We got skunked this evening. We saw a few deer out in the distance but that was it.
Ok Frank here ya go.
My 6.8 is a Frankenstein gun I built several years ago. Polished mil spec trigger, 3-9x50 Burris fullfield II scope *** 16" barrel with a TBAC 30P-1 hanging on the end of it. I'm using a B5 SOPMOD stock too. I used a factory loaded 115 fusion that I've chronoed at 2418 out of my barrel in similar conditions (~40°). We sat at a spot with two shooters facing opposite directions and I'm the one that guy lucky with the Nilgai cow stepping out at ~185 yards as per the rangefinder. She stepped out facing left and gave me a beautiful broad side shot. I was using a set of primos trigger sticks that went high enough for me to use from the back seat of the truck. I aimed right at her spine in the base of her neck and hit my mark. She dropped straight down and was completely paralyzed but not expired. I let another round loose to let her out of her misery and again hit my mark but with the amount of adrenalin she had running in her I had to run over and place one between her ears which quickly and humainly ended it right there. I cleaned the animal there and we were able to wash it off and load it on the truck with a winch. When we got back to camp we washed her some more but weighed her first and she was 272lbs without her end trails, live weight would have easily been over 300lbs.
We sat for a while longer but didn't see anything else we were allowed to take.
Nilgai are very tasty in my opinion. They were originally brought to Texas as a possible alternative to beef but proved to be very hard to tame, handle, and keep in a single pasture. Today they are found throughout deep South Texas but mainly on the Sandy soils found on the eastern half of South Texas in high numbers and their range is limited to the north by their inability to withstand cold wet days.
I know I am not the first to take one down with an AR as aerial gunners use them for taking Nilgai that are processed and USDA certified fit for public sale and consumption, but I may be the first to take one with a 6.8 in a hunting setting.
BANG BANG!!
