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Hog Hunting South Texas |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Posted: March/02/2013 at 19:26 |
Well, deer season is over and it's time for the real hunters to take to the brush. That's right, us hog hunters. I actually wrote this and had photos inserted within the story for a friends web site, but it is a Mac format and won't work here so I'll post them separately. Hope ya'll enjoy. Hog Hunting Feb 2013 Our annual hog hunting trip is definitely not for the timid or faint of heart. It actually starts several days beforehand, gathering up and loading a surprising amount of gear. Rifles, ammo, paper plates, gas cans and ATVs just to name a few. “If you forgot it, your gonna do without” Craig can attest to this, having spent the last twenty years hog hunting in South Texas. When you finally hit the road, usually around 3 a.m, you can already feel the adrenaline start to flow. A South Texas hog hunt is hard to beat for excitement. Speaking of South Texas, if you haven’t been there, it’s tough to describe. I’ve heard people say “There’s nothing in South Texas that doesn’t bite you, stick you, or sting you.” Personally, I love it. I like the prickly pear flats, the sand, the wind and even the mesquite trees. Most of all, I love the wildlife and the isolation. The weather isn’t bad down there in February, mostly 75-85 during the day and 40-50 at night. Go down any time after April and it’s hell on earth with rattlesnakes as big around as your arm, mosquitos big enough to have sex with a turkey, ticks, fleas, scorpions and an uncountable amount of other discomforts. You finally arrive at the Jarrel Ranch, and what a great ranch it is. Twenty-plus thousand acres of brush country without a single thing that resembles an oak, pine or pecan tree. Nope, not even a cedar tree can live here. The terrain here varies from valleys to low hills, rocky areas with sparse vegetation to sandy areas with almost impenetrable cactus and scrub brush. A newcomer will instantly wonder how in the hell anything can live here. After a couple of hours unpacking the the hundreds of items you loaded - it’s on! Time for a 4 wheeler ride to pick the areas you want to hunt. Now how do you pick a great area for hogs? We think it needs to be thick with water close by and long, straight sandy senderos that you can see down at night, and drive on quietly. Gravel senderos built by the oil companies for big trucks to drive on typically don’t pan out. We’ve been here several times before though, and already know the best area. It’s the area surrounding the cabin. You have two big ponds close by, all the senderos are light colored, long and straight and the whole area is brushy. We have agreed that Rick can hunt this area. He’s the newest of us three and will mostly be by himself. Craig and I choose some areas in the middle of the ranch. The back of the ranch is simply too far and you use a lot of your hunting time driving back and forth. After an afternoon lunch and some more unpacking, you start to discover the things you forgot to bring. Ya’ll can ask Craig about that little detail later, its’s time to get some corn on the ground. What to bring when you go out to corn the senderos? Well, corn naturally, and plenty of it. I start with 100 pounds and may have to use another bag or two during the night. Take your loaded rifle, binoculars, knife, flashlight, cell phone and for me at least, the most important thing I brought, my camera. I’ve had a life-long passion for photography and don’t understand people who lack this. What if I see something that I’ll never have the chance to see again? I want a photo of it. By the time I’m finished corning my left arm is killing me but I have about four miles of corn on the ground and its getting dark. I have several spectacular images of the sunset, various cacti, and some javelinas. Now is when people are astonished by the number of animals that live here. I’ve seen jack and cottontail rabbits, lots of whitetails, coyotes and raccoons. I don’t really care to shoot any of the javelinas. To be honest, it’s just too easy. You can ride to within thirty feet of them on your ATV and they are all over the ranch. I DO wish someone would hunt them though. There are simply too many and they will get a good portion of the corn I just worked my ass off putting out. I still haven’t decided if they are brave or stupid, I suspect the latter. Either way, they don’t spook easy and they smell like piss. I meet up with Craig and ride back to the cabin for some coffee and to get some more corn. We hear Rick shoot in the distance and wonder if he got a good one before heading back out. Craig and I decide to hunt together for the first round. We’re both a fair distance from the cabin and illegals have been spotted on this ranch in the past. An ATV and a rifle would sure make their life easier and we are well aware of how tough it is to walk this country. We’ve hunted together for several years and have a system for almost everything. Periodically, we still manage to irritate each other just the same. Hell, neither of us has slept in about twenty eight hours. At around 1:00 am Craig spots a lone pig and we get off the ATVs to stalk him. It’s very still out, and any sound at all seems loud. We get to within 100 yds and he shoots from there, off my shooting stick. I glass for him in case the hog doesn’t go down in the middle of the sendero. I needn’t have worried, Craig puts a 180 grain E-tip from his 300 Win Mag right behind the boars ear and down he goes. As his legs start thrashing, dust |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Not sure how to get photos in the proper locations, so this is going to be several posts.
Edited by tejas - March/02/2013 at 19:34 |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Having a hard time uploading my photos.
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Another
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3_tens
Optics Jedi Master Joined: January/08/2007 Location: Oklahoma Status: Offline Points: 7853 |
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Looks like a lot of fun I hope we have some luck hunting near Huntsville next week. Love the quality of the pics. Especially the bobcat.Thanks for posting
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Folks ain't got a sense of humor no more. They don't laugh they just get sore.
Need to follow the rules. Just hard to determine which set of rules to follow Now the rules have changed again. |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Thanx, I'll add more photos later. I shot hundreds which is my norm.
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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More pics:
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Saw lots of nice bucks.
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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More bucks
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Mexican Eagle
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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More Mexican Eagles.
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Can't turn down a shot of a beautiful South Texas sunset.
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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This isn't a photo forum so this is my last one:
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Dogger
Optics Jedi Master Joined: January/02/2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Status: Offline Points: 8921 |
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Sounds like a fun hunt. Thanks for the story and the pics.
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God save the Empire!
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bugsNbows
Optics God bowsNbugs Joined: March/10/2008 Location: North Georgia Status: Offline Points: 11201 |
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Great pics. Ya gotta Love Texas!!!
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If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
Anomymous |
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cheaptrick
MODERATOR Joined: September/27/2004 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 20844 |
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Always enjoy your threads! Great stuff!
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If at first you don't secede...try..try again.
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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Nice pics and story, Tejas! Thanks for sharing your hunt with us!
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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Kickboxer
MODERATOR Moderator Joined: February/13/2008 Status: Offline Points: 23679 |
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I really enjoyed that, Tejas. I'm going hog hunting in Texas in the March/April timeframe. I hope to see some things similar to what you've depicted. Great stuff...
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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.
There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living |
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stickbow46
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: January/07/2009 Location: Benton, Pa Status: Offline Points: 4678 |
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Thanks for sharing,great pics looks like alot of fun.
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Pearls of Wisdom are Heard not Spoken
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coyote95
Optics Master Joined: January/24/2009 Location: michigan Status: Offline Points: 1196 |
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Really enjoyed story and your pictures are great.... thanks for sharing.
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"Life is like riding a bicycle . To keep balance you must keep moving" Albert Einstein
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