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.

The first evening Jerry Beaird (the owner & guide) was showing the guys  around the ranch & drove down in a deep canyon & right in their path was Big Daddy (a nickname given to a gold medal Aoudad Ram). With a little encouragement from Jerry, Brad decided to make a stalk & try to get a clean shot with his bow right before dark. After circling around the big Ram to keep his scent downwind, Brad & Austin were able to get within 30 yards of this magnificent Aoudad Ram. Brad was set on making a clean shot but never quite had that opportunity, so after he watched this monster of an Aoudad for about 15 minutes he decided to wait until another day to make sure his shot fell perfect because it would be a shame to only wound such a magnificent specimen.

After taking a tour of the ranch both Brad & Randal were getting anxious for the morning hunt. Sunday morning all the exotics as well as the Whitetail deer were out moving & feeding. Several large Red Stagg Bulls were seen in the early stages of their velvet. One large male Barasinga was also out & his antlers were almost completely developed, but in the velvet as well. Randal had an opportunity to get his Mouflon Ram but he decided to wait because Jerry kept telling him about this enormous Axis Buck. We all saw a beautiful herd of Scimitar Oryx, one large female in particular had horns past the middle of her back that had rubbed black streaks on both sides. A small herd of Black Buck were also seen, but only for an instance as they sprung into the brush & out of site. Amazing us as too how quickly a herd of Black Buck can actually move. By around 11:00 am it was getting very hot & all the animals had disappeared into the brush to find a shady cooler spot to wait out the heat of the day, we decided to do the same & headed back to the cabin.

Sunday evening around 6pm the animals were on the move again. Not far from the cabin we drove up on a herd of around 30 Aoudad & 20 Mouflon. After stalking within about 75 yards of the herd we determined the gold medal ram “Big Daddy” was not with this herd. Austin & Randall continued to observe the herd & wait if any larger rams came out. Brad decided to go back to the spot he had seen the big ram the night before & sit in a tree stand with his bow. Well that was the right decision because around 7pm Big Daddy appeared. All Brad had to do was wait for a clean shot because a couple of female Aoudad were beside the big ram & in Brad’s line of fire.

Meanwhile Austin noticed a larger Aoudad Ram had joined the herd, he was watching. He decided to see if he could move in for a shot. The herd had drifted away & without a lot of cover in the area Austin had to resort to kneeling & crawling to get closer. But his efforts were rewarded because after stalking for a few minutes Austin was able to maneuver in behind a large boulder & wait for his shot (see video clip under photo gallery). Getting a shot was not the problem but with so many animals in the group, he needed to wait for a clean shot. Finally Austin had a brief window of opportunity & his shot landed perfect & the Aoudad ram stumbled a few feet & fell motionless from the slug of Austin’s 25-06 (see Austin’s reaction under photo gallery). It took every muscle that Austin, Jerry & Randall could muster to load that large Aoudad Ram into Jerry’s truck. The ram must have weighed well over 300 lbs. & his horns measured just over 28″.

As for Brad his patience was unbelievable. He decided once again to hold off his shot because there was no way he was going to take a chance on only wounding Big Daddy. The rough hilly country with large canyons & thick brush makes it very difficult to track & find a wounded animal & using a bow only adds to the likelihood of this.

Back at camp we all participated in gutting & skinning Austins Aoudad & placed him in the freezer. The next morning Austin & Randal loaded up their frozen mount & cape & headed to the taxidermist.

Brad stayed & decided to use his rifle on his final day. On Monday morning no large rams were sited, but late Monday evening a large ram chasing a female Aoudad in heat appeared & Brad’s shot with his 300 mag dropped the ram in his steps. Once again Big Daddy escaped, but both Austin & Brad succeeded in harvesting very large Aoudad Ram’s that will make excellent trophys in their trophy room at home.