Brent
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2014
- Messages
- 245
When NM keeps pulling your name to hunt Oryx, you keep hunting Oryx.
This was a population management hunt just outside of WSMR. With only one day to make it happen, I got to work quickly. We found a group in the distance early on, but they didn't want to play, so we pulled out to find more animals.
After gaining some elevation, I spotted up a large bull outside the hunt boundary. After a quick conversation with the Game Warden managing the hunt, I got the go ahead to make a run up the hill for the big bull.
We spent the next several minutes working angles through the terrain to get a shot, but it was evident this bull got old by staying away from people and vehicles. He joined a group of cows to make things more interesting with extra eyes and constant shuffling through tall brush, which made shot opportunities difficult.
We finally determined a pathway to cut the group off and hustled to get into position.
After watching the herd mill around for several minutes, my bull finally stepped out from behind cover to present me with a shot opportunity. It was a long shot, but well within my comfort range. I got a range, dialed him up, and sent a fatal round through his lungs. I found him piled up in a yucca 15 yards from where the bullet impacted him.
I was looking for a 37+" bull with heavy bases on this trip and I got him. He measured 38.5" with an 8" base on his best side. This old bull fell to a perfectly placed Berger 205 at 650 yards. I couldn't have asked for better terminal performance.
This was a population management hunt just outside of WSMR. With only one day to make it happen, I got to work quickly. We found a group in the distance early on, but they didn't want to play, so we pulled out to find more animals.
After gaining some elevation, I spotted up a large bull outside the hunt boundary. After a quick conversation with the Game Warden managing the hunt, I got the go ahead to make a run up the hill for the big bull.
We spent the next several minutes working angles through the terrain to get a shot, but it was evident this bull got old by staying away from people and vehicles. He joined a group of cows to make things more interesting with extra eyes and constant shuffling through tall brush, which made shot opportunities difficult.
We finally determined a pathway to cut the group off and hustled to get into position.
After watching the herd mill around for several minutes, my bull finally stepped out from behind cover to present me with a shot opportunity. It was a long shot, but well within my comfort range. I got a range, dialed him up, and sent a fatal round through his lungs. I found him piled up in a yucca 15 yards from where the bullet impacted him.
I was looking for a 37+" bull with heavy bases on this trip and I got him. He measured 38.5" with an 8" base on his best side. This old bull fell to a perfectly placed Berger 205 at 650 yards. I couldn't have asked for better terminal performance.
