Texas hunt

[iahntr]

Well guys, not really any big, wild stories to tell from the Texas trip. Sorry, not even much for pictures.
We had a good time. Saw a lot of pigs, 3 guys shot pigs. I didn't end up shooting one, but it wasn't
because of lack of opportunity's. We would typically go out about 7:30 or so in the morning, and spot
and stalk for 3-4 hours. My first shot opportunity came about a half hour into the hunt.
Here's a few pics of what the terrain was like. ( sorry, even the few pics I did take weren't that great, I discovered
for most of them the camera was on some different setting, and they were all pretty much taken with one hand, bow in the other  )







It's a little different huntin where everything wants ta poke ya, scratch ya, or stick in ya.  When ya spot and stalk, lots of times if ya go real slow
you can hear em gruntin even before you can see em. But as you can see, it's not the easiest gettin up on em. They would usually burro into the base of the trees or cactus. There sight isn't the best, well not as good as say, a deers, but they can still pick up on movement, and the suckers can spot ya in the stands, there hearing, and smell are good. The first ones I could of shot, I stalked into them as they were feeding, and waited until they fed right to within about 20 yds. I decided to pass as it was so early in the hunt, they finally caught my wind and bolted. The first night in the stand two different groups of about six and ten or so came in, but were smaller ones. The second day spot and stalk I came close to a shot opportunity a few times but couldn't close the deal with a bow. The second night in the stand over a feeder was unreal. They started coming in about an hour or so before dark. The smaller ones would come in first, then every fifteen minutes or so bigger ones would come in. To make a real long story short, anything that could go wrong did, and I left that night shaking my head wondering how I just had probably sixty plus pigs in front front of me, and never got a shot off.  The third morning spot and stalk didn't give many opportunity's, and we were pretty hot and wore out. My last night, the original plan was to have shot a couple pigs the second night, and go out calling for yotes or a bobcat the last night. Well obviously that didn't work out, so I thought I better go back out to the stand. As I'm sitting in the stand, I'm thinking " well, we have to be on the road at 3:00 a.m., that means up about 2:30, we get out of the stand about 10:00, if I shoot one, that doesn't leave me much time to cut it up, pack, and clean up before another 14 hours on the road home"  At the beginning of the hunt we all pitched in 10 bucks and biggest hog with a bow took the pot. Well so I decided that was gonna be my plan for the last night, I wasn't gonna shoot one unless it was bigger then the one shot with a bow. I had a few that were close, but I decided not to shoot. All was not lost though, it was still a good hunt. I don't gauge success by how full the coolers were on the way home. It was a good hunt.
            Later, Scott
Here's a couple pics of the ones that were taken.

[weedwalker]

Sounds like you still had a good hunt. Nice pics too. But what's the deal with the gang signs?

[possumal]

Weedwalker Ed, they're not making any gang signs.  They're trying to tell us #2 reminds them of Bopeye.   

[iahntr]

  Yeah, I forgot to mention that about the "gangsta signs" 
The name of the ranch was "Dos Plumas" which in Spanish means "two feathers".
On his website http://www.dosplumashuntingranch.com/  that's also kind of how he has 
the feathers. All his pictures he puts on his website he has ya do that.

[alscalls]

Sounds like a Great time!!  I would rather take a rifle though.....just so I could whack a bunch for the freezer....

[FinsnFur]

yeah, we got ripped off on pics

Looks like you had fun though Scott. And a well deserved break from the norm.

Reminds me of my trip to West Texas. How'd you like hunting that flat terrian? Quite different then around here isnt it.
When I was in Midland Texas, it was so flat those guys could watch their dog run away from home for a week.

[FOsteology]

Despite coming home empty handed, sounds like you still managed to have a good time. And that's what it's all about!

Stalking piggies in the brush is a blast! However, you have to watch out for the rattle bugs....

[possumal]

As much as I'd appreciate an invite to hunt those piggies, that one picture of that buzztail forces me to politely say "Thanks, but no thanks". 

[Todd Rahm]

Man I gotta get down there and do that!!!!!! Ya think my .454 would do the trick? 

Thanks for sharing Scott, I always enjoy good hog hunting pics.

[Silencer]

I smell Bacon !!   

[Hawks Feather]

Looks like a good time and that is what it is all about.  We have hogs starting to show up in Ohio and I think I will just wait and hunt them here and not have to worry about the stickers and biters.

Jerry

[HaMeR]

Looks like you all had a lot of fun Scott. Glad to see you got out for a while.  You've earned it. 

[iahntr]

If you were in the right area  I'm sure you could whack a bunch Al. But most places it'd cost ya more then it's worth. Many places in Texas do have a hog problem, but many places, or people have capitalized on that problem and it's huge money for them.   

Yeah Jim I kinda robbed ya all on the pictures,    it just seemed like it went pretty fast. It's definitely different then huntin around here.

It is a ton of fun stalking em FOs, it's pretty challenging, especially with a bow. As far as the rattlesnakes go, I had snake boots on, and the others either had those or snake chaps. I was actually kinda lookin for one, I wanted to take home a nice snake skin. We ran over one on the way back from huntin one night, I made him stop and I jumped out but it made it into the weeds and I couldn't find it. 

Ah come on Al (the possum) there just as afraid of you.   

I think your .454 would be fun with em Todd. 

I smell Bacon !!   

We'll see how these taste, I'll make em share a little. 

I hear ya on the "stickers and biters" Jerry, it really is somethin to get a little used too. Not just the snakes, but crap, every time ya put back on your huntin clothes and boots, ya find a new cactus thorn that was stickin to em, and now into you.  I was movin my boots around yesterday, and got poked by another one.  I think I'll be findin em for a while.

Thanks Glen, it went by too fast,  but it still was a lot of fun!

It may not be everybody's type of huntin, but if it interests ya at all, I'd recommend it. Especially if it's a different type of huntin then what ya get to do locally. With pigs in Texas pretty much anything goes. Use about any method, any weapon, day or night, etc. I like the challenge of spot and stalk, but it is kinda cool sittin in a stand in the pitch dark, havin em growlin around behind ya and hittin em with a red light that ya got mounted on your bow when they come in. 
Thanks again guys, Scott

[possumal]

If those buzztails are as afraid of me as I am of them, that alone would make their rattlers rattle!      "Me no like Mr. Tighteyes or Mr. Buzztail".

[alscalls]

 :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: