First Southwestern US hunting trip 2022 Oryx (picture heavy)

[WNC2500]

This was my first hunting trip of 2022 and was an absolutely beautiful drive. Left WNC at 5am and spent the night outside of OKC.
Next AM, up at 7am and across OK, and through North Texas.



The one thing I noticed immediately was the amount of green that was an uncommon plant/tree to me. I later was educated that it was the cholla plant and that most game animals love it! For an eastern US guy, I heard the name juniper and it became a common name or description for a lot of the foliage that I saw.



New Mexico was a beautiful state to drive through and the mountains were beautiful at a distance. Drive through a large amount of wind farms in the middle of nowhere. Snow capped mountains still

 

[WNC2500]

Shot my gun to make sure all was well during drive and everything checked out!

Over the last two years I received a good bit of optics education from many on this forum. Never before had I realized the difference that great glass made. Put them all to good use right off the bat.

Hunt started by glassing up an animal from about a mile away. Made quick work to get across the meadow, through the “junipers” and up a rock face. We were in position and it followed the script. Into the meadow at 200 yards and as close as 89 yards.



Ended up being a cow with great horns on one side and broken on the other.

 

[WNC2500]

First AM hunt was absolutely beautiful. God showed out with this sunrise



Another beautiful sight was to be heading toward a glassing knob and come up on a lot of elk.

 

[WNC2500]

The very first AM hunt ended the AM with a stalk on 13 total Oryx. Several shooters but the wind was not in our favor, and when we were close, it ended up being a broken bull that was trying his best to get the rest of the herd (cows, and other bulls) out of the country. We got to within 25 yards of the broken bull and ended up finishing the hunt with a long walk back to the truck after deciding against shooting him.

 

[WNC2500]

Monday evening hunt was not terribly eventful although spent 4.5 hours glassing hillsides, and meadows and ended up making a stalk to within 250 yards of a smaller cow. She fed out through the meadow for most of the evening and gave me multiple chances at a shot.

 

[WNC2500]

 

[timberman56]

on my bucket list...more please

 

[WNC2500]

@timberman56 It was definitely on my bucket list as well!! Never before hunted in New Mexico. Absolutely stunning landscape.

 

[WNC2500]

Tuesday forecast was 30-40 mph winds. Although the weather was beautiful, the wind caused us to put on 7+ miles of hiking to glass through canyons/mesa/etc

Coming out from around one of the canyons I saw a nice bull walking alongside the road.

Six hours later, on another side of the canyon, I saw the same bull.

He now became my target animal for the next AM.

 

[fishing4sanity]

Quick, someone find Paul Harvey... we need the rest of the story!

 

[WNC2500]

If there is one thing that I noticed in New Mexico, the trees, the cactus, the pokey plants, everything tried to harm me!! Lol!

I did also notice and find a Pope & Young tumbleweed!






Whether I was walking, sitting, standing up, walking around, something was always stuck into my leg, hand, head etc.
New Mexico plants fight back!!

 

[WNC2500]

Wednesday AM hunt: driving along canyon road and see an oryx about 1200 yards out. Could it be our bull from the last two days that has made appearances?
We make our way across the top of the hillside keeping our wind in our favor as well as the sun behind our back.

We get to a hillside with a great view of the open meadow, and there he is in the middle of dirt tank (after rainy season I bet it’s a pond).

I lay down, get my breathing right and settle in for the shot. Do you notice what is right beside my rifle? Oryx droppings! These animals are playing w me!

 

[Caseknife]

C'mon you're leaving us in the lurch!

 

[WNC2500]

Ok, breathing is set! Check! Range is 386, check! Oryx bull is broadside….awesome! Adjust my bino harness as a rear rest and back on the animal. No longer broadside but he is quartered toward me. Crosshairs between neck and left front shoulder. Breathing set! Nice and easy pull on the trigger, gun fires and he hits the ground. No other shot is needed.

Walk up on him and he is even more amazing of an animal than I have ever seen or thought I would hunt. Huge animal! Wow!

 

[nmassey]

I hope you are typing and uploading pictures!

 

[WNC2500]

@Caseknife and @nmassey YES!! I am not at all trying to keep you in a lurch. Uploading from phone is a smidge time consuming.

 

[hogcarpy]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[WNC2500]

Grand total mileage driven: 3227 miles.
Most expensive gas seen: $5.49 diesel in Corona NM.
Best price gas seen: $4.59 in Arkansas.
# of oryx seen: 32 total
# of elk seen: 14
# of antelope seen: 32, including a few nice bucks!!
# of mule deer seen: 2

New Mexico treated me right. I always enjoy visiting new states whether it is just driving through, or actually hunting.

I have been applying for multiple species in NM for years, hope there is another chance to come back to the state.

 

[fishing4sanity]

Congratulations! If you haven't eaten oryx before (or even if you have), you're in for some really good eating. They also make for a truly stunning mount. Were you on WSMR or off?

 

[WNC2500]

@fishing4sanity Off range. I have heard it is amazing and am really looking forward to eating it. It is currently at the processor and I think I pick it up early next week. Lord have mercy was that a ton of meat and a bear to keep frozen as I went though NM, TX, etc. Dry ice to the rescue, and a lot of it.