Friend and I have hunt booked with Muley Mike in a few weeks. Has anyone hunted Oryx in New Mexico? This will be private land, so won't have to compete with public hunters. Wondering if anything special about hunting them. As far as I know they are huge, beautiful, and taste great. no real difference between male and female?

You have to shoot lower and through the shoulder. Bring a larger caliber. It's hard to tell a difference between the males and females. The females horns are usually not as big around at the base.

I've shot 2 gemsbok, one in NM and one in South Africa. The first was taken cleanly with a 7mm RM and a 175 Nosler Partition. The second was also uneventful with a .30-06 and the 180 NPT. Three shots total.....the second oryx got a second bullet because it was slow to tump over.

I'm not prepared to fully buy into the notion that African antelope possess an unusual anatomy, or that they're inherently tougher. It is true that the females' horns are longer and skinnier, and that those on the males tend to be heavier, stubbier, and with more-pronounced rings.

If you hunt your oryx with your elk or caribou rifle, you should have no problems.

Have never shot one in New Mexico, but I do have 23 to my credit in Africa. I have the advantage that I can hunt for trophies and also cull for meat on my friends ranch on my trips, and I love to hunt gemsbok, and do it every chance I get. Spot and stalk is great fun, they have great eyesight, and are as switched on as any antelope species.

The anatomy is a little bit different for them than ours, and you do want to put it a little more forward than on a whitetail deer. Still, heart and lung shots are killers on them just like any animal. Have watched them go down with anything from 25-06 on up.

I went with mike last year. He is great and will call the shots for you. It's a lot like hunting pronghorn anteople, real open country and long shot!! Be sure to be ready for a 400 yard shot. Pm me if you want a little more info and I can send you some photos.

hitting the 500 yard range Sunday! still not sure if I would prefer a male or female, I will leave that to Mike's expert judgment. is everything but the horns the same?

One of my daughters classmate's dad is going with me and I'm letting him have first go at an Oryx, but means I get first go at an Aoudad!

Someone mention earlier that you need to shoot low and through the shoulder. I don't think you should over think the shot. I shot mine high shoulder and dropped the son of gun right where he stood with a .30-06.

Wow Blank. That's some kind of friend!

Makes it nice to have such good friends. The one guys ranch is 210K acres and the other is 25K private, with 4 more 25K acre ones around it leased for PG hunting. Looks a lot like South Texas too. In the dry season, you can sit in a blind and video more wildlife than you can imagine!

Hope that helps!

perfect pic, thanks!

killed two in South Africa. Guide said shoot them in the bottom one third of the body as upper two thirds is non lethal shot.

Mike went and scouted today, very little sign and only saw one. That's why I like Mike though, he wants you to be successful, another outfitter could have just taken our money and we would have been out that and the $1,700 New Mexico tag.

Good news is we're going for Aoudad and even an Elk in Texas!

Good luck!!!