Fortunately not overrun with these animals, the Mariposa Ranch has healthy herds that roam freely. Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus Pallas) were apparently brought to the United States from India as zoo animals before the mid-1920s and were released in South Texas about 1930. ADDAX HUNT PACKAGE – 5,500* Native to Africa:also known as the white antelope and the screwhorn antelope, is an antelope of the genus Addax, that lives in the Sahara desert. As suggested by its alternative name, this pale antelope has long, twisted horns – typically 20 to 30 inches. This area produces some of the largest Pronghorn Antelope in the nation. Whether you hunt with a bow or rifle, we have comfortable blinds and stands to accommodate your hunting … © 2008–2020. Decades later they’ve flourished in the warm climate and vast ranchlands of the southern portion of the state numbering in the tens of … But the nilgai weren’t content staying put. King Ranch staffers have observed that they have a particular fondness for bushes like Hercules club or tickle-tongue, and feast on the green grasses along cattle tanks and natural water sources. They have also shown to be limited by the cold winters to the north and the extensive agricultural lands and urban development near the Rio Grande. Join us for a Texas Blackbuck Antelope hunt in a exciting hunting environment on over 800 acres. It was first described by Henri de Blainville in 1816. This can be very challenging because of the antelope’s excellent vision and speed. Antelope Hunting New Mexico Trophy Pronghorn $3250. $3,200. By the 1980s, nilgai had become a common sight in the region. Though they run very fast, and can jump small obstacles, they tend to resist jumping even low fences, preferring to climb between or under them instead. We have a tremendous selection of trophy exotic animals for sale from around the world. Ver clausuras temporales y cambios en operaciones. These small antelope sport long spiraling horns and dark coats with white underbelly. The Blackbuck Antelope is a species of antelope that is well known for their beautiful horns, which give them a distinctive look as they generally curl about five times. Kleberg wanted to reestablish native wildlife like deer and turkey on the ranch’s Norias division, 70 miles north of Brownsville. or. Antelope Hunting in Texas . At the same time, they exude a musky odor, which can be detected for more than a mile. We offer amazing Trophy Black Buck Antelope hunts, all of our Blackbuck will be of trophy quality and horns will exceed 18 inches straight line measurements. There is also the Y.O. Get the MagazineSave up to 62% off the cover price. Some people … Get directions, maps, and traffic for Antelope, TX. In response to concerns about disease, and to prevent nilgai from competing with native species, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service occasionally culls the nilgai herd in Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, located about 120 miles south of King Ranch. All permit fees are covered in the Trophy Pronghorn Antelope Buck Hunts base fee. Antelope is one of the oldest active communities in Jack County. Nobody shot ’em.”. Tejas Ranch & Game Fence is the landowners complete source of ranch services and even exotics for sale in Texas such as antelope, deer, sheep, and goats. In southern Texas, densities were found to be nearly 3–5 individuals per km 2 in 1976. “Our focus is native game, but the nilgai really add a lot of value to the ranch,” Koehler says. The Western counties of our state have some of thelargest Pronghorn in the U.S., with several … These animals are officially named the "nilgai" antelope and originate in India and Nepal. Pronghorns display an enormous sense of curiosity uncommon in wild communities. “They’d just be looking at you as you drove by. Now found in Texas only in the deserts of the Trans-pecos and the high plains of the Panhandle, the pronghorn is a unique animal in many ways. Once, while leading a hunting party, Koehler caught a glimpse of a mountain lion—secretive predators that slip between the ranchlands of South Texas—attempting to kill a deer-size nilgai calf. Two West Texas Pronghorn Antelope tags are filled on this unforgettable 2016 hunt. Nilgai often return to the same areas to defecate, and the resulting nutrient-rich piles (biologists call them “latrines”) can establish nurseries for any seeds that make it through their digestive tract. That didn’t last. Pronghorn are a native game animal to Texas, and offers some of the finest pronghorn hunts in the US. The