Texas pig adventure first! Hope on board! (Updated pg.4)

[sheephunter]

Near the beginning of the year, I got an email from J.D. Ross (bullcalf) asking if I wanted to go on a pig hunt in March. I decided to heck with it, I will find the money and go for it! The next couple of months were filled with sharpening broadheads, shooting bows, getting gear ready and watching the weather and moon. Getting emails from Topher who was the hunt coordinator who did a great job answering questions and getting info for us. He would also send us emails about the other groups and their progress on the hunts from the RMS gear crew and Marv Clyncke had me wound up and losing sleep over the hunt. As an added bonus, I got lucky and got hooked up with Curt Cabrera who got me in possession of Sarrells Hope! How cool is that?

By the way, if you don't want to read something drawn out, might as well stop reading now.....

Charley Brown

[sheephunter]

Two weeks prior, we mixed up our own hog mix of corn, beer and cool-aid.Finally, February 28th arrived and I couldn't have been more excited. I got off work at 6 and headed home to finish getting gear ready. What I thought would take 20 minutes took an hour and a half. Luckily, J.D. was running behind as well so I didn't feel too bad. J.D. arrived and we found that we could not fit all of both our gear in the truck. Mind you, this is a long bed, quad cab Ford F-250! I only took one hard case and one clothing bag when I went to Quebec for caribou and i am going on a hog hunt, in the states, half the time and three times the gear! Better to be prepared I guess....

Finally, at about 9 I say good bye to the family and we hit the road for Amarillo where we will catch a few hours sleep.

[slim_grim]

[sheephunter]

We arrived in Amarillo around 4 am Texas time, unload the truck and grab a few hours sleep. We got up around 9ish and go to the Waffle House to get something to eat. It is at this time I remember that my knives are in CO safe and sound.....oh well, too late, no need to fret, does no good. We have a good head start on the rest of the group as they are not leaving CO until this morning of March 1. Truck loaded up, a stop at Walmart for licenses and other odds and ends and we are off!

 After a few more hours in the truck, we arrive on the ranch and my stress starts to melt away and the wonder of new country encompasses me. Juniper, prickly pear cactus, Mesquite, yellow grass and red clay invite me!
 

 

 

and finally, the ranch house! A welcome sight! Time to pop a top!
 
The 70 degree t shirt weather was a welcome change from the 30 degrees we were leaving in CO. Good in some ways and bad in others, but I knew the beautiful warm days were not to last even the night.......

[sheephunter]

Me and J.D. were excited beyond belief to be here! His family life and work and mine don't give us a lot of chances to hunt together so it was nice to be out hunting with my pard again! After unloading the truck, Jay asked us if we wanted to take tour of part of the ranch and corn some roads? Heck ya! In the truck and off we go! The views from the top of the mesas we great and the damage these hogs could do to a road was impressive to say the least.

 

Unfortunately was concentrating on the view and did not take a pick from the top of the mesa.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

   

[TexasStick81]

Man I hope you landed one.  I was frustrated to have hit the ground blind and shoot over the top of a nice boar while I had Hope.  The Texas bow needs a Texas hog!  I'll be following along.

[pdk25]

[sheephunter]

The sun began to set and we made our way back to the ranch house. When we got back, the others began to arrive as we finished unpacking as well. i can't say enough how much fun I have in camp with others, especially when all of us are trad bowhunters! Stringing up bows, talking hunting and sorting thru all sorts of hunting paraphernalia is a blast to me! Getting to know others that I had only know thru brief emails before the hunt was interesting. Mark and Stephanie from Idaho Springs, Topher and Russell from the Boulder/Nederland area, Karl from the greater Denver area, Odin from North Dakota, Jamie from CO, me and J.D. from the Springs, and Jay (our guide) from Texas. What a house full!

   

The order is off in this photo by the way to the people in it.

 
I love this picture that Topher took of the bow rack.

 

My photo of the rack.

 

 

 

 
A few photos of our acquaintances.

[sheephunter]

I know, your probably thinking, is this kid ever going to get to the hunt? One word.....tough.

[sheephunter]

Eventually, we all headed off to bed, Topher and Russell deciding to be rustic and pitch tents outside. To each their own....a bunk bed sounded a lot better in my mind....especially when we woke in the morning to 20-30 mph winds, 10 degree Fahrenheit temps and blowing snow. Not what I expected for my Texas "warm" hunt! After breakfast and some coffee, me and J.D. started our first days hunt by heading towards a canyon to explore. Let me tell you that even coming from CO, it was cold!

     
J.D. bundled up!

 Marv has had good luck in this area so what better place to start? We worked down an arroyo, seeing beds and one hog who did not make it. Possible kill from one of the other groups as a few pigs were not recovered. Coyotes seemed to make short work of this one, as there are plenty of yotes around for sure (where is Thumper Dinker???).

 
   

We kept moving down the draw, looking for pigs and arrow heads (of which we did not find the entire time! Aargh!) Soon enough we worked down into a real thick area with hog sign all over, nests here and there. Soon enough we caught a interesting and new barnyard like smell......we headed that way north into the wind to which we had been crossing.....

[sheephunter]

Off to go put the kids to bed. To be continued.....

[Wudstix]

 
Pig hunting Heck Ya!!!!!  Love some Texas high country.

[sheephunter]

Definitely fell in love with this country in central Texas for sure! Where was I......oh yes. We started to move thru the junipers going slow, scanning ahead under the brush. We figured they would be bedded down under the trees, dug in like ticks! This is where mountain hunting for cottontails pays off, you have to go real slow, use binos and scan the brush for small details.

Suddenly, a flash of movement off to my left in the direction of J.D. (we had been working about 30 or so yards apart). There it is again, a flash of black! Then a flash of blonde/red! pigs finally, off about 60-70 yards! Where is J.D.?!? I work forward, slowly....keeping the juniper between me and the pigs and moving only when they move.....50 yards.....40 yards....there is J.D. ahead! He looks to be about 25 yards out from the pigs.  I position to a gap on my right in case the pigs head my way and tell J.D. to go for it and see if when it plays out they head towards me but hope he gets a shot! The pigs move back into a juniper to nestle together and J.D. inches forward. The front row seat to this is awesome! Unfortunately, one of them picks up on the movement and they blow out, heading away from both of us!
Excited and cold, we decide to head back to the house for lunch, hot coffee and see what the others plans for the afternoon are. We caught up with Jamie on the road, he stated that he had covered some country to the south but had not been able to locate some hogs. By the time we got back to the truck it was nice to get out of the wind! It had only warmed up to 12 degrees by this point and the winds were still 20-30 for sure. That wind/cold cuts to the core! The hot coffee at the house was very welcome.

[sheephunter]

Gentlemen, I am off to bed. Will pick this up tomorrow. Just think, I am only a half day into a four day hunt!

Tuned in, Charley!

Bisch

[Jayrod]

Awesome charley you have me TUNED IN!

[DesertDude]

This is what it's all about,   hunting with a stickbow.....What part of Texas?

[Izzy]

Waiting for more!

[slim_grim]

Still here. Exciting stuff!