The Nilgai Post

[bpa556]

A big bull is over 600lbs. They have a real muscular front end (more so than elk or moose) and their vitals are further forward than most NA game. Unless shooting quartering away, you need to go through the shoulders. I'm not arguing or part of the crowd saying you need large calibers, but that's why I'd imagine.

This^^

I’ve killed piles of them over several decades with rounds from .223 (highest body count) to .300 WSM. They’re not hard to kill once you know their vitals are a bit forward compared to NA game.

A well-placed, decently constructed, .223 round will kill efficiently to 200 yards. Anything .30 will get the job done as far as you can accurately place a round.

Accurately placing rounds kills nilgai. Wealthy weekend warriors who don’t practice are 100% the reason nilgai enjoy their mythical reputation.


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[Jhconnected]

This^^

I’ve killed piles of them over several decades with rounds from .223 (highest body count) to .300 WSM. They’re not hard to kill once you know their vitals are a bit forward compared to NA game.

A well-placed, decently constructed, .223 round will kill efficiently to 200 yards. Anything .30 will get the job done as far as you can accurately place a round.

Accurately placing rounds kills nilgai. Wealthy weekend warriors who don’t practice are 100% the reason nilgai enjoy their mythical reputation.


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What bullet would you recommend? Copper, bonded or cup and core?

 

[bpa556]

What bullet would you recommend? Copper, bonded or cup and core?

Depends on caliber.

I shoot 62 grain Speer Gold Dot and 64 grain Winchester Power-Point in .223. Hornady Precision Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor and .300 WSM. 115 grain Remington Core Lokt in 25-06.

I’ve also killed many inside 150 yards with Remington Core Lokt 30-30 out of a Winchester model 94.

Round placement is THE KEY to putting nilgai in the freezer, not bullet diameter.


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[S-3 ranch]

Depends on caliber.

I shoot 62 grain Speer Gold Dot and 64 grain Winchester Power-Point in .223. Hornady Precision Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor and .300 WSM. 115 grain Remington Core Lokt in 25-06.

I’ve also killed many inside 150 yards with Remington Core Lokt 30-30 out of a Winchester model 94.

Round placement is THE KEY to putting nilgai in the freezer, not bullet diameter.


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Exactly! I have shot a pile with 180gr federal power shock, and a few with 303 180gr Remington cor-loc , just put it in the vitals or break the neck
Speer gold dot is loaded as federal fusion ( great bonded bullet)

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I see a lot of Texans referencing these huge numbers on weights over 600 pounds.

I asked Grok about this, and it seems as though Texas hunting websites have inflated the numbers between 675 and 1200 pounds.

The zoo numbers are in the 500's.

Yea I’d guess most bulls are between 400-600, which is the same as most bull elk coming off the mountain. Most of that weight is in the front half of the animal though and they are impressive up close.

 

[Megalodon]

Exactly! I have shot a pile with 180gr federal power shock, and a few with 303 180gr Remington cor-loc , just put it in the vitals or break the neck
Speer gold dot is loaded as federal fusion ( great bonded bullet)

Wait I'm confused, I thought you said a 6.5cm won't cut it. Now you're agreeing that .223 rem is ok?? DRT is such a rare occurrence with small calibers, no?

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Yea I’d guess most bulls are between 400-600, which is the same as most bull elk coming off the mountain. Most of that weight is in the front half of the animal though and they are impressive up close.

They're flat out intimidating up close and I've had a few large bull Elk within bow range.

Hide, meat, and bone are all thicker to get to the vitals where they're placed than an Elk. People shooting them running from high rise trucks at night with thermals and people not understanding where their vitals are definitely contribute to their elevated toughness status, but they are in fact a good bit tougher genuinely as well. I read something about them having higher oxygenated blood but have no way to verify that, but they do run quite a ways with no lungs and the South Texas scrub brush they plow through leads to lots of unrecovered animals as well... kind of a perfect storm making it difficult to recover anything besides a CNS hit.