passages nilgai create by digging under fences are widely used by native species—bobcats, deer, coyotes, javelinas—and are possibly a vector for the spread of wild boars and diseases that affect other animals. "Nilgai" means "blue bull" in certain East Indian dialects. While any cattle found to carry the tick are subject to immediate quarantine, nilgai are nearly impossible to contain—and their wide-ranging habits threaten to spread the disease outside of South Texas containment zones. They were originally introduced to the King Ranch in the 1930's by a family member who decided that South Texas was a A great hunt to start off your hunting season, these animals are located in wide open pastures where they exercise the use of their outstanding eyesight and have earned their nickname of "speed goats". We hunt on several different ranches during this hunt. Extremely elusive and weighing up to 700 pounds, the Nilgai is not only difficult to hunt, but even tougher to bring down. Due to the number of permits given, Pronghorn Antelope Buck Hunts are limited. Their success owed partially to the landscape of King Ranch and surrounding properties: a patchwork of shortgrass coastal prairie, white sand dunes, and long stretches of live oak forest, all silent but for the rustle of the leaves and carpets of bright green guinea grass. Exotic species like nilgai are at their most taxing when nothing hunts them. Nilgai are born to roam. Pronghorn Antelope Trophy Fees 3 Days / 2 Nights, Average 13-14 inches: $3,500 Trophy Fee is in addition to $250 per day which covers All-Inclusive Hunt Package. The animals bulldoze their way under cattle fences at will, shoving the bottom wires up to create passages in the sandy loam. Early native Americans and even modern hunters learned you could lure a pronghorn by hiding in a bush while waving a stick or cloth and the pronghorn would draw near to see the source of the movement. About 50 years ago, the total United States population of pronghorn antelope was only about 12,000. This hunt involves our favorite hunting method of spot and stalking. They’re from India and Pakistan, so the sight of them grazing along the coastal prairies of South Texas may seem incongruous. They have excellent vision which helps them to see vast distances of wide open prairie. By the 1990s, hunters saw nilgai, the meat of which is known as “Texas antelope,” as an opportunity. Written by Tyson Bird, Photographs by Larry Ditto | From the October 2020 issue | Updated: October 6, 2020 | Filed Under: Wildlife, Caesar Kleberg, former head of King Ranch. Pronghorn Hunts in Texas – I had the pleasure of guiding Brian from Alabama on his first Pronghorn hunt in Texas. PRONGHORN ANTELOPE. They will investigate at close range any strange and unfamiliar object especially one in motion. San Joaquin antelope squirrel or Nelson s antelope … Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus Pallas) were apparently brought to the United States from India as zoo animals before the mid-1920s and were released in South Texas about 1930. He collaborated with the San Diego Zoological Garden (now the San Diego Zoo) to bring nilgai out to the ranch. |  Groups of tawny females and deer-size calves graze on the scrub brush. They’re from India and Pakistan, so the sight of them grazing along the coastal prairies of South Texas may seem incongruous. In the early 2000s, says David Hewitt, executive director of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, biologists fitted nilgai with radio collars. The pronghorn is the only animal in the world with horns that branch and the only horned animal … Nilgai are big and fast, and though native to India and Pakistan, they thrive in Texas. Native to India these huge bovid can weigh over 700 pounds, and were first introduced into Texas back in the 1930s by the King Ranch. For nilgai, a large scrubland antelope with a shy streak, it was paradise. They found that a nilgai’s home range could vary from a few thousand acres to over 70,000 acres. Antelopes comprise a wastebasket The Texas antelope squirrel Ammospermophilus interpres is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. Our hunters have bagged 91 bucks in 9 years, all in the 70 - 85 inch range. The antelope are nilgai, a heavy-shouldered, long-necked species that can reach 600 pounds yet run up to 30 mph—or slightly faster than world-record sprinter Usain Bolt. There is a resident population that lives just south of Marfa and a more mobile population that can often be seen grazing alongside cattle on the plains north of Alpine on both sides of the road leading to Fort Davis. “Some high-fence ranches have probably stocked them, but a lot of these ranches around here got their nilgai from King Ranch.”. We have maintained a 100% success rate on all hunts with the scores ranging from 70 … Then headlights sweep past on the road, and the animals’ enormous shoulders explode into motion as they flee into the savannah. Today, habitat restoration and restocking programs have helped increase pronghorn populations to more than 1,100,000. Females range around 55lbs. The Texas Panhandle offers some of the finest trophy Pronghorn Antelope hunting. RBL Farm is located in Weimar, Texas, about midway between Houston and San Antonio on IH 10. This can cause their numbers to spiral out of control. However, with the help of the Exotic Wildlife Association, Safari Club and dedicated exotic wildlife breeders in Texas, the scimitar is thriving and reproducing. Pronghorn can detect movement up to 4 miles away. There are signs that the populations may be leveling out under hunting pressures. Method: Rifle, Muzzleloader. “You’d go up to the coastline and you’d see herds of 20 to 30 here, and go up a mile or two and see 20 to 30 there,” says Joey Salazar, a longtime hunting guide on King Ranch. See temporary closures and business changes, |  But it appears nilgai are here to stay. The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even - toed ruminant indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. “We harvest roughly 1,000 nilgai a year, between commercial hunts that we sell, the owners of the ranch, employees, and the leasees,” Koehler says. The antelope are nilgai, a heavy-shouldered, long-necked species that can reach 600 pounds yet run up to 30 mph—or slightly faster than world-record sprinter Usain Bolt. It is estimated that in the mid-1800s, Pronghorn numbered in the many million, second only to the American Bison. Even so, he did something – and openly wrote about it in his five-page story -- that … After receiving a post office in 1858, the town became a ranching center because of its fertile soil … Nilgai are also a bountiful source of food. King Ranch is a vast collection of land—at 825,000 acres, it’s larger than Rhode Island. Nonetheless we press on, staying one step behind the nilgai antelope – The Blue Bull of South Texas. To see nilgai, book a wildlife or birding tour at King Ranch as experienced guides provide the best opportunity to see them. Privacy Policy. Trophy potential is up overall, and with good rainfall seasons, it makes for one of the best opportunities in the United States, especially without having to break the bank. A group of antelope … Blackbuck Antelope Hunts in Central Texas Trophy Blackbuck Antelope hunts will take place at either one of our Central Texas Ranches in Copperas Cove or Llano Texas. Our prairies and flats can be decorated by large herds of Texas “Speedgoats” and can offer a challenging hunt to the sportsman. I had scouted 3 good Pronghorn in this pasture before the season so my hopes where high that we would find one of these pronghorn … Content of this site copyright Texas Parks and Wildlife Department unless otherwise noted. The Nilgai, or Blue Indian Antelope, has proliferated in South Texas. In 1924, Caesar Kleberg, the head of King Ranch, was deep into a long-term wildlife restoration project on his range. Sagebrush Hunts is pleased to offer quality Pronghorn Antelope hunting on our historical Texas Panhandle ranch located near Dalhart, Texas. A most beautiful and hearty antelope is the scimitar horned oryx, which was once also called the Sahara oryx, now extinct. The price of this hunt is $2,950.00. Pronghorn Antelope Hunt '21 Texas, United States This guided hunt for Pronghorn Antelope has gained in popularity over the last several years. “We really like them, but we just know that we have to manage the overall numbers.”. Nilgai can also act as hosts for Texas fever ticks, which transmit a disease that wipes out 90% of affected cattle. To witness nilgai unassisted, visit the open plains and marshlands of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in the early morning. and males around 77lbs. The antelope appear along State Highway 77 in the purple morning, drifting through the tall grass an hour north of Brownsville in knots of hoof and horn. These creatures are made for the borderlands: between private ranchland and public wilderness, between the alien and the native. The pronghorn is considered the fastest land mammal in North America, clocked at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and can maintain a relatively