Edgar’s Oryx - Larry Weishuhn

“Gracious! That was a good burger! But it didn’t taste quite like beef. What kind of meat was that?” Asked Luke Clayton while we gathered around the campfire on the Becker Bottom Ranch near Kaufman, Texas. Before anyone could answer Luke added, “Reminds me of elk!” I could see Edgar and David Cotton smile.

“Pretty good guess. It’s from the elk I shot last October in Colorado.” Commented Edgar Cotton.

“Surely delicious. But I’ve a question for y’all. Ever eat any meat from an oryx, either a gemsbok, but especially a scimitar horn? It’s absolutely delicious, like elk only possibly a little bit better.” Proclaimed I extolling and oryx’s excellent table fare.

“Really?” Replied Edgar, “Guess I’ll have to shoot an oryx one of these days….”

Fast forward better than a year. “Know anyone who wants to shoot a scimitar-horned oryx, a long-horned cow with an interesting deformed horn on one side? She’s truly impressive! And, you know how good oryx meat is!” Said Choctaw Hunting Lodge’s Dusty Vickrey as we drove through the nearly 2,000-acre “Estate Pasture” part of the Choctaw Nation’s 42,000-acres property in southeastern Oklahoma. “And, I want to reduce our oryx herd. It’s grown larger than we need.”

I was on the Choctaw with Dusty looking for a bison bull. I needed photos for an article I was writing about Steve Hornady’s recent American buffalo hunt which he had bought at the 2025 DSC Foundation’s Gala, graciously donated by the Choctaw Hunting Lodge.

On cue, as we cross the top of a ridge we spotted a small herd of the striking russet and brilliant white colored scimitar horn oryx. Originally from Africa’s Sahara Desert and its fringes, oryx, both bulls and cows grow long backswept horns, resembling scimitar swords. Bulls generally have more massive horns that are not as long as those of cows. Oryx approaching 40-inches and longer horns are considered the “Holy Grail of Oryxdom”.

The long-horned 300 to 400-pound oryx started briefly then quickly departed in a fast trot. There had been just enough time to spot the cow Dusty described, her right horn like her left, over 40-inches long but at an angle that put its curled tip over the cow’s left shoulder. Truly unique! She indeed would be a prize. Had I not in the past taken a really nice scimitar horn oryx bull, I would have dug deeply in my pocket and taken up the challenge.

Scimitar horn oryx are essentially gone from their home range in Africa. Those which exist today in their native lands are mostly descendants of reintroduced animals from Texas, where their population on private ranches approaches 20,000 or more. Because of the efforts of private landowners who allow hunting to support the unique species on their properties the scimitar horn orxy still exists today.

I first hunted scimitar horn oryx on “The Wild Horse Desert” in far southern Texas where huge herds of the wild horses roamed during the early 1800’s. Hunting with Wildlife Systems I shot a really nice, ancient bull with a .375 Ruger shooting Hornady’s 300-grain DGX Dangerous Game, after a long and fun stalk. In his early life he had broken the tips of his horns, but, during his “golden years” had polished them so they were again pointed.

I had also previously worked a wildlife management consultant on ranches that had scimitar horn oryx on their property. Doing so, I learned they can be quite dangerous when cornered, wounded or simply in a nasty mood. I know of a three ranches workers where were skewered and seriously injured by the scimitar horn oryx of which I reminded Dusty.

Over a most delicious meal back at the Choctaw’s comfortable lodge, prepared by Dusty’s wife Nacolh “Think I know someone who might want to hunt that oryx we saw this afternoon. You know him!” Dusty stared in my direction, “Edgar Cotton!” I replied. “He and I talked about hunting oryx last time I was at his Becker Bottom Ranch. I’ll stop by the ranch on my way home and I’ll call you after we visit.” Dusty smiled broadly recalling Edgar and his son David.

Edgar and David, at my suggestion, initially hunted Eastern turkeys on the Choctaw. A year later I asked Dusty if the two could come hunt black bear the same time I was slated to hunt, the first week of October 2025. Unfortunately, I ended up in the hospital during Oklahoma’s black bear archery season opener, and did not get to hunt.

Edgar, then 85, and David, however were able to make the hunt. Thus, Dusty and I, from my hospital bed, formulated a plan that resulted in both taking bears with their crossbows the first evening of the season out of the same blind. Edgar’s bear weighed 347-pounds. David’s was a little smaller. Thankfully Jeff Rice was with them in the blind to film their hunt for our weekly “A Sportsman’s Life” television show on CarbonTV.com and also our YouTube Channel of the same title.

