After ten years of trying, I finally drew a once in a lifetime Oryx tag for Rhodes Canyon on the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Has anyone on this site ever hunted Oryx on WSMR? I am looking for relevant info. I have some info from accuratereloading.com and huntamerica.com but the more the better. The hunt is 2 days in February 2011 so I have time. Thanks for any advice.
Oryx Tag Finally!
- Thread starter hiredgun
- Start date
I have not hunted oryx in the U.S. but I have in Africa .And really enjoyed it,
see my avatar.
I don't know if you have hunted them before but I would recomend the best binos you can get and when it comes to the shooting part aim low and forward.Deep penetrating bullets are a good bet as well.
see my avatar.
I don't know if you have hunted them before but I would recomend the best binos you can get and when it comes to the shooting part aim low and forward.Deep penetrating bullets are a good bet as well.
missle oryx
Funny this has come up on topic. I have several American friends whom have had this tag good luck on the hunt. Almost like the Wainwright hunt there will be a briefing by the base and then its game on. Unless you know the range you will have to go through an outfitter which unfortunatelly comes with a price, so shop around and find a good outfitter as it is a once in a lifetime hunt you will also up your odds, have fun
Funny this has come up on topic. I have several American friends whom have had this tag good luck on the hunt. Almost like the Wainwright hunt there will be a briefing by the base and then its game on. Unless you know the range you will have to go through an outfitter which unfortunatelly comes with a price, so shop around and find a good outfitter as it is a once in a lifetime hunt you will also up your odds, have fun
Oryx Hunting- White Sands Missle Range
Now that I have drawn the Oryx once in a lifetime tag for the WSMR, I am receiving all sorts of promo literature from guides, outfitters etc who want to assist me on the 2 day hunt. Success rates seem to be high, 80%+, with outfitters claiming 95-100% success rates. As a non US citizen, I will be accompained by a MP or other WSMS official. I am sort of thinking that the MP might know where the Oryx hang out. My hunt is in Rhodes Canyon in February 2011. If I hunt without an outfitter, I suppose I will have to rent a pickup to retrieve the Oryx. The outfitter as part of the $1,200 fee, uses his own truck, retrieves and skins the beast. Thanks for continued advice.
Now that I have drawn the Oryx once in a lifetime tag for the WSMR, I am receiving all sorts of promo literature from guides, outfitters etc who want to assist me on the 2 day hunt. Success rates seem to be high, 80%+, with outfitters claiming 95-100% success rates. As a non US citizen, I will be accompained by a MP or other WSMS official. I am sort of thinking that the MP might know where the Oryx hang out. My hunt is in Rhodes Canyon in February 2011. If I hunt without an outfitter, I suppose I will have to rent a pickup to retrieve the Oryx. The outfitter as part of the $1,200 fee, uses his own truck, retrieves and skins the beast. Thanks for continued advice.
BC Bigbore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- BC's Peace Country
Congrats on the draw 
Did you use a service such as USO to assist with entering draws for you? I read about that hunt somewhere and the buddy who drew the licence scored early on day two with a nice one If I was to spend 10yrs to draw a tag like that, I wouldn't hesitate to hire a (well researched/recommended) guide.
Did you use a service such as USO to assist with entering draws for you? I read about that hunt somewhere and the buddy who drew the licence scored early on day two with a nice one If I was to spend 10yrs to draw a tag like that, I wouldn't hesitate to hire a (well researched/recommended) guide.
Shoot them low, I dropped mine real fast, my son had an adventure. The spine is in the middle of the body, the heart is very low.
They are very hard to judge trophy quality on, only in a line can you tell how big the horns are. Don't shoot a solitary Oryx, even the young ones have horns and on a proportional basis they look the same.
Great animal and very tasty.
They are very hard to judge trophy quality on, only in a line can you tell how big the horns are. Don't shoot a solitary Oryx, even the young ones have horns and on a proportional basis they look the same.
Great animal and very tasty.
Oryx
Blargon: The cost to apply for the tag is about $12.00 or so. I have applied via the www for the past 10 years. If you draw a tag, the $1,600 is withdrawn from your pre-approved credit card. Note that the cost for a non New Mexico resident is same if you are from another US state or Canada. While the cost is not cheap, it is a literally a once in a lifetime hunt (once you have drawn a tag, you can never draw another), US or Canadian citizen. Also the practical alternative for Oryx is Africa.
Blargon: The cost to apply for the tag is about $12.00 or so. I have applied via the www for the past 10 years. If you draw a tag, the $1,600 is withdrawn from your pre-approved credit card. Note that the cost for a non New Mexico resident is same if you are from another US state or Canada. While the cost is not cheap, it is a literally a once in a lifetime hunt (once you have drawn a tag, you can never draw another), US or Canadian citizen. Also the practical alternative for Oryx is Africa.
I did not use an application service to apply for the tag. The WSMR publishes yearly data on the draw results which permits you to optimize your chances of a tag. It took me some time draw the tag because I wanted the location (Rhodes Canyon) which has a reputation for big animals (36"+ horns, some 40"+), a winter season hunt (if I have to travel to the southern US, it might as well be to escape the Canadian winter) and an intact animal (for the last three years, there have been broken horn hunts, you can only harvest an animal with a broken horn). If you really want to maximize your chances of drawing an Oryx tag, you study the past results and select a less favourable location,(Small Missile Range, Stallion Range, etc), a time when the US hunters are after elk and select a broken horn hunt or perhaps something other than an any legal weapon hunt (There are specialized archery and black powder hunts. (Cost is the same).
