Story by Shane Jahn

The game of cat and mouse had been underway for a couple of hours. Glimpses of creamy hides augmented with oxidized necks and long arching horns of scimitar oryx could be seen through thick vegetation. We had been able to discern two old cows in the herd of a dozen or so of these magnificent animals. Seeing them was one thing. Getting a clear shot was another.

The oryx allowed us to get within rifle range during our first couple of encounters. Now they knew they were being hunted and easily evaded our stalks.  They kept thickets between us and clearly moving away as we attempted to catch one of the long-horned cows in the open.

Maneuvering along sandy roads that dissected the inhospitable landscape, we set up at times on a clearing, or two-track ahead of the direction the herd was moving in hopes of interception. When the oryx cooperated, they only paused long enough for a short window of opportunity to pick out one of the targeted cows. This was no easy task. Spotting these desired cows from the many was only half of the obstacle — having enough time for a steady and clear shot was a bit more difficult.

When the cautious herd chose not to cooperate with our ambush tactics, they simply paused in the brush, awaiting our next move. A couple of stalks into the countryside didn’t pan out. There were too many eyes and too much vegetation to get a shot among the mingling herd.

Had we wanted just any oryx, we could have accomplished the mission, but taking only the oldest cows without calves was the goal. The two old cows had distinct headwear. One was wide and the other had a characteristic bend towards the tip of her right horn.

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