JG26Irish_2
AH fanatic
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2023
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- Bluegrass Safari Club, SCI
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- RSA-Limpopo, Free State, USA - KY, WV, TN, ND, SD, NM, TX
A several months ago, I posted a thread asking about rifle and ammo choices for a planned Texas Nilgai hunt. Many of you responded with sage advice. Thanks for that. The following is my report from that hunt.
We chose to hunt the Yturria Ranch just north of Raymondville, Texas. Yturria borders parts of the King Ranch to its north and offers big game Nilgai, whitetail deer, javalina, wild hogs and other "Exotic" hunting including a limited variety of African Game species. Most of the exotics are inside a large high fence game reserve, but the Nilgai, deer, and others are all free range, low fence ranch environment. The Hacienda at the Yturria Ranch provided lodging and meals on our South Texas Nilgai Antelope hunt. It was built many years ago by Frank Yturria as a hunting retreat for friends and family and the Spanish Colonial architecture is a perfect venue for the hunt.
The Hacienda
My hunting party consisted of myself, my son and two other KY hunters with whom we have a long standing hunting relationship. Bruce and his son Clark, have hunted deer with us for decades and our son's grew up hunting together. My son and I ended up hunting with our 338wm rifles and Bruce also chose a 338wm. Clark his son, opted for a 300wm. Most of us chose Barnes TTSX ammo but my son Ben selected Nosler AccuBond at the advice of Mike Powell, our outfitter. Mike runs All Seasons Guide Service and he and his guides put on a first class operation. We cannot thank them enough for a quality hunting experience.
The main gate, our crew and my son posing with a covey of quail at his feet.
The rifles:
I am all about the weaponry and ammunition. For me much of the fun associated with a destination hunt is the whole process of selecting and working up a load for a new rifle and all of the practice with it to learn its capabilities. I spend way more time at this than is strictly necessary but, I enjoy this a lot. We booked the hunt almost a year ago and I fiddled with rifles for most of that time. I considered a 7mm Mag, a 338 RCM and my 375HH as well as a Steyr in 376 Steyr. I really wanted to use my proven 375 but was concerned that it was losing too much velocity out past about 200 to 250y and might not be the best choice for the open Texas terrain. I wanted a caliber that was accurate enough out to 300y and fast enough out to 400y and heavy enough to thump a big Nilgai at those ranges. My personal limit for range would be about 300y to keep the impact velocities above 2000fps. In the end, the wide range of ammo choices in one caliber drove my decision. The terrain turned out to not be nearly as open as I had expected and we were able to stalk to within 250y in every case. I could have used the 375 but our eventual choice turned out to be perfect.
I chose a Sako 85 in 338 WM using a 225g Barnes TTSX bullet. That was the ammo that shot the best in my rifle. I topped this rifle with the FFP Arken EP8, 1-8x LPVO because it is one of the best quality moderately priced hunting optics on the planet. I have taken them to Africa, and hunted North America with them and they are very tough to beat. I have Kahles and Swarovski optics on DG rifles but honestly the Arken is a better tool for hunting due to the FFP design and the precise design of the illuminated reticle. Despite being limited to only 8x, the reticle enables very precise aiming when time permits and very fast tgt acquisition when situations require it. I have taken big game out to 314y with this scope and it never fails.
My son opted for a Mauser Werks, left handed action with a custom Shaw bbl all set into a McMillain Woody stock. This custom build was a good bit more accurate than my factory Sako. Ben selected the Nosler 225g AB ammo for his hunt. This rifle shot every ammo we tried great. But it is tough to beat a good bonded bullet for big game IMO. I have a Shaw bbl on one of my DG rifles and trust me, for accurate shooting with larger caliber rifles, Shaw is the Easy Button.
Clark and Bruce hunted with a 300WM CVA and a 338WM Ruger Guide gun in stainless. Both performed well. The 300WM was running Barnes 200g TTSX and the 338WM loaded with the same Barnes 225g TTSX that I used. We teased Clark all week long for bringing a "Mouse Gun" to this hunt, even though we all knew the 300wm to be extremely effective on North American game as well as African plains game. That did not stop us from making fun of his "Cute little rifle".
