Brians Adventure(trophy pics)

[Charlie Lamb]

Thanks for the entertainment guys! Chompin at the bit to roll south this morning. Having my coffee, watching the day break and listening to the thunder roll while I read your adventure.  

[Guru]

This is some real good stuff guys...as usual,very good reading!!!

 Charlie,are you headed down for "Sweat" already??

[Charlie Lamb]

Curt... I'll head out on Saturday. Got a stop to make in Oklahoma and gonna drop by and visit Mike Westvang before I get south to start the "Sweat".

Just that Curtis and Brian got me ready to leave now.  

[Guru]

Cool man,I'm jelous   :(     .Have a safe trip brutha!!

[JC]

Great story guys...waiting anxiously for the next installment. Especially the "bathroom" story  

[the Ferret]

That Charlie is living the life of Riley I'll tell ya..travelling here and there, hunting all the time. Lucky son of a...gun!

The-looking forward to the day when I get to retire- Ferret

[TexMex]

Great story guys, Gracias.

[Littlefeather]

In the smokey grey morning sky I could see promise of sunshine ahead. This morning had started dreary and much cooler. The passing of a cool front had ushered in clouds and misty conditions. It was the perfect time for Brian and I to head off for some more populated adventure. Thats right, sidewalk stalking for the perfect Pinata' for Brians little girls. We managed to scrape and bang our way through the bustling daily routines of 100,000 border dwellers. Allas, a shop with pinatas'. Just in time I might add due to the fact that my nerves were failing and my language becomming quite colorful in the rush of Laredo traffic.

With shopping completed, we were off to one of the finest eateries in the Laredo area. It was a place where the Texas Sweat participants were to meet in a week and a halfs time. We pulled up chairs in the truest of Mexican environments and eyed the floxom, dark haired beauties within.
With the fine meal complete, I eased toward the Bano'(restroom)... Much to my surprise, I found myself in an environment fit to enjoy for the entire afternoon. There above the latrines were Televisions built into the walls for your viewing pleasure. Im sure they've had to ask more than one customer to hurry his business while caught up in local television programming. LOL! I couldn't let the viewing experience pass so I informed Brian that there was a treat in the Bano' for him. In having said this, he headed off with quite the inquizical look upon his face. Ha, his return was one with a grin. A grin and a photo on his handy cell phone camera. Musta made quite an impression on him as well as myself..... Back to the Ranch. CK

[Marvin M.]

Never did care much for bathroom stories.  On with the hunt!!!

[Brian Halbleib]

[doctorbrady]

Brian and CK,

I saw the camp pictures and new immediately that you were in the same camp I hunted a couple of weeks ago with Jerry.  My beautiful hunting companion and I (yes, guys it was a girl) had a great time.  She was a little freaked at first by the housing arrangements but I felt like I was at the Hilton compared to places I have stayed in before.  We did leave you a bunny sized rat to shoot at though.  I was going to whack him but he made it under the upstairs bunk a little too fast.  I whacked a decent pig, and my girlfriend and I both missed a pig.  I had a young javie almost run me over when it was spooked by a cow feeding up on the pipeline.  I had just gotten in front of the 2 bigger pigs in the group when the cow startled the smaller javie in the lead.  It turned and nearly plowed into me.  In retrospect, I guess I could have whacked it through the front of the skull at petting range, but at the time I was trying to get plowed through.  I stood up when the pig was about 1 yard away and it turned off track. The bigger javies also bolted at all of the comotion and I just couldn't get back in place for a shot.  Aside from that encounter we saw only a few javelina during the trip, but plenty of hogs.  They would get real scarce, though once you hunted a location a time or two.  I suspect the 4 javelina you have pictures of are at the "double stand".  I did see them one afternoon at that spot, but the swirling wind kept me from being able to hunt there again.  I can't wait to hear the rest of your adventure.  I wish I was heading back down this weekend!  Brady

[Littlefeather]

Somewhat late arrival back to the ranch put us into high gear. The Sun was quickly approaching the horizon and we already knew there was adventure ahead. Brian once again choose the spot where he repeatedly been bumfungled by the javelina and hogs. I can't say I blame him. Afterall, there was obviously more game in that one area than six men could shoot so why not return?

Id dropped Brian off at his spot and decided myself to return to the area that had granted me success in shooting the first hog of this trip. I was more in a relaxed mode this evening and spent more time searching out arrowheads and soaking in some sunshine. In my short travels this evening I managed to connect with 4 more bunnies. As the greys of evening started their daily migration toward darkness, hogs appeared once again. Today they appeared at a great distance and I must put forth measurable effort to gain ground on them. Once I close the gap to a fairly safe distance, the pigs get swallowed up by the landscape. I am once again alone in the sea of cactus.

I started making mathmatical equasions in my head at this moment. Somewhere in my calculations I decided that the hogs must be in route to a feeder that was some distance away. I wasted no time as I raced the clock toward nightfall. I found myself at a dead run to get ahead of the pigs to the route I felt they would surely take. My calculations proved correct and as I dropped by pack heavily laden with gear, I can hear the pigs hooves against the hard ground as they scurry forward in my direction. I snuggle tighter against a prickley pear cactus trying as I may to stear clear of this plants impending doom. My bow is ready, my nerves loosely in tact, and the wind very much in my favor. I'll now be at the mercy of the pigs..... And as so ofter happens in this difficult game, I find myself deeply absorbed by the darkness of another wonderful South Texas evening. I will be forced to fold this hand to the pigs as darkness will no longer support my sight. As I slip silently from my hiding, I once again find myself walking with a smile on my face. Ah, what a wonderful game we've played!!!!

