Broken-Horn Oryx Hunt at BarBell Ranch | A Texas Hunting Story

Some hunts stick with you long after everyone has gone home.

This was one of them.

The Clark family arrived at BarBell Ranch on Friday with a simple goal: enjoy a weekend of hunting and put some meat in the freezer. We were looking for a fallow doe and a broke-horn oryx.

We knew the oryx would probably be the tougher of the two, so we decided to start there.

What we didn’t know was that we were about to spend the next three days chasing the same bull.

Friday: The Hunt Begins

Friday afternoon was hot and muggy—the kind of Texas weather that makes every mile feel a little longer.

We found the oryx several times and tried to get into position, but nothing came together. Every opportunity seemed to disappear just before we could make it count.

That’s hunting.

As the evening settled in, we decided to call it. We headed back, ate supper, and got some rest. We knew we would be back after him early the next morning.

Saturday: A Shot and a Long Search

Saturday started early.

We spent the morning trying to locate the oryx and get within range. After several attempts, everything finally came together around 1 p.m.

She took the shot.

The oryx dropped.

For a moment, we thought the hunt was over.

Then he got back up and ran.

We headed to the spot where he had been standing and found blood. At first, we felt confident that we would recover him quickly.

But the trail disappeared.

We searched for hours.

As daylight faded, we kept looking. That evening, we went back out with thermals and continued the search well after dark.

Still nothing.

Around 10 p.m., after a very long day, we finally made the decision to head back for supper and get some sleep.

It was a tough way to end the day. Any hunter who has been in that situation knows the feeling. Once you take a shot at an animal, you want to do everything possible to find it.

We weren’t ready to give up.

Sunday: The Oryx Was Still There

Sunday morning, we planned to switch gears and hunt the fallow deer.

Of course, as hunters know, the moment you decide to go looking for a particular animal, it can seem like every one of them disappears.

That’s about how our morning went.

Then something unexpected happened.

We found the oryx.

It was the same broke-horn bull from Saturday, and he was alive and moving.

Immediately, the hunt was back on.

We spent the day trying to relocate him and get another opportunity. He wasn’t making it easy.

Eventually, we were able to get some extra help and put a drone in the air. Several hours later, we located him again.

Now we had another chance.

We made a plan and started the stalk.

After everything that had happened over the previous two days, there was a lot riding on this moment. We needed to get close enough for a good shot, and we needed to make it count.

She did exactly that.

When the opportunity came, she settled in and made a perfect shot.

The oryx dropped.

This time, he stayed down.

Three days after the hunt began, we had him.

A Hunt About Perseverance

There was a little more behind this hunt than most people knew.

This young lady was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was just five years old. She has already faced challenges that most people will never experience.

But that isn’t what defined her weekend at BarBell Ranch.

What stood out to us was her perseverance.

When Friday didn't work out, she came back Saturday.

When Saturday's shot didn't end the hunt, she kept going.

When we spent hours searching without finding the bull, she came back Sunday.

And when we finally found him again, she was ready.

She finished what she started.

That is what we’ll remember.

More Than a Trophy

A broke-horn oryx may not be the animal that gets the most attention in a hunting lodge. It isn't about having the biggest horns or putting the highest-scoring trophy on the wall.

But that didn't matter.

For the Clark family—and for those of us who were lucky enough to share the experience—this oryx represented something much bigger.

It represented three days of hunting together.

It represented long hours in the Texas heat, failed stalks, a difficult search, another morning in the field, and one final opportunity.

Most of all, it represented not giving up.

Those are the hunts that remind us why we love doing this.

What Hunting at BarBell Ranch Is All About

At BarBell Ranch, we love seeing hunters take incredible animals. We love a big aoudad, a beautiful axis buck, a mature oryx, or any of the other exotic game that call the ranch home.

But the animal is only part of the experience.

The best hunts are about the people beside you.

They are about fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, friends, families, guides, long days in the field, meals back at the lodge, and stories that get better every time they're told.

Sometimes the hunt goes exactly according to plan.

Sometimes it takes three days.

This one took three days.

We wouldn't change that.

To the Clark family, thank you for trusting BarBell Ranch with your hunt and allowing us to share a small part of your family's story. It was a privilege to hunt with you, and we hope to see all of you back at the ranch again.

And to one determined young hunter:

Congratulations. You earned this one.

The size of the rack doesn't matter. The size of the memory does.