The long awaited annual sojourn in Texas for deer and hogs is less than ten days away, and I'm getting antsy. This time I'm determined to take lots of pictures.

KB

Kabluewy,
Hope all works out for ya'll and you kill lots of animals, eat good food and enjoy yourselves.
And yes, post lots of pix once you get back to "civilization".

GWB
PS: Where are ya'll hunting?

PPS: Shoot your hogs on a line between the ear and shoulder, about 2" below the ear. They will drop and paddle and be DRT. A hog's heart is very low in his body. If you shoot them like you would a deer, you'll miss the heart and they will run off.

Thanks for the advice GW. I'll do my best. This year I'm planning on shooting a fresh 308 barrel on an old L57 Sako action, which hasn't been bloodied for at least 25 years.

My Texas buddies meet me at the Dallas airport, and I don't do any driving. Each time I've been there I get a little disorented so about all I know is that it seems that we go for a few hours north. Could be north east, maybe north west. Maybe I'll look at a map this time. They have a lease of hunting rights on a working ranch. It's not high fence property. They call it the hill country, and it's a very different kind of place to me. Dry and lots of cactus and misquite, and some water resovours with windmills, and generally clustered with water oaks near the windmills. One of the better of these spots is where the camp is located. They use feeders that have timers and some of the best made stands I've ever seen. Generally lots of deer and hogs too. It's great because the camp has some really great guys, and we eat the best bar-b-que imaginable, and drink lots of beer in the evening, and curse, tell dirty jokes, fart any time we want to, and play some game using washers much like horse shoes.

They have a few camp rules, three of which are no gambling, but they do play cards, and no riding around at night, and no four-wheelers. They have one of those electric carts, which sees lots of use for dropping off the hunters each morning and afternoon and pick-up too. Trucks are OK. They say the pickups don't scare the deer and hogs nearly the way a gas powered four-wheeler does, because it's a working ranch and they see trucks of the owner's all year. It works for them and apparantly all are in agreement with the rules. Must work somehow, because I've driven up close on deer several times there in the electric buggy.

That lasts through MLK holiday, then we move down to south east Texas near some river swamp, and hunt only hogs, as I think the deer season ends with MLK day. We see mostly deer in the hill country and mostly hogs in south east.

In S. E., they set up the feeders filled with corn the week before the hill country hunt, so by the time we get there the hogs are used to coming in twice a day, so it's almost a sure thing to have a cluster phuck of hogs on the first morning. I just wish I was good enough to get one then another running. I suppose I could try your trick and let two align for a double.

KB

KB,

talkin' like that could almost make you an honorary Texican. The "hill country is southwest of Dallas.

If it looks like this...........









or even this...............









then you're probably there.

and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.

Enjoy,
GWB

Yes, it looks similar to the pictures, but not so many cedar. No exotic animals either as far as I know, since it's not a high fence ranch. Lots of mesquite and scrub oak, (practically an endless supply for bar-b-que) and several species of cactus, also in great supply in some places, from creep-and-crawl-up-your-crack to jab-um-in-your-shins varieties. It's a place where one doesn't want to fall down or slip down a hill side because you would be dealing with cactus thorns in your hide for weeks.

The country certainly has it's own beauty. As I said, I'm there for escape from maps, phones, time, etc., and just getting out of the airport, and out of Dallas just plain disorients me. I have little sense of compass direction from the time I get there till I leave, which is more of a relief than a problem. I just hunt and enjoy the company and eat bar-b-que and laugh a lot.

KB

KB-

Bst of luck on the hunt. We'll be anxiously awaiting your photos.

As to exotics, there are quite a few that aren't behind high fences. They are sprinkled about throughout the hill country, and they certainly make a nice bonus to any hunt.

I'll ask the guys about the exotics. Maybe I'll get lucky.

Yes to the pictures, I'll be sure to post some.

KB

KB,

Where I hunt is 20 or so miles from the nearest town. No power, no water, no cell service.

No high fences were crossed or cut during the taking of those photos.

