Learning something new

[I-R-POPS]

Grandson drew an Oryx hunt in February. I thought he needed a hotter cartridge for this tuff animal so we did a little reloading yesterday.
More sit down work for me, and a new life skill for him.
It was a great day for both of us.

Dang kid drew Oryx the first year he applied! I've been putting in for this hunt for 20+ years and haven't drawn.

 

[21willys]

I don't even have a clue what a oryx is but congrats!

 

[I-R-POPS]

I don't even have a clue what a oryx is but congrats!

Also known as Gemsbok. Imported from Africa to the Whites Sands missile range in southern New Mexico.

Best tasting wild critter I've ever had the pleasure of eating.

 

[sneakysnake]

Be some cool horns to hang on the wall.

 

[cycledog]

Teach em young, teach em right. Good job.

 

[ssimpala]

Teach em young, teach em right. Good job.

Also, be very careful...we had a hunter badly injured by a wounded one a few years ago. Those things are pretty tough to kill.

 

[Willowbilly3]

What's the gun? Load?

 

[Yankee Transplant]

sneaky that would be some awesome horns to hang on the wall

 

[Sam_Fear]

sneaky that would be some awesome horns to hang on the wall

....yeah, probably too small to make into zoomies.

Good luck to him, hope he gets one!

 

[sgtpontiac]

I wish him luck and be safe....

But my next question is this.....
Why in the world would we import such an animal to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico...???!![S
What relevance would this animal have to a missile range?? I know the government does some God awful silly crap...but importing these things were for what reason? Maybe it's just me...but seems rather unusual to say the least...Can't wait to hear the story on this one......

 

[smallfoot]

Gemsbok horn makes some pretty knife handles too!

 

[christcrusader13]

that is some pretty looking brass!

 

[I-R-POPS]

What's the gun? Load?

He has a Ruger bolt action 7mm-08. I don't know the model #. It's a 308
necked down to 7mm.
We loaded with hornady SST 162 grain bullets and 45 grains of ImR 4350
powder.

I'm going to try to get him to the range sometime this weekend to see how it performs.

 

[I-R-POPS]

But my next question is this.....
Why in the world would we import such an animal to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico...???!![S
What relevance would this animal have to a missile range?? I know the government does some God awful silly crap...but importing these things were for what reason? Maybe it's just me...but seems rather unusual to say the least...Can't wait to hear the story on this one......

Who knows? I do know the out of state hunters pay a pot load of money to hunt the critters, and its hard to draw a permit if you're a resident. It's a once in a life time draw. I don't seem to be able to draw one in my life time.

Being one of Gods creatures, they do roam off the missile range and the state has a separate draw for off range hunts. I can't draw one of those either.

 

[8literbeater]

But my next question is this.....
Why in the world would we import such an animal to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico...???!![S
What relevance would this animal have to a missile range?? I know the government does some God awful silly crap...but importing these things were for what reason? Maybe it's just me...but seems rather unusual to say the least...Can't wait to hear the story on this one......

Interesting, here's why: http://www.nps.gov/whsa/naturescience/oryxwhsa.htm

To increase large game opportunities for hunters, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish wanted to establish an exotic animal population in an area where there were few species of big game.

Because the oryx is not native to this country, the National Park Service (NPS) is concerned about how this animal affects the native plants and animals of White Sands National Monument. In 1996, the NPS erected a 67-mile boundary fence to prevent the oryx from entering the monument.

I wonder what the cost of a 67-mile Oryx-proof fence is.

 

[sgtpontiac]

Well alrighty then.....

Interesting, here's why: http://www.nps.gov/whsa/naturescience/oryxwhsa.htm


I wonder what the cost of a 67-mile Oryx-proof fence is.

Yeah....67 mile fence...that was probably low cost... NOT.....Ok...so there wasn't any "real" animals to hunt in New Mexico....can't the hunters from New Mexico go hunt elsewhere?? How about introducing animals from another state with similar conditions....Africa? Since I don't hunt I'm not sure why the government felt it necessary to haul these things here....Just saying I don't find any logic in it....but that's just me.....our government spending money to spend money...."Hey....lets import some wild a$$ African Animal so we have something to hunt in New Mexico"....."Oh...that sounds cool"....lets bring over something that looks like an elk or a zebra or a huge deer"....."got it"..."lets grab some of these big honkers"..."what the he!! is that!!"...."Its a Oryx"..."A what?" "don't worry about it"...just "Shoot it"!!! "Shoot It"...Sorry, I ramble...

 

[I-R-POPS]

Take a deep breath Sarge, and remember "they" do this kind of stuff for our benefit with our money. How could it be wrong.

 

[Willowbilly3]

He has a Ruger bolt action 7mm-08. I don't know the model #. It's a 308
necked down to 7mm.
We loaded with hornady SST 162 grain bullets and 45 grains of ImR 4350
powder.

I'm going to try to get him to the range sometime this weekend to see how it performs.

Nice! I've never shot a 7mm-08 but they seem to be pretty popular when Shiels and Cabelas both carry them.

 

[Bamamav]

" Federal law prohibits introducing wild animals from other countries into the wild, so offspring were obtained from these first oryx to introduce onto the missile range."

Sounds like a way to go around the law to me.


" This area also lacks a way to control the population. Lions and other predators cull the population in Africa, with only 10% of calves reaching one year of age. In New Mexico, predators like coyotes and mountain lions are not effective at controlling numbers, allowing the oryx to breed without restriction."

Now that makes a lot of sense, import an animal without a way to control it's offspring. More good Govt thinking........

Why didn't they just import deer or elk from another state instead of a foreign animal from another country?
Not too bright if you ask me.

Hope the boy gets him one!

 

[I-R-POPS]

You guys just wish your states government had such good ideas.

We have deer and elk and antelope here in Nuevo Mexico.
They wanted some kind of big game to introduce into the desolate southern part of the state. They came up with the Oryx and the Ibex which the started in the Florida mountains in the Deming New Mexico area. Both species were quite successfully transplanted.

Back a few years ago the Oryx were getting so out of control the people around White Sands were saying they multiplied faster than rabbits.

I think the situation is a lot better now that they are issuing more hunting permits.

I just don't know why I can't draw one cause I'm getting old fast.