My second time getting drawn for a nilgai hunt. When I saw I got picked for La Sal Del Ray, I thought, do I even want to pay for that hunt? I did some research and paid for the hunt, and hoped for the best.
The hunt was for February 16-19, so I could still be down there shooting critters, but I have two coolers full of meat right now, I don't need any more.
I have been sick since about Monday, my wife got sick about a week and a half before I got sick. She is mostly over whatever it is, I am just about completely done with whatever. Our daughter who is a nurse said there is another strain of coved going around and that's probably what we have. I worked 10 days straight, then realized I was supposed to be on the hunt starting this past Thursday. I left work, went home, felt better when I got home, I took a lot of Vitamin C and Zinc, and then Motrin. I had a new adjustable gas block to put on my 458 SOCOM to tame down the bolt, it was slamming the bolt open with a lot of force and breaking the side charge bolt knob off, way too quickly. I had gotten a new one in last week, but was too busy to install it, then was too busy and also sick and did not feel like doing crap.
By the time I got home from work Wednesday, I felt pretty good, I swapped the gas blocks out, went and set up a target, started shooting the gun and adjusting the gas block. Then once the gas block was adjusted, I sighted the gun in. Then I got my Creedmoor out and sighted it in. Packed both up, ammo in the truck, loaded all my knives and hatchet in my backpack, loaded up my shooting sticks, and tripod in the truck. Guns in the truck, camo, two coolers, tarp, and the cart/wagon, I was told would not work for crap for hauling a nilgai out of La Sal Del Ray. I also had to wash some clothes, if I stayed the full four days, I needed more pants.
While I was doing all of that, I was making a bunch of beef jerky in the smoker. That smoker makes the best beef jerky, it's very simple. 3 1/2 hours at 155 degrees and it's ready to eat.
So Thursday morning, I got up at 6:00 AM, loaded up some clothes, ate breakfast, drank some orange juice, then still took a packet of 1000 mg of vitamin C, and a zinc, then some Motrin. I took off, had to stop for gas, then hit the road.
I got into Edinburg around noon, found the hotel, checked in, unloaded some stuff, changed clothes and then off to try and find nilgai or pigs. I would have been happy with a pig, but did not see any.
I found the place, first went to the front entrance off of 186, then worked my way around to the backside off of Chapa Rd. I got to that entrance around 2:30. I got my backpack, bino harness, dang pumpkin suit, single point sling, and my little beast 458 SOCOM, then my stool and tripod. It was fun trying to figure the correct order to layer everything, but it all worked together. The place looks like the Navy has been using it for bombing practice for years, looks like they have been dropping cluster bombs on the place for years. The place is tore up, you don't want to walk that place at night, without a light, you will be tripping and falling every 5 to 10 ft. There are holes everywhere. The pigs have worked that place over very well.
I walked about 2 miles maybe, saw a very heavy bodied, dark gray buck, hauling but through some huesache, then right afterwards found two doe, that looked at me, then casually slipped off, out of sight. I found two small trees that had been worked over well by a buck, then a decent amount of nilgai droppings, and pig droppings. But then I found some piles that whatever made them were huge.
I figured I was only about 1 to 1 1/2 miles from the gate I came in, so if I shot something, it would not be a huge deal to get it out. I did not want to be three miles up in the place and shoot something and have to haul it all the way back out, not in the condition I was in.
I just sat my stool down on the edge of some thick brush overlooking an area that used to be plowed fields years ago, but now has a lot of young mesquite and huesache growing. I figured I would just sit there and see how it goes.
