Scimitar Oryx Hunts

Hunting Scimitar Oryx

Scimitar-horned oryx are extinct in the wild in their native habitat of the Sahara Desert and regionally extinct in Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, and Tunisia. The scimitar oryx or scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), also known as the Sahara oryx, is a species that was once widespread across North Africa. They went extinct in 2000, but a group was released into the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve in 2016, then reintroduced back into the wild.

Scimitar-horned oryx bulls have a white coat with a reddish-brown chest. The white coat helps reflect the desert sun’s heat. Their meat is excellent, and their horns can be 36” or more. Oryx have a number of methods to cope with desert conditions, including letting their body temperature rise by up to 10° C, concentrating their urine, and removing moisture from their droppings.

Scimitar-horned oryx are white with a chestnut neck and chest, and their face and leg markings are cocoa to beige. The scimitar-horned oryx calves are born orange and tan. All scimitar-horned oryx grow long, ringed horns that tilt backward, sometimes diverging widely. When the temperature is high, oryx will spend most of the day sheltering in the shade and feed at night. During cooler weather, they bask in the sun and feed during the day to keep warm. Although scimitar-horned oryx usually live in herds of 10 animals or less, groups of 100 have been seen.

Oryx eat grasses and leaves but also consume roots, tubers, bulbs, and melons. They will drink water but can survive for long periods of time without drinking as they can get all the moisture they need from bulbs and melons. They also obtain moisture by licking the condensation on rocks and vegetation after a heavy fog. Herds of scimitar-horned oryx once lived in great numbers throughout a large stretch of North Africa and were declared extinct in the wild in 2000. But the animals have thrived in Texas, their population growing from 32 in 1979 to more than 12,000 today.

There are now more scimitar-horned oryx on Texas hunting ranches than in all the rest of the world. You may hunt these super exotics using any method you prefer, including spot and stalk, bow, rifle, pistol hunting, safari style, or from a blind.

Texas Scimitar Oryx Hunts

The Scimitar-Horned Oryx, which once held a mythical place in the minds of the ancients, now has a new home in the Texas Hill Country. This animal is a native of arid North Africa, where it is believed to be the animal that early travelers mistook as a one-horned beast called a unicorn. But, while the unicorn is relegated to make-believe, the scimitar-horned oryx is real, alive, and thriving.

The scimitar oryx hunts in Texas are generally conducted in the Hill Country region, about a two-hour drive from the San Antonio Airport. The scimitar oryx originated in Africa but thrives in the Hill Country terrain allowing year-round scimitar oryx hunts in Texas. The horns on the scimitar-horned oryx found on Texas ranches are the biggest in the world, providing the ultimate trophies and hunting records. Horn lengths often exceed 38 inches, with good trophies in the 38 to 46-inch range.  A male Scimitar Oryx weighs 300 to 470 lbs. and the females 200-300 lbs.

Because they are not as widespread as some other free-ranging exotic species in Texas, knowing where to go for the best odds of finding a big old bull is essential. Hunters are sure to encounter various other exotic species while pursuing scimitar oryx. With seasons open year-round for non-indigenous game, these hunts allow for perfect free-range combo hunting opportunities for other species, such as blackbuck or axis deer. Whitetail can also be combined during the open fall/winter hunting seasons. The scimitar oryx rut runs from January to March, as do blackbuck and some axis deer, which makes for a great time to pursue both species and dodge some snow and winter temperatures. Oryx hunting in the summer months is also very successful and coincides perfectly with the more intense axis rut. So many opportunities are available at very affordable prices, with the bonus of venison, hogs, and varmints.

South Africa Scimitar Oryx Hunts

Scimitar Oryx have also been introduced onto suitable game ranches, predominately in the Eastern Cape and Kalahari regions. Scimitar oryx have adapted to the climate and terrain in these areas and hunt them is allowed, Scimitar oryx currently can not be imported from any country into the US, but they can be hunted in Texas.