[Littlefeather]

Sorry to have missed you Doc! Glad you had a great time! CK

[Walkingstick]

   At one point I smelled a campfire burning from within the tangle of agony somewhere. I'd long wanted to catch some Illegal Aliens in one of their temporary camps to get some photos. Seems every hunter that comes here from out of state is horrified at the thought of crossing Illegals. I wanted photos with some fondling my Archery Equipment to show other hunters they are just extreemly poor people in search of something resembling a life. Many of them die in pursuit of these dreams and the only marks of their prior existance is their bleached bones lying scattered in the desert sand. Very sad indeed!

.....Curtis Kellar

Curtis, I enjoy your writing very much and you have become very talented at it too. You learn much about folks when they write over a long period of time. I was touched by your view of illegal aliens in this post. Most folks who live in this nation forget that thier anscestors came here much the same way and for the very same reasons as these folks althought they came through the front door so to speak. My grandparents came from Poland and Ireland to work the coal mines of Pennsylvania searching for a better life. They felt they found it but when I compare what I have for a life compared to them I live like a king compared to both my grandparents and my parents. Growing up as I did gave me goals, values, love and compassion for others. I appreciate your views on these people and I see you as a compassionate person and therefore I have great respect for you becuase of that. You have a great feel and love for the country in which you live and I know you would be a hard one to relocate elsewhere. Keep up the great writing and Brian isn't doing too badly either but he is probably too busy to keep up...Mac~

[Littlefeather]

Thanks Mac! Your support is greatly appreciated. I can't wait to share a piece I've written called "Immigrants Eyes". Gotta be careful these days though. With writing comes the responsibility to submit previously unreleased material. You'll read it soon enough I suppose. CK

[Littlefeather]

Camp life this second night was more uneventful than the first. Actually we made a short drive down a corned road to try and shoot a few cottontails. The wind had increased, driving the bunnies into hiding. All the same, I was tired and ready for some rest.

The morning cam proper this last morning. Nature called at 4:30am so I went ahead and started the coffee. Brian rolled out shortly thereafter and started into his morning routine. Two cups of Joe down the gullet and we rolled into the morning awaiting our arrival. The plan was to corn some roads that intersected in about a 1 1/2 mile square. Brian would defend his territory and I'd fend off and intruders on my end. Once I dropped Brian off, I parked the truck and as I exited the cab I could easily make out a very large form ahead in the dawning light. BIG HOG!!!!! Boy what a sight this guy was. He was firmly planted on open ground with no real cover in sight. I felt this would be about as tough a stalk as one guy could muster. Never the less I begain the crawl and sneak technigue I've become so accustomed to. Some 45 minutes of crawling along, taking pictures and freez-framing my movments as he would turn his body to face mine and I was within shooting distance.

 

The light of day was still quite weak but supportive enough to snap a pic of the bruiser before I released an arrow. I snapped several pics and lowered the camera to the ground. As I placed the arrow gently on the shelf I hear a stick break off to the left. I turn to look at the noises creator only to turn back and see my trophy escaping into the savage brush along the far side of the road. Another one eludes me!!!! Id later come to find that this big boar had eluded numerous other bowhunters before me. If I'd know that all along I believe I would have skipped the photo opp and gone ahead with a speedy shot. Things just felt quite right at the time and who could have ever known any different. On with the morning......

[Coop]

Great stories and pictures you two. Thanks for sharing those.

[Brian Halbleib]

Sorry again for the delay fellas. Lots to catch up on after being gone for 5 days.

OK, as Curtis said there was no campfire the last night and fewer Mexican beers, oh and the alarm clock helped too    :D  

My plan was to intercept these critters on the down wind side of their corridor of choice for the last few days. As the sun rose in the southern sky, waves of excitement rippled through me as I came face to face with my last day at this incredible ranch. The trip was already a success, regardless of what happened today.

I poked around the thick stuff first thing, occasionally shooing deer off the road as usual. I loosed a few arrows at rabbits and before long heard the feeder ring out down the road. I knew it wouldn't be long before some type of critters heeded the dinner bell.

About 15 minutes after hearing the feeder, I worked my way back to the road and peeked around a prickly pair to see 3 hogs heading my way, on the same route they took the last 2 days. I thought to myself "here they come, this is going to be too easy". I remained motionless behind several intertwined cactus with only the top of my brown hair covered head peering above. They just started to enter my shooting lane and I waited for one to turn for an arrow...

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[C. Lacey]

G'day fellas!    

Great story Brian and Curtis...and it looks like great country to be testing your stalking abilities too.

But I'm ever so jealous that you got those bunnies...I figure they ought to be at the top of the list for hunters.  

Fill up your coffee cups and keep yacking lads.

Cher   :cool:

[the Ferret]

Brian someplace you have picked up some very bad habits   :mad: