Just returned from a great hunt for Nilgai in South Texas. Just thought I would post a pic of my wife's bull she took, her first Nilgai and the and the biggest animal that she has taken thus far. My wife did not plan on hunting but she was persuaded (without much effort I might add) to have a go at a "Blue Bull." I tood a good bull the first evening of the hunt and we decided the next day that she would give it a try. The guide Same Ilse was great with her. She borrowed his .375 H&& Magnum loaded with 235 Grain Triple shocks. My wife is not very big (125 lbs) but she shot the rifle well during sighting in so she used it instead of my .378 Weatherby.

Linda has hunted deer and other animals but was hesitant of Nilgai because of their tenacious reputation. Even when hit well these animals have toughness that you won't believe until you see it. I have shot several buffalo and have never seen a 600 pound animal take good hits from such a large calibers without even flinching. Pound for pound they are in my opinion the toughest animal you will shoot. You will not put one down on the spot unless you hit the spine or brain. Linda asked me to back her up just in case something went bad. Just after lunch Sam spotted a group of four bulls feeding in a pasture about 3/4 mile away. I thought that it was going to be an impossible stalk and we would go look for another bull but Sam did not even hesitate trying for them, I have to give him credit, most guides would have chose the easier option and look for another, considering the number of bulls we saw each day.

We had to use the terrain to our advantage and snaked our way through the rolling sand hills staying in the depressions so we were out of sight. The cattle were a another story. Because the area is also a working cattle ranch the cattle would see us coming and spook, running right to the Nilgai bulls, frustrating to say the least. This happened three times during the stalk. They finally left the area and I think the Nilgai thought it was a coyote or something else that spooked them as they settled down.

Staying out of sight the best we could we finally closed the distance to about 175-200 yards. Linda felt comfortable to about 100 yards so they were just out of her comfort zone. We waited, hidden in some brush and glassed the bulls finding one big bull that Sam said looked good.

After about 10 minutes the bulls finally fed over a small hill out of sight. We moved quickly crawling under a cattle fence and slowly worked our way to the hill the bulls were hopefully just beyond. It was almost 90 degrees and we were all sweating pretty good by now. We slowly crawled up the hill with Sam and Linda going to my right about 30 feet. Sam wanted me to the side giving me a better field of fire incase the bull ran after Linda's shot.

We all peeked over the hill spotting the bulls feeding. Three were just inside the brush but the one we wanted was in the clear. I looked at him through my scope and knew he was a good one. I was highly nervous, more so than if I was taking the first shot. If things went wrong, Linda would be counting on me to help put the bull down. I heard Sam say that it was 116 yards to the bull. We were all on our bellies and Linda was having trouble keeping the muzzle of the rifle off the ground because of the position we were in and she had never shot such a big gun from prone position before.

Sam was patient and moved into positon so that Linda could rest the forearm of the rifle off his boot, raising it up enough to give her clearance. We all had full camouflage on including face masks, but with all the movement the bull saw us.

I heard Sam say, "take him in the chest" as the bull was looking right at us. I flipped the safety off my rifle and got ready. Just then I heard that sound tha no one ever wants to hear at that moment of truth, a loud "Click". I could ot believe it. There was a round in the chamber but for some reason it did not fire. I saw Linda franically work the bolt putting in another round. The wind was blowing pretty good in our faces and the bull continued staring as us, unsure whether to run or not. Luck was with us for sure. I could see he getting more nervous and turned broadside giving Linda a perfect shot. Sam informed her earlier not to shoot unless she was absolutely confident in a good shot. So when the bull turned broadside I knew what was next. At the shot the bull kind of lunged foreward so I swung the crosshires ahead and shot as well. It was not necessary though, as the bull was hit through the lungs and liver and he was not going far. Linda was ecstatic at her first Nilgai, a beautiful bull with 8 inch horns. With Nilgai its not about the horns but the hunt. I can highly recommend Sam Ilse of Lomas Chicas Outfitters, Inc. for a great hunt and a great time. He is a first class hunter and gentleman. The ranch is low fence and free range of over 10,000 acreas. The ranch is full of Nilgai and we saw numerous bulls each day. The ranch has never been commercially hunted until fall of last year. Make no mistake they were just as hard to hunt as any other place I have hunted. Hunting was spot and stalk only. It is a two day hunt with the first day beginning in the afternoon. The second day would be a full day of hunting and then you would have the last morning, if it was necessary. The lodging was in a bed and breakfast cottage on Baffin Bay. You could fish off the dock if you liked. We booked in for next year already.





WLA

www.lomaschicasoutfitters.com

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a great hunt. What kind of price does he charge for a two day hunt?

Great story, thanks. I would like to hunt Nilgai myself.

Kudu56,

As of July 1, 2008 he will be charging $2200.00 for a two day hunt. More reasonable than most of the ones out there. We sure were fed good also.

WLA

Congrats to the huntress!

I have a hunt booked with Sam for April 25th and 26th. Reading about your experience makes me more excited to go.

Are you satisfied with the Triple X bullet? I will be using the 225 grain in my 338 Win. and if they work well I will bring them to Africa for the plainsgame portion of my hunt.

Nice Bull.

Mike70560,

The triple shocks seemed to work good. The bullet did exit which is not common for a Nilgai. Their skin is so thick, similiar to a buffalo that bullets rarely exit them. Also they don't often leave a blood trail even with exit wound because of that thick skin. I have used Barnes X bullets and Swift A-frames on them and mainly just use A-frames on them now. I get a little better accuracy with them in my rifles. I'm not partial to any bullet as long as they shoot and work good I will use them.

WLA

Congratulations on the hunt, it is a fine bull.
In the mid to late 90's wwe had 30,000 acres leased on Kenedy ranch for whitetail and Nilgai hunting. If I am not mistaken the property we hunted is about 8 miles to the south of Sam's area. I could sometimes shoot through a big bull with my .375 with the 300 grain bullet. They are some tough animals with tough hides for sure.