Back on the Becker Bottom Ranch with Edgar and David, I had just started describing the oryx Dusty said was available when Edgar interrupted me. “Call Dusty and tell him I want to do the hunt.” I did, and, the hunt was on. Next day I got a call from David, “Can you please ask Dusty if there’s room in camp for one more person. If there is, Daddy wants to invite Rick Lambert to come up with us.” I loved the idea. Rick, beyond being the father of Emmy Award and just about every other honor that can be bestowed to a country/western artist Miranda Lambert, has long been a dear friend and occasional hunting and fishing partner as has another long-time friend, Jim Zumbo. The three of us are often referred to as “The Three Amigos”. I planned on being on that hunt as well, to help guide.

I arrived at the Choctaw a couple of days before Edgar, David and Rick were to arrive, giving Dusty and me time to do some scouting. Prowling the property Dusty said, “Last time you were here the oryx were spending most of their time west of the lake near where you and I shot that  hornless cow for meat. We’ve been putting a lot of pressure on them. Now, they roam throughout the pasture. However, the last few days they’ve been seen around the campground food plot. I had Austin and Terry set up your see-through blind there. It’ll easily accommodate the three of you. It will be a whole lot cooler than sitting in an enclosed blind. I think hunting from a blind will provide the best opportunity.”

After getting the Cottons and Rick into their respective rooms in the lodge, followed by a delicious afternoon snack, Dusty dropped Edgar, David and me at my blind for our afternoon vigil. After settling in Edgar loaded his 6.5 PRC custom rifle with Hornady 142-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter, and adjusted his 5-20X50 Stealth Vision scope (www.stealthvision.com) to 8x; the same rifle/scope/ammo combination he had used to shoot a really nice bull elk in Colorado a few months earlier.

The afternoon’s first animal seen was a buffalo bull, part of the Choctaw’s bison herd (www.choctawhuntinglodge.com). I noticed Edgar really eyeing the bull. After a few minutes he said, “If I had my handgun or crossbow, that buffalo would be in serious trouble!” 

As the afternoon sun started descending behind the west’s tree line, Edgar spotted an oryx walking in the trees toward the setting sun. I watched them through my Stealth Vision 10x40 binoculars and soon spotted the odd-angle horned horn cow. “The one on the far right, is the one you want.” I whispered to Edgar and David who was also scrutinizing the small herd of eight. I switched from binoculars to camera to procure footage for our “A Sportsman’s Life”.

The long-horned oryx kept moving behind a screening of brush. When a shot might have been possible she stopped in front of another animal. At one point she started to walk away. But then she stopped and faced our way. “I could try to shoot her where she stands, but there’s brush right in front of her chest… I’ll wait.” Whispered Edgar.  About then the oryx Edgar hoped to take again turned and started walking away. Moments later she stopped, but where there was no possible shot. At that point David and Edgar switched chairs, placing him on the right side of the blind, in case he might have an open shot before she disappeared.

Just when it looked like the oryx was going to walk totally away she stopped, turned and started walking back toward where the other oryx waited. I noticed two cows had calves, which had laid down. At that point I felt assured they were going to be there for at least a little while. We watched as the long-horned cow with the odd-angled horn started walking toward our left. If she continued on the path she was on she would step into a narrow lane, where Edgar would have a clear shot. 

She kept walking to our left, clearing the other oryx, but stopped behind a screening of brush. I could hear both Edgar and David say in unison, “Just a couple more steps!” And that is exactly what she did, four more steps to our left where she stopped, standing in the clear, mostly broadside. I heard Edgar push his safety to fire, then pull the trigger.

Through the camera I saw the bullet strike, the oryx buck, turn and run, but then watched her stumble just as she was about to disappear over a short rise. No doubt Edgar’s shot had been perfectly placed. I told him as much as well as congratulated him!

David called Dusty on the radio, telling him Edgar had taken a shot and it looked fatal, and to come with his “meat wagon”. We soon covered the 250-yards to where the cow had been standing when Edgar shot. David and Edgar followed the blood trail. I walked to where I had seen the oryx stumble, it lay only a few steps beyond. I waved to David and Edgar, who approached the downed oryx with caution after I reminded them of the old African adage, “It’s the dead ones that kill you!”. But indeed she was dead.

More congratulations, many photos before Dusty and crew arrived. A few more photos with Dusty and crew, the same which had helped Edgar and David recover their fall black bears, and we loaded the oryx to be taken to the lodge, where both the meat and the cape would be properly taken care of.

That night the story of the taking of Edgar’s oryx was told numerous times around the supper table as well as afterwards while some of us enjoyed and appreciated the “Old Fashions” Nacolh created for us.

When the morrow arrived, quite early, I noticed Edgar was sitting at the breakfast table staring at a buffalo skull.  Said he, “You know, that buffalo we saw was really in good shape. I really do like buffalo meat, and, a buffalo mount really would look good in the that new room we added at the ranch...”