- Thread starter BIGJOHN
- Start date
Thanks everyone. Here is the story...beginning on the day we got this guy.
After sleeping in the truck about 2 miles south of where we wanted to start our day, we woke up at 5 and walked about 1.5 miles to a spot we considered good for glassing the area towards the missile range about 600 yds from the fence. After having been disappointed several other days of having seen nothing, I find 2 Oryx in the spotting scope within 15 minutes of being set up. While I am keeping my eyes on these two, my brother was glassing the area back towards our truck and he saw a group of 10-12 on the missile range. I then abandoned my 2 to continue watching the bigger group, which did have a monster bull, probably 40+, but he wandered out of sight onto the range. Then is was like we were in Oryx heaven, everywhere we looked we saw a large number of Oryx....but all on the range. So we sat and waited and waited and waited. Now 5 hours had passed since our first spotting and they are finally all near the fence and appear to be looking to make their move off the range and ....... a car drives by and beeps their horn at the animals and every last one of them runs out into the range out of sight. After considering a shot through the radiator of this car we call the area a loss for the momenet and head back to the truck for some cool air and water refills. I decide to take a quick stroll down the road towards where I saw a large group disappear over a hill earlier in the morning. We stop and glass at each high point to see if there is any action remaining and are down on our luck after that car drove by. Just then I spotted a lone Oryx, apparently spooked by our arrival running away from us towards the missle range and within moments, he is on the range. Just in case our eyes deceived us, we drive down that way and come to find 3 additional Oryx off the range. When they noticed us they made a move for the range, but decided we were too close and ran away from the range fence. They were running diaganally away from us and the range finder said 275. My brother indicated that the front Oryx was the one I wanted to target and I sent my first shot and he yelled "You got him" and then off he ran after regaining his balance. I laid chase by foot while my brother went back to the original road and tried to advance in front of them, but the road was moving away from the Oryx. I again was within 400 yds so I fired a few more shots to no avail at my distant moving targets. After pursuit of almost 1 1/2 miles, they were calmed down and I had some cover to move closer. I got to a nice mesquite about 225 out and saw that one in the group had a bloody nose. I fired another and he again indicated he was hit but they began to move again. After movnig about 20 yards, they noticed my brother in the truck off in the distance so they stopped again. I send another round and off his feet he went. Victory!! It turned out, my first shot when he was running went through his nose (taxidermist was not happy, but it is repairable.) The 2nd shot was while he was facing me, and me not being the greatest marksman in the world, I put it in the hind leg, while my last shot was right through the shoulder, but the angle put the exit wound right out the gut on the backside. I was using a 30'06 with 180 Nosler Partitions which did their job. Too bad I have to wait so long for my trophy, I am excited to get it up and show it off....even if I have to lie and explain that all Oryx have 3 nostrils.
After sleeping in the truck about 2 miles south of where we wanted to start our day, we woke up at 5 and walked about 1.5 miles to a spot we considered good for glassing the area towards the missile range about 600 yds from the fence. After having been disappointed several other days of having seen nothing, I find 2 Oryx in the spotting scope within 15 minutes of being set up. While I am keeping my eyes on these two, my brother was glassing the area back towards our truck and he saw a group of 10-12 on the missile range. I then abandoned my 2 to continue watching the bigger group, which did have a monster bull, probably 40+, but he wandered out of sight onto the range. Then is was like we were in Oryx heaven, everywhere we looked we saw a large number of Oryx....but all on the range. So we sat and waited and waited and waited. Now 5 hours had passed since our first spotting and they are finally all near the fence and appear to be looking to make their move off the range and ....... a car drives by and beeps their horn at the animals and every last one of them runs out into the range out of sight. After considering a shot through the radiator of this car we call the area a loss for the momenet and head back to the truck for some cool air and water refills. I decide to take a quick stroll down the road towards where I saw a large group disappear over a hill earlier in the morning. We stop and glass at each high point to see if there is any action remaining and are down on our luck after that car drove by. Just then I spotted a lone Oryx, apparently spooked by our arrival running away from us towards the missle range and within moments, he is on the range. Just in case our eyes deceived us, we drive down that way and come to find 3 additional Oryx off the range. When they noticed us they made a move for the range, but decided we were too close and ran away from the range fence. They were running diaganally away from us and the range finder said 275. My brother indicated that the front Oryx was the one I wanted to target and I sent my first shot and he yelled "You got him" and then off he ran after regaining his balance. I laid chase by foot while my brother went back to the original road and tried to advance in front of them, but the road was moving away from the Oryx. I again was within 400 yds so I fired a few more shots to no avail at my distant moving targets. After pursuit of almost 1 1/2 miles, they were calmed down and I had some cover to move closer. I got to a nice mesquite about 225 out and saw that one in the group had a bloody nose. I fired another and he again indicated he was hit but they began to move again. After movnig about 20 yards, they noticed my brother in the truck off in the distance so they stopped again. I send another round and off his feet he went. Victory!! It turned out, my first shot when he was running went through his nose (taxidermist was not happy, but it is repairable.) The 2nd shot was while he was facing me, and me not being the greatest marksman in the world, I put it in the hind leg, while my last shot was right through the shoulder, but the angle put the exit wound right out the gut on the backside. I was using a 30'06 with 180 Nosler Partitions which did their job. Too bad I have to wait so long for my trophy, I am excited to get it up and show it off....even if I have to lie and explain that all Oryx have 3 nostrils.
arizona hunter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2004
- Messages
- 615
- Reaction score
- 2
Exciting story and great Oryx! Where was this hunt if you don't mind my asking?
THE ROMAN ARCHER
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2006
- Messages
- 8,508
- Reaction score
- 1,066
a nice set of bones your holding BigJohn, congrats..................tra