Our hunt began at 1:30pm on day one at the main gate. We checked into our rooms at the Hacienda and about 3:00pm gathered with our guides to go to the range and check zeros on the rifles. A group of three other hunters from Houston and Louisiana joined us as they were all hunting for cows and my crew were all hunting for bulls. Each pair of hunters were teamed up with a single guide in a truck or SxS for our hunts. With rifles all checked we scattered out over the expanse of Texas terrain to hunt that afternoon. Even with seven active hunters, the ranch is so large that I never heard another hunt team shoot despite six Nilgai being taken that first afternoon.
Our guide "Blaine" did a very professional job and took us to a small pan (water hole) to still hunt in the shade for a while as the Texas heat was in full swing at 94 deg F, despite it being February. We saw some deer and about five Nilgai cows that first hour. Following that slow start, we hopped in the truck for some classic spot and stalk hunting. We drove to a spot near another pond and was walking in single file toward it when a big blue bull stepped out of the mesquite and stood broadside about 180y away. Ben and I had flipped a coin for who would be the first shooter and Ben got to go first. Our plan was that if time and conditions would permit, the secondary shooter would back up the other after the shot. In this first encounter, I was in the back of the line and simply was unable to move to get a shot. Ben was up on the sticks but within about 5 seconds the bull loped away into the brush. The guide looked at him and said, "That is about as long as you will get to make a shot". With that gentle admonition taken to heart, we went on.
A short hike further, as we approached the water hole, we spotted a large bull Nilgai as he walked out of the brush and into view. Ben was up on the sticks and so was I in seconds. The range was estimated to be slighted over 200y. We were zeroed at 200y and the aim was point blank. Just before the shot the guide stopped Ben because his muzzle was pointed at a fence wire. I could have took the shot but held fire while they repositioned. The bull sauntered off into the trees to our left but then turned and came back out giving us a perfect broadside pose. I was whispering under my breath for him to "SHOOT", but the seconds ticked on as he was getting back onto the sticks. I was about to take the shot as the bull stepped forward one step. Then, "BOOM", Ben's big magnum barked and the bull lept into the air, spun a half turn and dropped in his tracks! I could not have been a prouder father at that moment. Then the guide said shoot him again. Looking thru my scope, I saw the bull attempting to get up. I fired an anchoring shot since Ben was not yet reloaded. It was not necessary. Upon field dressing the bull, we saw that my son's shot had split the heart in two. Well done my son! His bull was nearly 700lb. We ranged the shot afterwards with the laser range finder and it read 237y. The impact could not have been placed any better. It hit the front leg and the chest a few inches above the brisket and right thru the heart. I knew the Nilgai was built a lot like African antelope but was still surprised how low in the chest the heart was located. This data helped me place my shot only a short time later.
After high fives and photos, we left this bull and strolled on past one pond and went in the direction of a large clearing about the size of two or three football fields where Nilgai were often spotted in the evenings. Upon approach I spotted a large blue bull in the tree line at the far end of the clearing. Range was about 290y. Inside of my self imposed maximum but a long poke nonetheless. My guardian angel was sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear, "Take the shot pussy". I looked at her dressed like a Viking warrior and whispered, "We are better hunters than that."
We agreed with our guide, to back up into the trees and flank this bull with plans to close the distance. Why? Because the bull was not aware of us and the wind was right for a careful stalk and we did not need to just take a hail Mary shot when it is not necessary. We moved slowly thru the dry brush being careful not to make too much noise. After moving about 100y or so, we angled back toward the edge of the clearing. We spotted the big bull, still oblivious to us about 155-160y away just inside the tree line. He was darker than the first ones we had seen. I mounted the sticks and snicked off the safety on my rifle and settled in for the shot. Once the bull began to step forward. My guardian angel gasped and began to pray. I think she was reciting the Pilots Prayer as I heard, "Dear Lord, please don't let this old fat hunter f##k up". As the bull moved, our guide howled a "Whooo-Oooh" that sounded like a Sasquatch to me, lol. The bull stopped and looked at us, and I pressed the trigger. As you know, when hunting you barely hear the shot or feel the recoil. My bull spun and dropped in his tracks. We could not see him but he was down. The guide said unload, he is finished. I said, nope, not until I walk up to him. We quickly approached and I could see him kicking wildly. I gave him a finishing shot out of respect but my first shot, like my son's had split the heart into two pieces. Big Bull down. YeeHaw!
