An Oryx in the Hill Country?

by Denny L. Vasquez

© Copyrighted

Several years ago I was bitten by the “exotic” hunting bug. Since then I have been on several of these hunts, and for the most part I have really enjoyed them. Whoa!, you say, “Exotic hunts, what in the world is this guy talking about?” Well, for those of you who do not know what “exotic” hunting is, I will try to explain before getting on with the rest of my article.

The exotic species of game animals available for hunting in the US today are the offspring of animals that have been introduced into this country in areas where they are a non-native species. Examples of this are the blackbuck antelope and axis or chital deer from the Indian sub-continent, fallow deer from Europe, oryx, wildebeest, kudu and nyala from the African continent; even Rocky Mountain elk on a Michigan or south Texas brush country ranch.

Once again sportsmen have led the way in this effort to save non-native species, as back in the early part of this century several of these species were introduced into the south Texas brush country in an effort to save them from extinction. For example the blackbuck antelope was all but extinct in it’s native habitat before several south Texas ranchers purchased some of these animals, brought them to the US and turned them loose on their expansive ranches in the 1930’s. Over the years, through a controlled breeding program, these animals not only survived, but grew in such numbers that in 1971 these same conservationist were able to start a restocking program to ship them back to their homeland. Today, these animals have expanded their range to include much of the central Texas hill country and other isolated areas of the US where they have also been introduced. Other examples of the successes of conservationist, ranchers and sportsmen are the addax, nilgai, axis deer, sika deer, Pierre David Deer; the list goes on and is quite impressive.

Today many of these species are available in huntable numbers on some of the better managed ranches. Besides being an attractive trophy, these animals can also be quite a challenge when hunted in a fair chase situation, especially for the blackpowder or bow hunter. Fair chase situation, isn’t all hunting fair chase? Well, as in many aspects of life, yes and no. Fair chase hunting is defined as a hunting situation in which the game animal has the opportunity to avoid the hunter by entering into adequate cover in order to avoid detection and then making good it’s escape unhindered.

As in all industries there are those unscrupulous individuals out there who are only out to make a quick buck. So as with all of our big game hunting, it is imperative that you check into the background and hunting philsophy of any exotic hunting outfitter before spending your hard earned dollars.

One of the non-fair chase “schemes” on the market today is the coupon or T-shirt hunt. Several outfitters are promoting the, “buy my T-shirt for $15.00 and receive a coupon for a free hunt worth “$250.00″ scheme. This is the old come on ploy. To the first time exotic hunter this seems like a really good offer as the animals to be hunted are usually Corsican, Mouflon, Catalina, Texas Dall, Black Hawaiian or Four-horned rams.

Once on the ranch you are driven through an area in which you will see “trophy” quality animals of the species mentioned on the coupon. After being impressed with these animals, you will then be driven into an area in which the coupon animals are located. These will usually be young immature animals. At this point you will be offered the chance to upgrade your “hunt” for an additional fee. Even then, this is not really a hunt. These animals are in a small enclosure and usually do not have the opportunity to escape or avoid the hunter as there is little or no ground cover. As with native big game hunting, any time an outfitter guarantees you a particular animal, an animal of a particular trophy size or makes any other such impossible claims, be wary. This is usually not a fair chase hunting situation.

There are several sources that you can check with to determine if an outfitter is ethical and what kind of hunting situation he provides. The first is the local game warden in the area in which the outfitter provides hunts. The second is the local law enforcement agency while the third is the local district attorney. Of course, you should always check every reference that the outfitter provides of previous clients. You can learn a lot from these previous clients if you will only listen to their comments. Then you can determine if the types of hunts that the outfitter provides are what you are looking for.

One of the main reasons that I like to hunt with Doug, besides the excellent lodging, quality managed ranches and some of the best food around, is his dedication to game management and conservation. Besides being an outfitter, Doug has been on the board of the Exotic Wildlife Association and their Trophy Game Records of the World trophy scoring system. Doug is one of the few outfitters that I know who will turn down a hunt if he doesn’t feel that he can adequately meet the hunters needs and expectations. He is also one of the few that I know who will book hunts for the physically challenged hunter or the younger hunter who is just beginning his hunting career. My 9 year old son James’ first ever big game hunt for blackbuck with Doug is a perfect example of the latter type of hunt, but that is a topic for another time.

