# Nilgai



## justjohn (May 21, 2004)

I have been invited on a Nilgai hunt this winter (I know it is a long time). 
Anyone hunt Nilgai with a 7mm Reimington magnum? What cartridge?


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## Bingo baits (May 11, 2011)

.338
300 win mag
45-70
30-06
7mm mag should be fine


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

There's an operation where they shot them helicopters for the commercial market as the meat retails for $40/lb. They only use .338 Win. Mag's and only take head shots.

With proper bullet placement, a lesser round will do the job, but a lot of landowners and outfitters have strict rules on what is the minimum size rifle you can bring. Even so, many outfitters have a policy that if your shot doesn't bring the nigai down, they will start shooting their rifle to try to keep it from reaching heavy cover.


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## uncle dave (Jul 27, 2008)

I''ve used 300 whyb and 300 wsm, a 7mm mag would take them with proper shot placement. What AV said is true, and if you draw blood you pay for the animal, recovered or not. Proper shot placement is the key, regardless of caliber.


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## BlueDog08 (Sep 18, 2007)

I've grown up both hunting and working on the King and have taken somewhere in between 15-20 nilgai and they're incredibly tough. I wouldn't go with anything less than a .300, most of mine I've popped with a .338 or .375. I would definitely go with something that throws out considerably more umph than a 7, just in case you don't get that perfect shot.


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## snapperlicious (Aug 11, 2009)

7mm is fine. I have a friend that took one with a bow, so I think your ok.


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## TooShallow (May 21, 2004)

Shoot the heaviest bonded bullet you can get. I would not use anything less than 30 cal. They are incredibly tough and will run after the shot unless you get a good neck shot. The distance they run can be indirectly proportional to size hole you poke in them. Last one my Sis shot ran about 150 yards after a perfect broadside shot from a 180 grain 300 Win mag. She did not get pass through on the bullet.


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## 2hours2thecoast (May 1, 2006)

My father, son, and I have shot close to 100 nilgai with 40 or so being bulls. The first 6 or 7 years, all we used was a 7 mm Magunum, so 20 to 30 were taken with the 7 mag . Good shot placement when broad sided (lower third so it goes through the heart) works well. Dead middle in the neck is very effective. 

We then used a 375 HH mag and then went to the 375 ultra magnum and you can definately tell a difference when you do not make a great shot. In my opinion, the 375 ultra mag is nearly ideal for nilgai in south texas. You can shoot up to 300 yards with it and it devastates them when 200 yards or closer. Most nilgai we shoot is 80 to 200 yards. When you have a great shot placement, you cannot tell much difference between the 7 mag and 375 mag. They generally run off a few yards and die or run 80 yards and lay down. They will often lay prone with their legs under them. If you give them some time, they will generally die. If you can approach slowly and quietly, you can get a shot high in the neck from close by. 

The issue is that they do not always give you great shots. Over a third of the animals killed were running. That, in my opinion, is when you want to be throwing 300 grains down range. They are extremely tough. Shoot one through the lungs and they can run for half a mile or more. If you do not get a good shot close enough to the spine in the neck, you may never see them again. Gut shoot one and adios. 

I still use the 7 mm Mag as a back up rifle, and if i have a better shot then the person with the 375 ultra, i take it. I always try to take a good shot, but with the 7 mm Mag, I will not pull the trigger unless I am extremely confident. All we shoot is 150 grain core lok. They mushroom nicely and generally stay together. 

In fact, I am looking for a 300 win mag or 300 wsm because we just got on a lease that will allow us to take 3 nilgai per year. The 300 win mag (and those similar to it) seems to be a great compromise. Guns like the 375 mag are so specialized that most people will not buy them b/c you cannot use them enough to justify it. The 300 win mag works great for daily hunting, albeit it is usually overkill for WT. 

Long story short, I would not hesitate to take a 7 mm Mag on a nilgai hunt. I would NEVER use ballistic tips. I would try to only take standing broadside shots. If running away, I put it on the back of the head and it generally hits in the base of the neck. If you hit, you kill it. If it misses the intended spot, it is generally a complete miss. If facing you with head held high, tag him in the white spot in the neck. Those would be the only three shots that i would take.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Not even a "Canon" stopped this one...