My bull was also about 700lbs. Darker and a bit older but not larger. The horns were worn from fighting.
A note on bullet performance. We only found one bullet in the animals and that was a Barnes 225g TTSX that I had fired. It had shed all of its petals which was disturbing. Upon reflection, I think this was the finishing shot that I had taken from about 10y away. The bull was on its side and I fired into the chest but the bullet travelling at about 2895fps hit one of the front legs first and then entered the chest. We had seen two entry wounds at this point with one being smaller than the other and had speculated that it was a bone fragment in the field but in reality it was where on of the petals impacted the bull. The others likely were shed as the now unstable bullet plowed thru the bull's body. None of the petals or other bullets were found so this is speculation at best. One of the so called issues with the monolithic style bullets is that it can shed petals when impacting flesh at very high velocity such as a close in shot. I was not happy with this performance but you cannot deny that the bullet did its job. Some monos are actually designed to do the same thing. All that was left in my case was the shank. Considering the DRT performance, I would use it again and likely will use this same rifle & ammo combo for Canadian Moose this fall.
We loaded up and headed to the skinning shed. While waiting for the truck, we had a cow and two calves run past us with a coyote chasing them. The yote had bitten one of the calves on the hind quarters and taken a chunk out of its ass. I would have shot the coyote but my rifle was unloaded and leaned against a tree 20y away at the time.
My Bull in the Truck. This is a full size Dodge Diesel 4x4
We later learned that both Bruce and Clark had tagged their bulls this same afternoon. Bruce dropped his in its tracks with his 338wm guide gun. Clark shot his with the "Mouse Gun" whereby it promptly ran away about 150y requiring a short tracking job and a follow up shot to put it down. We later rode him with our good natured jests saying, "Friends don't let friends shoot mouse guns." It was all in fun. If he had brought a 458 win mag, we would have been taunting him for hunting with a cannon, lol.
BB with his bull
We adjourned that night to dinner at the Hacienda which included a Tex-Mex Nilgai roll as an appetizer and chicken noodle soup with stewed chicken and other various sides and deserts. The food was primo. Lots of hunting stories were shared around the table and we enjoyed the company of our friends and our new friends from Texas and Louisiana. The next morning we went out early to hunt wild hogs and coyotes. I managed to kill a coyote at about 180y with the 338. Damn near blew it in half. We came in for lunch but went back out again and saw numerous trophy whitetail bucks and about 20+ African Waterbuck.
That is an aspect of this hunt that was a surprise, Having hunted Africa multiple times, this ranch looked like the Limpopo bushveld but was much flatter terrain. We spotted Kudu, Waterbuck, Eland, Scimitar Oryx, and other species from Africa and other parts of the world. While it is no substitute for a true African hunt, it was so similar as to be uncanny. One hunter said, "I would not have been surprised to see a Lion step out of the bush". BTW - Yturria is one of the places working to conserve the Ocelot cat and they have a sustainable population on the ranch today. Many thanks to Mike Powell, All Seasons Guide Service and the Yturria Ranch for hosting us on an unforgettable hunt in Tejas!
The trip home was a long one but my son said it best. "This hunt was great! and I would do it again anytime." I cut off a small piece of tenderloin and smoked it for about 40min for dinner my first day home finishing it in a hot buttered pan. It is a unique venison experience. It has an almost tart taste on the front end with no gamey flavor or smell at all. Almost as if it had been marinated in lemon juice. Tender as long as you do not over cook it. And we have a lot of it. My son and I brought back over 500lbs of meat. If you have any great Nilgai recipes, please post them below. I plan to burger most of it but will keep some steaks and the tenderloins intact.