Well I saw lots of mesquite and huesache trees, is what I saw most of the time I was sitting. I noticed most of the mesquite trees have new leaves and are blooming. Yes, it was an exciting sit. Then to my right about 140 yard, on the edge of some thick huesache I saw something. It was bright orange, I could only see about the size of a football, but I could see orange, it was bright, glowing. A short time later the orange came out into the open, I could see another hunter wearing a pumpkin suit. He came out would stop about ever 20 yards, then glass the area thoroughly, slowly making sure not to miss anything. So I waved at him. Then he walked slowly about 20 yards, stopped and started glassing again, slowly side to side, thoroughly scanning the area. He did that all the way across the opening from my right to left, or west to the east. Then disappeared into some brush, to my east. Then I saw him on a hill top later stopped scanning the area, with his binoculars. Eventually he slowly worked his way south west, stopping and scanning the area with his binos. Until he got about 270 yards or so away, I finally lost sight of him.
Then later there was another guy that appeared up on top of the hill, who stood and scanned the area for a long time with his binoculars. His pumpkin suit was not as bright as the first guys pumpkin suit. After about 15 minutes that guy disappeared, I never saw him again. And that was the last of my sightings for that sit, which turned out to be my only sit for my four day hunt.
The only other entertainment I had, was someone was making some serious noise to the south, it sounded like someone was shooting Tannerite, that or they had one really big gun. Then I did hear multiple shots, that sounded like typical rifle shots, I assume there may be a range to the south of where I was.
So it was overcast, so I knew it would get dark, once the sun was down. So at 5:45, I decided to get up and start walking out, the wind was blowing pretty good, probably in the upper 50s to lower 60s, but it felt cooler. I blew the nastiest 1/8 lb. gob of green snot I have ever seen, out my nose. That was a mess. I got rid of that, then back to my hike out.
As I was going over a small hill on my way back north to the truck, I saw a reddish brown thing to my left. Right off I knew it was a nilgai cow. I moved over and put a mesquite tree in between me and the cow. Then walked up to the mesquite and started trying to look through the mesquite at the cow, with my binoculars. I saw there were two cows. So nilgai cow was the target. I got my tripod out, set it up behind some 3 ft. tall mesquites. The back to the binos, trying to find the cows, I found two cows, then saw a dark object closer to the brush. That dark object turned out to be a bull. Nilgai bull became the primary target at that point. I set the rifle up on the tripod, but had mesquite limbs and leaves in front of the barrel, in front of the scope, and behind the scope. So I started trying to break off the small branches. They would snap, the flip right back up in the way. Yeah, F'n Yeah. I kept breaking limbs and they would all flip right back up in the way of the barrel or the scope.
As I was breaking limbs on these small mesquites, the first cow I saw, would look straight at me, so I would stop and just lay over backwards and lay on my back out of sight. Give it a couple minutes and she would go back to eating. Then I would pick up the rifle and try to get a clear line through the small mesquites. Then back to snapping twigs and they would just pop right back up. Then the cow would see my movement, so I laid on my back again. Gave it about a minute, sat back up, cow is eating again. So I decided to just push through enough of the small mesquites to where I was in them and the gun was poking out the other side with no obstructions of the barrel or scope. Previously, while trying to get a clear line, from behind the small mesquites, I ranged the bull. There were a bunch of 8 ft. to 10 ft. high mesquites where the nilgai were at and up about 40 yards closer to me. So when I tried to range the bull, I got ranges varying from 162 yards, to 220 yards. Eventually, I found an opening through the mesquites in the general area of where the nilgai were and ranged the ground and got a clean 220 yard reading. So the bull was generally 215 to 220 yards out.
Next problem, I had saved a ballistic chart for my hand load. I was supposed to have sent that chart to my phone before I left home. I forgot, great. What I saw when looking at the chart, was the bullet drops a lot, the farther out you get the faster it drops and the energy drops just as quick. I decided that 300 yards was my max range for any type of critter. At that range, I think the energy was down to 1000 ft. lbs., at the muzzle, the energy is 2520 ft. lbs. Then around 2100 ft. lbs. at 100 yards, then it drops from there. The only bullet drop number I could remember was 300 yards, which was just over 4 1/2 ft. I could not remember 200 yards, and that was the number I really needed right then. I came up 14" at first, then thought no it's 18", then thought it might be 22". 22" would be more in line with 4 1/2 ft. that happens a 100 yards later. I decided that holding 10" over his back would put a bullet in him and hopefully in a good spot.
