It had been almost three months since I had been able to get out in the brush and chase coyotes, or anything else for that matter, so once health issues were resolved sufficiently to risk a trip, was really looking forward to that first outing.
The plan was to pick up the jeep at deer lease Sunday afternoon and move it and all our camp gear to another ranch, where we would hunt coyotes from first light Monday until sufficient light to hunt Oryx, then when light begins to fail, try a couple more coyote stands each evening, through Wed. morning.
Having been so long since our last outing, had just about forgotten what gear to pack and I wanted to travel light due to all the other stuff we had to move. Really wanted to take the AR, as coyotes were definitely included in the plan, but chose the 338 bolt gun instead, as the .243 WSSM would be a little light for an Oryx backup gun should that become necessary. I’ve found the .338 adequate for Oryx and handles coyotes without any drama, as well.
Some know the difficulty in determining sex of an Oryx, but for those unfamiliar with the problem, let me say that the only way to reliably determine male/female is by the plumbing, which is rather small and only visible from broadside angle on the male.
This picture, taken on a previous outing, illustrates the problem. The one in front is a bull, your guess is as good as mine as to the other two as pictured.
It is quite difficult to prove a negative, which is required when cows only are on the menu, especially when the animals are on the move and they are up to their belly in high grass or weeds or in poor light.
Probably due to a combination of concerns that the wife’s improved health might not hold and apprehension of that first sunrise in the field in far too long, I hardly slept Sunday night! Daylight finally arrived, in a glorious blaze.
Made one dry stand but enjoyed this beautiful sunrise then, 45 minutes later decided that light was sufficient to begin the Oryx hunt.
Have found the most efficient way to hunt Oryx is spot and stalk, and due to the size of the ranch and the fact that there is lots of thick brush we use the jeep to cover more territory. Oryx usually hang out in large herds of up to 40-50 animals, making it quite difficult to get close enough to determine sex and make the shot, but for some reason, this year, the few we saw seem to be in much smaller groups. We only drove a mile or less when we spotted four Oryx, but they were in neck high brush.
Around 1 PM my hunting buddy spotted a group of Oryx in the narrow band of brush surrounding a dry laguna bed. I decided to try to approach from the west, as there was ample thick brush to cover our approach on foot from that direction. We carefully picked our way through the heavy thorn brush at a point and spotted three Oryx about 150 yards to our SW. Fortunately I chose to carry a shoulder stocked 24X spotting scope instead of my rifle, as we watched them for 30-40 minutes while they slowly grazed just inside the brush line with tall weeds blocking view of vital plumbing. I can assure you that the last 15 to 20 minutes perched in the mesquite tree felt like an hour or more, but you do what you gotta do.
I finally climbed up in a large mesquite tree far enough for better angle, but as I climbed higher, a buck, NW of our position and directly across the laguna from the Oryx busted me! The buck froze, watching us for a long time, and before long the Oryx alerted to the frozen buck. They became curious and moved slowly through the edge of the brush to get a better look at the buck, finally allowing me to identify the smaller two animals as cows and call the shot for my partner.
They remained behind enough brush to prevent a clear shot and it appeared that they were going to ease off into the brush without presenting a shot. Finally the larger of the two cows paused, exposing her shoulder through a small opening in the brush just long enough for the shot. The 165 gr. NP from my partner’s 308 Norma Mag. threaded the needle, instantly knocking her to the ground. Almost as quickly, she regained her feet and quickly disappeared into the narrow brush line surrounding the laguna.
We found some blood and were following it when we spotted the two Oryx standing in middle of a clearing about 300 yards south of the laguna. Figured the wounded one was down there and were hurrying to get close enough for a finishing shot if necessary. She was down, but head up and managed to get up again when my partner missed an offhand shot at her neck at about 100 yds. She wasn’t moving very well and he didn’t miss next shot.
We both had been so focused on the determination of sex that neither of us had noticed she had one broken horn until we approached her after she was down, making her a good one to remove.
Since we had an Oryx to field dress, there was no time for another coyote stand Monday evening. Minutes before dark, with the Oryx in the cooler, I called home and learned that the wife's condition had worsened so we hurriedly put the jeep to bed, packed up our gear and headed home.