We chose to hunt the Yturria Ranch just north of Raymondville, Texas. Yturria borders parts of the King Ranch to its north and offers big game Nilgai, whitetail deer, javalina, wild hogs and other "Exotic" hunting including a limited variety of African Game species. Most of the exotics are inside a large high fence game reserve, but the Nilgai, deer, and others are all free range, low fence ranch environment. The Hacienda at the Yturria Ranch provided lodging and meals on our South Texas Nilgai Antelope hunt. It was built many years ago by Frank Yturria as a hunting retreat for friends and family and the Spanish Colonial architecture is a perfect venue for the hunt.
The Hacienda
My hunting party consisted of myself, my son and two other KY hunters with whom we have a long standing hunting relationship. Bruce and his son Clark, have hunted deer with us for decades and our son's grew up hunting together. My son and I ended up hunting with our 338wm rifles and Bruce also chose a 338wm. Clark his son, opted for a 300wm. Most of us chose Barnes TTSX ammo but my son Ben selected Nosler AccuBond at the advice of Mike Powell, our outfitter. Mike runs All Seasons Guide Service and he and his guides put on a first class operation. We cannot thank them enough for a quality hunting experience.
The main gate, our crew and my son posing with a covey of quail at his feet.
The rifles:
I am all about the weaponry and ammunition. For me much of the fun associated with a destination hunt is the whole process of selecting and working up a load for a new rifle and all of the practice with it to learn its capabilities. I spend way more time at this than is strictly necessary but, I enjoy this a lot. We booked the hunt almost a year ago and I fiddled with rifles for most of that time. I considered a 7mm Mag, a 338 RCM and my 375HH as well as a Steyr in 376 Steyr. I really wanted to use my proven 375 but was concerned that it was losing too much velocity out past about 200 to 250y and might not be the best choice for the open Texas terrain. I wanted a caliber that was accurate enough out to 300y and fast enough out to 400y and heavy enough to thump a big Nilgai at those ranges. My personal limit for range would be about 300y to keep the impact velocities above 2000fps. In the end, the wide range of ammo choices in one caliber drove my decision. The terrain turned out to not be nearly as open as I had expected and we were able to stalk to within 250y in every case. I could have used the 375 but our eventual choice turned out to be perfect.
I chose a Sako 85 in 338 WM using a 225g Barnes TTSX bullet. That was the ammo that shot the best in my rifle. I topped this rifle with the FFP Arken EP8, 1-8x LPVO because it is one of the best quality moderately priced hunting optics on the planet. I have taken them to Africa, and hunted North America with them and they are very tough to beat. I have Kahles and Swarovski optics on DG rifles but honestly the Arken is a better tool for hunting due to the FFP design and the precise design of the illuminated reticle. Despite being limited to only 8x, the reticle enables very precise aiming when time permits and very fast tgt acquisition when situations require it. I have taken big game out to 314y with this scope and it never fails.
My son opted for a Mauser Werks, left handed action with a custom Shaw bbl all set into a McMillain Woody stock. This custom build was a good bit more accurate than my factory Sako. Ben selected the Nosler 225g AB ammo for his hunt. This rifle shot every ammo we tried great. But it is tough to beat a good bonded bullet for big game IMO. I have a Shaw bbl on one of my DG rifles and trust me, for accurate shooting with larger caliber rifles, Shaw is the Easy Button.
Clark and Bruce hunted with a 300WM CVA and a 338WM Ruger Guide gun in stainless. Both performed well. The 300WM was running Barnes 200g TTSX and the 338WM loaded with the same Barnes 225g TTSX that I used. We teased Clark all week long for bringing a "Mouse Gun" to this hunt, even though we all knew the 300wm to be extremely effective on North American game as well as African plains game. That did not stop us from making fun of his "Cute little rifle".
