HOGS HOGS HOGS!
03-08-2009, 11:45 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 12
HOGS HOGS HOGS!
We just opened up a new ranch in SW Texas and this place is covered in hogs. Mike headed out to check some of the fences and had a "Close Encounter of the Pork Kind" with a 450-500 lb. boar. It got a little scary as he walked up on the boar high up on one of the ridges and they were both surprised to say the least. Actually Mike was lucky as this big hog just wanted to get out of there and gave him a little warning as he went past. Mike had picked up his leg in reflex and good thing he did...boar cut through his jeans and snake proof boots about an inch from the top of his boot...clean through without even really trying. Had Mike not picked his leg up so high, it would have cut him in the upper thigh and that would have been really bad. So we were fortunate all the way around. We have some other big hogs coming in to the feeders but this was the first time Mike has seen this brute.
I tried to post a pic of another big hog that has taken up residence at one of the feeders...He is as big as some of the our axis deer! But Mike says this one is at least a 1/3 smaller than the big one he got way too close too the other day. My game camera pics are too big for here and I am on my laptop and do not have any editing software on here but will try and get a pic up a little later.
I tried to post a pic of another big hog that has taken up residence at one of the feeders...He is as big as some of the our axis deer! But Mike says this one is at least a 1/3 smaller than the big one he got way too close too the other day. My game camera pics are too big for here and I am on my laptop and do not have any editing software on here but will try and get a pic up a little later.
03-15-2009, 12:51 PM
#6
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Trumbull County, Ohio
Posts: 9,520
RE: HOGS HOGS HOGS!
Also to clarify. If someone wants to hunt high fence, has the money to do so, and doesn't mind than great. I don't care, I was just saying for me, high fence no way. I probably just shouldn't have posted as I was mainly bored. But I did spend around ten minutes reading on their site before posting and it was just my opinion. Sorry!
-Jake
-Jake
03-15-2009, 05:33 PM
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 141
RE: HOGS HOGS HOGS!
Hey sir, no problem. Thought you might have missed that. I have hunted high fence once, can't say whether I would do it again or not. I wantto kill a good axis, preferably in velvet. If I have to hunt high fence to get one i will. I don't have very deep pockets so it would be a one-shot deal for me.
ORIGINAL: Bocajnala
Also to clarify. If someone wants to hunt high fence, has the money to do so, and doesn't mind than great. I don't care, I was just saying for me, high fence no way. I probably just shouldn't have posted as I was mainly bored. But I did spend around ten minutes reading on their site before posting and it was just my opinion. Sorry!
-Jake
Also to clarify. If someone wants to hunt high fence, has the money to do so, and doesn't mind than great. I don't care, I was just saying for me, high fence no way. I probably just shouldn't have posted as I was mainly bored. But I did spend around ten minutes reading on their site before posting and it was just my opinion. Sorry!
-Jake
03-15-2009, 08:30 PM
#8
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Trumbull County, Ohio
Posts: 9,520
RE: HOGS HOGS HOGS!
ORIGINAL: dbblung
Hey sir, no problem. Thought you might have missed that. I have hunted high fence once, can't say whether I would do it again or not. I wantto kill a good axis, preferably in velvet. If I have to hunt high fence to get one i will. I don't have very deep pockets so it would be a one-shot deal for me.
Hey sir, no problem. Thought you might have missed that. I have hunted high fence once, can't say whether I would do it again or not. I wantto kill a good axis, preferably in velvet. If I have to hunt high fence to get one i will. I don't have very deep pockets so it would be a one-shot deal for me.
ORIGINAL: Bocajnala
Also to clarify. If someone wants to hunt high fence, has the money to do so, and doesn't mind than great. I don't care, I was just saying for me, high fence no way. I probably just shouldn't have posted as I was mainly bored. But I did spend around ten minutes reading on their site before posting and it was just my opinion. Sorry!
-Jake
Also to clarify. If someone wants to hunt high fence, has the money to do so, and doesn't mind than great. I don't care, I was just saying for me, high fence no way. I probably just shouldn't have posted as I was mainly bored. But I did spend around ten minutes reading on their site before posting and it was just my opinion. Sorry!
-Jake
-Jake
03-17-2009, 07:01 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Coralville, IA. USA
Posts: 3,802
RE: HOGS HOGS HOGS!
I looked over their website, and I wouldn't mind going hog hunting, and $400 for two days/nights with two hogs included seems pretty reasonable, some of the other things I read make me a little nervous. For instance, they talk about there being no trophy fees... except when they feel like charging trophy fees for "exceptional animals." Ok, so I see a big animal, so I shoot it thinking that I won't have to pay more, only to find out that they decide after the fact that I've got to pay an arbitrary trophy fee because it's bigger than some unstated size and therefore "exceptional." And I also noticed that the trophy fee is not specifically disclosed (that I could find). Most hog hunting outfitters and guide services state their fees up front, so you know that if you shoot a hog over "X" pounds you're charged "Y" dollars per pound trophy fee.