Due to our continuing relationship, Doug knows to call me when he runs across an animal that has exceptional or unusual trophy potential and can only be hunted in a true fair chase situation. Several times I have come home empty handed from our hunts, but I always had a really good time doing so.

When Doug called to tell me about what would prove to be our next adventure together, I was cleaning the White Muzzleloading System Super-91 .50 caliber blackpowder rifle that I had been working hunting loads up for. As Doug went on to describe the old Beisa Oryx bull and the ranch to me, I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to try out the Super-91 on a hunt.

My range work with the Super-91 involved all three of the SuperSlug enhanced lead conical bullets weights available for the .50 caliber rifle, 430, 480 and 600 grains. For my propellant I had chosen to use Pryodex RS from Hodgdon Powder company. After several sessions at the range I had settled on a hunting load of the 480 grains White SuperSlug enhanced lead conical bullet and 123.2 grains of Pyrodex RS. This was the most consistent and accurate load that I could come up with. It produced muzzle velocities of 1435 feet per second and energy of 1970 foot pounds. At the 100 yard mark this would translate into around 1180 fps and 1347 fpe with an average group of .768 inches. I felt confident that this load would work on an animal the size of an oryx.

The Beisa oryx is only one of the sub-species of oryx that inhabit the African continent and the middle east. Some of these species are the Arabian, scimitar horned, Beisa, fringe eared and Gemsbok. These beautiful animals are predominately a sub-desert or dry grass land inhabitant whose range, depending upon the sub-species, extends from Arabia to South Africa. Their physical appearance is basically the same for all sub-species, in that they have small round ears and a cow like face with a dark muzzle. Most of the differences between the various sub-species are related to size and color. The one noted exception to this is the curvature of the scimitar horned oryx’s horns, which is much more pronounced then the other species whose horns are practically straight.

The scimitar horned oryx’s color is at one end of the spectrum in that their bodies are cream colored with a rust colored neck, a brown vertical stripe through the eyes and brown legs. The Gemsbok is on the other end and is fawn gray with a dark spinal stripe and has a white face with a black “harness” starting with a black patch at the base of the horns and a black blaze on the nose. Another black band separates the lower flank from the white belly while the legs are separated into two sections by a black stripe on the upper portion of the leg.

The tail of an oryx is “tufted” and will reach down to the hocks. The shoulder hide is exceptionally thick and is tough enough to have been used for shields by tribesmen. In more modern times the beautifully patterned facial skin has been fashionable as rifle butt coverings.

Oryx have 2 very long and slender pointed black horns that are banded at the base and diverge into a classic V shape. These beautiful ringed horns can average 40 inches at maturity while the longest documented record that I am aware of is 50 1/8 inches. The horns of the females can be longer than those of the males, but are smaller around and much sharper pointed. One advantage to hunting oryx is that at the kill sight, their horns can be used as a handy honing surface to put a fine edge on the cutting instrument being used for field the dressing. Males reach maturity at around 3 1/2 years and, depending on the sub-species, can weight up to 600 lbs., stand 3 to 4 feet with a slight hump at the shoulder and can live to be 20 years old.

These graceful creatures tend to group themselves into small herds of 10 to 15 members. Male dominance within the herd is established by engaging in horn to horn conflict which mainly results in much pushing and shoving. Throwing their weight around, so to speak. Injuries from these dominance or from the mating ritual very seldom occur.

Being basically a sub-desert beast, the oryx lives in dry open country moving from one semi-desert pasture to another. These are beasts of endurance, being able to go long periods without water and withstanding temperatures from freezing to 140 degrees by regulating their own body temperature. Since oryx do not have the ability to sweat, it is necessary for them to elevate their body temperature to avoid losing vital moisture.

During the day an oryx will seek shade and dig a small trench to lie in. Being a night browser, they feed on fresh vegetables, tubers and succulents full of evening moisture. As with most heat resistant animals, they crave salts and minerals.

