Foxtrot1
Well-known member
I've been absent awhile, but thought I'd share this with the group. I was lucky enough to draw a population control hunt for oryx this year. I was really excited and was prepping pretty hard for this chance. I've been applying for over a decade and this was my first oryx tag. About 1 month before my hunt date, I was diagnosed with rocky mtn spotted fever (hence the absence from the group). It took awhile to get diagnosed and start treatment, so it's been an ordeal over the last 3 months. All of this happening right before the hunt killed all the physical prep and I was in pretty bad shape physically from being so sick. I decided to power through the best I could. Even if it was going to be tough, I needed the carrot of a hunt to focus on something positive. I also knew eating that tag would haunt me the rest of my life. I couldn't have done it without some amazing people around me. Audra drove me to and from New Mexico so I could hunt (she even carried an oryx quarter out in her pack along with my rifle) and my friend from NM (Matt) really stepped up and did way more than he should have. It's the first time I've every really needed help like that. I hope in the future I can pay them back in some way.
The day of the hunt, Matt drove us on-range. My unit was about 1 hr from the main gate, so we were there early. A few mins in we passed 10-15 oryx laying right next to the road. Their eyes gleaming, face masks, and rough outlines of their horns gave us all a nice adrenaline rush for the ride in. There were 2 other hunters in my unit, so we were going to start hunting on opposite ends to stay away from each other. All the rains had washed the roads out in many areas. We were able to cross several dry creek beds on our way in. We had decided to set up on a basin with a wildlife waterer. After a slow grinding ride in with no oryx sightings in daylight we got to the basin. While setting up we noticed a really nice mule deer buck and were watching him. All of a sudden a nice bull streaked by the mule deer and ran up the adjacent ridge to look back at us. After a hastily deciding he was a shooter I was able to set up and make a 300 yd shot. When I shot mule deer went everywhere and the oryx took off like his tail was on fire. He made it into a brushy shoot and didn't come out. Matt and I eased across the bowl to find him downhill from where he had entered the chute. Easy part was over. Sucker found the nastiest place he could to die in a tree top. We quartered him and carried him out. We were very lucky, we were able to pull the truck up to the base of the hill he was on, so we only had to carry him 4-500 yds. After years of thinking about this hunt we were back at the truck with my bull quartered and iced by 9:30 am on the first day. He was the only oryx we saw in daylight. In one way I was sad it was over so quickly, but I think it worked out to be exactly what I needed at the time. I am not sure how long I could have hung in there physically. In the end I was blessed with a nice mature bull, his horns were 35.5" and 36" with 8 1/2" bases. A freezer full of excellent venison was also very appreciated.
The day of the hunt, Matt drove us on-range. My unit was about 1 hr from the main gate, so we were there early. A few mins in we passed 10-15 oryx laying right next to the road. Their eyes gleaming, face masks, and rough outlines of their horns gave us all a nice adrenaline rush for the ride in. There were 2 other hunters in my unit, so we were going to start hunting on opposite ends to stay away from each other. All the rains had washed the roads out in many areas. We were able to cross several dry creek beds on our way in. We had decided to set up on a basin with a wildlife waterer. After a slow grinding ride in with no oryx sightings in daylight we got to the basin. While setting up we noticed a really nice mule deer buck and were watching him. All of a sudden a nice bull streaked by the mule deer and ran up the adjacent ridge to look back at us. After a hastily deciding he was a shooter I was able to set up and make a 300 yd shot. When I shot mule deer went everywhere and the oryx took off like his tail was on fire. He made it into a brushy shoot and didn't come out. Matt and I eased across the bowl to find him downhill from where he had entered the chute. Easy part was over. Sucker found the nastiest place he could to die in a tree top. We quartered him and carried him out. We were very lucky, we were able to pull the truck up to the base of the hill he was on, so we only had to carry him 4-500 yds. After years of thinking about this hunt we were back at the truck with my bull quartered and iced by 9:30 am on the first day. He was the only oryx we saw in daylight. In one way I was sad it was over so quickly, but I think it worked out to be exactly what I needed at the time. I am not sure how long I could have hung in there physically. In the end I was blessed with a nice mature bull, his horns were 35.5" and 36" with 8 1/2" bases. A freezer full of excellent venison was also very appreciated.