Here's a pic of a Rage Trypan a buddy of mine shot one with last year, double lung and we tracked it around 915 yards and found a huge pool of blood where he stood for a while overlooking a flat before attempting to cross it and falling over. This was done by the ENTRANCE rib, broke one blade clean off and mangled the other. An Elk rib will not do this to a broadhead.

Having said all that, I killed a young bull this last year with my 6.5 PRC and it worked out.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

They're flat out intimidating up close and I've had a few large bull Elk within bow range.

Hide, meat, and bone are all thicker to get to the vitals where they're placed than an Elk. People shooting them running from high rise trucks at night with thermals and people not understanding where their vitals are definitely contribute to their elevated toughness status, but they are in fact a good bit tougher genuinely as well. I read something about them having higher oxygenated blood but have no way to verify that, but they do run quite a ways with no lungs and the South Texas scrub brush they plow through leads to lots of unrecovered animals as well... kind of a perfect storm making it difficult to recover anything besides a CNS hit.

Here's a pic of a Rage Trypan a buddy of mine shot one with last year, double lung and we tracked it around 915 yards and found a huge pool of blood where he stood for a while overlooking a flat before attempting to cross it and falling over. This was done by the ENTRANCE rib, broke one blade clean off and mangled the other. An Elk rib will not do this to a broadhead.

Having said all that, I killed a young bull this last year with my 6.5 PRC and it worked out.

Yea I shot a huge bull at 60 yards with a muzzle loader, 285g bullet with 110g (by weight) BH209. Only shot I had was shoulder, thought it would punch through, I was mistaken. Watched the bull run 2 miles across a flat without slowing down until it hit the treeline. I don’t think the bullet got anywhere near through the shoulder.
I shot a cow frontal, 40 yards, recovered bullet and it didn’t even really get into lungs, went in just far enough to get arteries going from heart.
I was shooting a less than optimal bullet, but still, things are tough.

 

[Squirrel Master]

Glad to see a thread on this pop up. I have a hunt booked in November, and I'm planning to take a 300 win mag shooting 180 grain NP's. I'm curious to see what others have to say though. People make them sound so tough I've been wondering if I'm taking enough gun!!

 

[Jhconnected]

Glad to see a thread on this pop up. I have a hunt booked in November, and I'm planning to take a 300 win mag shooting 180 grain NP's. I'm curious to see what others have to say though. People make them sound so tough I've been wondering if I'm taking enough gun!!

I shot one once with a 300 Weatherby. You’ll be fine as long as you shoot well and aim at Nilgai vitals and not N.A. animal vitals. Also, ask what type of hunt it will be. Probably safari out of the back of a truck super rushed or spot and stalk. But be prepared either way.

I’m interested in going again with a 6.5 PRC. I want to see other people’s experience with this size of cartridge along with their other experiences.

 

[Nutkin13]

Texas NWR hunt
12ga Hornady SST sabot slug
Shot at 4, hit 3, recovered 2
First was high shouldered and was DRT more-or-less.
Second was double lunged the second and it went 25 yards and piled up.
Third was hit, no idea where exactly, walked slowly into the brush never to be seen again.

 

[HandgunHTR]

Glad to see a thread on this pop up. I have a hunt booked in November, and I'm planning to take a 300 win mag shooting 180 grain NP's. I'm curious to see what others have to say though. People make them sound so tough I've been wondering if I'm taking enough gun!!

The first one I shot was with a 300WM and a 180 NP. My 300WM has a 21" barrel and muzzle velocity on this load is a modest 2900 fps, so if yours is a 24 or 26 inch barrel, expect bit higher impact velocity.
Anyway, shot was 157 yards, bull was very slightly quartering away. Impact was about 1/3 of the way up, right up the front leg. Bullet took out the top of the heart and lodged in the offside hide. Bull went 23 yards and piled up.

You will be just fine.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Glad to see a thread on this pop up. I have a hunt booked in November, and I'm planning to take a 300 win mag shooting 180 grain NP's. I'm curious to see what others have to say though. People make them sound so tough I've been wondering if I'm taking enough gun!!