I shot it on the Kenedy Ranch with a Canon EOS T4i...


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## mrsh978 (Apr 24, 2006)

*nilgai*



justjohn said:


> I have been invited on a Nilgai hunt this winter (I know it is a long time).
> Anyone hunt Nilgai with a 7mm Reimington magnum? What cartridge?


as mentioned above-placement is critical with any caliber-so, on "marginal" opportunities-SIZE MATTERS. with all the bulls ive killed-the .416 kills them deader than anything else(280 to 416).. use heavy jacketed bullets...and go have fun


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## [email protected] (Jun 25, 2005)

Could you find a friend or someone to lend you a .300 win mag or .300 wsm or .300 ultra mag just to be safe? Whatever caliber you use, make sure you use a good bullet that will have good weight retention and penetration. Ballistic tips are the worst bullet to use in this situation. I would try a Barnes TSX.


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## okierifleman (Mar 20, 2012)

I shot my last one with a 7mm STW with a 160 grain accubond. Good bullets and proper shot placement is key.


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## Mook (Jul 3, 2011)

I have shot 2 both with my 7 mag the first one at 320 yards and the other at around 100 yards both of them only ran at the most 30 yards. shot placements key


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## sand storm (Mar 15, 2012)

7 mag will drop them......go with a good bullet.


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## BigPig069 (May 20, 2006)

Shot Placement, Shot Placement, Shot Placement!!!!!!!!!!


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*I disagree.*



BigPig069 said:


> Shot Placement, Shot Placement, Shot Placement!!!!!!!!!!


I have not yet hunted a Nilgai but it ain't over yet. I have hunted large animals several times in Africa.

I disagree with almost all of the above posts except for the poster whose family has shot tons of Nilgai over the years (many with a 375) and msrh, the 416 poster. Perfect shot placement is only possible with A. a familiar animal whose size and anatomy is known from experience...for most of us that is a WT deer and B. from the comfort and with the time and steady rest of the window of a permanent blind.

I think that the "perfect shot placement" folks are posers who have never really hunted... stalking, prone or squatting, etc or maybe at an animal they have never hunted before that is big and tough and maybe partly obscured by grass and brush.

I will quote Robert Ruark "Use Enough Gun"

You said you have been invited so use the money you would have had to spend on the hunt to buy a 375 (375 H & H or 375 Ruger for example). You will then own a great African or Alaskan gun and you know what will happen eventually :smile:. Plus, a 375 is a muy bueno big hog gun and will impress the posers on your deer lease :biggrin:

And bowhunting Nilgai....they deserve to lose the animal and have to pay anyway


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## BigPig069 (May 20, 2006)

I think that the "perfect shot placement" folks are posers who have never really hunted!!

Wrong Buddy if you are reffering to me as a Poser, or as never Hunted,WRONG!! 

I have guided Bowhunting trips on the King Ranch when 4 Arrows outfitters was on it and also hunted, the Kenedy Numerous times when the Sasser had the Whole Ranch Leased out for Cattle and Sub Leased it for Hunting and was down there again just this Last December again!!! I have taken my fair share of Nilgai with a Bow and with a Rifle and Yes I have seen Nilgai Droped with a 6mm on up to .50 caliber Muzzle Loader and alot of other Calibers on up to a 416 Rigby, And I saw quite a few taken with a bow and arrow when I was Helping out @ 4 Arrow Outfitters, I know Now alot of the Lease Managers on the Kenedy now want the hunter to use atleast a 300 on up!!! Just My O2!!!!!!!!!


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## snapperlicious (Aug 11, 2009)

Whats up with all these people wanting to use high caliber rifles for everything? posers ha!


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## snapperlicious (Aug 11, 2009)

*Yep*

Bow shot.


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*Shot placement*

That is a great image on Post #9. I am not smart enough to copy it and modify it with a red dot showing the best point to try to hit. That animal is walking but if he were standing like that I would think that you would start at the space between the two front legs then go up from the bottom of the chest 1/3 for a high heart/lung shot. Mistakes to be made would be to hit too far back or too high....those hump shaped animals are harder to judge how far up to shoot.

