Hog hunting in TX, how do I prepare?

[bayoulongbowman]

A good pair of leather gloves that you can shoot in might have to cut finger out for tab use...mark#78

[Moe Monsarrat]

Take it from a guy who lives here, tweezers are the slow way. Use duct tape. Just press it down over the area of cactus spines & peel it off. Might lose some hair, but you will get them all at once. Besides, you may look better without the hair. We reccomend heavy 2 blade BHs like the Grizzly 160 or 190, the Magnus I, the Ace 200gr Super Express or the Simmons Interceptor 190gr. Your bow is plenty enough. A good bow quiver like the Great Northern or Selway will be useful. The heavy brush will hang on anything else. Be prepared for both hot & cold weather. A compass is required in the bush'cause it looks the same everywhere once you leave the road. Good hunting! Moe

[Snakeeater]

Moe,

My kids had never seen me without my beard, so one day I shaved it off..their comment, "Dad, grow it back...please...you're scaring us."  So, I guess I look better with the hair and now without it.

Thanks for the advice though.  The outfitter suggested a double bull blind, but that will be a bit difficult coming from MD to TX, so I was thinking of one of the quick blinds that are just some camo netting and some supporting stakes instead.  What do you think?

Snakeeater

[Moe Monsarrat]

Well, you can get a blind if you want one, but I never use them. There is so much natural cover in every direction, I only carry a small folding seat if anything. I also use a butt pad like turkey hunters use. Plus, blinds in South Texas can get mighty hot, even in the winter. You can put a small pair of pruners in your pocket & with the stool or pad & make a blind in a matter of minutes. Less stuff to carry means you can carry more water.

[Snakeeater]

Moe,

Thanks for the insights. Based on not having high ground cover I was thinking that just some camo mesh netting and some sticks to support it would be enough.  I don't know if there will be enough stuff to make a ground blind from where I will be dropped off.  A few yards of netting and some collapsible poles shouldn't take up too much room in or on a daypack.

Snakeeater

[so tx pighunter]

Hey Snake how goes the prep work for your hunt? Remember what I told you about using the Javi call? Well, I reinforced my advice, the hard way. I spotted about 8 or 9 squealers this past Saturday in an open little food plot as I was driving through our place but when they saw me of course the hauled freight I bailed out of the truck and moved forward about seventy fiveyards into the brush well without thinking of where I was at    (in a blackbrush thicket with NO TREES) I grabbed up my Javaleen squaller and let rip about four good wales and man did the pucker factor ever come in effect so fast. Every one of those suckers came back and were they mad all of them were popping their teeth and woofing at me. I picked out what looked to be the old boar and at twelve steps shot him a little high in the shoulder. When I hit him he growled and went into the brush and then I noticed that the others had shifted enough to where I could back out little by little I got to the truck and move to about where I guessed I had made the shot. I wanted to see if they would come back and I felt pretty secure so I climbed in the back of my truck and let er rip again and guess what happened they came back again. I did this a total of four times and they came back each time one time of the four the boar I shot came back. He finally layed down and was still but I had to run the others off with a shot in the air from my coyote rifle. I want to tell you on Javis to shoot low and forward and remember to keep a tree around just in case. Use that squaller IT WORKS   :D

[Snakeeater]

Well, PBS 2004 is just a few days away, any last minute advice on whacking a hog while down there?

Snakeeater

[so tx pighunter]

Hey Snake just Keep your shots low and tight aim right behind the elbow breath and let it happen. There are some rattlers movin around already my cousins and I are already catchin some BIIG ones. Gotta go ,be back later.

[Shaun]

Snake
I'm headed down there too but skipping the PBS and going right to the hunting. Been three times and what I find works for sendaro hunting is to carry a folding canvas chair (pick one up at Walmart when you go to buy your five day tag) I like the ones with no arms that cost about five bucks. Sit on the downwind side of the sendaro close enough to lean out and look up and down the road. When the hogs come out, stalk to them unless they are feeding your way. If they come out close or feed towards me I like to back up into a premade ambush spot a few yards off the road. Good hunting! Shaun

[so tx pighunter]

Snake shoot me an email and I will give you my number so we can get in a phone call and maybe set up a tour of where I guide. If you are gonna be in S.A. I am only 25 mins away.
Peace and walk the way of the hunter.

[Jeff Holchin]

Well, Snake, how was the hunt?  Did all this advice help?  Post photos!

Jeff

[**DONOTDELETE**]

As far as footwear.  I wear Danner lace up boots with 1000 denier cordura and leather.  Leather works the best for keeping the cacti at bay.  The cordura works great too.  Oh yeah, they're rubber soled and easy to descent.

What Dante says about the tweezers, listen to him.  Them tweezers are a priceless commodity out here.  That and a can of Off, Cutters or Outers skeeter/tick spray.  I've noticed that the Off doesn't scare off the deer the way human odor will.  Can't make no promises about the pepper pigs and hogs though.

[Snakeeater]

I saw half a dozen hogs while I was there, got one shot off and missed high over his back (27 yards, a bit far for me, shot over a bush), saw lots of jackrabbits, and heard lots of song dogs.  Thankfully I did NOT see any snakes or mountain lions, although they may have seen me for all I know.

There were also all kinds of birds there.  It was fun watching the bobwhites walking around and fighting with the pigeons.  I have never seen countryside like that before, it was brush and low trees everywhere, not the open prairie that I had anticipated. Speaking of anticipation, I expected it to be dry and around 80 degrees while we were there. So, of course, it rained the second day, and the temperatures dropped into the high 60's. Just another trip to reinforce the old adage to bring stuff for all kinds of weather.  The rain also brought out the mosquitoes and turned the roads/trails into slick mud traps.  We had to drive around to the back side of the lease and come in from the back side to get to some of the feeders.

I don't want to make it sound like a bad trip though.  I had a good time.  Beautiful countryside, good folks to hunt with, moderate temperatures, I saw some game, did some hunting from ground blinds I made on the spot and also did some spot and stalk hunting.  It is very humbling to think you are moving silently through the brush, checking out the shadows, only to hear a hog squeal a warning to his friends from BEHIND you. Since I have never hunted hogs or that kind of terrain, it was a learning experience for me.

I don't have any pictures of the hogs, but I will post what I have when they get developed.

[Brute killer]

from oct 15: "..... be accutely aware of your surroundings. Hogs will often "burrow" up under low bushes and you can easily walk right past them, not even knowing they're there. "    


Glad you had a good time and at least loosed an arrow.

[duckhntr]

Thanks to my buddy Bob Gilbert, he invited us down for a hunt before the PBS. Of course I had to deliever his new Morrison recurve      

[Jerryg]

Nice hog there duckhntr, who were you hunting with?  Heard he has lots of game down there.  Who is this Bob Gilbert guy??  Awesome bow you dilivered to him.  I was hoping you would forget your Morrison while you were there...maybe nextime.   Ill get one soon to stick them corn rats.      

Jerryg