So the bull is facing towards me, head down eating. I put the crosshairs about 10" over his back and squeezed off. I saw the bullet hit 40 yards past the bull. I was a bit ******, I finally get a chance at a bull and I screw it up, somehow. What the hell? Well six nilgais scatter and kick up a huge cloud of dust. Then out of that dust comes the bull I just shot at, followed by a second bull, then four cows, all running generally right towards me. Well things are looking better. Hell Yes! Then because I am on top of a small hill, as the nilgai start running my way, they get below the rise about 100 yards out and are out of sight, from about 170 yards out, till 100 yards. About 2 seconds after they were out of sight the bull pops up over the rise. He was on a line to run past me, about 30 yards to my left. I put the crosshairs on his chest, and start to squeeze the trigger, about 75 yards out the gun goes off and the bull stops instantly, from a flat out run. It looked like he ran into a wall. The front end of his body veered to his right and then pretty much straight down. The rear end of the bull swung around and hit the ground. He wound up facing almost 180 degrees from the direction he came from. I know the bull is done, down, not going anywhere. I look to my left and see the second bull veering to his left. He went by me going west to east, or left to right. The mesquite tree I had used to sneak up closer was now a very dense object between me and the bull running past. I threw the gun on him and lead him. I saw a lot of limbs in the scope but enough of the bull, I was able to lead him. I think I squeezed off a shot through the tree, not 100%, but today, counting ammo, I think I fired four rounds. I then jumped up ran about 20 ft. to my right, to clear the mesquite, at that point the bull was veering more to his left, giving me a quartering away shot. I lead him just slightly, at some point right either before I fired or right after I fired, he veered again, to where he was going straight away from me. Depending on exactly when he veered, would determine if I hit him or not with the last shot. If he did not veer before I fire, I hit him with that last shot, if he veered before I fired, I just missed him. Either way, I saw him run and disappear into the brush. Which was only a about 50 yards deep, then the north fence line and then Chapa Rd.. So unless, he dropped within 80 yards of that last shot, he crossed Chapa Rd.
So I knew I had one dead bull, I turned went to the bull, got a couple pictures of him quickly. Right off when I got to him, I could see a clean bullet hole in the front side of his right shoulder. Then got my backpack off, knives and hatchet out, and went to town gutting him. I got him gutted in about five to seven minutes. It was a bit difficult, because he was a bit heavy, and his belly was full. I had to be very careful not to puncture his intestines, they were pushing hard the hide. So I had to be careful cutting below his rib cage. Once I got to the ribs, I sliced the skin, and got the hatchet out and went through the ribs. Then was able to cut loose everything up in the front of his chest. I had already cut through his pelvic bone with the hatchet, it worked great. Their hide is very different, easy to get off, and much thinner than I would have expected. There was zero blood in or around any of the entrance or exit bullet holes. It looked like I shot a dead animal. Both the entrance and exit holes looked the same, just clean 45 caliber round holes.
When I rolled him over, while skinning him, I found a bullet hole on the rear end of his left rib cage. At the time I did not think anything of that hole, other than it was perfectly round clean 45 caliber bullet hole, with no blood. Once I had him emptied out, I got all my gear and took off for the truck. I tried to memorize some land marks where I hit the road, that runs east and west, about 50 yards from the north fence line. I had flagging tape, had I been thinking I should have used some.
I got back to the gate, there were two guys there waiting, one asked if I was the one who fired the shots. I told him yes, that was me. The he apologized for walking through the area I was sitting. I told him it was not a big deal, this is public land, it happens. Eventually all three guys in that groups made it back to the gate. While I was trying to decide what to take and what to leave. I got the cart/wagon out, threw my backpack in there, got my big light out, then put the rifle away. Then a Hidalgo County deputy drove up, and asked if we killed anything. He hung around and talked to us for a while, talking about hunting, he is a nice guy, did not get his name.
