NWR La Sal Del Rey New Years youth hunt

[ross]

This year was my son’s year for draw hunts. He drew Powderhorn which we just finished this week and also drew La Sal del Rey NWR for the hunt at the end of December. Has anyone hunted there before and what are the trail/ roads like on the inside. I’m trying to figure out the best method to get a Nilgai out if we get lucky. I have heard a 2 wheel wheel barrow works pretty good and of course a game cart. I’m assuming the roads through the property are pretty sandy which would make it hard to push/pull a cart. We aren’t looking to shoot a big bull mainly get a cow or two for meat and maybe a whitetail. Any info or tips on this property would be greatly appreciated.

[mmurphey]

Quarter in the field and pack them out with a good frame pack. If you cart them I would still plan on quartering them to reduce the weight. I've carted a field dressed bull out of Laguna Atascosa, and that was not fun even with three people taking turns!

I hunted the Tecelote NWR which is very close and the soil was very sandy. Even walking was a little trudgy, the sandy soil collapses a little each step. I packed two cows out: One with a pack only and one I had a buddy fetch my cart while I quartered the cow. With two adults the cart was fine, but with one I preferred the pack method.

[CaptTank]

NWR La Sal Del Rey New Years youth hunt

My son was drawn for La Sal Del Rey 12/16-18. I have packed 4 Nilgai and 3 whitetail out of Laguna Atascosa. I am figuring this terrain will be similar, but won’t know till we get there.


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[txoutdoorsman24]

In one section of the hunt area, the main road is limestone all the way thru. I packed out a cow on that road with my game cart. The other areas and roads are sandy loam type dirt. It’s packed but super soft and very hard to drag a cart on. Take a cart with with bigger wider wheels and you’ll be fine. My cart has the narrow hard rubber wheels and it sucked royally pulling that thru the soft dirt

[ross]

Thanks for the info! I guess I’ll take a pack frame and start looking for a cart. Was planning on hunting on the north side by Chapa Road but will have to see what it looks like once we get down there.

[Texas Grown]

The best to yall, Ross.

[jmveverka]

Hey Ross, my son and I will also be at La Sal Del Rey for the New Years hunt. I am too new here to send you a PM but feel free to message me with your contact info. We can maybe coordinate and make sure we are not hunting on top of each other, and maybe I can help you out with getting a big Nilgai carried out if we are nearby and there is not a lot of action happening.

[RifleBowPistol]

I have one of these, I can tell you they work great in sand, our property is 95% soft sand. I have loaded it down with lots of logs and all types of other stuff, never had any trouble pulling it around.

These are pretty cool, it can be used as a hand pulled cart, with the handle, or you can pull the pin out of the handle, and then hook it to a 4 wheeler. Then the wheels are easy to remove. Each wheel has a pin holding it on, no tools needed to pull a tire/wheel off quickly. Then on the front of the cart, under the plastic tub, there is a handle you can pull up on, and it will dump whatever is in the cart, even if you have a few hundred pounds in the cart. with one hand you can fairly easily pull up on the handle and dump whatever is in the cart. The plastic is very durable. We use it all the time around the house and the property. It's hooked to the back of the four wheeler as often as it is drug around by hand. This is what I used to haul 600 lbs. of corn and a 12' ladder, back to my feeder to fill the feeder. It has no problem going up a sandy hill with 600 lbs. of corn and a 12' ladder.

[ross]

That wagon looks legit! I have a couple of pack frames and debating on getting a game cart.

[Texas Grown]

That wagon looks legit! I have a couple of pack frames and debating on getting a game cart.

May I suggest a "Hawk Crawler" gamecart? I bought one and this is the 4th season I've had it. It's a dream to use with a load in the rugged outdoors. Has a 500lb load rating. I'm old and about half run down. And I can pull it with one hand, loaded. If you come to a log, just pull it over. It never stops or tilts. It's got 4 wheels with independent swiveling axles.

[SneakyPhil]

A four wheeled cart would be harder to pull that a game cart. Four wheels equal more friction. I used a four wheeled garden cart a couple of years when I hunted Laguna Atascosa and hauling out an animal was a lot harder with it than with a game cart.

[txoutdoorsman24]

A four wheeled cart would be harder to pull that a game cart. Four wheels equal more friction. I used a four wheeled garden cart a couple of years when I hunted Laguna Atascosa and hauling out an animal was a lot harder with it than with a game cart.

A four wheel cart like the one above will be ungodly hard to pull at La Sal. The dirt there is soft and super sandy. Unless you walk the main road it would be almost impossible to pull that cart while loaded down.

[Brown E]

A 2 wheel game cart was one of the best investments I made in hunting

[ross]

Got a few days left to get ready. I have two pack frames and some game bags to bone/quarter anything my son shoots. Probably going to run by Academy and get one of their 2 wheel carts just in case. Main things to do the next couple days are to shoot a couple of guns and see which one he feels more comfortable with and round up enough coolers…and apparently buy plenty of big spray

[RifleBowPistol]

I have watched many videos from that place, I would not be surprised, if you wind up getting multiple shot opportunities in the 200 to 400 yard range. I have never been there, but from what I can see, a lot of it used to be plowed fields, that have not been farmed in years. It looks like there are a decent amount of 3 to 8 year old mesquite growing in those fields. But there seems to be a good bit of heavy mesquite brush also, then salt flats, and maybe some water. I have my ideas on the place, but my ideas with zero experience on the place, and never having been there. From what I can tell there is a lot of game activity on the place, now what and when that activity has gone on, I have no idea.

I do think there is a good chance, you will be looking and longer range shots. So a range finder, and a dope chart on the loads you are going to use, would probably be a good idea. Then some practice out as far as you can. Most public ranges are only 100, with some being 200 yard ranges, very few with targets beyond 200 yards. A smaller caliber gun with heavy bullets should work, depending on exactly what caliber and what ammo, as to how well it will work. With a smaller caliber gun, or even large guns, I would be trying for a spine shot, of some type. More so with a small caliber gun, from what I have read, you won't get much of a blood trail with a small caliber gun. Now if the kid makes a good heart shot, with a smaller caliber or bigger gun, it really won't matter if it leaves a blood trail, it should not go more than about 100 yards, before going down, if there is enough damage to the heart. Lung shots, will probably result in lost game, unless you use a round and ammo that is very high velocity and basically blows up in the lungs, doing a lot of damage to the lungs. A shot more to the front of the lungs, or close to where the bronchial tubes and arteries, are connect to the lungs. is going to be much more effective than the rear end of the lungs. Unless it is a very high velocity , violently expanding round, I would probably not try for a lung shot. You will need to do a lot of lung damage, to bring them down quickly with a lung shot. My old 7mm Rem. Mag, with the 140 gr. Ballistic Tips would have been great for that purpose.

I have put a lot of thought into what might work, and how, on these animals. I have a bunch of smaller caliber guns, I have been trying to figure what would work best, then what shots to take, with each gun. I have pretty much concluded, making accurate spine shot is the way to go. From what I have read many times, is those things can cover a lot of ground with a lung or liver shot.

Good luck, hope the kid gets one.