For the first archery hunt, there were only 5 nilgai killed out of 250 hunters. The helicopters took their toll.
I saw 28 different nilgai, had 4 in bow range and fired two arrows
There were plenty of nilgai, I don't think the helicopter hunt affected this one bit
It's just a really hard hunt with a bow
Not to mention a boatload of inexperienced public hunters
I agree on all three points. With the TPWD introducing a whole new set of hunters to the Refuge, there is a lot of new blood without experience on the property. Under the old permit system, there was always a bunch of returning hunters that had narrowed down where they felt the best chance for success would happen. It is hard to make the right decision in that respect with a partial day of scouting or none at all.
It would be interesting to see if the rule of halves still applies. Half of the hunters gone after the first 24 hours and remaining number cut in half after each additional 24 hours. Both Aransas and the complete Rio Grande Valley NWR system play by these rules. You got to stick it out and move if there is no sign or you are not seeing anything and then hunker down. The odds of seeing something on your feet are very slim. The only thing that accomplishes is you wear yourself out.
Google Earth on a phone or tablet is your friend. Those aren't cattle trails you see by satellite image, they are made by nilgai hooves.