The three guys were all in the same group, asked if I wanted any help, at first, I said I should be good, but then realized they all had headlamps. Those would be great for keeping plenty of light on the nilgai while cutting And then maybe some help to get the bull out, I hate to ask for that kind of help, but knew I was not doing great at the time. So I said, I could use the help. Then I asked if they had a air pump, which one did. We got the tires aired up on the cart. One of the many things I forgot, before I left the house, air the cart tires up and bring the air pump.
So we got everything ready and took off. I found right off my big bright light, which I thought the battery was near fully charged, was actually very close to dead. Great, so I only had my cell phone for a light. On the way back out to find the bull, I tripped multiple times in the pig craters. I remembered there was a jog in the road, where I came out onto the road. Well in the dark, we found about three places that looked like a job in the road. I wound up following my tracks back to where I came onto the road. Then found the Tee post, where I got onto the road, and the job in the road. So we took off across the field, with me falling in pig craters.
Then finally one guy found the bull. We got there, we all got to work, skinning, then cutting up the bull. The three guys were all buddies since high school, two live in Round Rock, one in Houston. They were cracking jokes the whole time. It was great having them there, not just for their lights. We got him skinned and cut up pretty quickly, considering his size. Then one of the guys used my hatchet to cut the head off. We tossed all of the meat, head and hide in the cart, along with my backpack, knives, hatchet and dead light. Then took off for the truck. I made it maybe 1/3 of the way out and needed to stop and rest. Then one of the other guys grabbed the cart and took off with it. One pulling and the other pushing the cart. It worked great, we could have loaded two nilgai in the cart, along with my gear. We had zero problems with the cart/wagon.
While skinning the bull, I found a second exit wound, on the opposite side rib cage. It was also at the rear of the rib cage. Which would be the right side of the bull. I found that about 6" of ribs were shattered going horizontally. There was an exit hole in the hide, but then I found the bullet just inside the hide. I found the jacket in the shattered ribs. That was the bullet that dropped him. So that means that I hit the bull with the first shot, in the front of the right shoulder. The bullet zipped right through him, exited the rear of the left rib cage, and then hit the ground about 40 yards past him. Since it was dark, I was tired and sick, I was not in the mood for a full autopsy. So I did not figure out the paths that both bullets took, so I don't know what may have been damaged by each bullet. I know the first shot hit the bull high in the front of the chest and exited high in the rear of the rib cage. Since it missed the spine, it probably did not find anything that would have killed the bull anytime soon. Whatever the second bullet hit, dropped him dead on the spot.
We got back to the gate and the game warden was there waiting on us. He was very nice, he hung around and talked with us, joked around, nice guy. He stayed there till I was completely loaded up and in the truck. He pulled off on the side of the road, I drove up and asked him if there was another way out, other than how I got there. He said he would show me how to get back to the highway. So he lead the way, got me back to the highway.
I got back into town, bought 100 lbs. of ice and iced down the nilgai. With the ice in the coolers, I could not fit all of the nilgai in the cooler. I had to cut one of the legs off, at the knee. I did that in the parking lot of the convenience store. I had blood all over me, the truck, the ice chests, and then here I am with a hatchet chopping a leg off, with the locals walking buy. Just another night in Edinburg.
I really have to say thanks to the three guys who helped me out Thursday night, I don't remember their names, they were great.
One last thing, I took out three knives, and my hatchet, to gut and skin the bull. I only used the Browning and Boker knives and the hatchet. I had my Cold Steel knife in the cart, when I went back out to the bull. I either dropped it where I killed the bull or dropped it when I was putting the cart back in the truck. I likely dropped it near the gate, when I was loading the cart in the truck. I flipped the cart upside down, at the time I had no light, and the Cold Steel has a black rubber handle and a black canvas sheath. So I could have easily dropped it, on the ground when loading the cart into the truck. I made it home with the Browning and Boker knives, but no Cold Steel. I guess it's not a big deal, I have had that knife since the early 90s.
