Switching things up a bit with a hunting tag for Oryx, I eagerly left the January 3rd forty below temperatures of Alaska for the warm sunny days of south central New Mexico to an area bordering the famed White Sands Missile Range and National Park. The missile range itself grew famous for the Trinity Site which is where the first atomic bomb was tested by scientists working out of Los Alamos, New Mexico. An area boasting a uniqueness of terrain and history matched by no other. 93 Oryx bred from a herd originating in the Kalahari Desert of Africa were relocated to the 3200 square mile White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico over the course of eight years starting in 1969. Since then, the population has grown conservatively, to at least 3000 animals. Some additional historical information about the introduction can be viewed at http://www.hcn.org/issues/213/10797 . We had obtained an "off-range" permit which essentially means we had to find Oryx that had crossed the fence line for whatever reason. This is, however, an easy task to accomplish since after all, it is the desert and water rules. Oryx routinely cross under the fence line at night onto ranches to drink water from the cattle troughs set up nearby and either quietly return back to the range during the morning hours or bed down in the area. The trick is to find the spots where the oryx go under the fences and which water troughs they are hitting. The range is a large area, and perimeter hunting is a game of patience
Jan 4th. I arrived in Albuquerque during the mid-morning hours and we were quickly on the road to Tijeras to hook up the Trailer and then south to camp near Bingham, New Mexico. Having Set up camp and a couple hours left of daylight, we loaded into the truck and went to a drive down the perimeter road of WSMR and then off onto a ranch, crossing several Arroyos which were a sandy mess making four wheel drive a necessity. Only saw a single set of Oryx tracks but plenty of mule deer and Pronghorn antelope. Ate a nice steak dinner with a couple beers and finally crashed. Hunting officially starts in the morning.
Jan 5th. Up and about well before dawn, filling the Coffee thermos, getting some food together and warming up the truck (it was unusually cold for down in this area, below freezing, pushing close to single digits). We piled into the truck as dawn approached and started to quickly drive the perimeter fence line scoping the terrain in hopes that some Oryx had crossed in during the night. We must have covered twenty miles on the roads that weaved around the ranches to each cattle water trough and saw nothing but some large mule deer bucks and plenty a head of cattle. Eventually we meandered back to the trailer and cooked up some bacon and eggs before heading out again. With no fresh sign in this area, it was pretty evident, we were in the wrong spot. We hit the highway in the afternoon down the road to another ranch that borders WSMR. Access to the WSMR fence was nearly a 17 mile drive back on a dirt road but, we were pleased with the results. Tracks littered every water trough and the fence itself was partially torn on the bottom with heavily used Oryx trails in numerous places. We knew of this spot before hand since after all, it was the area my dad had shot a young Oryx on the last trip. We quietly drove around until dark scoping different crossings and water holes discussing the next mornings plan. Back at camp that night over a green chili Oryx burger (from the last one shot in the previous year) we were confident we were getting onto the Oryx and would see one the next day.
Jan 6th In the pre-dawn hours, we drove the dirt up to the fence crossings and set my dad down in the dark where we thought they would be coming back in the next couple hours while we circled around up on another road in attempt to push animals down to him. It wasn't long before I spotted an adult Oryx about 400 yards out making his way back towards the range. They are here. Its truly amazing how well they blend in and can disappear in a blink of an eye. By 8:30 in the morning, all was quiet and I slowly made my way back down to the fence line to hear about how he had shot at a nice Oryx when three came trotting down the path we had scoped. Unfortunately in the heat of the moment, moving animals, frigid fingers ... he had missed the shot. We had the right idea, we knew where the animals were going, where they were coming from, and most importantly when and where they would be the morning hours.
Three Oryx quickly making their way into the WSMR (if you can pick them out).
Jan 7th, 8th and 9th. We repeated the same thing the next morning but to no avail. We spooked the ones that were regularly crossing there and they moved on. It was a matter of waiting until they came back or another set of animals came over. Mid-morning on the 8th we packed up shop and headed back to Los Alamos. I spend a day and half with family while slowly repacking gear and getting some more groceries and stuff together. I was pretty determined to get back down promptly considering I flew all the way down here. Motivating my dad to do the same didn't take much effort although I'm quite confident he would have been just as pleased not having to sleep in a tent when temperatures were down to single digits at night and highs into the 50's. Such is life, it least it wasn't forty below!
Jan 10th We hit the road by mid-afternoon and met up with a friend of mine who joined in and the three of us headed back onto the ranch. We arrived with about an hour of light to spare and spent it scoping out the water troughs again. The Oryx were still drinking nightly, we just had to catch a good one on the right side of that silly fence!
Jan 11th, 12th and 13th. Three absolutely frustrating days of staring at Yucca's trying to find bedded down animals. Pretty well convinced at dawn, all the animals turn back into cactus. Oryx tracks 400 yards from camp fresh from overnight. Highly annoying! They have been hunted pretty strong so the animals have become quite used to coming in during the night hours and being gone by morning. My friend had to get back to Albuquerque so it was back to just my dad and I. The 12th ended much as it started, cold, dark, and no oryx while the 13th rolled through much like all the other days, checking water troughs, glassing for bedded down Oryx.
Jan 14th. Well we finally got what we wanted around 8:30 in the morning with 200 yard shot using a commemorative single-shot 1976 7mm magnum.
Three Oryx quickly making their way into the WSMR (if you can pick them out).
Jan 10th We hit the road by mid-afternoon and met up with a friend of mine who joined in and the three of us headed back onto the ranch. We arrived with about an hour of light to spare and spent it scoping out the water troughs again. The Oryx were still drinking nightly, we just had to catch a good one on the right side of that silly fence!
Jan 11th, 12th and 13th. Three absolutely frustrating days of staring at Yucca's trying to find bedded down animals. Pretty well convinced at dawn, all the animals turn back into cactus. Oryx tracks 400 yards from camp fresh from overnight. Highly annoying! They have been hunted pretty strong so the animals have become quite used to coming in during the night hours and being gone by morning. My friend had to get back to Albuquerque so it was back to just my dad and I. The 12th ended much as it started, cold, dark, and no oryx while the 13th rolled through much like all the other days, checking water troughs, glassing for bedded down Oryx.
Jan 14th. Well we finally got what we wanted around 8:30 in the morning with 200 yard shot using a commemorative single-shot 1976 7mm magnum.
Finally after being patient and putting in a fair amount of time. You can hunt all you want but in the end, an off-range hunt for Oryx is all about waiting at the arbitrary line (fence) in the early morning hours for a straggler headed back to the range. It was an interesting hunt, I'm so used to wide open terrain in Alaska that it was difficult to confine myself to this side or that of a silly fence. It was nice to hang with my dad for week or so and I'm glad we were finally successful cause I won't lie, I was getting tired of staring at Yucca's through the binoculars. Of course--- I've already applied to go back though. 