PS: I always get a jab in at bowhunters. I know you can kill anything walking with a bow. I know too that you can catch a Blue Marlin with a fly rod. But why?


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## Bingo baits (May 11, 2011)

I lied earlier
The only gun fit for nilgai is either a .22 short rat shot with good shot placement
Or
A .700 nitro express italian double rifle
With double triggers...
Anyone using anything else is a fool and has never hunted


Nah
Jk
Just be nice to each other, and go hunting!


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## poncho n' lefty (Sep 21, 2009)

id be willing to bet a .22 cal bullet has killed more animals than any other caliber bullet by far!!


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## Bingo baits (May 11, 2011)

I know ive killed more rabbits, squirrels, *****, crows, yotes, hogs and other varmints than everything else put together
With a .22 of course


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## Spots and Dots (May 23, 2004)

we used rat terriers to bay them, then stabbed 'em with home made spears.


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## txpitdog (Jul 17, 2006)

Heading down for a nilgai hunt next weekend. While at American Shooting Centers in Houston sighting in and practicing with my 375 Ruger, I have met 3 different people who have hunted nilgai. The common theme between all of them is "break bone" and "****, the meat is tasty". 

One guy lost his after hitting it square in the shoulder with a 325gr Leverevolution from his Marlin 45-70.

The same guy said his buddy shot a bull 4 times with a 300 Wby before it went down. 

Another gut I spoke with had his run nearly a half mile after a neck shot with a 300 win mag. 

I've also talked with people online who've gotten bang-flops using a 30-06 and a 7mag. And of course there are folks that take them with a bow. 

I'm using my 375 Ruger with 300gr Sierra GameKings. I figure these should plow through pretty deep whether it's side to side, front to back, or hell even back to front. I don't want to lose my animal, and I **** sure don't want to track it through rattlesnake country. We'll see how it goes.


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## Seein' Spots (Apr 27, 2012)

Using a 30-06 or similar caliber will be fine. I've shot a couple nilgai with a 30-06, and haven't had a problem. Again, it's all about shot placement. Also, the nilgai hunts I've been on are all spot and stalk, on the King, so I promise it will take them down in almost any situation.


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## limpline (Sep 15, 2009)

All I ever heard was how tought they are to bring down. Me and a buddy were hunting them. He shot one with a 270 Wby and down the bull went. I turned to my friend and said "He wasn't so tough". Before I could turn back to look at the bull, the bull had jumped up and was running for the woods. Take plenty of gun!


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## djduke47823 (Jun 7, 2005)

.270wsm.....good bullets and placement??????????


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## AC123 (Feb 23, 2009)

IMO look for a quartering away shot and you'll take em out. My son killed one with a 270.


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## llred (Jun 30, 2008)

check these out

http://www.hornady.com/store/7mm-Rem-Mag-139-gr-GMX-superformance/

or

http://www.hornady.com/store/7mm-Rem-Mag-162-gr-SST-Superformance/


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## llred (Jun 30, 2008)

txpitdog said:


> Heading down for a nilgai hunt next weekend. While at American Shooting Centers in Houston sighting in and practicing with my 375 Ruger, I have met 3 different people who have hunted nilgai. The common theme between all of them is "break bone" and "****, the meat is tasty".
> 
> One guy lost his after hitting it square in the shoulder with a 325gr Leverevolution from his Marlin 45-70.
> 
> ...


The 45-70 throws a huge chunk of lead out there but the actual energy transfer isn' that good at longer ranges. Anything over 100yds you have better options.


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*Of course you are right, but*



llred said:


> The 45-70 throws a huge chunk of lead out there but the actual energy transfer isn' that good at longer ranges. Anything over 100yds you have better options.


The thing about large calibers is that you have a large hole even if the bullet fails to expand. 25 -30 cal are totally dependent on bullet expansion to about 45 cal...usually it works. But then that larger bullet makes a big hole no matter what and it makes that big hole no matter where on that big animal you put it.

There are some 45-70 "Marlin only" loads (i.e. not for old Trapdoor Springfields) that are pretty fierce.