To answer the question about rifles (handguns are not permitted on the WSMR), I am unsure. I have three that will do the job- bolt actions 270 Win and 338WM and a Remington 7600 pump in 35 Whelen. None of the promo pictures that I have received from the outfitters show any rifles with bipods- perhaps the weeds, sand, or insects prevent prone shooting. The pump is a personal favourite of mine and is good to 250 yards- the others a good at a greater distance but I probably would pass on a very long shot. Obviously I have to make up my mind soon to apply for an ATF import permit for the rifle. I am sort of tempted to just purchase a new rifle and scope in El Paso Texas, if I fly down for the hunt. Any advice from members on rifle selection? Also I am unsure if I can take my handloads down on the plane. Perhaps another reason the sight in the rifle with factory ammo or just go whole hog and purchase new equipment. Thanks for any advice.
To answer the question about rifles (handguns are not permitted on the WSMR), I am unsure. I have three that will do the job- bolt actions 270 Win and 338WM and a Remington 7600 pump in 35 Whelen. None of the promo pictures that I have received from the outfitters show any rifles with bipods- perhaps the weeds, sand, or insects prevent prone shooting. The pump is a personal favourite of mine and is good to 250 yards- the others a good at a greater distance but I probably would pass on a very long shot. Obviously I have to make up my mind soon to apply for an ATF import permit for the rifle. I am sort of tempted to just purchase a new rifle and scope in El Paso Texas, if I fly down for the hunt. Any advice from members on rifle selection? Also I am unsure if I can take my handloads down on the plane. Perhaps another reason the sight in the rifle with factory ammo or just go whole hog and purchase new equipment. Thanks for any advice.
rifles and hitting
If your comfortable with your pump take the pump 35 whelan is plenty of rifle for a oryx, mind you make sure your papers are in order with the US and Canada export control, as for hitting the critter put it right on the shoulder as the vitals are not located the same as say moose or deer and they are a thinned skinned critter best of luck
If your comfortable with your pump take the pump 35 whelan is plenty of rifle for a oryx, mind you make sure your papers are in order with the US and Canada export control, as for hitting the critter put it right on the shoulder as the vitals are not located the same as say moose or deer and they are a thinned skinned critter best of luck
If I were you I would check with the outfitter (for a once-in-a-lifetime hunt like this, using an experienced outfitter should be a given) as to the expected distances at which these critters are being shot. Personally, given the choices of gun you have available, I would go with the .338 over the Whelen, in case of a longish shot. I'd pass on the .270...Oryx/gemsbok are a tough animal and are known for going a long ways after a hit. Yeah, yeah, I know, the .270 is good enough, blah, blah, blah...but the .338 is "good enough-er"!
As stated several times here, hit them low and forward, i.e. a shoulder shot. Awesome trophies (even the females have horns, often longer than the males) either with a full shoulder mount or the Euro-type skull mount. Do you get to keep the meat? I hope so, because it is outstanding!
Good luck. This sounds like a fantastic hunt opportunity!
As stated several times here, hit them low and forward, i.e. a shoulder shot. Awesome trophies (even the females have horns, often longer than the males) either with a full shoulder mount or the Euro-type skull mount. Do you get to keep the meat? I hope so, because it is outstanding!
Good luck. This sounds like a fantastic hunt opportunity!
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
The second thing to put in your pockets after the licence should be a good set of USGS topographic maps. The third should be air photos. These are called DOQQs in the US, for a 4-photo set. The map will give you very good ground knowledge, and the photos will put you right there. I would ignore any of the on-line mapping sites. White Sands is an active US military range, and they do shoot exotic stuff there. Chances are good the Uncle Sam put the arm on Google to keep the resolution grainy and images out of date.
A pocket GPS receiver will give you good navigation points as you move around. A laser rangefinder (ie on a pair of binos) will give you range and bearing to the target.
For spits and giggles, have you read any of the on-line information about Oryx on White Sands? Looks like an interesting wildlife situation.
A pocket GPS receiver will give you good navigation points as you move around. A laser rangefinder (ie on a pair of binos) will give you range and bearing to the target.
For spits and giggles, have you read any of the on-line information about Oryx on White Sands? Looks like an interesting wildlife situation.
I've killed one and watched my son have a real adventure and I wouldn't hunt one with a 270 if I had any other options.
Take the 338, they are 500 lb animals with extremely thick skin, like one inch+ far thicker than any North American animal.
Take the 338, they are 500 lb animals with extremely thick skin, like one inch+ far thicker than any North American animal.
The WSMR assigns a hunt co-ordinator who is starting to send info to the persons who successfully drew tags. Lots of good info. About 10% of the persons hunting Oryx use outfitters. The WSMR will be supplying maps to the hunters with info on location as we get closer to the actual hunt. There is no scouting allowed, so you either get one or not during the 2 day hunt (about 1/2 of the first day is apparently given over to safety training, rules about access from the roads, where you can hunt and where you cannot etc.). You take the field dressed Oryx to the front gate of the WSMR where there will be butchers, taxidermists, etc. Apparently an Oryx can be boned to fit into a 155 quart cooler. I am looking into the cost of having the meat frozen and then air freighted back to Toronto where a friend can pick it up for me. Perhaps an alternative is a refrigerated truck service but ???. If successful, I am leaning towards a European mount- skull and horns. This is about 1/2 the cost of a full head mount but more importantly it can be shipped at a more reasonable cost. In theory I could make a vacation of the hunt and drive down but I have lots of time for final decisions. Does anyone know about meat shipping?