Our hunt began at 1:30pm on day one at the main gate. We checked into our rooms at the Hacienda and about 3:00pm gathered with our guides to go to the range and check zeros on the rifles. A group of three other hunters from Houston and Louisiana joined us as they were all hunting for cows and my crew were all hunting for bulls. Each pair of hunters were teamed up with a single guide in a truck or SxS for our hunts. With rifles all checked we scattered out over the expanse of Texas terrain to hunt that afternoon. Even with seven active hunters, the ranch is so large that I never heard another hunt team shoot despite six Nilgai being taken that first afternoon.
Our guide "Blaine" did a very professional job and took us to a small pan (water hole) to still hunt in the shade for a while as the Texas heat was in full swing at 94 deg F, despite it being February. We saw some deer and about five Nilgai cows that first hour. Following that slow start, we hopped in the truck for some classic spot and stalk hunting. We drove to a spot near another pond and was walking in single file toward it when a big blue bull stepped out of the mesquite and stood broadside about 180y away. Ben and I had flipped a coin for who would be the first shooter and Ben got to go first. Our plan was that if time and conditions would permit, the secondary shooter would back up the other after the shot. In this first encounter, I was in the back of the line and simply was unable to move to get a shot. Ben was up on the sticks but within about 5 seconds the bull loped away into the brush. The guide looked at him and said, "That is about as long as you will get to make a shot". With that gentle admonition taken to heart, we went on.
A short hike further, as we approached the water hole, we spotted a large bull Nilgai as he walked out of the brush and into view. Ben was up on the sticks and so was I in seconds. The range was estimated to be slighted over 200y. We were zeroed at 200y and the aim was point blank. Just before the shot the guide stopped Ben because his muzzle was pointed at a fence wire. I could have took the shot but held fire while they repositioned. The bull sauntered off into the trees to our left but then turned and came back out giving us a perfect broadside pose. I was whispering under my breath for him to "SHOOT", but the seconds ticked on as he was getting back onto the sticks. I was about to take the shot as the bull stepped forward one step. Then, "BOOM", Ben's big magnum barked and the bull lept into the air, spun a half turn and dropped in his tracks! I could not have been a prouder father at that moment. Then the guide said shoot him again. Looking thru my scope, I saw the bull attempting to get up. I fired an anchoring shot since Ben was not yet reloaded. It was not necessary. Upon field dressing the bull, we saw that my son's shot had split the heart in two. Well done my son! His bull was nearly 700lb. We ranged the shot afterwards with the laser range finder and it read 237y. The impact could not have been placed any better. It hit the front leg and the chest a few inches above the brisket and right thru the heart. I knew the Nilgai was built a lot like African antelope but was still surprised how low in the chest the heart was located. This data helped me place my shot only a short time later.
After high fives and photos, we left this bull and strolled on past one pond and went in the direction of a large clearing about the size of two or three football fields where Nilgai were often spotted in the evenings. Upon approach I spotted a large blue bull in the tree line at the far end of the clearing. Range was about 290y. Inside of my self imposed maximum but a long poke nonetheless. My guardian angel was sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear, "Take the shot pussy". I looked at her dressed like a Viking warrior and whispered, "We are better hunters than that."
We agreed with our guide, to back up into the trees and flank this bull with plans to close the distance. Why? Because the bull was not aware of us and the wind was right for a careful stalk and we did not need to just take a hail Mary shot when it is not necessary. We moved slowly thru the dry brush being careful not to make too much noise. After moving about 100y or so, we angled back toward the edge of the clearing. We spotted the big bull, still oblivious to us about 155-160y away just inside the tree line. He was darker than the first ones we had seen. I mounted the sticks and snicked off the safety on my rifle and settled in for the shot. Once the bull began to step forward. My guardian angel gasped and began to pray. I think she was reciting the Pilots Prayer as I heard, "Dear Lord, please don't let this old fat hunter f##k up". As the bull moved, our guide howled a "Whooo-Oooh" that sounded like a Sasquatch to me, lol. The bull stopped and looked at us, and I pressed the trigger. As you know, when hunting you barely hear the shot or feel the recoil. My bull spun and dropped in his tracks. We could not see him but he was down. The guide said unload, he is finished. I said, nope, not until I walk up to him. We quickly approached and I could see him kicking wildly. I gave him a finishing shot out of respect but my first shot, like my son's had split the heart into two pieces. Big Bull down. YeeHaw!
