White Sands NM Oryx-Any Experiences Good or Bad

If they get hunted, no matter where, on or off range, they get really skittish. If you spot one or a group while driving around, don’t expect to casually sneak around and through the mesquites and get an easy 100 yd or less shot. Chances at decent trophies are usually hard to come by. If you are lucky in the draw, take the hunt seriously. 2cents

They don't ignore WSMR government vehicles either.

They always run like hell when we see them.

I have a spot where I am about 80% certain they will be, that they seem to live under, regularly find them there. However, they see a vehicle they are gone.

Same hill has mule deer covering it post season most days.

It's at range 88002

It is a very cool area just to drive through and take pics (and I believe there are Ibex in another not too far away?) An old-time gun trader in Silver City advised years ago that the hunt was going to be difficult! A hunt for the national animal in Namibia (S. African Oryx) will likely cost less! Plane flight cost the same as the NM license, and you could do a 1 day hunt and stayover for as little as $900 for a whopper. Of course, after taking those long flights, I'd stay a bit longer and hunt more (for some of the endemic species springbok, dik-dik, mtn. zebra, etc.) There are even some cull hunts for feeding villagers at no additional cost. Were you thinking unguided or guided? The latter will cost way more than a hunt in Namibia. Some of the RSA concessions nearer to Botswana and SW Zim (in or near the Kalahari) also have Gemsbok, but the ones in Namibia are bigger! GL

The ibex are in Deming in the Florida Mountains.

If you think odds are bad for oryx, spend your lifetime applying for ibex in New Mexico. They came from the brother of the Shah of Iran, he was a student at New Mexico Tech in the 1960's.

About every 5th-10th year they do a huge hunt, and open it up to control the numbers on ibex, but even then we are only talking about 50-100 animals total.

Barbary sheep cover about 60-70% of New Mexico. They run North South east of I-5 and East West North of I-30. They aren't really in the Gila of SW New Mexico yet!

There were Kudu on WSMR for a very short few years.

There were Siberian Ibex in Northern New Mexico in the Canadian River. They have been gone for a long time.

There are Himalayan Tahr on Mt Taylor, and the Reservation up there offers tags through a lottery. Pretty good chance at getting skunked.

I was lucky enough to draw an Oryx tag for the Rhodes Cyn Nov-2026 hunt. Getting good info (maps, logistics, etc) for this hunt has been difficult. I really appreciate the input members have provided since I'm an older DIY-style solo hunter. Success for me means a lot of pre-hunt scouting and planning, but scouting appears to be impossible and I haven't yet heard of anyone that has hunted with archery. Despite reports of average shot lenghts of 300m, I've heard Orxy rely on sight so doesn't it make sense that a careful approach can greatly shorten that distance?

I do have my dad's Rem 742 30:06 [note: never had a problem!] and access to a 308 or Lapua 338 from a friend of mine who specializes in long-range shooting.

Would it be reasonable to spend the 1st day archery and the second day rifle? Suggestions? Thx

I drew this tag in 2019. There is very little cover in a lot of the area of the range where I hunted making long shots necessary. Mine was over 300yrds and was the closest shot opportunity I got after many unsuccessful stalks. Literally in the last hour of the hunt. You can see them from a long way but getting close to them is tough with very limited cover. Get as far away from the main gate on one side of the range and work your way back glassing from the truck. You will have a lot of completion closer to the gate all with rifles.

PM me I used to work there if you want.

Basics.

No you can not scout, the first Friday you will do the safety brief and then then hunt until they are ready to go home. They will tell you what time.

The 2nd day they will start earlier, and then they will tell you what time to be back to the gate.

The 3rd day the same.

You can bow hunt if you want. Since this is a once in a lifetime hunt, I would not do that.

Success isn't 100%, it is closer to 40 depending on the hunt.

You are at the whims of the range. If they have a test, you may lose your hunt or have a restricted hunt. I would not bow hunt.

It is not public land, it is government land managed by the government for military testing. In the mind of the Army you are a guest, not a public land owner. The hunt is secondary to the mission, not the mission.

Individual animals are generally mid-aged bulls. Old bulls lead the big groups. Mid-aged bulls will be the biggest trophy as they have not warn their horns down.

They don't always drink, but they do. There isn't a ton of sitting water.

First year calves in November look a lot like old bulls. Then you shoot one and you realize you shot a 150 pound calf instead of a 450 pound bull. They leave calves in baby groups by themselves. This is a common mistake.

They will send you a packet of information, and you have quite a bit of paperwork to do for them.

I know quite a few people who have drawn the once in a lifetime tag and not killed one. Even people that work there. So take that for what it is worth.

One year we had an event on the Trinity site area, and they shut the hunt down to the first 10 miles of Stallion range. So it can get really restrictive. You won't know any of this until you show up that day. It will change every day.

I live in Germany so I can't go tie one to a tree for you.

These are photos from the Bataan death march trail area and the main post.

WoodnotRust said:

I was lucky enough to draw an Oryx tag for the Rhodes Cyn Nov-2026 hunt. Getting good info (maps, logistics, etc) for this hunt has been difficult. I really appreciate the input members have provided since I'm an older DIY-style solo hunter. Success for me means a lot of pre-hunt scouting and planning, but scouting appears to be impossible and I haven't yet heard of anyone that has hunted with archery. Despite reports of average shot lenghts of 300m, I've heard Orxy rely on sight so doesn't it make sense that a careful approach can greatly shorten that distance?

I do have my dad's Rem 742 30:06 [note: never had a problem!] and access to a 308 or Lapua 338 from a friend of mine who specializes in long-range shooting.

Would it be reasonable to spend the 1st day archery and the second day rifle? Suggestions? Thx

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Congratulations on beating the very long draw odds. I drew this tag a few years ago.

You will not get/find maps because it’s a government weapons training/testing site. They’re not open/available to the public for security reasons. We had to turn ours in upon leaving.

Make sure you do all the registrations/security stuff. They’ve turned people away before and several people get dropped from hunts each year for missing the deadlines.

Range Control is going to provide you with a map upon your check-in/orientation briefing. Based on recent training/testing certain areas will be closed or off limits. You also cant pre-scout at all due to the security concerns. Scouting also doesn’t work when the previous hunts and training/testing schedule will push the animals around for days/weeks on end.

Archery will be VERY tough. I think in 2023 they said only 6 have been taken over the last 10-15 years with Archery and I believe most were on badge hunts. Shots are long because there isn’t a ton of cover, it’s fairly open and you’re going to have to use micro terrain features to close the distance. You’ll run out very quickly unless you’re willing to crawl and there are lots of prickly things there.

It’s going to be a mad rush from the orientation briefing. Trucks start driving all over trying to beat the hunters behind them. It’s the furthest thing from a western hunt that I’ve been on. They’ve also been steadily increasing tag numbers and hunts trying to knock the population down. It’s getting tougher and tougher to hunt with success rates going down each year. I was told expect 50% of the hunters to tag out day one. I tagged out on day 3 with about 3 hours to go and they still hadn’t hit 50% success.

I would go with your dad’s trusty 30.06. I don’t see how you could ever get close enough for a bow shot.

After trying to draw a tag for years I gave up and started hunting private land with an outfitter. Outstanding hunts the past 3 years and am booked again for November. Nice to have virtually no pressure and the ability to see many animals to find one I like. Realize it may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it works for me.

Muskox said:

PM me I used to work there if you want.

Basics.

No you can not scout, the first Friday you will do the safety brief and then then hunt until they are ready to go home. They will tell you what time.

The 2nd day they will start earlier, and then they will tell you what time to be back to the gate.

The 3rd day the same.

You can bow hunt if you want. Since this is a once in a lifetime hunt, I would not do that.

Success isn't 100%, it is closer to 40 depending on the hunt.

You are at the whims of the range. If they have a test, you may lose your hunt or have a restricted hunt. I would not bow hunt.

It is not public land, it is government land managed by the government for military testing. In the mind of the Army you are a guest, not a public land owner. The hunt is secondary to the mission, not the mission.

Individual animals are generally mid-aged bulls. Old bulls lead the big groups. Mid-aged bulls will be the biggest trophy as they have not warn their horns down.

They don't always drink, but they do. There isn't a ton of sitting water.

First year calves in November look a lot like old bulls. Then you shoot one and you realize you shot a 150 pound calf instead of a 450 pound bull. They leave calves in baby groups by themselves. This is a common mistake.

They will send you a packet of information, and you have quite a bit of paperwork to do for them.

I know quite a few people who have drawn the once in a lifetime tag and not killed one. Even people that work there. So take that for what it is worth.

One year we had an event on the Trinity site area, and they shut the hunt down to the first 10 miles of Stallion range. So it can get really restrictive. You won't know any of this until you show up that day. It will change every day.

I live in Germany so I can't go tie one to a tree for you.

These are photos from the Bataan death march trail area and the main post. View attachment 761673View attachment 761674
View attachment 761670View attachment 761671View attachment 761672

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Thanks...I'll PM you tomorrow. Sorry for the late hour.

Mtn_Infantry said:

Congratulations on beating the very long draw odds. I drew this tag a few years ago.

You will not get/find maps because it’s a government weapons training/testing site. They’re not open/available to the public for security reasons. We had to turn ours in upon leaving.