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## txpitdog (Jul 17, 2006)

I shoot a 300gr hardcast outta my Guide Gun at a clocked velocity of 2200fps. That's a bone breaker for sure, but for this hunt I think heavy weight and hydrostatic shock are the ticket.


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## flatscat1 (Jun 2, 2005)

I've shot quite a few, many with a 7 mag. Bigger is better, but 7mm will work. I shoot the heaviest bonded bullets I can find.

The advice I offer is this: It is easy to shoot a purple pony if he is standing still, but that is not normally the case. Most often they are running and understanding (even better, practicing swinging the rifle for this, might help you. 

Nilgai have 3 distinct speeds. If at a distance and in a herd they are often at "lope" speed - they know you are there but are not overly afraid. Head and shoulders are moving up and down maybe 1 foot or more with each step. They are just moving out and Ningai never walk away, usually the lope speed. Often shot placement is the front of the body in "lope" speed, depending on distance of course.

If you come around a bend and surprise them they will be in medium speed. This is harder. You will need to lead the animal in front of the body mayge a foot or more most likely assuming you have a side angle shot. You will most likely need to through several rounds downrange at them to figure out the lead. Helps to have a spotter looking for dust impact should you miss to tell you how to adjust.

The third is an all out fast as heck run. Good luck with you if you try for this shot. Their heads and shoulders are down and completely even when they run, like a racehorce in high gear. I have no advice. I've seen it work but leads of 5 feet on a pay hunt is not worth it in my opinion. I would try to move and get ahead of them or just wait for another shot personally. The only good part of pulling off the run shot is not only would you look like a hero, but also if you hit them somewhere in the front bones/shoulder they will often tumble and break their neck/back/shoulder in the fall.....

Good luck.


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## llred (Jun 30, 2008)

Johnboat said:


> The thing about large calibers is that you have a large hole even if the bullet fails to expand. 25 -30 cal are totally dependent on bullet expansion to about 45 cal...usually it works. But then that larger bullet makes a big hole no matter what and it makes that big hole no matter where on that big animal you put it.
> 
> There are some 45-70 "Marlin only" loads (i.e. not for old Trapdoor Springfields) that are pretty fierce.


Im not saying there won't be a big hole, haha if you look at the cartrige itself you know there is gong to be a big hole. I just think the energy transfer from a more modern caliber is going to be the better bet. As the post earlier mentioned you will get more hydrostatic shock from a higher velocity/energy round.


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## S-3 ranch (May 26, 2004)

ah heck it is all shot placement !! we kill em with .270 - 416 rem mags 270 up close 150 yards , but a 8mm or 338 or any .300 will do it out in the open just watch where they run or fall


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## Robert Stuart (May 23, 2011)

I shot one with a 300wby 2 weeks ago I shot it free handed while the bull was on a full sprint and I dropped him.


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## bigl (Mar 3, 2008)

I shot one on the King Ranch several years ago with a 7 mag. One shot and one step. He was not running and yes the guide wanted me to use something bigger but the Nosler Partiion 160 grain did its job.


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## travissalinas (Aug 27, 2010)

i've killed two with my .270 using the barnes tsx bullets. placement has to be good


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> Shot Placement, Shot Placement, Shot Placement!!!!!!!!!!


Can't stress that enough. Do some reading about Walter D.M. Bell or Karamojo Bell as he was known. Here's a bit about him that might interest the big bang folks.

"Bell recorded all of his kills and shots fired. It was a business to him, not pleasure, and he needed to record expenditures.


