It's a shame the tags are only once-in-a-lifetime. I'd be back in the pot in a minute if they weren't. Fun to hunt and great to eat. But I had my chance in 2000 and my fiance got hers this year. Both of us shot big cows, so we're done.
The 500 "off-range" tags will probably be harder to get this year than the lifetime tags due to the number of applicants. Everybody and his dog is putting in for them. I was told by the G&F office here in Las Cruces that there were 5,000 applicants for the 500 tags last year. I imagine that will at least double this year because of all the publicity these critters are getting. I think they're going to try to kill them off (like the barbary sheep and the ibex), so if you're interested, better get in while the gettin's good! The next couple of years will be the hey-days for oryx hunting here.
This year they offered 200 "on-range" depredation tags. That's where they call you up when they have problem animals on the missile range or other mlitary installations.
Unfortunately, the application deadline for both types of depredation (500 "off-range" and 200 "on-range") was February 9. The deadline for the regular "trophy" hunts is April 20, so you can still get in on that.
If anybody puts in for them and actually gets a tag, let me know. I would be willing to answer any questions I can.