There is also talk of animal "replacement fees" in case you shoot the wrong animal. I understand this if you're hunting whitetails and shoot a ram or an elk, but it also applies to nursing sows. Now, I've never hunted hogs, but what happens if you see and shoot the sow before you see her piglets? Instant big fee. I don't know how likely that would be, but it seems like a good way to get into trouble and have what seemed to be a good value hunt turn into a major unexpected outlay of funds in a hurry.
I'm not trying to say that I necessarily think that they are up to no good, or intend to fleece their clients with hidden fees, but something about them just doesn't sit right with me.
As for the high fence thing... well, my position really depends on how big the area is that's fenced in. If the area is basically a livestock confinement and feedlot operation where animals are relatively tame and don't have room to roam, then I don't like it and wouldn't do it myself. But if the high fences encircle thousands of acres of wild country, and the animals essentially roam freely and survive within the large fenced on their own, then I don't really mind. There are ranches out in the west and southwest that span tens of thousands of acres, so I don't think that putting a big fence around a 50,000 acre ranch is an ethical problem. Putting a high fence around 20 acres is, in my opinion.
Mike
There is also talk of animal "replacement fees" in case you shoot the wrong animal. I understand this if you're hunting whitetails and shoot a ram or an elk, but it also applies to nursing sows. Now, I've never hunted hogs, but what happens if you see and shoot the sow before you see her piglets? Instant big fee. I don't know how likely that would be, but it seems like a good way to get into trouble and have what seemed to be a good value hunt turn into a major unexpected outlay of funds in a hurry.
I'm not trying to say that I necessarily think that they are up to no good, or intend to fleece their clients with hidden fees, but something about them just doesn't sit right with me.
As for the high fence thing... well, my position really depends on how big the area is that's fenced in. If the area is basically a livestock confinement and feedlot operation where animals are relatively tame and don't have room to roam, then I don't like it and wouldn't do it myself. But if the high fences encircle thousands of acres of wild country, and the animals essentially roam freely and survive within the large fenced on their own, then I don't really mind. There are ranches out in the west and southwest that span tens of thousands of acres, so I don't think that putting a big fence around a 50,000 acre ranch is an ethical problem. Putting a high fence around 20 acres is, in my opinion.
Mike
03-17-2009, 08:33 PM
#10
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 12
RE: HOGS HOGS HOGS!
Hi All....
I wasn't going to respond to the posts at first (well other than by PM) but feel I need to address a couple of things. First off...DBBLUNG...come down anytime you can, we would love to have you. And thank you for the nice comments. If there is anything we can do to accomodate you, we will certainly do our best. Secondly, BOCAJNALA...it is a shame that you have nothing other to do in your boredom than be so negative towards other people. But hey you can't please everyone and there are just those people in the world who thrive on negativity. Enough said. Next, DRIFTRIDER, I want to thank you as well for your post and would like to clear up a couple of things that you mentioned. The website is still a work in progress and you did make me catch a couple of things that perhaps I need to be more clear about on the website...just part of the process of working out the kinks but I want you and anyone else to be clear on our intentions and how we aim to do things at our ranch. Regarding the trophy fees, no there are normally no trophy fees. We do have a couple of very big blackbucks and a couple of Gold Medal Axis. Those do have a trophy fee and that is stated UP FRONT to anyone who is going to be hunting those species. All Super-Exotics have a trophy fee in addition to a day rate if one is harvested. We do have that any whitetails over 160 will have a trophy fee. All of this will be disclosed up front of anyone hunting those species. There will never be any surprises. We never have any trophy fee on rams, turkeys, or hogs. If someone comes in and kills that 450 pounder (hog) witha bow...right now that will cost them $200 (unless they choose to hunt more than 2 days) and they still get another hog as well. If someone shoots a piggy sow, and we feel it was by accident...we wouldn't enforce that replacement fee. But we do have to have replacement fees. If we do not, there will be hunters who will take advantage of the situation and that is unfortunate. It is up to us how strict we enforce it, but on something like hogs...it would have to be just a blatent disregard for our rules that would make us tack on a replacement fee on a hog. I do think I need to go and clarify some points on our website and will do so the next update I make as soon as possible. So I do again thank you for your statements. The whole point of a replacement fee (to us anyway) is to make sure the hunter can identify what they are shooting at and to discourage them taking a shot at something then cannot actually be sure of but do it anyway just because the animal is there. As for the high fence topic...I know this is a sore subject to some people....and I do understand it and their position. I, myself, at one time always thought of a high-fenced hunt as a canned hunt more or less. I have been on a few high-fence ranches now and I now have a different opinion on that. Most that I have hunted, I quickly learned that it is not an easy hunt (I bowhunt only). And, I have to say our place probably takes that to another level. Our ranch is VERY rugged with an incredible amount of cover. Precisely why we chose this place to purchase. We can have animals 5 yards away andmany people would never see them. This ranch was not previously hunted either, so the animals that were already there were not conditioned already. We have also put a lot of animals on this ranch ourselves. We do want the hunters to be successful, that is why we are here. But, because of the lay of our land and immense cover, the animals are not sitting ducks...which was my biggest fear when we began the search for our own ranch. We want fair hunts...whether it be on the high fence section or the low fence section. I will assure you that I will go back and clarify some points your brought up regarding the website and thank you again for bringing those up. It always helps to have someones outside perspective.
