There's a story in the paper down here about the nilgia. I believe there's alot of false information about them because I've been hunting them down here on the rufuge a long time. I think they put this in the paper so they can try and exterminate them. Tell me what you think. Here's the link http://m.valleymorningstar.com/morningstar/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=ghsGnJBU&src=cat

I believe most of that information is correct.....except for the BS about the ocelots. Although, it does sound like there's a liberal "twist" to the entire article.

The part about the fences is true but the refuge doesn't want the fences there anyways. They go and cut them down so that animals won't be caught in them. And about the ticks I think all the animals that live here would carry them not just the nilgai.

All I can say is hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Why would the tick problem just now becoming to the surface if these animals have been around since the 30's?

That reporter wrote an extremely one sided article.
Think he/she has an agenda ?

I guess I read it differently. All I can think is, "Where can I shoot one, and how the heck do I get it home?" Sounds like enough meat on one to fill the freezer.

I just read that article. Having had a little bit of writing experience myself I can definitely say that the author of that anti-Nilgai "infomercial" had a decided intention to paint the animal as an "scary pathological and ecological nusiance." One could have easily emphasized how this introduced species (thats been there since what the 1930s?) brings much needed revenue to the community with hunting dollars. Also, very poorly researched: what is this tick and what is it carrying? What is the source of the writer's epidemiological twist? Are we talking Lyme Disease or Chronic Wasting disease or something else? I found the article vague, not very useful and if I were editing it, I would have rejected it until sources could be cited for the comments on diseases. Oh PS what are those other predators that get through those big holes the Nilgai make? Hogs? Feral Dogs? Coyotes? Housecats? Come on....(wish we had Nilgai or some big Exotic in Presidio County...we could use the revenue and excitement.)

From reading that story, my opinion is that story is a sad attempt to scare people into some sort of eradication program. I would love to hunt nilgai, they are great tasting and quite large, meaty animals. One would provide plenty of meat for quite a while. I wish that I could bring them to my lease and let them roam.

It would be interesting to see how many NILGAI are actually taken out of that WMA! And, are they not allowed to "field dress" animals that are killed on the WMA?

My FIL owned a ranch east of Rio Hondo and some of it bordered the WMA. I hunted it for about 10yrs and the Nilgia were just starting to move into his property. They would trash the fences when they crossed. I saw them several times but could not get a shot at them . There were other hunters that did get a few. They are big and are great tasting. Now the whitetail deer that we took and the hogs were covered in ticks. When we capped the deer out we would have to put the head in a trash bag and tie it off because they were covered in thousands of ticks. There was also the
pinsamea?sp? Something in Spanish that would fall out of the mesquite trees and hit you like a chigger from He77!

My bet is there are more than a few ranchers who are grateful for them

When we shot ours on the laguna atascosa refuge even when it was feild dressed one single hind leg was too heavy to carry out. We had to make the 2 mile trip on foot multiple times to get all the meat out. But we didnit with out the forklift or crane that he said you needed.

I start my firearm hunt on the LANWR tomorrow. I came strickly for the nilgai...

Can't wait to hear from you Ranch Dog!!

In the 2 morning and 2 evening huntings, I did not see a single critter. Didn't even see a critter coming and going through the non-hunting area as I went in and out of the refuge.

As of the second evening, only 3 bucks and 2 nilgai had been killed. Some hunters may have been still out as I heard two shots in the distance but those might have been off the refuge. Also, I did not go by the check station as I left so I do not know what the final tally was.

Two of the bucks were nice 9 pts but below average for northern Cameron County, may be 125" (if you want to see what is "average" for the southern Willacy and northern Cameron counties stop at Chili Willies in Arroyo City). I talked to a hunter that killed a buck and another that killed the nilgai and they were the only animals they saw. The animals were not spooked in any way they noted, just feeding like they didn't have a care in the world.

I talked to an old gentleman working in a hardware store before the hunt started and who has a deer lease on the refuge boundary. I asked him how the hunt would go, he stated "you will be lucky to see anything, the bowhunters ran every out last week". I don't know about that but one thing I did notice is that there was a boot, bicycle, or cart track everywhere I went. Even some very, very remote locations, somebody had been there last week.

The nilgai where up to there usually all day behavior off the refuge. I have access to private land in Cameron and Willacy Counties and spent the day before the hunt and the last afternoon on those places. The nilgai were out in force both days doing their thing of being a herd animal in wet open country. That isn't going to happen on the LANWR, too much pressure.