The hunt was for February 16-19, so I could still be down there shooting critters, but I have two coolers full of meat right now, I don't need any more.
I have been sick since about Monday, my wife got sick about a week and a half before I got sick. She is mostly over whatever it is, I am just about completely done with whatever. Our daughter who is a nurse said there is another strain of coved going around and that's probably what we have. I worked 10 days straight, then realized I was supposed to be on the hunt starting this past Thursday. I left work, went home, felt better when I got home, I took a lot of Vitamin C and Zinc, and then Motrin. I had a new adjustable gas block to put on my 458 SOCOM to tame down the bolt, it was slamming the bolt open with a lot of force and breaking the side charge bolt knob off, way too quickly. I had gotten a new one in last week, but was too busy to install it, then was too busy and also sick and did not feel like doing crap.
By the time I got home from work Wednesday, I felt pretty good, I swapped the gas blocks out, went and set up a target, started shooting the gun and adjusting the gas block. Then once the gas block was adjusted, I sighted the gun in. Then I got my Creedmoor out and sighted it in. Packed both up, ammo in the truck, loaded all my knives and hatchet in my backpack, loaded up my shooting sticks, and tripod in the truck. Guns in the truck, camo, two coolers, tarp, and the cart/wagon, I was told would not work for crap for hauling a nilgai out of La Sal Del Ray. I also had to wash some clothes, if I stayed the full four days, I needed more pants.
While I was doing all of that, I was making a bunch of beef jerky in the smoker. That smoker makes the best beef jerky, it's very simple. 3 1/2 hours at 155 degrees and it's ready to eat.
So Thursday morning, I got up at 6:00 AM, loaded up some clothes, ate breakfast, drank some orange juice, then still took a packet of 1000 mg of vitamin C, and a zinc, then some Motrin. I took off, had to stop for gas, then hit the road.
I got into Edinburg around noon, found the hotel, checked in, unloaded some stuff, changed clothes and then off to try and find nilgai or pigs. I would have been happy with a pig, but did not see any.
I found the place, first went to the front entrance off of 186, then worked my way around to the backside off of Chapa Rd. I got to that entrance around 2:30. I got my backpack, bino harness, dang pumpkin suit, single point sling, and my little beast 458 SOCOM, then my stool and tripod. It was fun trying to figure the correct order to layer everything, but it all worked together. The place looks like the Navy has been using it for bombing practice for years, looks like they have been dropping cluster bombs on the place for years. The place is tore up, you don't want to walk that place at night, without a light, you will be tripping and falling every 5 to 10 ft. There are holes everywhere. The pigs have worked that place over very well.
I walked about 2 miles maybe, saw a very heavy bodied, dark gray buck, hauling but through some huesache, then right afterwards found two doe, that looked at me, then casually slipped off, out of sight. I found two small trees that had been worked over well by a buck, then a decent amount of nilgai droppings, and pig droppings. But then I found some piles that whatever made them were huge.
I figured I was only about 1 to 1 1/2 miles from the gate I came in, so if I shot something, it would not be a huge deal to get it out. I did not want to be three miles up in the place and shoot something and have to haul it all the way back out, not in the condition I was in.
I just sat my stool down on the edge of some thick brush overlooking an area that used to be plowed fields years ago, but now has a lot of young mesquite and huesache growing. I figured I would just sit there and see how it goes.
Well I saw lots of mesquite and huesache trees, is what I saw most of the time I was sitting. I noticed most of the mesquite trees have new leaves and are blooming. Yes, it was an exciting sit. Then to my right about 140 yard, on the edge of some thick huesache I saw something. It was bright orange, I could only see about the size of a football, but I could see orange, it was bright, glowing. A short time later the orange came out into the open, I could see another hunter wearing a pumpkin suit. He came out would stop about ever 20 yards, then glass the area thoroughly, slowly making sure not to miss anything. So I waved at him. Then he walked slowly about 20 yards, stopped and started glassing again, slowly side to side, thoroughly scanning the area. He did that all the way across the opening from my right to left, or west to the east. Then disappeared into some brush, to my east. Then I saw him on a hill top later stopped scanning the area, with his binoculars. Eventually he slowly worked his way south west, stopping and scanning the area with his binos. Until he got about 270 yards or so away, I finally lost sight of him.
