Nilgai In TX

[tarosean]

Anyone done it? What caliber/bullet weight did you use? Experiences?

Due to work, I've pretty much missed Deer and Elk seasons for the last 6 years. I'm getting pretty tired of it, but gotta do what I gotta do.
I've been thinking hard about biting my tongue, and going after one of these feral exotics as there is no season to work around.
However, I may need a new gun from what I've read, with 300wm 200gr being minimum that guides recommend, due to their heavy muscling and thick shoulders (???). I only load for 7mmRM, 30.06, 308 In my hunting calibers. Course never need an excuse to add something new.

 

[horsey300]

Never hunted em but from a ballistic perspective, your 7mm can push 175 gr accubond or partition accurately at 2970 according to nosler with sectional density of .310...... .300 wm (have one no qualms but don't need it) pushes that 200 gr (s.d. .301) at 2910-2960 depending on what powder used. Your 30-06 will do it at 2400-2500. I'd take that 7mm you're only giving up a minimum in frontal mass and you get a great b.c. in the trade off you could also run a Barnes or other copper solid hot and drive it deep from either rifle. 150 gr etip at 3200 from your 7rm or 168 etip at 2900 in the 06. In your shoes the 7mm rm with 175 accubonds with a .30-06 running a hot copper solid as a backup rifle would seem quite ideal. The premium bullets are not "magic" but they DO level the playing field quite a bit, if guides are recommending 300wm 200 gr, then either way I'd be prepared for follow up shots even with a 338 .35 whelen 375 etc etc etc.

Broken arrow ranch weighs them in at 280lbs so you're fighting build more than size. I know they're an antelope species but they make me think of the bodybuilding version of an elk. Looks like great fun! I hope you keep us posted!!!!

 

[buck460XVR]

Broken arrow ranch weighs them in at 280lbs so you're fighting build more than size. I know they're an antelope species but they make me think of the bodybuilding version of an elk. Looks like great fun! I hope you keep us posted!!!!

Other sites lists bulls as weighing between 600 – 850 lbs. Cows up to 300 lbs. Add to this, that the lungs/heart are further up front in the chest cavity than most North American Game Animals, so shots will probably be thru the shoulders. The elastic hide of the animal is notorious for closing entrance and exit woulds leaving little blood trail. .....and of course, ranches want hunters to carry enough gun and to error on the side of too much as not enough.

 

[Woods_Walker]

I guided Nilgai hunts for a season, but never shot one personally. Where and how you hunt will be a major factor. Some ranches will have a minimum caliber (ours was 300 win mag), particularly if you are stalk hunting or hunting out of a truck. Nilgai are not particularly difficult to kill (all of your listed rifles are certainly capable of it) but they have 2 particular characteristics. One is their thick, rubbery skin which is very good at trapping bullets on the far shot of the animal and preventing good blood trails. The other is their habit of running for a quarter mile or further even after a well-placed fatal shot.
The fact that most shots on Nilgai are short opportunities at 200yard range also reduces margin for error.
Personally, I'd go with a 338 win mag with 250-275gr. controlled-expansion bullets, but anything from a 300 win mag all the way up to 375 H&H would work well provided it has good sectional density, bullet construction and can shoot without holdover to 300+ yards.

 

[kudu]

I had a couple buddies that hunted nilgai about 25 years ago. One put one down with a .416 Rigby, no problem about 200 yards. My other buddy was using a .375 Weatherby, guide told him distance of 225 yards, set up and shot, ended up being about 350 yards when they walked it off, hit too low on body and got away completely with a couple drops of blood and that was it. They said the hide was close to 1" thick and would close right up over a wound.

 

[tarosean]

Where and how you hunt will be a major factor. Some ranches will have a minimum caliber (ours was 300 win mag)

Do you know why your particular ranch settled on the 300WM? While certainly popular, just seems odd...

I would never hunt from a truck or blind. So it's always been and always will be stalking.


Though truth be told. I've been looking at a 375HH, could be the perfect excuse..

 

[jmorris]

I have only seen a few in the wild (Mota Bonita lodge King ranch) they are pretty big but not full grown horse or bovine size. Didn't feel like killing one back then or now for that matter but a 30-06 should work just fine.

 

[Captcurt]

The father of one of my closest friends was in India back in the late 50's and killed a dump truck load of Blue Bulls. He also took Sambar, Black Buck and several Leopards. Gun of choice was a J. C, Higgins FN Mauser chambered for, the classic, 30-06. To this day the gun will shoot around MOA with his favorite load, Winchester 180gr Silvertips. One of his Friends had a Model 70 Bull Gun in 300 H&H. He said that he couldn't tell any difference in performance. I must admit that he was one of the best shots that I have seen and that is saying a lot.

 

[Patocazador]

I wrote (before e-mail) to the King ranch to book a hunt for one. I wanted to hunt with an XP-100 in .358 Win. They told me that no pistols were allowed but didn't state a minimum caliber.
If I'm going to hunt an exotic, I want to use a pistol so I passed.

 

[jmorris]

I wrote (before e-mail) to the King ranch to book a hunt for one.

It's a big place, over 3/4 million acres. Where I was hunting was an 88,000 lease Dresser had, I think after Halliburton acquired Dresser they cut it back to 40,000 something acres, sometime after 1997.