The biggest problem is tracking them through stuff like this, pics taken along the 915 yard tracking job where my buddy's bull just plowed through all this. Recommend a high shoulder shot to drop them before they get into this snake infested scrub brush but research where that high shoulder is. Your 180's will do fine if placed well but we'll placed smaller cartridges will also.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Wait I'm confused, I thought you said a 6.5cm won't cut it. Now you're agreeing that .223 rem is ok?? DRT is such a rare occurrence with small calibers, no?

lol, I didn’t mean to confuse you, but I was referring to a mature bull and a 6.5cm on trying shoulder shots + 100 meters, imo a .223 or 243 , 6mm .6.5mm in the neck or ear hole would work, I personally have never seen a bull killed with anything smaller than a 270 win and that was @ +/- 70 yards and DRT it was
I am not a fan boy of the idea of shooting large heavy game in the thorax with
Any small caliber. Have at it on a CNS disruption
Like screaming potato said tracking a sickly bull nilgai has about zero appeal as juggling snakes

 

[Jhconnected]

The biggest problem is tracking them through stuff like this, pics taken along the 915 yard tracking job where my buddy's bull just plowed through all this. Recommend a high shoulder shot to drop them before they get into this snake infested scrub brush but research where that high shoulder is. Your 180's will do fine if placed well but we'll placed smaller cartridges will also.

Yeah I grew up in South Texas. That’s some fun brush country to dig through.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Yeah I grew up in South Texas. That’s some fun brush country to dig through.

I had to throw away my Kuiu shirt when we got home after that trip, looked like a mountain lion made sweet love to it for hours.

 

[ctafoya]

I knew Texas has all sorts of exotics, but I have never heard of this critter before. Glad I got an account here now. Can't wait to learn more than mainly AZ things.

 

[Bigred323]

Between my dad and I, probably 7-8 bulls and at least 10 cows.

Majority with a 30-06 150-180 grain PowerPoint, 1 12 gauge hornady slug, 1 muzzle loader, and 1 cow archery.

2 bulls not recovered with archery but that was bad shot placement on my part.

I put a Hornady slug right in the boiler room of a monster bull this past season. He almost flipped over, but then caught his feet and ran for his life and couldn’t find a drop of blood and never found him (even with buzzards)

They definitely are tough animals and if you don’t put a bullet in the right area, they’re gone. That’s why the guides want the magnum calibers, want more power to make up for poor shooting . Even with good solid shot placement, bleeding is generally very minimal for them.

The 1000 pound bull is a Buncha BS. I’ve got buddies down here that claim they shoot 800 pounders all the time. I guarantee you those bulls weren’t anywhere close.

 

[yfarm]

Three hunts, four animals, 3 on NWR hunts, one on the King Ranch
1. Slow stalk thru the brush, head shot at 20 yds 7-08
2. Early morning edge of feeding area, prone 328 yds, 308 150gr SST, broke both front shoulders, dropped both lungs, liver lacerations from bone fragments, still alive, finished at 10 yds
3. 20ga Sabot at 150 yds, shoulder shot down and dead
4. Friend on guided hunt on the KR in a high truck. 300 WM. Spotted bull at 700 yds, guide said shoot, how much holdover says my friend, guide says 3 ft, blew front leg off, into the brush, got the dogs and 2 hrs later ran it into a corner fence couldnt jump over and finished it off at 10pm.
Previous comments are spot on, shot placement and the animal is down. Have a friend that bowhunts bulls every year without any issues, does have tracking dogs.
Federal wardens and biologists used to give an orientation lecture before the NWR hunts. Opening statement: This is the toughest hunt you will ever do. For Texas hunters used to being in a blind over a feeder yes. For a mountain elk or sheep hunter no. Cactus, Huisache, snakes and fire ants if you are crawling on the ground.

 

[Fatcamp]

Why are you guys using shotguns? NWR restrictions?