Then later there was another guy that appeared up on top of the hill, who stood and scanned the area for a long time with his binoculars. His pumpkin suit was not as bright as the first guys pumpkin suit. After about 15 minutes that guy disappeared, I never saw him again. And that was the last of my sightings for that sit, which turned out to be my only sit for my four day hunt.
The only other entertainment I had, was someone was making some serious noise to the south, it sounded like someone was shooting Tannerite, that or they had one really big gun. Then I did hear multiple shots, that sounded like typical rifle shots, I assume there may be a range to the south of where I was.
So it was overcast, so I knew it would get dark, once the sun was down. So at 5:45, I decided to get up and start walking out, the wind was blowing pretty good, probably in the upper 50s to lower 60s, but it felt cooler. I blew the nastiest 1/8 lb. gob of green snot I have ever seen, out my nose. That was a mess. I got rid of that, then back to my hike out.
As I was going over a small hill on my way back north to the truck, I saw a reddish brown thing to my left. Right off I knew it was a nilgai cow. I moved over and put a mesquite tree in between me and the cow. Then walked up to the mesquite and started trying to look through the mesquite at the cow, with my binoculars. I saw there were two cows. So nilgai cow was the target. I got my tripod out, set it up behind some 3 ft. tall mesquites. The back to the binos, trying to find the cows, I found two cows, then saw a dark object closer to the brush. That dark object turned out to be a bull. Nilgai bull became the primary target at that point. I set the rifle up on the tripod, but had mesquite limbs and leaves in front of the barrel, in front of the scope, and behind the scope. So I started trying to break off the small branches. They would snap, the flip right back up in the way. Yeah, F'n Yeah. I kept breaking limbs and they would all flip right back up in the way of the barrel or the scope.
As I was breaking limbs on these small mesquites, the first cow I saw, would look straight at me, so I would stop and just lay over backwards and lay on my back out of sight. Give it a couple minutes and she would go back to eating. Then I would pick up the rifle and try to get a clear line through the small mesquites. Then back to snapping twigs and they would just pop right back up. Then the cow would see my movement, so I laid on my back again. Gave it about a minute, sat back up, cow is eating again. So I decided to just push through enough of the small mesquites to where I was in them and the gun was poking out the other side with no obstructions of the barrel or scope. Previously, while trying to get a clear line, from behind the small mesquites, I ranged the bull. There were a bunch of 8 ft. to 10 ft. high mesquites where the nilgai were at and up about 40 yards closer to me. So when I tried to range the bull, I got ranges varying from 162 yards, to 220 yards. Eventually, I found an opening through the mesquites in the general area of where the nilgai were and ranged the ground and got a clean 220 yard reading. So the bull was generally 215 to 220 yards out.
Next problem, I had saved a ballistic chart for my hand load. I was supposed to have sent that chart to my phone before I left home. I forgot, great. What I saw when looking at the chart, was the bullet drops a lot, the farther out you get the faster it drops and the energy drops just as quick. I decided that 300 yards was my max range for any type of critter. At that range, I think the energy was down to 1000 ft. lbs., at the muzzle, the energy is 2520 ft. lbs. Then around 2100 ft. lbs. at 100 yards, then it drops from there. The only bullet drop number I could remember was 300 yards, which was just over 4 1/2 ft. I could not remember 200 yards, and that was the number I really needed right then. I came up 14" at first, then thought no it's 18", then thought it might be 22". 22" would be more in line with 4 1/2 ft. that happens a 100 yards later. I decided that holding 10" over his back would put a bullet in him and hopefully in a good spot.
