I shouldn't be the one to complain. I have been fortunate to kill 28 pigs this year, a mule deer in New Mexico, white tail doe and a white tail spike.

I do have a pig tale that I want to pass along. On December 4-6 I took some fellow workers to the ranch we get to pig hunt on and they allowed us three cull bucks (8 points or less 4.5 to 5.5 and older). I was guiding for one of my workers as I had already shot my 152 7/8" mule deer and he had never shot a buck let alone age one. We set up in a tower blind at a cross road of senderos, watching two feeders. We saw several deers and unfortunately they were nice deer just to young. A large boar came into a feeder in the field we were watching and ran off all the deer from it. It was a big boar with good teeth. I looked the other way and another slightly smaller boar was at the other feeder, man the choices? I told my compadrea that if we didn't see a shooter buck right before last light, we were going to shoot that big tusk boar in the field. I couldn't hold my friend off any longer and he needed to spill blood, so he lined up on the big boar, bang went his 7 MM STW and that pig never got out of the mud hole under the feeder (dammit). I looked to the other feeder and low and behold the other boar was still there. I moved out of the way and asked what he was waiting for and the 7 MM STW barked again. This shot was a little low and the hog bull dosed nose first into the brush. The first boar wasn't going any where so we got out of the stand and walked to the brush where the hog entered and found obvious drag marks but little blood. I broke out the 45 ACP and flashlight and waded into the brush.

This is South Texas stuff that is not friendly in the day light, let alone tracking a wounded boar. About 40 yards into the brush we came upon the boar but had no shot and had to go around a large cactus patch. I shot the baor twice with the 45 acp and it was still bull dosing through that crap. We finally closed the distance as I crawled through a short opening I came about face to butt with the boar and he wheeled around and charged at me. I leveled the 45 at him and click, oh crap, talk about pucker factor, I back peddled out of there right through the cactus and thorns. My friend could not see the boar but held his ground to cover me as I bailed out of the danger zone. Luckaly the boar was satisfied I headed the other way and stopped the charge. After I got my heart out of my throat, I realized I went into the brush with a not full of bullets magazine. Quick magazine change and off we go again. Wasn't far we caught up with the boar and one more shot to the back of its head he was done, that's when we realized his first shot went through both knees and was not a fatal shot.. We caught our breath and started dragging this 200 pound boar back to where I think the road is. Again, the South Texas brush is unforgiving in the daylight but dragging a big pig at night is brutal. After about 50 yards I decide I need to make sure I am going in the right direction, so I leave my friend with the fresh kill and head off. A side note, my friend has not been hunting long, so for him to let me walk off and leave him standing by a dead hog, in the dark, with the coyotes howling nearby was a brave thing. I walked another 100 yards and saw my lights of the truck and went back and gathered him up, we left the hog for daylight. Off to camp to get some help with the other hog we left in the mud hole. In all, the group I took killed 10 pigs and three does for the weekend.

I will start another thread about the other hunters success, as it is a story in its own right. We had a blast setting by the fire at night, telling tales and giving each other a hard time. We saw game each time we went to the field and put some meat in several peoples freezer. Life is good.

It had been raining, the reason for mud holes under feeders.


My comrades


Second boar


Big tusk boar (likely getting a shoulder mount)


First boar

Good times!


Well, all except pulling out the cactus spines later...

Sounds like you had a good trip.

It was one of my most relaxing hunt since it was such a small party for me to handle. I usually am trying to put out about 12 to 15 people on our pig hunts, I only had three hunters to worry about this time. I didn't even take a gun to the field until Sunday morning. And yes I was digging cactus out of many places for a few weeks.

Congrats Harold! I'm glad to see you out among 'em again!

Bob