Thank The Lord it was just a temporary spike and she is better today; and for the beautiful sunrise and great day in the field, even if we didn't see a coyote.
Regards,
hm
The plan was to pick up the jeep at deer lease Sunday afternoon and move it and all our camp gear to another ranch, where we would hunt coyotes from first light Monday until sufficient light to hunt Oryx, then when light begins to fail, try a couple more coyote stands each evening, through Wed. morning.
Having been so long since our last outing, had just about forgotten what gear to pack and I wanted to travel light due to all the other stuff we had to move. Really wanted to take the AR, as coyotes were definitely included in the plan, but chose the 338 bolt gun instead, as the .243 WSSM would be a little light for an Oryx backup gun should that become necessary. I’ve found the .338 adequate for Oryx and handles coyotes without any drama, as well.
Some know the difficulty in determining sex of an Oryx, but for those unfamiliar with the problem, let me say that the only way to reliably determine male/female is by the plumbing, which is rather small and only visible from broadside angle on the male.
This picture, taken on a previous outing, illustrates the problem. The one in front is a bull, your guess is as good as mine as to the other two as pictured.
It is quite difficult to prove a negative, which is required when cows only are on the menu, especially when the animals are on the move and they are up to their belly in high grass or weeds or in poor light.
Probably due to a combination of concerns that the wife’s improved health might not hold and apprehension of that first sunrise in the field in far too long, I hardly slept Sunday night! Daylight finally arrived, in a glorious blaze.
Made one dry stand but enjoyed this beautiful sunrise then, 45 minutes later decided that light was sufficient to begin the Oryx hunt.
Have found the most efficient way to hunt Oryx is spot and stalk, and due to the size of the ranch and the fact that there is lots of thick brush we use the jeep to cover more territory. Oryx usually hang out in large herds of up to 40-50 animals, making it quite difficult to get close enough to determine sex and make the shot, but for some reason, this year, the few we saw seem to be in much smaller groups. We only drove a mile or less when we spotted four Oryx, but they were in neck high brush.
Around 1 PM my hunting buddy spotted a group of Oryx in the narrow band of brush surrounding a dry laguna bed. I decided to try to approach from the west, as there was ample thick brush to cover our approach on foot from that direction. We carefully picked our way through the heavy thorn brush at a point and spotted three Oryx about 150 yards to our SW. Fortunately I chose to carry a shoulder stocked 24X spotting scope instead of my rifle, as we watched them for 30-40 minutes while they slowly grazed just inside the brush line with tall weeds blocking view of vital plumbing. I can assure you that the last 15 to 20 minutes perched in the mesquite tree felt like an hour or more, but you do what you gotta do.
I finally climbed up in a large mesquite tree far enough for better angle, but as I climbed higher, a buck, NW of our position and directly across the laguna from the Oryx busted me! The buck froze, watching us for a long time, and before long the Oryx alerted to the frozen buck. They became curious and moved slowly through the edge of the brush to get a better look at the buck, finally allowing me to identify the smaller two animals as cows and call the shot for my partner.
They remained behind enough brush to prevent a clear shot and it appeared that they were going to ease off into the brush without presenting a shot. Finally the larger of the two cows paused, exposing her shoulder through a small opening in the brush just long enough for the shot. The 165 gr. NP from my partner’s 308 Norma Mag. threaded the needle, instantly knocking her to the ground. Almost as quickly, she regained her feet and quickly disappeared into the narrow brush line surrounding the laguna.
We found some blood and were following it when we spotted the two Oryx standing in middle of a clearing about 300 yards south of the laguna. Figured the wounded one was down there and were hurrying to get close enough for a finishing shot if necessary. She was down, but head up and managed to get up again when my partner missed an offhand shot at her neck at about 100 yds. She wasn’t moving very well and he didn’t miss next shot.
We both had been so focused on the determination of sex that neither of us had noticed she had one broken horn until we approached her after she was down, making her a good one to remove.
Since we had an Oryx to field dress, there was no time for another coyote stand Monday evening. Minutes before dark, with the Oryx in the cooler, I called home and learned that the wife's condition had worsened so we hurriedly put the jeep to bed, packed up our gear and headed home.
Thank The Lord it was just a temporary spike and she is better today; and for the beautiful sunrise and great day in the field, even if we didn't see a coyote.
Regards,
hm
