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King Ranch, Nilgai and the Border Patrol

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    King Ranch, Nilgai and the Border Patrol

    Well, I pulled up to the check point north of Raymondville on HWY 77 and it dont look good. I have a rifle, two pistolas, a bloody knife, three coolers full of red meat with ice and a Nilgai head with cape. The Border Patrol asked me if I was a citizen and I said "yes sir". Then the patrol dog started licking the blood off the bumper of my truck. Now I had to pull over to the side of the lane and them fellas got to looking. "Is them human remains in that cooler, Sir" and I replied "no Sir that is a Nilgai Antelope" and the reply was "Can you prove that?" . I lifted the lid to another cooler and there was a Nilgai buck and cape. Then, " why do you have two pistols" and my reply was "in case one jams".


    Can one of y'all come and get me?

    #2
    Classic!! You sir are my hero on the internet for at least a day!

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      #3
      Well, I reckon we can continue the story.

      I booked a day Nilgai hunt on the King Ranch Norias Division for February 15, 2018. I was met at the gate by my guide Weston, who just happens to be the Wildlife Biologist for the Norias Division. He is only one of two wildlife biologists for the King Ranch and also guides hunts. Weston is a good man and excellent guide. I got to ask lots of questions all day long and I am sure he was tired of me asking.
      Last edited by Radar; 06-05-2019, 04:56 PM.

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        #4
        Once we done with all the paperwork at the headquarters we took off. The layout of the Norias is beautiful and I must say the sand dunes are huge. We were in the Frijola pasture which I think was 15,000 acres.



        Last edited by Radar; 06-05-2019, 04:56 PM.

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          #5
          Go on, we’re listening.

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            #6
            What surprised me the most was the height of the sand dunes as we were only mile from the coast. I swear some of the dunes were over 50 ft tall and covered in coastal grass.
            Anyway, we started out along the coast and walked about two miles up and down the dunes, looking for a nice bull. Now I was toting a rifle and wearing snakeboots walking in the sand, it was not bad as the temps were still low and it was exciting to be on the King Ranch. Every once in a while we would come into a grove of live oaks that seemed to go on forever, man it was so pretty.

            Last edited by Radar; 06-05-2019, 04:56 PM.

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              #7
              Details Cuz, details.......

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                #8
                Been there done that complete with the jumping dog. But this is your story. Let it roll.


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                  #9
                  You know in the Norias Division they only have low fence and native deer. No feed supplements and I seen some 140-160 class bucks. Wow!

                  Back to the lying.

                  At lunch time Weston dropped me off at a watering hole and said kill a biggun if he shows and I am headed to get us a couple hamburger sammiches. So I sat in Ladder stand for an hour and watched Turkeys, deer and Santa Gertrudis cattle wander in and out.



                  Last edited by Radar; 06-05-2019, 04:56 PM.

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                    #10
                    After lunch we hiked another couple miles, sat at another water hole. At 3 pm Weston decided to take me back to the Frijol pasture. We found a few Nilgai cows and at 4 pm he asked me if I wanted a cow or to continue. I told him that "lets give it another hour and see what happens". We drove a few more miles and I spotted a bull a long ways off and we stopped and glassed. Weston said let me park behind this huisache bush and walk. I dont know how familiar some of you are about Nilgai but they are skittish and can run like a horse.

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                      #11
                      While we were trying to get close to the bull, Weston said let me walk up this other dune and see what is there. I sat below and waited for his report. About 20 minutes went by and he came back down to me and said there are 4 bulls on the other side of this dune but the biggest one is over 200 yards away and the young bulls are 75 yards away. The bad thing was the young bulls are in between us and the big bull.

                      Now, we had snuck up on these guys with the sun to our backs and the wind was blowing our scent away from them. The bad thing was the wind was gusting over 20mph at times and the sand from our footsteps would blow into your face and even onto my gun.

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                        #12
                        Well I'm listening
                        Go on-

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                          #13
                          At the beginning of our hunt, Weston ask me what my comfort zone was for yardage on a shot, and I told him the closer the better or under 200 yards. He grinned when I said that and replied we will get along just fine.

                          Now, Weston said the big bull is 227 yards away and this wind is really bad, do you want a young bull that is 75 yards or do you want to try for the biggun. In my best John Wayne voice I said "the biggun boy". So we contemplated for minute and snuck up another dune, Weston went up and glassed and came back down to me and said 162 yards.

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                            #14
                            We crawled up to the top of the dune and set up my shooting sticks. I sat right in the middle of a animal trail and got hunkered in behind my rifle. Weston told me to put a round in the chamber and I pulled the bolt back and it stopped halfway, there was so much sand blowing that the bolt had bound. I dropped the floor plate and pushed on the bolt with my finger and got the bolt to move on back. I put three rounds in the well and chambered. The dang Nilgai had turned his butt toward us and I had to wait, during this time the wind was blowing so strong that Weston said "I dont like this".

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                              #15
                              Go on...

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