My bull was also about 700lbs. Darker and a bit older but not larger. The horns were worn from fighting.
A note on bullet performance. We only found one bullet in the animals and that was a Barnes 225g TTSX that I had fired. It had shed all of its petals which was disturbing. Upon reflection, I think this was the finishing shot that I had taken from about 10y away. The bull was on its side and I fired into the chest but the bullet travelling at about 2895fps hit one of the front legs first and then entered the chest. We had seen two entry wounds at this point with one being smaller than the other and had speculated that it was a bone fragment in the field but in reality it was where on of the petals impacted the bull. The others likely were shed as the now unstable bullet plowed thru the bull's body. None of the petals or other bullets were found so this is speculation at best. One of the so called issues with the monolithic style bullets is that it can shed petals when impacting flesh at very high velocity such as a close in shot. I was not happy with this performance but you cannot deny that the bullet did its job. Some monos are actually designed to do the same thing. All that was left in my case was the shank. Considering the DRT performance, I would use it again and likely will use this same rifle & ammo combo for Canadian Moose this fall.
We loaded up and headed to the skinning shed. While waiting for the truck, we had a cow and two calves run past us with a coyote chasing them. The yote had bitten one of the calves on the hind quarters and taken a chunk out of its ass. I would have shot the coyote but my rifle was unloaded and leaned against a tree 20y away at the time.
My Bull in the Truck. This is a full size Dodge Diesel 4x4
We later learned that both Bruce and Clark had tagged their bulls this same afternoon. Bruce dropped his in its tracks with his 338wm guide gun. Clark shot his with the "Mouse Gun" whereby it promptly ran away about 150y requiring a short tracking job and a follow up shot to put it down. We later rode him with our good natured jests saying, "Friends don't let friends shoot mouse guns." It was all in fun. If he had brought a 458 win mag, we would have been taunting him for hunting with a cannon, lol.
BB with his bull
We adjourned that night to dinner at the Hacienda which included a Tex-Mex Nilgai roll as an appetizer and chicken noodle soup with stewed chicken and other various sides and deserts. The food was primo. Lots of hunting stories were shared around the table and we enjoyed the company of our friends and our new friends from Texas and Louisiana. The next morning we went out early to hunt wild hogs and coyotes. I managed to kill a coyote at about 180y with the 338. Damn near blew it in half. We came in for lunch but went back out again and saw numerous trophy whitetail bucks and about 20+ African Waterbuck.
That is an aspect of this hunt that was a surprise, Having hunted Africa multiple times, this ranch looked like the Limpopo bushveld but was much flatter terrain. We spotted Kudu, Waterbuck, Eland, Scimitar Oryx, and other species from Africa and other parts of the world. While it is no substitute for a true African hunt, it was so similar as to be uncanny. One hunter said, "I would not have been surprised to see a Lion step out of the bush". BTW - Yturria is one of the places working to conserve the Ocelot cat and they have a sustainable population on the ranch today. Many thanks to Mike Powell, All Seasons Guide Service and the Yturria Ranch for hosting us on an unforgettable hunt in Tejas!
The trip home was a long one but my son said it best. "This hunt was great! and I would do it again anytime." I cut off a small piece of tenderloin and smoked it for about 40min for dinner my first day home finishing it in a hot buttered pan. It is a unique venison experience. It has an almost tart taste on the front end with no gamey flavor or smell at all. Almost as if it had been marinated in lemon juice. Tender as long as you do not over cook it. And we have a lot of it. My son and I brought back over 500lbs of meat. If you have any great Nilgai recipes, please post them below. I plan to burger most of it but will keep some steaks and the tenderloins intact.
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