He shot exactly 1,011 elephants; about 800 of them were shot with Rigby-made 7x57mm (.275 Rigby) rifles and round nose 173 grain military ammo.
He shot elephants with a Mannlicher-Schoenauer 6.5x54mm carbine using the long 159 grain FMJ bullets and noted that it was probably the most beautiful rifle he ever had, but gave it up due to faulty ammunition.
He shot his first safari with a Lee Enfield in .303 British and the 215 grain army bullet. Thereafter he kept a ten shot Army& Navy Lee Enfield as a sort of back up and in the hope he might find ten elephants silly enough to stand around long enough for him to use the whole magazine.
He went to rifles chambered in .318 Westley Richards for a while, which is a .32 caliber cartridge firing a 250 grain bullet at about 2400 fps, but found the ammunition unreliable and again returned to the 7x57mm. He later wrote that the .318 Westley Richards was more of a reliable killer for certain shots, while the 7x57 was a "surgeons" rifle.
He also recorded that one of the reasons why he favored the 7x57 was that the ammunition was more reliable and he could not recall ever having a fault with it; whereas British sporting ammunition, apart from the .303 military ammo, gave him endless trouble with splitting cases.
He owned a .450/400 Jeffrey double rifle made by Thomas Bland & Sons, but did not use it after his first safari, as he considered the action not rugged enough and the Mauser repeating action to be just as quick as a double for aimed shooting.
He wrote about being able to drop an elephant with a light caliber rifle if he shot it in the same place that he would have shot it with a heavy rifle and realised this fully when he saw that elephants shot with a .303 died just as quickly when shot in the same place as a .450/400 double rifle with both triggers wired together, so they went off at the same time."


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*The problem is.....*



Trouthunter said:


> He shot exactly 1,011 elephants; about 800 of them were shot with Rigby-made 7x57mm (.275 Rigby) rifles and round nose 173 grain military ammo. He wrote about being able to drop an elephant with a light caliber rifle if he shot it in the same place that he would have shot it with a heavy rifle and realised this fully when he saw that elephants shot with a .303 died just as quickly when shot in the same place as a .450/400 double rifle with both triggers wired together, so they went off at the same time."


The problem is...no one gets to shoot 1,011 of anything in modern times. Yes, I imagine that after maybe 25 elephants (or Nilgai) I would have it down pat as to be able to place the shot and drop one with a light rifle.

But....drive to S. Texas...unfamiliar ranch....never shot a Nilgai before... or fly to africa..unfamiliar terrain....never saw an Eland before....whole different thing.


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## JohnHumbert (May 21, 2004)

*Changed my whole perspective*

Guys, after just returning from 14 days hunting in Africa my whole view of hunting in Texas has changed.

First - and not to be offensive - but hunting here in Texas (especially for WTs) is, by and large, very lazy hunting. Nothing wrong with that, but it is the truth. Sitting in a stand or stationary in a nice hide (including bow hunting) and making a shot at a stationary (or nearly) target when you have a rest for the gun is, well, very relax/easy compared to what most hunting is around the world. Not criticizing mind you, just an observation.

From getting exposure to hunting and hunters from around the world during the past month has shown me that most hunting scenarios (other than WT in Texas) is done from very different conditions.

First, you are not stationary - you've hiked up a mountain, or stalking an animal for hours. You are seated with a rest - shots are taken free-hand, sitting, off sticks, sitting in a tree, twisted around leaning against a rock, etc.

Secondary, the animals are not stationary. They are typically moving, or pausing for just a second or two.

Third, the animals rarely give a broadside shot, or even a clear shot. You have to take what the animal gives you. It might be quartering, facing you, facing away, or just a small opening through the brush to shoot through.

While shot placement IS indeed important - it is rarely placement in the high heart broadside. It might be neccessary to make a neck shot, a brisket shot, etc. And you'd better be confident and prepared to take that shot in a moment's notice.

Not to mention the excitement and rush - and difficulty - of shooting from odd positions at non-Texas-whitetail-typical-broadside shots.

Heck, out of the 9 animals we took - and two misses - only TWO were anything close to regular broadside shot. My daughter took 3 of her animals with a one-shot-kill neck shot. On her Nyala, the animal only presented neck/head at 175yrd through an opening in the brush 2ft wide, shooting up a steep hill. She fearless made the shot (after prior days training/prep with the PH) and it dropped right there - it was close to a 500lb animal.

This is why PH's in Africa (and most places around the world) prefer to use enough gun and like larger calibers and bullets. Sure, if everything is perfect and you are dealing with a calm, very experience hunter - smaller calibers work fine - but that is NOT typically the case. So you use bigger guns so when that moving, quartering shot at 285yrds is slightly off perfect placement, the animal will go down.

