Nilgai Antelope come from India and occur over almost that entire country. Today Texas is home to more nilgai antelope than their native country of India. Originally stocked on the King Ranch in the 1930’s, these game animals quickly took hold and are currently free ranging on a handful of large private properties in lower South Texas.

Nilgai are a member of the Bovine family and the second largest member of the antelope family, closely related  to the African spiral-horned Antelopes. Some people refer to the mature males as “blue bulls” as the dominant males typically become very dark, taking on a blackish and blueish hue. These are large sturdy animals with mature males weighing upwards of 800 pounds on the hoof. Trophy size males will normally sport vertically oriented horns measuring 8.5 to 10 inches in length. Females can weigh up to 275 pounds.  The babies will weigh about 30 to 35 pounds at birth, and reach sexual maturity at about 18 months. 

More than 60 percent of Nilgai births bring twins. 

Grazing Nilgais sometimes lower themselves to their "knees", and when eating leaves they can stand on their hind legs for a short time.  Nilgai have a lifespan of about 20 years.

Bulls weigh 275-600 lbs, with the maximum about 660 lbs. Females weigh 240-460 lbs.

Habits. Avoiding densely wooded areas, nilgai inhabit relatively dry areas of flat to rolling country with a moderate cover of thin forest or scrub. The South Texas brush country is ideally suited to these animals.