Anyone know anything about hunting Oryx near on the military lands near White Sands NM? Has anyone done it? How hard is it to get a license?

You might post that over at www.24hourcampfire.com

Several guys over there hunted them this fall.

[This message has been edited by Kodiakisland (edited 03-15-2002).]

Ted Turner has a ranch in this area that gets a couple dozen or so landowner tags each year. I can't remember what Ted charges but the out of state license from New Mexico is, if I recall correctly, about $1500 USD. If you are trying to draw an out of state tag for the missile range, GOOD LUCK. They are few and far between these days.
I would much rather fly from Utah to Namibia for about $1300,pay a $200 daily rate for a week, shoot Oryx/Gemsbok at $450 each and Springbok at $200 each all week long!

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

[This message has been edited by JohnTheGreek (edited 03-15-2002).]

rockhead,

Save your money and go to Africa; you'll get your gemsbuck and a whole lot more for a decent price.

JJS

For all the details check out the NM Game & Fish website, but in a nutshell it's hard to get a tag and for a non-resident it's expensive. You missed the application deadline for the off-range hunts but you could still get in on the on-range ones. I took a 39" Oryx on the range back in '91 and I believe the meat to be the best game meat I've ever eaten. You can find some nice animals off-range around Tularosa and on the North side near the Stalion range.

Some landowners get tags for problem orxy that get into fences, etc.. These are not "high end" hunts, but it gets you into orxy pretty cheap, excluding the $1500 NM nr tag.

We lease a ranch in that part of the country that gets a tag or two each year if you are interested. I don't know the specifics at the moment, but can find out if interested.

I lived in El Paso for seven years and hunted extensively on the Fort Bliss reservation and surrounding BLM land. The Oryx range freely over the border into Texas where they are considered non-game animals and may be shot without permit or special tags. Unfortunately, they are very mobile over a large territory and military operations will push them around as well. I've seen the herd as far south as the Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso and as far north as the missle range near Alamagordo. That's about 70 miles N-S. They have at least that range E-W to range before they get out of the desert basin.
Though I've taken mule deer, antelope, and lots of small game in the area, I've never been in rifle range of an Oryx but did get pretty close to a herd in my M1 Tank once!