I did not kill a nilgai, it was one of my best days of hunting ever. We saw at least 50 bulls and many cows.

When Sam and I returned to the barn we found my fellow hunters relaxing with their nilgai in coolers. Ronnie and Fred stalked within 47 yards of a nice bull and dropped it in its tracks with a spine shot. Leo and Richard got within 100 yards of a bull and Leo shot it, just missing the spine but causing massive damage to the lungs and liver. So far the nilgai novices have fired two shots and have killed two nilgai and I, the expert, had killed nothing.

Sam and I got an early start Saturday morning, however we had to wait out the thunderstorm that was pounding us with rain. Once it cleared we began hunting. That morning we saw very few bulls. The weather change affected all the game. We were not even seeing whitetail deer where as we saw probably 250 deer the day before. By noon I am starting to get nervous. Sam told me not to worry that we would get a good bull. At about 12:30 we spotted several nilgai and began about a 500 yard stalk. I brought the 338 in case a longer shot was required. (Not a ballistic thing, I am just really comfortable with the way the 338 shoots) Once we got close they disappeared. I was really beginning to worry. We then spotted another bull nearly a 1/2 mile away across open country with only small undulations for cover. We worked our way within 200 yards, no easy feat. I then worm crawled the last 50 yards to the top of a small rise. When I looked up the nilgai sensed something was not right. I froze flat on the ground for what seemed like an eternity. The bull finally turned away. I slung up the rifle in a prone position (my NRA Highpower experience paid off) and shot him at about 125 yards. For a moment after the shot I became a spectator. Then I remembered what I was hunting. I missed the next shot. The third shot hit him within 3 inched of the first. He finally went down. When I got close I put another shot at the base of the neck and it was over. Sam retrieved the vehicle and I pulled cockleburs and stickers from my arms and legs for a half hour. (Another good use for a Leatherman) I retrieved one bullet when we skinned the animal. Again, the expert four shots one kill, beginners two shots two kills.

Sam really worked hard with me and let me hunt and make the shots when it was time. Richard and Fred went the extra mile and brought Leo and Ronnie sight seeing on the ranch while I hunted the second day. We are all very pleased with the hunt.




7 Year Old Bull Nilgai, The animal kneeling in the back has changed shirts and cleaned up, but still does not look as good as the nilgai.




338 Win Mag 225 Grain TSX (I guess I could have cleaned it a little better)

143 days to Africa and Counting

Congratulations! What a fantastic beast, how much do they weigh on average?

The guides estimated the weight of the one I killed at about 500 to 550. They are big. I am kneeling straight up in the picture and I am 6'-3" tall. Probably average for a good bull.

Nice Bull-looks like a fun hunt!

are these free range animals? and do they allow bow hunting on this ranch that you know of?

They are definitely free range. There are barbed wire fences in the area for bovine, however these fences have no impact on the nilgai. Bow hunting is allowed, but they probably will want to provide a backup shot with a rifle.

Mike,

Congratulations on a wonderful trip. I can definitely see this trip in my future!

Mark

Looks like a lot of fun! Does the ranch have a website?

Thanks

Justin

The website is www.lomaschicasoutfitters.com

Nice Nilgai Mike!

This is my 2008 Nilgai taken with a 375 Ruger loaded with a 270gr TSX @2700fps.

I have shot a number of Nilgai on the Sarita and other parts of the King..I used the .338 and 210 and 250 gr. Noslers, the 375 with 300 gr. Woodliehs and the 30-06 with 200 gr. Noslers, and the 45-90 with a hot handload. They all worked great except for the .45-90, it killed him but he made a hell of a lot of yards before he went down, then a cow also went about 150 yards before going down..shot placement was good and bullet performance was also good, it just didn't kill them quickly.

Mr. Atkinson,

What bullet did you use with the 45-90?

Thanks
Mark