Scimitar Oryx Hunt April 30, 2010

April 30, 2010 Jason Joseph & his fiancé Amy from Austin Texas arrived at the Windmill Game Ranch on a quest for a Scimitar Oryx. After getting situated in the lodge they were anxious to go for a drive & take a look around the ranch & Jason brought along his 300 Mag just in case.

After surveying the 1400 acre ranch & observing several different species of exotics we finally drove up on 3 Scimitar Oryx. Jason immediately kicked into the hunter mode, but the nicer of the Oryx moved off into thick brush. A few minutes later we observed a herd of sheep & Jason could not resist the opportunity to harvest a nice Texas Dahl Ram and a near perfect shot with his 300 Mag dropped the Ram as if it were struck by lightning.

After dropping Amy off at the lodge Jason & I (the guide) field dressed the Ram & took another spin around the ranch, since we still had a couple of hours of daylight left. It had been four months since deer season & after dropping the Ram the thrill of the chase had fell upon Jason.

Upon approaching the same area we had spotted the Oryx ealier, Jason said stop I see them. He immediately jumped out of the truck & began to stalk. A few minutes later I noticed the three Oryx moving off at a fast pace followed by the explosion of Jason’s 300 Mag & the larger Oryx knelt to the ground but bounced up & disappeared into the brush. Jason quickly found a faint blood trail so we decided to back off hoping the animal would lie down & bleed out. About 45 minutes later we were fighting our way through thick brush only to hear the Oryx jump up & begin crashing through the brush.

Now we had an important decision to make: should we continue to follow the wounded Oryx & possibly pressure it & make it more difficult to find or back off until morning. I decided to get back in the truck & drive around & look for the other Oryx just in case the wounded animal rejoined them. A few minutes later that choice proved to be the right one & we saw the three Oryx once again, with the wounded animal somewhat hidden in the brush. Jason quickly went into action & maneuvered into a better field of view but the wounded animal was very wary & began to run so once again Jason took a shot while this animal was on the move & his bullet dropped the animal for good this time with a nice shot to the spine which was the only shot he had as the Oryx ran through the brush.

The sun was just beginning to set, so we took some quick pictures, field dressed then loaded the Oryx & went back to the lodge.

The night was still young & after dropping both animals off at the processor we decided to take Amy to the Outback for some Lobster & Steak and a nice bottle of wine. After all this trip was for Amy as well as for Jason. The Lobster & Steak was great & our blood was still pumping so we decided to go to the local dance hall “Guitars & Cadillacs”. Amy proved to be a great dancer & after a dozen or so songs the club closed so we headed back to the lodge. So in a few short hours Jason had accomplished his goals, had a great steak & lobster & an enjoyable time dancing with Amy. This left him the rest of the weekend to devote his time to Amy & enjoy the peace & quite of the ranch.

On Saturday Amy & Jason took several hikes along the trails near the lodge & just enjoyed the view, nature & spending time alone. On Sunday after a good nights sleep Jason & Amy departed Windmill Game Ranch rested energized & full of passion for the outdoors.