I just go back from a wild hog hunt on this ranch with my grandson. The price wasent to bad without food and lodging but with them it was $310.00 a day for two each. The only problem was we saw no hogs and I also saw no sign that was less than a week or more old. Found out later tha a rancher next to this ranch was trapping hogs. Ifeel that a least there should be a chance to at leas to see some hogs if you are offering hunts. They check there feeders each day so they knew that the hogs were not feeding. Just a heads up to some one wanting to hunt there.

You ought to post this rip-off everywhere that you can. You just got "took."

Sorry to hear about that Charles.

I agree that you should post this up on all of the hunting websites that you visit, word will get around...

$310 a day?
come to SC and ill do that rate as well. i'll set up a stand in my back yard.

I saw your post on Greybeard and you kinda got bashed for your post, or at least that was the way I took it. I agree, if you are going to pay that amount of money, you should be guaranteed a sighting. Check out Texas Boar Hunters, http://www.texasboars.com and get with Howie, he will fix you up....

Bummer. I'm really sorry that you came up dry. How many days did you hunt? How did they explain it and did they offer for you to come back? Just curious how they responded to coming up dry.......

Where do you live/are you from Charles? I may be of assistance if you are wanting a hog down


Justin

They did offer to allow my grandson to come back free if I signed up for a $750 3 day bear hunt. They gave me no explanation to why there was no hogs and no sign. I live in central MO Thanks

I can relate to your frustration, we booked a hunt with "The Boars Nest" in Archer TX and got skunked after three days hunting. My youngest son did get a pig after they went night hunting with dogs and got him with a knife but then only found the one. Myself and older son did not see one after three days of hunting. Damned expensive hunting trip, no explaination of why no pigs.

These clowns should've called him and told him that the pigs were elsewhere but didn't because he was cash on the barrelhead. They have no ethics and should be exposed for what they are. We all know that to go out hunting, you have a reasonable expectation of at least seeing game not just old tracks and shit. Furthermore, they probably were aware that the next ranch was trapping pigs and didn't provide the information. If these guys were on the up and up, they would've called and rescheduled the hunt.

Yup, 475, you hit the nail on the head. They knew, and they kept it quiet so that they could cash in -- at least that's how I read it.

Well, I don't even know where this place is, but if it is a free range hunt, I can tell you that pigs are not nearly as predictable as some of you seem to think. One day they'll be in one spot and the next they might be 5 miles away. OTOH, they may stay in one small area for quite a while if the food supply holds out.

Also, trapping pigs is not the villain that you guys seem to think it is. Number 1, pigs of any size are damn hard to trap and Number 2, you can't begin to trap enough to hurt the population (see #1). For instance, one of my near neighbors trapped over 200 pigs on his place 2 years back and couldn't tell that it made any difference at all.

Again, I'm not defending this ranch, have no idea about their operation, but hunting is hunting and shit happens.

i would be a bit animated on this one, as we went through something like this 2 years ago... the @#$@$@#$@$@ had been trapping pigs, knowing we were coming... and then was a NUT about "shoot shoot shoot"... at night, in a cow pasture, at pigs already on the run.


also, he was taking pot shots at every pig he saw, to
"keep them wild"... 11,000 acres of river bottom... and they need to "keep wild"...

idjit

jeffe

jeffeosso, was this on the Camp Cooley Ranch? If yes, who was your guide at the time? Just curious.

yep, it was

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
i would be a bit animated on this one, as we went through something like this 2 years ago... the @#$@$@#$@$@ had been trapping pigs, knowing we were coming... and then was a NUT about "shoot shoot shoot"... at night, in a cow pasture, at pigs already on the run.


also, he was taking pot shots at every pig he saw, to
"keep them wild"... 11,000 acres of river bottom... and they need to "keep wild"...

idjit

jeffe

Jeffe, refere to Gatorgordo's post below! There are a lot of hogs in that 11,000 acres of Navasota river bottom. The guide you guys had was the problem, not the hogs, or the ranch!

quote:

Well, I don't even know where this place is, but if it is a free range hunt, I can tell you that pigs are not nearly as predictable as some of you seem to think. One day they'll be in one spot and the next they might be 5 miles away. OTOH, they may stay in one small area for quite a while if the food supply holds out.