Make sure you do all the registrations/security stuff. They’ve turned people away before and several people get dropped from hunts each year for missing the deadlines.

Range Control is going to provide you with a map upon your check-in/orientation briefing. Based on recent training/testing certain areas will be closed or off limits. You also cant pre-scout at all due to the security concerns. Scouting also doesn’t work when the previous hunts and training/testing schedule will push the animals around for days/weeks on end.

Archery will be VERY tough. I think in 2023 they said only 6 have been taken over the last 10-15 years with Archery and I believe most were on badge hunts. Shots are long because there isn’t a ton of cover, it’s fairly open and you’re going to have to use micro terrain features to close the distance. You’ll run out very quickly unless you’re willing to crawl and there are lots of prickly things there.

It’s going to be a mad rush from the orientation briefing. Trucks start driving all over trying to beat the hunters behind them. It’s the furthest thing from a western hunt that I’ve been on. They’ve also been steadily increasing tag numbers and hunts trying to knock the population down. It’s getting tougher and tougher to hunt with success rates going down each year. I was told expect 50% of the hunters to tag out day one. I tagged out on day 3 with about 3 hours to go and they still hadn’t hit 50% success.

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Thanks Mtn, Buckums, Muskox and Wyosteve for the helpful replies. There's consensus opinion regarding bow vs rifle and I'll take that into account. My elk kills were all within 30 yds so I wouldn't be confident over 50 yds. I think if I had the time I could do it, but that's just it...OIL and not much time.

Just looking at the map, it seems like the Tulie entry gate (outside Tularosa) is the most direct access point to Rhodes Canyon. I assume the security briefing will be at a main entrance, but after that can I enter/exit from other locations? I get that things change based on range activity, but I'm just wondering what is best under "normal" conditions.

WoodnotRust said:

Thanks Mtn, Buckums, Muskox and Wyosteve for the helpful replies. There's consensus opinion regarding bow vs rifle and I'll take that into account. My elk kills were all within 30 yds so I wouldn't be confident over 50 yds. I think if I had the time I could do it, but that's just it...OIL and not much time.

Just looking at the map, it seems like the Tulie entry gate (outside Tularosa) is the most direct access point to Rhodes Canyon. I assume the security briefing will be at a main entrance, but after that can I enter/exit from other locations? I get that things change based on range activity, but I'm just wondering what is best under "normal" conditions.

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The year I drew multiple hunts on Stallion and Rhodes were cancelled and moved to the opposite one based on training schedules. You need to be flexible and take instructions/direction from the folks running the hunt. It’s a small chance but there is the possibility the hunt could get scrapped on limited to no notice. I also know not every hunt gets to hunt Friday post brief, some are just Saturday/Sunday or even 1 day.

On my hunt, everyone passed through one single gate. You were checked in and verified every day going in, and coming out. It’s all about security/control.

As @Muskox stated it’s a military installation and everything revolves around that. One bad apple can ruin it for everyone. I’ve been to installations where hunting was no longer allowed (military or civilian) because of an issue. Been to others that was military only, and others open to the public. The coolest thing about the hunt is where you’re hunting. The only other way to access is to work there.

WSMR is about the same size as Yellowstone National Park. 2.2-2.5 million acres.

There are times during some missions at night where I felt like we were 30 miles from anyone. We were probably more than that.

I have seen elk, aoudad, mt lions, bears, javelina, bobcats, coyotes galore, pronghorns, mule deer, bighorns, of course lots of oryx on the range.

Sadly I never got on a badge holder hunt. Put my name in 5 years in a row, never got picked. Sucked because I knew almost every road on that base.

I drew hunts for Fort Bliss, they just don't have the same volume of wildlife.

wyosteve said:

After trying to draw a tag for years I gave up and started hunting private land with an outfitter. Outstanding hunts the past 3 years and am booked again for November. Nice to have virtually no pressure and the ability to see many animals to find one I like. Realize it may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it works for me.

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What outfitter do you use?

Muskox said:

WSMR is about the same size as Yellowstone National Park. 2.2-2.5 million acres.

There are times during some missions at night where I felt like we were 30 miles from anyone. We were probably more than that.

I have seen elk, aoudad, mt lions, bears, javelina, bobcats, coyotes galore, pronghorns, mule deer, bighorns, of course lots of oryx on the range.

Sadly I never got on a badge holder hunt. Put my name in 5 years in a row, never got picked. Sucked because I knew almost every road on that base.

I drew hunts for Fort Bliss, they just don't have the same volume of wildlife.

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That’s no joke! Impossible to adequately describe the size and topographic variety of the area. Add Ft Bliss/McGregor to WSMR proper and the occasionally used north extension, north of 380 and whew!