The Hog Race

One January morning, two buddies and I took to the field for a hog hunt. Members of our party included my long time hunting buddy named Michael and college buddy named Steve. Michael and I have hunted and fished together for most of our lives, where as Steve was new to the hunting game. Steve had bought a new hunting bowprior tosummer and had spent five monthstuninghis bow skills for the up coming deer season. Steve was not new to archery, but was new to hunting. Deer season proved to be fruitless for Steve so Michael and I decided to get him out after the hogs in hopesof harvesting his first animal. This particular morning was shaping up to be a good one. It was a cool crisp Texas morning. A light rain had loosened up the tough Texas clay the night before, making it perfect conditions for a stalking, if need be. The land we were hunting was between two small West Texas towns, Swenson and Peacock, on a friends ranch. This ranch was home to cattle and a few penned ostriches. Michael and I have hunted this land many times, and found the hogs liked to travel next to the ostrich pens and wallow and root around in the adjacent wheat field. Most of the hogs harvest from this land are harvested in this area. We arrive at the rancharound 5:30am, about an hour before sun up. We decide to set Steve up near the ostrich pens, where he would have thebest chance of harvesting a hog. The ostrich pens are made of 6 foot high R-panels, so the birds are impossible to see unless they stick their heads over the pen walls. Steve did not realize what he was setting near because of the dark, and since the earth was wet, the ostriches made little noise moving around in their pen. At first light the hogs start making their way to the wheat field. Im watching them through my binocularsas they make their waystraight to Steve. I set back and watch, getting excited, knowing Steve is about to get his first chance at harvesting a nice hog. The hogs walk straight to Steve. Steve is in a make shift blind of tumble weeds and brush that he had propped up against the ostrich pen. I can see Steve pick up his bow and start to draw. Just as he starts to draw, the hogs make a turn out of his view. He waits patiently for a few minutes, as the hogsstart moving away. When the hogs turn their back to him, Steve picks up his bow and moves slowly along the wall of the ostrich pen. He gets in position to make a perfect quartering away shot on a hog. He draws, and just before he releases, an ostrich reaches over the pen and pulls his hat off his head. Since he did not know of the ostriches behind him, he was startled, to say the least. The ostrich plucks his hat of his head, he releases his arrow blindly in the air and takes off running. Now Steve is not a real fit fellow, but this day he could have set a new world record in the 100 meter dash. In the mean time, the hogs are spooked, but have no clue where the commotion was coming from, so they scatter in all directions. As Steve was running and screaming, he ended upalmost overtaking a hog or two and was gaining ground on the others. Buy this time, im laughing wildlywhile watching all this take place in my binoculars. Michael, who was set up about 200 yards from Steve, did not know what was going on. He hears the commotion and looks all around to try to see what was taking place. In a matter of seconds, Michael sees the hogs and Steve sprintingpasthim. Stevelooked just like he was in a foot race with the hogs. As Steve gets close to Michael, I can hear Michael scream, "Your not suppose tochase-em, Your suppose to shoot em." Today that is still one of my favorite hunt. Steve eventually got a hog that afternoon. I enjoyed the morning hunt the most.
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[/align]Is that more like it.


Here is Steves first bow hog.
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