Also, trapping pigs is not the villain that you guys seem to think it is. Number 1, pigs of any size are damn hard to trap and Number 2, you can't begin to trap enough to hurt the population (see #1). For instance, one of my near neighbors trapped over 200 pigs on his place 2 years back and couldn't tell that it made any difference at all.

Again, I'm not defending this ranch, have no idea about their operation, but hunting is hunting and shit happens.

xxxxxxxxx

Mac,
Wasn't my first time at the ranch, nor most of the other guys, nor our first time hunting hogs...

the guy had been shooting at every hog he saw and/or trapping them... the go wary and noturnal... if I wanted wary and noctural, I would have just hunted in the national forrest.

we.. 14 guys, hunted hard over 4 days... day, night, bait, bottom and stand... you know I like hunting hogs and have done it several times before

The guide f'ed it up, and worked damn hard at..
the ONLY reason we got hogs is we were willing to hunt as hard as possible, and keep it up.. stalking, walking, spot and stalk, cover near water, etc...

Plenty of hogs? Yeah, sure enough, and when we hunted with Ryan we saw them most hours of the day, and had fruitful locations, rather than the hogs being shot at (not hunted) every time they castr a shadow.



j

Jeffe,

So....you've also hunted with Ryan. I met Ryan in 2003 when I went on my Eland hunt, he was my guide. We became really good friends and still are today. He left the Camp Cooley and became a Texas Parks & Wildlife biologist down in Cuero, TX. In fact, I'm supposed be going down there next month for a few days to help him with some spotlight census'. Ryan is truly a stand-up guy and one of my best friends.

I just love Ryan to pieces... at the last STC hunt, well, it was funny, .. the guide was going to have the biologist come out for a count.. said "ryan".. i flicked open my cell and called him right there!!

was funny and great to see him...

heh, and here's a "pic" of him..LOL

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
Mac,
Wasn't my first time at the ranch, nor most of the other guys, nor our first time hunting hogs...

the guy had been shooting at every hog he saw and/or trapping them... the go wary and noturnal... if I wanted wary and noctural, I would have just hunted in the national forrest.

we.. 14 guys, hunted hard over 4 days... day, night, bait, bottom and stand... you know I like hunting hogs and have done it several times before

The guide f'ed it up, and worked damn hard at..
the ONLY reason we got hogs is we were willing to hunt as hard as possible, and keep it up.. stalking, walking, spot and stalk, cover near water, etc...

Plenty of hogs? Yeah, sure enough, and when we hunted with Ryan we saw them most hours of the day, and had fruitful locations, rather than the hogs being shot at (not hunted) every time they castr a shadow.



j

that's what I said it was the guide, not the hogs or the ranch. The hunting there hasn't been good since Ryan left for Quero!

I've seen four game managers go down the pike from Camp Cooley, and all were good except the guy there now. The DRSS is now hunting boar on the 4K out of Brady, and it is a class operation, but a little more expencive. However,Brad WOODARD is the game maneger, and knows his buisness, and has two hard working guides, besides himself. 64,000 acres of prime hunting land, with tons of game including lots of hogs, everywhere you look. Lots of Turkeys, and top of the line whitetail deer. They have a seperate part of the ranch about 15 miles away from the main ranch, that is high fence. They only have whitetail, axis deer, simitar horned oryx, and black buck in that section, and I' don't know how big that is, but it is fairly large as well. This high fence area is where the lodge is, so you have to travel to the hog hunting area which is fenced only with cattle fence.

If Camp Cooley wants to keep the hunting on that ranch, they bettr get rid of the guy they have now! Too bad, because that is a good ranch, if it were run a little better! It used to be a good place to go for a short two or three day hunt, or just to get away from the city!

quote:

Brad Goddard

It's actually Brad Woodard, just for clarification. And if you want a great hunt, give him a call.

Mac,
I entirely agree.. i liked the guy as a person, but a a guide he's a damn fine doorstop.

i LOVE cooley.. lots of fun, and nice cool place.. .just can't warm up to being beat up in a truck...

oh, i hadn't mentioned, "speedracer" beat us so bad rifles bounced off the ceiling of the truck and my checkering was ruined on my 550 express, from be beat around in the truck...

as Mike or Dave for the story on what burns rust off a truck jack!

jeffe