high speed for hours. Colby, who in 1912 wrote an article on the Panhandle for a long-defunct monthly called The Texas Magazine, probably was an OK fellow. Published monthly by the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Highways, the official travel magazine of Texas, encourages travel to and within the Lone Star State and tells the Texas story to readers around the world. Origins: The first Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus) were brought into the USA from India. Antelope is a small community near the intersection of Loop 187, U.S. Highway 281, and Farm to Market Road 175, twenty miles northwest of Jacksboro in northwestern Jack County, Texas.The population is 65. Call 1-800-346-8747. Nilgai antelope were first brought to Texas in the 1920s, primarily as a gift to Caesar Kleberg of the King Ranch it being the custom of the time. Their goal is to breed and raise trophy blackbuck antelope for your game ranch. All Rights Reserved. Both males and females can have horns, but the male has much larger horns and the female horn is seldom branched or pronged. They provided the core of the current herd, which Koehler estimates now numbers 15,000 animals. Dates: October Dates. Now found in Texas only in the deserts of the Trans-pecos and the high plains of the Panhandle, the pronghorn is a unique animal in many ways. Operations like King Ranch began offering hunting packages to trophy hunters, which can require a special five-day exotic hunting license. These hunts are by permit only. Some of the best places to see Pronghorn are just south of Marfa, Texas and between Alpine and Fort Davis, Texas. History. Our Texas Pronghorn Antelope guided hunts take place in the Panhandle of Texas. Ranch Headquarters in the Hill Country, which has an array of exotics. These private ranch hunts are on 10,000 acres in unit 55. Although the pronghorn is called an "antelope" by some, it is not closely related to them, in fact, it is the only species in its family. They’re shapes that bound along the grassy margins before slipping under cattle fences and vanishing into the dark. This first pair did not yield any offspring, so a decision was made to obtain 5 bulls and 7 cows from the San Diego Zoological Garden. Formed in 1987, Wildlife Systems offers pronghorn antelope hunts on the sprawling A.S. Gage Ranch, located in Brewster and Presidio counties. “We do roughly 400 commercial hunts a year.”. After a slow morning and passing on some smaller Pronghorn we made our way in to a pasture glassing as we drove through. The long-term effects nilgai will have on the South Texas environment are uncertain. Their bucks range from 16 to 20+ inches, and their animals also have very good color. The population is 65. Check flight prices and hotel availability for your visit. Texas is a place that has always been known for upper echelon antelope, and this location is no exception. Blue-grey bulls flick their ears, standing stock-still. With few natural predators and a swift breeding rate—females usually give birth to twins annually—nilgai populations boomed. Pronghorns are animals of the prairie and once roamed the plains along with the American bison. Non-hunting guests may accompany the hunter for an additional $100 per day which covers lodging, meals and … Sign up for magazine extras, upcoming events, Mercantile specials, subscription offers, and more. Location: Texas. Antelope is a small unincorporated community near the intersection of Loop 187, U.S. Highway 281, and Farm to Market Road 175, twenty miles northwest of Jacksboro in northwestern Jack County, Texas. This fully guided 3 day hunt with 2 hunters per guide has been 100% successful for the past 9 years. After decades in South Texas, the animals have left their mark on the ranchlands. BOOK YOUR HUNT. WTA research has found a great opportunity to hunt pronghorn in the Panhandle of Texas. (The King Ranch doesn’t provide them any supplemental feed.) Species: Antelope. But an estimated 30,000 nilgai can now be found in wild herds from the outskirts of Corpus Christi to nature parks in the Lower Rio Grande Valley more than 150 miles south. Photo courtesy King Ranch. Another option is to drive along US 77 between Corpus Christi and Brownsville around dusk, where nilgai graze by the roadside. The pronghorn is the only animal in the world with horns that branch and the only horned animal that sheds them every year as though they were antlers. The common eland is tawny and may have white stripes on its torso. Texas Antelope Outfitter. 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