So the bull is facing towards me, head down eating. I put the crosshairs about 10" over his back and squeezed off. I saw the bullet hit 40 yards past the bull. I was a bit ******, I finally get a chance at a bull and I screw it up, somehow. What the hell? Well six nilgais scatter and kick up a huge cloud of dust. Then out of that dust comes the bull I just shot at, followed by a second bull, then four cows, all running generally right towards me. Well things are looking better. Hell Yes! Then because I am on top of a small hill, as the nilgai start running my way, they get below the rise about 100 yards out and are out of sight, from about 170 yards out, till 100 yards. About 2 seconds after they were out of sight the bull pops up over the rise. He was on a line to run past me, about 30 yards to my left. I put the crosshairs on his chest, and start to squeeze the trigger, about 75 yards out the gun goes off and the bull stops instantly, from a flat out run. It looked like he ran into a wall. The front end of his body veered to his right and then pretty much straight down. The rear end of the bull swung around and hit the ground. He wound up facing almost 180 degrees from the direction he came from. I know the bull is done, down, not going anywhere. I look to my left and see the second bull veering to his left. He went by me going west to east, or left to right. The mesquite tree I had used to sneak up closer was now a very dense object between me and the bull running past. I threw the gun on him and lead him. I saw a lot of limbs in the scope but enough of the bull, I was able to lead him. I think I squeezed off a shot through the tree, not 100%, but today, counting ammo, I think I fired four rounds. I then jumped up ran about 20 ft. to my right, to clear the mesquite, at that point the bull was veering more to his left, giving me a quartering away shot. I lead him just slightly, at some point right either before I fired or right after I fired, he veered again, to where he was going straight away from me. Depending on exactly when he veered, would determine if I hit him or not with the last shot. If he did not veer before I fire, I hit him with that last shot, if he veered before I fired, I just missed him. Either way, I saw him run and disappear into the brush. Which was only a about 50 yards deep, then the north fence line and then Chapa Rd.. So unless, he dropped within 80 yards of that last shot, he crossed Chapa Rd.
So I knew I had one dead bull, I turned went to the bull, got a couple pictures of him quickly. Right off when I got to him, I could see a clean bullet hole in the front side of his right shoulder. Then got my backpack off, knives and hatchet out, and went to town gutting him. I got him gutted in about five to seven minutes. It was a bit difficult, because he was a bit heavy, and his belly was full. I had to be very careful not to puncture his intestines, they were pushing hard the hide. So I had to be careful cutting below his rib cage. Once I got to the ribs, I sliced the skin, and got the hatchet out and went through the ribs. Then was able to cut loose everything up in the front of his chest. I had already cut through his pelvic bone with the hatchet, it worked great. Their hide is very different, easy to get off, and much thinner than I would have expected. There was zero blood in or around any of the entrance or exit bullet holes. It looked like I shot a dead animal. Both the entrance and exit holes looked the same, just clean 45 caliber round holes.
When I rolled him over, while skinning him, I found a bullet hole on the rear end of his left rib cage. At the time I did not think anything of that hole, other than it was perfectly round clean 45 caliber bullet hole, with no blood. Once I had him emptied out, I got all my gear and took off for the truck. I tried to memorize some land marks where I hit the road, that runs east and west, about 50 yards from the north fence line. I had flagging tape, had I been thinking I should have used some.
I got back to the gate, there were two guys there waiting, one asked if I was the one who fired the shots. I told him yes, that was me. The he apologized for walking through the area I was sitting. I told him it was not a big deal, this is public land, it happens. Eventually all three guys in that groups made it back to the gate. While I was trying to decide what to take and what to leave. I got the cart/wagon out, threw my backpack in there, got my big light out, then put the rifle away. Then a Hidalgo County deputy drove up, and asked if we killed anything. He hung around and talked to us for a while, talking about hunting, he is a nice guy, did not get his name.
