Gary Reeder
in my shop in Sarasota Florida we took 10 hunters every 8
Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 11:35

weeks year round from 1987 to 1993 to Telico junction. On one hunt Joe had picked up a really mean Nilgai in Texas that had hurt a couple of the lady's ranch hands and she wanted it off her ranch so Joe bought it and brought it back to Telico. When they turned it loose it tried to stomp a couple of his guys. For the next couple of weeks it ran every hunter that came there off the hill. Joe was scared shitless of that Nilgai. We were up there a couple of weeks later and Joe made me an offer I couldn't refuse on that Nilgai.

When we went up the hill to where the Nilgai hung out, Joe said he was going to stay down at the bottom of the hill. he decided to hide behind a big boulder.

When we got to the top of the hill, Bugs, one of the guides, spotted the Nilgai watching us. He told me to take him while he was standing still. I had the prototype of the 450 GNR in a Contender with me with 350 grain Hornady JSP and the Grizzly in a crossdraw holster on my left hip. The Nilgai was getting antsy stomping the ground and looking left and right, I think to make sure nobody else was sneaking up on him. When he turned to one side I hit him point of shoulder with the 350 grain soft point. It broke both shoulders and he started hopping at us like a kangaroo. He was screaming like a mountain lion. I had done my version of a New York reload, in other words I threw the TC down and pulled an LAR grizzly in 45 Win Mag. As he turned a bit on the steep hillside I hit him 3 times real quick with the 45 mag. At that he fell and started rolling down this big hill. The funny part was Joe Meeks was hiding behind that big rock and when he looked over the rock he saw the Nilgai rolling right at him. He became one with that rock and the Nilgai rolled over one end of it and landed about 3 feet from Joe. I was pretty sure the Nilgai was dead but there was some screaming behind that boulder. When we got to the bottom of the hill Joe was still white as a sheet.
This is one of the shots with the Grizzly 45 Mag.

The Nilgai at the bottom of the hill with Joe Meeks and me


The Nilgai at the skinning shed