I grew up in Indiana before rifles were legal for deer hunting. A far shot for me was 100 yards with a shotgun from a tree stand or blind. When I got to Arizona, I met Todd Bauer, who convinced me to start western hunting. Thankfully, my wife, Leslie, has been extremely supportive of this hobby. I could not have done this without her support.
Todd and I both applied to the New Mexico oryx draw. One week before the lottery, I called New Mexico Game and Fish, asking them to withdraw my name from the draw pool. I was scheduled to have arm surgery and was unsure if I would be able to hunt. The Game and Fish employee informed me I was a week too late to be withdrawn from the lottery, but if I was not medically qualified, I could transfer my tag to someone eligible for the hunt.
Much to my surprise, I drew an oryx tag. I immediately contacted Huntin’ Fool to get a list of past draw recipients and went on a relentless pursuit of knowledge about these animals. After much research and pending surgery, I hired Compass West Outfitters. While it was not a once-in-a-lifetime tag, it was to me. Chris Guikema was super helpful and knowledgeable and answered all my questions and concerns even before I hired him.
Most of the hunting forums and articles on oryx warned how tough these animals were and that shot placement was paramount. I also learned that it would be a quick hunt. In the months leading up to the hunt, Todd and I shot over 160 rounds through my Ruger .300 WSM to ensure I was ready. We shot from various positions and ranges. He would range the target, and I would dial in the scope and fire a couple of shots in quick succession in preparation for these formidable animals that will run miles.
Todd and I drove to New Mexico the Thursday before the hunt. Friday, we went to the local range to check the zero. The elevation was 4,500 feet higher than home and 40 degrees colder. Meanwhile, Gilbert Lucero of Compass West Outfitters was scouting.
Early Saturday morning, Gilbert picked us up from the hotel. Thirty minutes later, we turned off the highway and onto the range. We drove to where he had spotted some good bulls the day prior. We sat in the truck waiting for legal shooting light on a road just off the main highway through the range. Once it was light enough, we began driving the gravel roads and glassing once we hit high spots. We drove up one of the foothills until we reached a cattle corral, glassed, and then turned around. The only thing we saw for the first few hours was cattle. Around 10 a.m., we stopped on a flat at the bottom of the foothills and glassed. I immediately saw an oryx around 2,000 yards away. I had to ask Gilbert to confirm. I had never seen one in the wild before. The way the sun hit it made it shine. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and I was ecstatic to see my first free-range oryx. We drove down the road a little further in an attempt to get a better look at the animal, but ultimately, we never found it again. Gilbert’s buddy passed us, so we turned around and went to the dunes.
Driving around the dunes made me realize that if we saw an oryx, it would be a quick jump out of the truck and shoot kind of hunt. We saw fresh sign but no oryx. We then departed for a different portion of the unit. We glassed another two areas. By 12:30, we had only seen one animal. I had a notion in my mind that I would be seeing 20-30 animals a day. Around 12:45, Gilbert’s buddy called, stating they had shot an animal from a group of 11. He told us where the herd went, and we immediately started driving back to where we were that morning.
We glassed our way back up the cattle corral and glassed some more. Still only cattle. My wife told me that if I didn’t get an animal, I better stop by the market and fill the freezer with meat one way or another. The terrain sloped down on the backside of the cattle corral. About halfway down the foothill, Gilbert stopped and stated he had never seen any oryx area, but it was worth a try. The terrain sloped down in a large, wide valley with rolling hills, then back up to the mountains miles away. Two minutes into glassing, Gilbert said he spotted a herd and it was far away. I realized I wasn’t even glassing that far out. I plotted them on onX 1.56 miles away.
Todd brought out the spotting scope and set it up. We discussed if we could make a play. From what we could see, we would have to go miles around to make a play. The herd was on the side of a foothill facing us, and we would have limited cover to get close enough for a comfortable shot. Gilbert asked what I thought. I told him I had hired him for his eyes, knowledge, and back. He advised we move on to try and find another herd. As we drove down the side of the foothill, we noticed a wash that ran parallel to the herd position with some branches that ran perpendicular. We set up the spotting scope and then formulated a plan.
We left Todd roughly 1,800 yards from the herd with the spotting scope and a radio. He was our eyes if they busted us. Meanwhile, Gilbert got ready for the stalk. I was like a giddy schoolboy; I didn’t do anything to get ready. I was so excited to do a stalk. It was roughly 2 p.m. now, and we started the stalk. It would be a 1.23-mile stalk to a spot we found on the map. The shooting spot to the herd was going to be roughly 575 yards. After 45 minutes, we got to our planning shooting spot, a small knob with a good amount of cover. We ranged the herd, and they were around 350 yards away. I plotted the herd one terrain feature further on the map. We stripped the gear we didn’t need along with some warming layers that I should have stripped at the truck instead of watching Gilbert get ready.
Gilbert set up my Bog death grip tripod next to a yucca plant, and he set up his spotting scope on the other side. The hillside where the herd bedded was littered with yuccas, ocotillos, and scrub. Gilbert found two large animals and talked me on. Of those two, he told me to shoot the one on the left as it was a large bull. I had no experience, so they all looked large. I watched the bull for about 10 minutes, waiting for a clear shot through the ocotillos. The bull started following a cow quartering away from us. Gilbert ranged them at 375 yards before the bull began walking. The wind was roughly 10 miles per hour from the left. I referenced my dope card and put in the adjustments. Gilbert said 360 yards, and I squeezed the trigger. Gilbert said I hit one. However, oryx sprung up all over the place. Most of the herd ran left, but one ran to the right just over the crest of the hill. It was 3 p.m.
After about 10 minutes, Todd radioed that he believed he saw it go down. Gilbert and I approached that area with caution. Gilbert found the bull about 50 yards from where I shot him down. Todd began the walk to us, gathering all the items I should have taken with me from the truck. We didn’t bring anything to measure the horns, but I remembered what another member of Huntin’ Fool did from his article “The #1 Oryx.” We measured it with a dollar bill. We Googled the length of a dollar bill and measured this bull’s horns to be 6+ dollar bills. Gilbert expertly quartered and caped this animal. Once loaded, we began the 1.5-mile trek back to the truck.
What a blessing and introduction to western hunting. With a fast jump out of the truck hunt, we got to stalk the herd and take a shot. My taxidermist measured it green 39" on the left and 37.5" on the right horn with 7 2/8" bases. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that would not have been possible without the support of a true friend and the backing of an amazing wife!
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