I won't solve the debate of high fence vs. anti high fence in my lifetime...but I will assure you and anyone else that we are hunters ourselves andthe main reason for opening this ranch is to open it up to the working men and women out there, while keeping it family-friendly, so that we can share what we all hopefully have a deep passion for. We looked at a lot of wonderful places and some not-so-wonderful places before settling on this ranch. And the main reason we have a high-fenced section AND a low fence section is so that we can accomodate many different folks...no matter what their taste. Thanks again for your comments.
Sincerely,
Bobbi Kay
I wasn't going to respond to the posts at first (well other than by PM) but feel I need to address a couple of things. First off...DBBLUNG...come down anytime you can, we would love to have you. And thank you for the nice comments. If there is anything we can do to accomodate you, we will certainly do our best. Secondly, BOCAJNALA...it is a shame that you have nothing other to do in your boredom than be so negative towards other people. But hey you can't please everyone and there are just those people in the world who thrive on negativity. Enough said. Next, DRIFTRIDER, I want to thank you as well for your post and would like to clear up a couple of things that you mentioned. The website is still a work in progress and you did make me catch a couple of things that perhaps I need to be more clear about on the website...just part of the process of working out the kinks but I want you and anyone else to be clear on our intentions and how we aim to do things at our ranch. Regarding the trophy fees, no there are normally no trophy fees. We do have a couple of very big blackbucks and a couple of Gold Medal Axis. Those do have a trophy fee and that is stated UP FRONT to anyone who is going to be hunting those species. All Super-Exotics have a trophy fee in addition to a day rate if one is harvested. We do have that any whitetails over 160 will have a trophy fee. All of this will be disclosed up front of anyone hunting those species. There will never be any surprises. We never have any trophy fee on rams, turkeys, or hogs. If someone comes in and kills that 450 pounder (hog) witha bow...right now that will cost them $200 (unless they choose to hunt more than 2 days) and they still get another hog as well. If someone shoots a piggy sow, and we feel it was by accident...we wouldn't enforce that replacement fee. But we do have to have replacement fees. If we do not, there will be hunters who will take advantage of the situation and that is unfortunate. It is up to us how strict we enforce it, but on something like hogs...it would have to be just a blatent disregard for our rules that would make us tack on a replacement fee on a hog. I do think I need to go and clarify some points on our website and will do so the next update I make as soon as possible. So I do again thank you for your statements. The whole point of a replacement fee (to us anyway) is to make sure the hunter can identify what they are shooting at and to discourage them taking a shot at something then cannot actually be sure of but do it anyway just because the animal is there. As for the high fence topic...I know this is a sore subject to some people....and I do understand it and their position. I, myself, at one time always thought of a high-fenced hunt as a canned hunt more or less. I have been on a few high-fence ranches now and I now have a different opinion on that. Most that I have hunted, I quickly learned that it is not an easy hunt (I bowhunt only). And, I have to say our place probably takes that to another level. Our ranch is VERY rugged with an incredible amount of cover. Precisely why we chose this place to purchase. We can have animals 5 yards away andmany people would never see them. This ranch was not previously hunted either, so the animals that were already there were not conditioned already. We have also put a lot of animals on this ranch ourselves. We do want the hunters to be successful, that is why we are here. But, because of the lay of our land and immense cover, the animals are not sitting ducks...which was my biggest fear when we began the search for our own ranch. We want fair hunts...whether it be on the high fence section or the low fence section. I will assure you that I will go back and clarify some points your brought up regarding the website and thank you again for bringing those up. It always helps to have someones outside perspective.
I won't solve the debate of high fence vs. anti high fence in my lifetime...but I will assure you and anyone else that we are hunters ourselves andthe main reason for opening this ranch is to open it up to the working men and women out there, while keeping it family-friendly, so that we can share what we all hopefully have a deep passion for. We looked at a lot of wonderful places and some not-so-wonderful places before settling on this ranch. And the main reason we have a high-fenced section AND a low fence section is so that we can accomodate many different folks...no matter what their taste. Thanks again for your comments.
Sincerely,
Bobbi Kay