fishing4sanity
Well-known member
I just got back from New Mexico, a trip that had me in my truck for over 50 hours and 3,100 miles.
The journey actually began over 10 years ago as I began applying for the chance to hunt Oryx. A couple of years ago I started putting into the outfitter pool trying to increase my odds. Then in April of this year my annual email from NMDGF began with a very peculiar word, 'Congratulations.' I was beyond excited, but at the same time nervous if 2020 with all of its oddities would actually let me hunt oryx? As the year passed and I was down to about 16 hours before I was leaving, I got a call from NMDGF that began along the lines of, "Due to unavoidable last minute changes ....." My heart sank and I just felt sick. Fortunately, the hunt would still happen, but due to mission schedules and changes on White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) the hunt would move from the Stallion Range to Rhodes Canyon. I had no idea if that was a bad change or not, but at least the hunt was still on!
WSMR has a strict policy regarding photographs, you can't take any pics of landscapes, wildlife, man-made items, etc. You can take pics of your oryx after you kill it and before you start cleaning the animal. Your pics aren't supposed to include much of the surrounding area or any distinguishable horizon features. These photos are NOT on WSMR, but the terrain is similar to what we were hunting.
Day one of the hunt starts with a fairly long check-in and safety meeting and briefing. From what I understand, the current process due to COVID is actually faster than the old method and so we got about half the day to hunt. This is a once-in-a-lifetime tag and only a three day season, so with half the first day gone and the chance that military missions can cut your hunt even shorter - my tag was burning a hole in my pocket. That afternoon we saw about 40 oryx and after a good stalk even had the crosshairs on one for quite awhile, but no shots fired. Day two had us checking a different part of the hunting area and we were seeing oryx again, including a couple that we put a stalk on. That part of the range was open and flat, but with just enough vegetation that we got within 450 yards of the oryx. A small mound with my pack on top of it gave me a good solid rest and the 180 grain AccuBond gave me the opportunity to notch my once-in-a-lifetime tag.
In the distance from the area we hunted I could see the white sand dunes that give this area its name. With the hunt over I decided to go check out White Sands National Park and take some photos, including a badger that I came across out in the dune area.
The journey actually began over 10 years ago as I began applying for the chance to hunt Oryx. A couple of years ago I started putting into the outfitter pool trying to increase my odds. Then in April of this year my annual email from NMDGF began with a very peculiar word, 'Congratulations.' I was beyond excited, but at the same time nervous if 2020 with all of its oddities would actually let me hunt oryx? As the year passed and I was down to about 16 hours before I was leaving, I got a call from NMDGF that began along the lines of, "Due to unavoidable last minute changes ....." My heart sank and I just felt sick. Fortunately, the hunt would still happen, but due to mission schedules and changes on White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) the hunt would move from the Stallion Range to Rhodes Canyon. I had no idea if that was a bad change or not, but at least the hunt was still on!
WSMR has a strict policy regarding photographs, you can't take any pics of landscapes, wildlife, man-made items, etc. You can take pics of your oryx after you kill it and before you start cleaning the animal. Your pics aren't supposed to include much of the surrounding area or any distinguishable horizon features. These photos are NOT on WSMR, but the terrain is similar to what we were hunting.
Day one of the hunt starts with a fairly long check-in and safety meeting and briefing. From what I understand, the current process due to COVID is actually faster than the old method and so we got about half the day to hunt. This is a once-in-a-lifetime tag and only a three day season, so with half the first day gone and the chance that military missions can cut your hunt even shorter - my tag was burning a hole in my pocket. That afternoon we saw about 40 oryx and after a good stalk even had the crosshairs on one for quite awhile, but no shots fired. Day two had us checking a different part of the hunting area and we were seeing oryx again, including a couple that we put a stalk on. That part of the range was open and flat, but with just enough vegetation that we got within 450 yards of the oryx. A small mound with my pack on top of it gave me a good solid rest and the 180 grain AccuBond gave me the opportunity to notch my once-in-a-lifetime tag.
In the distance from the area we hunted I could see the white sand dunes that give this area its name. With the hunt over I decided to go check out White Sands National Park and take some photos, including a badger that I came across out in the dune area.
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