Does anyone know of an outfit that offers Nilgai in Texas at a reasonable price. Some of the prices I have seen quoted for a one or two day hunt were off the wall.

Carlton McCain at La Atravasada Ranch has fantastic prices. Send CamomanJ a PM for more details. I'll hunt there again anytime.

Bill, I've seen them as low as $600 and as high as $2800, which is over the top IHMO. They are in their blue coat now. During fall they turn tan/brown similar to Waterbuck. I have a few contacts, I'll see what I can find and send you a contact # if successful.
Cheers,
David

Thanks....a pal is coming up to be with me in September and has an interest in Nilgai....and as you said, $2800.00 is way over the top.

quote:

Originally posted by drewhenrytnt:
Carlton McCain at La Atravasada Ranch has fantastic prices. Send CamomanJ a PM for more details. I'll hunt there again anytime.

Thanks, I will.

Bill,
Send Bwanamrm a pm. He makes an annual trip to South Texas for Nilgai hunting and has all the connections/details.
johne

quote:

Originally posted by L. David Keith:
Bill, I've seen them as low as $600 and as high as $2800, which is over the top IHMO. They are in their blue coat now. During fall they turn tan/brown similar to Waterbuck. I have a few contacts, I'll see what I can find and send you a contact # if successful.
Cheers,
David

I thought the blue coat was the sign of a mature bull. Cows and young bulls are brown. I killed quite a few on Kenedy Ranch back in the 90s, mostly during the winter and always remember the big bulls being blue, but hey, maybe my memory is not what it use to be.

Sam Ilse is a good outfitter. He will not be the cheapest.

http://lomaschicasoutfitters.com/home

My hunt with Sam:

http://www.cowislandoutdoors.com/News___Info.html

It is about halfway down the page.

I have never hunted with these guys but they had a booth at DSC last year and I talked to them about their Nilgai hunt.

www.wildlifesystems.com/nilgai_antelope_hunting.asp

I was thinking I could hunt there in Feb. and then go over to Baffin for a "Big Trout" trip

Mike70560; I'm no expert on Nilgai but of the ones I mounted when I was in the taxidermy trade, all the winter bulls were tan/brown, and we had them on a local friends game ranch and they were "blue" during the summer. I was disappointed as I wanted to hunt one during the winter. You could be right about age having something to do with it but I remember one bull that was a dandy, and he wasn't blue during winter. Maybe it was because he was living in the TN mountains with the hillbillies and moonshine

In India, the older the bulls get the "bluer" they become...almost blue black....the females are always tan...and this is in North India where there is very well defined winter with a significant temperature difference

quote:

Originally posted by john e:
Bill,
Send Bwanamrm a pm. He makes an annual trip to South Texas for Nilgai hunting and has all the connections/details.
johne

How do I contact him?

Nilgai are also called Blue Bulls. As they age the old bulls become blue and hence their name. Nothing to do with a seasonal coloration. Very old bulls become close to blackish blue in color.

Quote: "Sam Ilse is a good outfitter. He will not be the cheapest."

He quoted me $1,800.00 for one bull, one day hunt, with lunch! A one day hunt and he calls it a hunt? I will withhold my comments...

but I do thank you for the referral....

quote:

How do I contact him?

Hi Bill...

I was going to suggest Sam as well. Most ranches have an adequate population of nilgai and a day or two is all that is needed to either get, miss or (hopefully not) draw blood on a bull.

I have hunted nilgai on most of the commercial operations where they are free-ranging in south Texas and have paid from $2700 to $1800 for the privilege. Sam is a retired Texas game warden so don't think for a moment this hunt won't be fair chase. The property he hunts is measured in the tens of thousands of acres. It is a hunt but you will be surprised at the number of animals you look over in a day on the property. The horns of a mature bull average in the eight inch range and really just big spikes so it is not like looking for a whitetail or elk where you look for a ten point or 6x6...

Nilgai are wary animals, hard to stalk, harder to put down. Don't let the one-day $1800 put you off... I am sure there are outfitters that will take your money for a three or five day hunt and ride you through the ranch for a couple of days before killing one, but why? If you are coming all the way to Texas, book a day of saltwater fishing the day before and the day after your hunt! That would be great fun!

The other option might be to contact Dan Butler at the Yturria Ranch. He also has a lot of nilgai and nice hunter facilities on the ranch. Or Lendall Laxton at LL Hunting who hunts Frank Yturria's property and also the King Ranch. But Sam is as good as they get for the price. Your call.

quote:

But Sam is as good as they get for the price. Your call.

And is a good guy to boot.

Unless he recently changed his terms you can book a two day hunt, afternoon, all of the next day, morning only of the third day. I killed mine the second day after looking over many nilgai. Personally I prefer the two day deal, and yes it is an outstanding free range hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by drewhenrytnt:
Carlton McCain at La Atravasada Ranch has fantastic prices. Send CamomanJ a PM for more details. I'll hunt there again anytime.

Hi drewhenrytnt:
Thanks for the info, I am the guy interested in the Nilgai hunt, just let me make You a question, these people at La Atravasada Ranch, offer a free range hunt (fair chase?) or is a fenced ranch, I dont want to fly to Show low to kill an Antelope in a corral, on my last trip to Namibia I refused to shoot an Eland and Tsebe for the same reason. Please dont get me wrong, Just my way of hunting. Thank for the info. Big Hug. Guillermo

Try the H. Yturria Land and Cattle Company. It has some great nilgai bulls on the Punta del Monte ranch. It's big, so fences arent' an issue.

Don't know what they charge (I've only shot cows there), but you should contact Greg Simmons at Wildlife Systems, Inc. They manage the hunts there. Greg's number is (325) 655-0877 and their web-site is www.wildlifesystems.com. Tell him Dave Clark from the La Joya lease sent you. Hope it works out for you.

Bill, check your PMs, I found it.
David