No ear tags removed or air brushed out of the pix.

I've hunted over bait, for both hogs and deer, but never hunted a high fenced ranch.
GWB

Thanks GW for that info. The place where the lease is also has no cell service, and is at least 20 miles from the nearest (little) town. They use a generator, and get water from the windmill, and we use an outhouse.

I never thought about the ear tags or air brushes, but I did assume that you were hunting high fence mostly because of the exotics. I just didn't know any better, and always thought they were in the exclusive domain of the high fence, high dollar Texas hunt clubs.

KB

KB,

I have hunted with the same old farts for the last 11 years. We have what I call a "working man's" lease. We pay $1700 per year (went up a hundred last year) for an annual lease. Can go up as much as we want. I generally go up once a month and stay for three or four days to hunt hogs and call varmints and to just get away.
We can take two bucks and three does, turkey, unlimitied hogs, varmints, dove and quail. We have a 1,700 or so acre pasture, out of a 57,000 acre low fenced ranch. As I said before, I've never hunted high fence. I'm more of a meat hunter than a trophy hunter. I can't tell you how many deer I've killed, and never scored one yet. To my way of thinking, there is too much emphasis on taking a trophy. I'm much more interested in hunting with my bud's, sharing a campfire, a toddy, and a "lie well told" and the communal aspects of being in "deer camp".

Here is a picture of our "palatial abode".



Some of the guys use generators when they are there. I much prefer the peace and quiet. Coleman lanterns and stoves are much more to my liking.
GWB

Good luck to you! Looking forward to the full report -- take lots of pictures!

Geedubya,

Man that last picture sure brings back a few memories. Growing up my Pop had a great friend who worked for one of the trucking firms their company used. He fanagled us into many different places to hunt, and it was always an adventure. Several of them made your place look like the Hilton.

We hunted one place out West of Kerrville, had water from a windmill and cistern. From there it went to a big cleaning table outside, and to the facilities located on the side of the house. You had to put a pair of old socks on the seat cause if you didn't, at times, your butt WOULD stick to it in the mornings. That was one time and place it wasn't always best to be first in line. LOL

Man thanks again, I had some times with ol Pop and I sure do miss him.

OK, here's the pictures. This was my most successful trip so far. Seven hogs, counting the piglet. For the record, my shooting skill has improved, probably due to the rifle. Seven hogs - eight shots, and probably the one I shot twice would have died with one, but I shot it again anyway, since it was still standing. the 308 is an awesome hog getter. I was using Nosler factory loads, with 165gr Accubonds, and I believe they are the best factory loads I have ever used. There were lots of choices of ammo to order and have sent to Texas ahead of my arrival, and I think I got it right, since they shot super accurately in my rifle, with the 12" twist Shilen barrel. All bullets exited, and the exit hole was not huge. Every critter shot went down DRT or within 50 ft. See the big black boar below, shot through the heart. The bullet hole you see is the exit. He ran further than any others, about 50 ft, and was very dead when I walked up to him.

East Texas - sows at the feeder:



Got um both:




Hill country Hogs, near Llano:







Llano boars that were fighting. My hunting buddy and I got um both. I got the big black one through the heart as it ran across a small opening late with just enough light to see through the scope:






East Texas sows. Notice I took GW's advice and dotted them behind the ear:




Piglet for bar-b-q, and a bigger one good eating size. This red hog was one of the prettiest colored hogs I've seen:





More pictures:






















The rifle and the gunsmith/friend who put it together. It shoots more acurate than I can hold it steady, even off sand bags. It wasn't actually finished, but I took it hunting anyway.

NICE!!!!!!!!!!....

Congrats on a great hunt with lots of pork on the ground. Nice rifle too.

Awesome photos of an awesome hunt! Congratulations! Thanks for posting the photos up!

Great hunt and some nice porkers!!!

You had a great hunt. You have to love Texas. Did you do any hunting at night?

All hunting was in daylight.

KB

YEP... That there's the hill country! Thanks for the pics!