The three guys were all in the same group, asked if I wanted any help, at first, I said I should be good, but then realized they all had headlamps. Those would be great for keeping plenty of light on the nilgai while cutting And then maybe some help to get the bull out, I hate to ask for that kind of help, but knew I was not doing great at the time. So I said, I could use the help. Then I asked if they had a air pump, which one did. We got the tires aired up on the cart. One of the many things I forgot, before I left the house, air the cart tires up and bring the air pump.
So we got everything ready and took off. I found right off my big bright light, which I thought the battery was near fully charged, was actually very close to dead. Great, so I only had my cell phone for a light. On the way back out to find the bull, I tripped multiple times in the pig craters. I remembered there was a jog in the road, where I came out onto the road. Well in the dark, we found about three places that looked like a job in the road. I wound up following my tracks back to where I came onto the road. Then found the Tee post, where I got onto the road, and the job in the road. So we took off across the field, with me falling in pig craters.
Then finally one guy found the bull. We got there, we all got to work, skinning, then cutting up the bull. The three guys were all buddies since high school, two live in Round Rock, one in Houston. They were cracking jokes the whole time. It was great having them there, not just for their lights. We got him skinned and cut up pretty quickly, considering his size. Then one of the guys used my hatchet to cut the head off. We tossed all of the meat, head and hide in the cart, along with my backpack, knives, hatchet and dead light. Then took off for the truck. I made it maybe 1/3 of the way out and needed to stop and rest. Then one of the other guys grabbed the cart and took off with it. One pulling and the other pushing the cart. It worked great, we could have loaded two nilgai in the cart, along with my gear. We had zero problems with the cart/wagon.
While skinning the bull, I found a second exit wound, on the opposite side rib cage. It was also at the rear of the rib cage. Which would be the right side of the bull. I found that about 6" of ribs were shattered going horizontally. There was an exit hole in the hide, but then I found the bullet just inside the hide. I found the jacket in the shattered ribs. That was the bullet that dropped him. So that means that I hit the bull with the first shot, in the front of the right shoulder. The bullet zipped right through him, exited the rear of the left rib cage, and then hit the ground about 40 yards past him. Since it was dark, I was tired and sick, I was not in the mood for a full autopsy. So I did not figure out the paths that both bullets took, so I don't know what may have been damaged by each bullet. I know the first shot hit the bull high in the front of the chest and exited high in the rear of the rib cage. Since it missed the spine, it probably did not find anything that would have killed the bull anytime soon. Whatever the second bullet hit, dropped him dead on the spot.
We got back to the gate and the game warden was there waiting on us. He was very nice, he hung around and talked with us, joked around, nice guy. He stayed there till I was completely loaded up and in the truck. He pulled off on the side of the road, I drove up and asked him if there was another way out, other than how I got there. He said he would show me how to get back to the highway. So he lead the way, got me back to the highway.
I got back into town, bought 100 lbs. of ice and iced down the nilgai. With the ice in the coolers, I could not fit all of the nilgai in the cooler. I had to cut one of the legs off, at the knee. I did that in the parking lot of the convenience store. I had blood all over me, the truck, the ice chests, and then here I am with a hatchet chopping a leg off, with the locals walking buy. Just another night in Edinburg.
I really have to say thanks to the three guys who helped me out Thursday night, I don't remember their names, they were great.
One last thing, I took out three knives, and my hatchet, to gut and skin the bull. I only used the Browning and Boker knives and the hatchet. I had my Cold Steel knife in the cart, when I went back out to the bull. I either dropped it where I killed the bull or dropped it when I was putting the cart back in the truck. I likely dropped it near the gate, when I was loading the cart in the truck. I flipped the cart upside down, at the time I had no light, and the Cold Steel has a black rubber handle and a black canvas sheath. So I could have easily dropped it, on the ground when loading the cart into the truck. I made it home with the Browning and Boker knives, but no Cold Steel. I guess it's not a big deal, I have had that knife since the early 90s.
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