Just returned from west Texas...CONCLUSION.

[nineworlds9]

UPDATE #1 at the top.

LOL Shane I love the pic.  YUP, that pretty much summarizes it nicely, what we encountered man.

I wrote what I could for now.

[old_goat2]

That's cool, I grew up in Odessa, left there in 84, there was nothing like this available then. Haven't been back there since.

[nineworlds9]

Update 2 at the top.  I will finish this soon..LOL

[johnnyk71]

good stuff!

[Bear Heart]

Good story. I will be checking for the updates.

[T-Bowhunter]

Great Story! waiting for updates.

[Mike Gerardi]

[Supercracker]

Originally posted by nineworlds9:
[QB] And I'm tired and happy to be warm again. Well, the icestorm Shane and I encountered on I-10 the night we left for Texas made us suspicious about whether the forecast we had in the weeks prior was going to hold up.  After Shane picked me up in Tallahassee, Friday the 24th, we had to get off of I-10 somewhere past the Alabama border and head north to try and make to I-20 using backroads.  

Oh, you left out getting stranded, almost overnight, in a WaffleHouse in BFE Mississippi.  lol

[robtattoo]

TTT.....

[J. Holden]

Great stories!  Thanks for sharing.

-Jeremy  

[nineworlds9]

Got real busy with work and family today.  Will finish the story tomorrow!!

[3arrows]

What kind of broadhead were you using?

[nineworlds9]

Go to first post for story conclusion.

I was shooting a full length Beman Centershot, 50g insert and 125g Magnus Stinger 2 blade.  I had brought 225g Centaur Big Game heads with me, but went with the Stingers at the last minute because I was not confident in how sharp the Centaurs were, I still haven't perfected my skills sharpening concave single bevel heads.  The arrow with the stinger out of my Centaur, 58# at my draw length should have been enough to do the job. Hitting the shoulder bone did stop the arrow though, as the arrow was never recovered.  I am going to invest in a grinder/paperwheel setup to get the 225g Centaurs super sharp and once I do that they will become my go-to head.

[Florida lime]

Some of those dumb pigs aren't so dumb !          
 

[Jon Stewart]

Great story.  What does a hunt like that cost? Maybe next winter for me.

[nineworlds9]

I believe Mule Creek Outfitters regular rate for week long hog hunts is 750, but don't quote me on that, check their website or call them, they may change the rate depending on time of year or how many in a group, not sure?  I won my spot so didn't have to lay out the fee, very honored, but I'm already having thoughts of booking another trip out in a year or two with my brother or maybe my new pals who invited me this time     Jacob and Shaun from MC were great guides and the facility is perfect for some man time away from home.

[robtattoo]

Chuck, I'd be proud as hell to go back with you, brother! If you & Shane plan a trip to Altamaha gimme a holler. I LOVE getting lost in there!  :D

[Supercracker]

SHUT IT ROB! There is nothing in that place worth going there for. Nothing. No non insect or reptile life at all. Just loads of Moccasins and Gators patrolling the area and mosquitoes big enough to file sexual harassment lawsuits.

[Supercracker]

The group I saw that last night were big boys.

I was set up on the ground, backed into some brush and covered by a big wad of balled up old fence about 20-30' off the side of the road. It was completely dark but I heard them feeding and fighting up the road to my left. I turned on the red light pointed up and eased it down til the edge of the light beam was on the road. I saw some young cows milling around and couldn't see anything else. After about 15 seconds the "cows" started squealing and fighting. These were big pigs, and they were feeding down the road towards my position.

I got all ready to shoot and waited. Then I figured maybe I should stand up. So I got stood up slowly and checked on them again. Now that they were a bit closer I thought it might be prudent to get another arrow out and stick it in the ground for quick access. A minute or two later I checked on them and they were closer still and I started thinking maybe I should make sure I could shoot at their silhouette with no light to not give away my position......I also made sure my knife was unsnapped in the sheath. lol  The last time I check on them with the light they were something like 30-40 yards up the road away from me and I began to wonder if I really wanted to shoot one of half a dozen from the ground, that close away. lol  Being possessed of a long history of choosing adventure over good sense I decided that shooting would be the order of the day.

Sadly, just about that time they heard a voice (probably oil rig worker) carried on the wind and they were OUT.

Real shame, these were easily some of the biggest pigs I've seen in the wild. And I've seen some big ones.

[Fattony77]

Sounds like a great time! I was sure hoping you'd get to bring home some bacon, Chuck! I was really "rooting" for ya (pardon the expression, lol). But you have a great attitude (an absolute necessity for those of us who haven't yet tagged our first game)!

Good on all of y'all!