With 20 hours of driving finally done I now had to endure one more day before I could start my long awaited Texas boar hunt. We spent most of the day enjoying the weather, overcast and 40F but a world of difference form central Minnesota"s -17F and a 20 mile an hour wind. A quick stop at the Coors plant for some photos and we were on our way further south. It was roughly 9:00pm when Nate pulled into the pizza hut parking lot. A quick hand shake followed up with some introductions and we were heading to the world famous 4D ranch. Nate wasted no time to introduce us to Herculeas, a 300+ lb European boar with a mouth full of serious cutters. Some how watching this beast beg for a "tasty treat" did not diminish the primitive fear I hade for these critters. The shear size and power of him along with a few stories would render me sleepless that night.
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The future of hunting depends on the actions of hunters and nonhunters alike. if we don't police the morons and slobs ourselves, we invite outsiders to step in and do it.
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The future of hunting depends on the actions of hunters and nonhunters alike. if we don't police the morons and slobs ourselves, we invite outsiders to step in and do it.
Five am, cold, dark, and damp, time to go hunting. Another round of introductions to our guide Randy. A few guide lines and then we started to make our way to our stands, I was placed at the "cabin stand". A fifteen foot ladder overlooking a small clearing with an impressive feeder. Off in the distance I could make out the form of an old shed. It was one of those mornings, you could just hear the fog rolling in. The morning sun almost peaking the trees, I can hear a faint beeping noise, then what sounds like a machine gun going off. I almost jumped out of the tree, when I realize it was the feeder. Silence returns to the oddly familure woods of central Texas. Time passes, I start to see hog shapes where there are no hogs just shadows and sticks. Then the tell tail sound, a crack that seems to echo throught the woods, something is heading my way. I see brown movement to my left, I stand up and ready my bow. Then I see the head" of a ram. I relax a bit as the two rams wander under my stand, heading to the feeder. I sit back and enjoy the show, when I catch movement from my right. I grab my binoculars but the beast has moved into the thicket. I stand and prepare fro my first wild boar, the boar clears the brush and it is here that I notice the yellow tag in its ear. A euro boar that gets a free pass, soon to be followed by its three other friends all off limits to my bowtech.
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The future of hunting depends on the actions of hunters and nonhunters alike. if we don't police the morons and slobs ourselves, we invite outsiders to step in and do it.
After sharing pictures and stories of the mornings hunt we sit down to a regenerating lunch. We are now prepared for round two in the woods. With some planning I am placed at the "gravity feeder", what I have been told can ether be a diamond or a chunk of coal. My cold has been ravaging me for the past three days, nothing but coughing and sniffling. The afternoon sun warms me to the bone and with a beautiful setting before me it is hard to stay on alert. Just as I start to feel myself slipping into a nap I hear rustling in the woods. I can see hogs in the distance, euro hogs. I have come to love to watch the antics of these little jokers. The sun sets slowly with no wild boars in front of me, but others hade a bettor night. As I climb down the ladder of the tripod, my guide Randy informs me that we have some tracking to do . My friend Tony has scored on an impressive hog, but his shot placement was for lack of a bettor word bad. Luckily the boys at 4D had taking the proper actions to insure that Tony"s trophy would be recovered. The boar had expired in a wallow with mud up to our knees, but ever the determined Tony drags the 180lb beast out on his own. An impressive animal, mud covered and sporting some nice cutters. Victory was in the air that night, even with some jokes about shot placement. A big dinner helped sleep come over us quickly, as my eyes sealed themselves shut I wondered what my hunt would end like. Was there a trophy out there with my name on it?
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The future of hunting depends on the actions of hunters and nonhunters alike. if we don't police the morons and slobs ourselves, we invite outsiders to step in and do it.
This morning was different, it was warmer. The bar had now been set, trust me I did not want to end this trip with Tony being the only one to score. I got set up at the "river stand", much more different than the wide open stands of the previous day. This stand had more cover and felt more like a white tale stand. The morning came up fast, so did the hogs. They came crashing in behind me, I did not have time to get up and into position. A big black boar cam out about a foot to the right of my stand, he was definitely looking for me and scent checking the air. Something seemed wrong to him so the big boar I had been watching disappeared into the thick woods of Texas. As my hear sank back out of my neck the feeder went off. Time slowly crept by, five minuets lasted for an hour, then I heard them. I was thinking it was the euros but to my joy it was not. Five hogs in all different size were making their way to the feeder, this time I would be ready for them. They started to feed, as I did my best to remain patient and not shoot the first one that gave me a shot. This is when I noticed the big boar I had seen earlier, just staying in the thick stuff. He was a smart one, letting the others tell him if it was safe. After a few minuets he decided that he would be safe to venture out, his mistake. He gave me a perfect broadside shot and I took it, with a devastating thud my arrow made a complete pass-through. He made it about 40 yards, I almost fell out of the stand. I could not believe it, four years I had dreamed of this hunt and now it happened. Well tracking a hog is nothing like a deer, even with two holes the blood trail was thin. But do to the impressive work by my guide we recovered him in a timely manner. The hog that I shot, I had been thinking would be a nice meat hog, he registered 150lbs on the scale. I was ecstatic, it was not the 300lb I dreamed of but bigger than the deer I shot this year. Well now I have a goal to break when I go back to 4D this spring.
I am now officially addicted to hog hunting and can not wait for the next trip. I would like to thank Nate and the boys ad 4D for the five star treatment, I truly left with some new friends. Well that"s the brief summery of my hunt last week, thanks for reading.
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The future of hunting depends on the actions of hunters and nonhunters alike. if we don't police the morons and slobs ourselves, we invite outsiders to step in and do it.
next time I wont write so much, but I got an addiction.
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The future of hunting depends on the actions of hunters and nonhunters alike. if we don't police the morons and slobs ourselves, we invite outsiders to step in and do it.
Nothing wrong with the writing...builds up to the big moment! Makes me want to be out there instead of working.[:@]Congrats on your first hog,and sorry to hear about the addiction that can't be cured!
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If it weren't for hunting I wouldn't work! Gotta pay for my vices somehow don't I?
05 Diamond Victory(thanks Greg)
The First Part Of My Hog Hunt At The 4D