The desert tribesmen, from Sengal to Sudan, believe that killing an Oryx, while alone and by spear, proves manhood, much like the Masai’s better known test of killing a male lion in the same manner. It is believed that this feat genuinely tests the hunter’s skill by being able to overcome an animal with such speed, strength and toughness. Some of the Near East tribesmen believed that the hunter would inherit the animal’s courage and vigor.

The different sub-species of oryx react differently to danger. The scimitar horned oryx will usually run in a straight line away from their enemy or a perceived danger, but once cornered or wounded, they will not hesitate to turn and charge. They have been known to kill a male lion with their horns and should be approached with great to caution. On the other hand the Gemsbok will explode into action when threatened. They characteristically twist, turn and zigzag in an attempt to out maneuver their enemy. In Africa, the main predator of the Gemsbok is the cat family. They often have to give up the chase as the Gemsbok has the endurance to out run them.

Oryx not only make graceful mounted trophies as, once tanned, the thick shoulder hide should be utilized as any beautiful leather. The meat is considered by knowledgeable gourmets world wide as excellent eating. (The author agrees with this conclusion. The big grained meat makes excellent table fare) As a side note, the sub-desert tribesmen use the fat, blood and fluids for snakebites, aching joints and aching muscles.

Our hunt took place the last weekend of 1994 on a 3500 acre ranch that is located in the “mountainous” country around Leakey, Texas. These mountains are from 1500 to 2500 foot tall and are rugged, steep sided lumps of rock that are covered by a variety of cactus, evergreens, live oaks, scrub oaks and mountain laurel. Now is true that these are not mountains in the sense of the Rockies, but they are not the soft, rolling hills that one would normally associate with the hill country. To add to the difficulty of the hunt, it had been raining for the 2 days before our arrival. The only thing that was in our favor, is that due to the time of year and the weather, we wouldn’t have to worry about the big diamond backed rattlesnakes that are also known to inhabit this area. We had scheduled 3 days for the hunt and as it turned out we needed all three.

The first 2 days or our hunt were spent slopping and sliding around the sides of the hills on the ranch. (I prefer not hunt from a vehicle. It just doesn’t seem fair.) It had continued to drizzle and rain off and on the entire time. So as the morning of the 3rd day of our hunt dawned wet, cool (mid 40’s) and slightly windy, we set off toward an area of the ranch that we had not yet hunted. Doug said that he felt like the recent deluge of rain might have driven the oryx down off of the hill sides and into the creek bottoms. The trees were taller there and along with the creek banks and heavey brush, would provide better shelter from the winds and rain.

As we topped out on the surrounding ridgeline I noticed that our new hunting area contained a wide relatively flat valley with a large creek drainage that ran down it’s middle. The bottom of the valley was relatively open with only a few trees dotting the grassy floor. Along the creek bottom there was a band of trees and brush about a quarter of a mile wide. It was along this band that Doug suggested that we concentrate our glassing effort. My Burris 8×40 binoculars, with the clarity for which they have developed a reputation, made my glassing effort easier.

We spotted several axis deer, Mouflon rams, red stags and blackbucks spread out across the valley floor. There were also several native whitetails who had taken their place in the grassy garden. However, it wasn’t until my son James asked what those big white animals were, that we spotted the first of the oryx.

It turns out that James had spotted a couple of scimitar horned oryx as they grazed along the valley floor. We watched patiently as they crossed one of the headlands between two branches of the creek drainage and wound their along unexcitedly. I don’t think that they were even aware that we were on the hill side watching them. But was the Beisa bull with this herd? Almost as on que, as we continued to watch, the old bull stepped up on one of the small hillocks in the drainage system and started grazing slowly along in the general direction of the other oryx.

The harness of black on his white face was a study in beauty as his distinctive markings made him stand out among his lesser scimitar horned cousins. It was quite evident that he would be a trophy to be proud of.

Doug pointed to a finger of brush that made it’s way out on to the valley floor, almost to the banks of the nearest branch of the creek drainage. “I think that we can make our way to that creek bed and make a good stalk without being seen.” I looked at James, and after a brief discussion with instructions on do’s and don’ts, we started on our way to what I hoped was a successful stalk.

When we made it to the foot of the hill, it became obvious that we the only way to make it to the creek bed in front of us was to crawl. The bushes that stuck out into the valley were only about 2 feet tall, so walking out to the creek bed was out of the question. After all, we also had to worry about the other animals out on the valley floor. It wouldn’t do to have one of them alert the oryx and have them run out of the valley without giving me a chance at a shot first.

As we slowly made our way out to the creek bed on our stomachs I turned to check on James and to see how he was taking it all. All I could see was a wide grin on his muddy face. I knew he was having the time of his life, especially since this was the first time I had been able to take him on one of my big game hunts.

As we continued on our slow crawl to the creek bed, I noticed that several of the oryx had come up on the other side and were grazing their way out onto the valley floor. If I was to get a chance at a shot we would have to hurry and get into place. Our plan was for us to ambush them as they came up the other side of the creek and cleared the trees. If everything went our way, I would have a clear shot at the old bull. However, we still didn’t know if the Beisa bull that we were after was still with this group or not, after all, he could have gone down the creek bed instead of coming up it.

As we neared the edge of the creek embankment, I noticed an old gray downed tree truck that I could use as a rest. After getting Doug’s attention, we moved over behind the old tree truck and took up our “stand”. The oryx still appeared to be unaware of our presence as we watched several more of the group make their way out on top of the opposite embankment. Each time one came up on top, my son James would grab my leg and point at it. I mouthed the word, “The gray one.” and he shook his head in understanding.

After about 30 minutes, we caught a glimpse of the old bull making his way through the thick brush on the opposite side of the creek drainage. He appeared to sticking to the same trail that the other oryx had taken earlier. Doug turned and shook his head yes to indicate that this was the one that we were after and that this was not a false alarm, so I made sure that the White Super-91 .50 caliber muzzleloading rifle was ready and laid it across the old tree truck. If the bull continued along the trail I would have about a 75 yard shot.

As with most of my well laid hunting plans, things didn’t work out as we had anticipated. The old bull moved into a clump of scrub oaks on the creek bed but didn’t come out the other side. The scimitar horned oryx that had been following directly behind him did, but he was no where to be seen. As we continued to glass the area for several minutes, my son tapped me on the shoulder. All I could think of was, please don’t let him have to go to the bathroom now! When I turned to see what he needed, I saw that he was pointing up the opposite embankment, much higher than the level of the trail that we were watching. When I followed his finger, I couldn’t have been prouder. Not being prejudiced by a grownup’s preconceived assumptions about what game animals should do in certain situations, he had been simply looking around and had spotted the old bull as he came out of the brush.

The old bull stood in a small clearing on a little hill on the opposite side of the creek bed, about 125 yards away. He was standing almost straight broadside to us and looking to our right at the other oryx out on the valley floor. I motioned to James and Doug to cover their ears as I carefully took aim at the lower third of his chest. That is where an oryx’s heart and lung are located and Doug had indicated that a heart shot would be best.

At my shot they were both up and trying to look past the smoke to see if my shot had been true. Being directly behind the firearm I had not heard the distictive slap as the bullet hit it’s mark. James yelled, “Dad, you hit him, you hit him!” As I stood up to reload, I saw the old bull try to turn around and head back into the thick brush at the bottom of the creek bed. Oh no, I thought, what if I only wounded him? What would I do with James if Doug and I have to track an animal that can prove to be very dangerous when wounded of frightened?

But I shouldn’t have worried. The 480 grain SuperSlug had taken him 3 inches up from the bottom of the chest cavity and had hit squarely in the heart. The old bull never completed his turn before he toppled over on his side and lay still. The White Suyper-91 and the SuperSlug enhanced lead conical bullet had performed perfectly. The exit wound that this load created was 4 inches in diameter. What better performance could you ask for?

As we watched the sun set, from the wrap around front porch of the 5 star lodge that we were staying at, and throw it’s colorful light over the surrounding hills, all I could think about was the completion a succesful fair chase hunt that ended in a well earned trophy and a cold drink. It was especially sweet since I had been able to include James in this adventure. Afte all, like the beer commercials used to say, It doesn’t get any better than this!