While I have not hunted Nilgai yet - from everything and everyone I've heard is that hunting them is MUCH more like Africa hunting that sitting in a stand for WT. Plus they are tough animals.

Use enough gun, and practice shooting quickly in different positions and different situations. Because unless you are very experienced in THAT style of hunting AND you are good shot - most likely your shot will be less than perfect.

I'm a pretty fair shot at the range. Sub-MOA consistently at 200yrds, and kill zone shots at 300-400 yards. But my first shot in Africa came after a 1500 ft climb up a mountain (2 hour stalk), looking down a HUGE bushbuck in a ravine at more than 45deg angle, at 320 yards, after skinny out onto a rock outcropping following my PH. I got out on the ledge and my PH said "There he is 320yard, figure it at 270 - SHOOT EM!" and I had to sit crossleg and had 3 seconds to shoot off my knee. The shot was 3ft behind his butt (although the height was right). The PH just sadly looked at me and shook his head, and said "We need to work on that. I thought you said you could shoot". It was embarassing and humiliating.

Especially when I missed ANOTHER gold medal bushbuck on almost the same shot (only 285yards this time) two days later. Luckily we found another bushbuck (not as large as the first two) about an hour later and I made the same shot (now at 200yards) and dropped the animal. To which my PH replied "Welcome back".

Point is, if you never hunting Nilgai before - what are you going to do when the shot that is presented to you is a 285 quartering shot and you have 2 seconds to shoot off a tree branch? Are you good and calm enough to make the perfect "shot placement" under those conditions and confident to do so? Either you are, or you would be better off with a bigger gun - or you will have to pass on some shots at good animals until the conditions are "right" for your gun, position, and your abilities.

And you need to be really honest with yourself - because a bad shot will be terrible for the animal, your guide, and your pocketbook. I am just very thankful that I clean missed, because I just have easily could have wounded those bushbuck - which would have been AWFUL!

Just saying... not trying to upset anyone.

BTW, by the end of the hunt we both were doing things I NEVER thought I could do - or even would have tried back home. My last animal, a 600+lb. blue wildebeest, was taken with a freehand 190yrd shot across a ravine with the animal quartering towards me. He didn't drop right away, but piled up about 120 yards away with a lung shot (missed the heart). I was shooting a .308 with 168gr Bl;ack Hills Gold (Barnes TSX Bullet).


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## JERRY C (Jul 27, 2012)

there is know reason a 7 mag won't preform fine,it all comes down to shot placement anything centermass behind the shoulder will do fine,i've killed them with a bow and rifle just pick your shot and enjoy,it's awesome hunting these huge animals


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

johnboat my point is that if you put the bullet where it is supposed to be you'll kill the animal. It ain't an elephant or a cape buffalo and no one expects you to shoot like Karamojo but if you're going to hunt you should be able to put the bullet where it needs to go to kill the animal you're hunting.

TH


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*I'm just not that good I guess*

I have a LOT of trouble in the field with partially obscured animals I have never seen before that are much larger and of way different chest to back size than I am used to. The image is of a Nilgai, but very typical of African scenarios except imagine it much further away than the telephoto picture implies....and range will not be exactly 100 or 200 yds as at the rifle range (or your usual deer blind) but maybe 169 or 249 yds. The PH says "He's a good one...take him"


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## chad (Sep 7, 2006)

OK, I'm bored so I just read this silly thread argueing about killing nilgia........... What's up with the hate on bow hunters? My broad heads cut a 1 1/4" hole, that's pretty big right?

One of my all time favorite quotes: "If it bleeds we can kill it!"

Hunting with a rifle is for women, children, and the disabled...


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*Chad...bowhunting tradition vs rifle hunting tradition*

Its simple to me. This is the hunting board. There is a separate bow whatever you call it board.


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## JERRY C (Jul 27, 2012)

Totally agree with chad evryone wants to down bowhunters and the truth is gun hunters typically mess up shots just as easy as a bowhunter's,if not more!! Most bowhunters practice alot and most rifle hunters shoot 3 or 4 shells and then go hunting


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## Brushpoppin (Jul 24, 2012)

It's not the weapon, rather the person using it!


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