I just returned from a 10 day Varmint Safari and Russian Boar Hunt.
Our travels took us through many states I had not previously been to. The new states for me were Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas! I enjoyed them all though some just briefly.
The main goal of the Safari was to archery Hunt a Russian Boar near Decatur, Texas on a "game ranch". My partner and I planned four days of "touring" and shooting to get to Omaha, Nebraska where we teamed up with two more of our 8 man team that were to Hunt the large pigs and then on to Decatur, Texas.
We travelled with the Omaha, Nebraska natives from there south to Texas and it was wonderful to see the new country, the hoardes of Snow Geese (season still open there!), lots of Whitetailed Deer and impressive numbers of Wild Turkeys. I had to leave my Varmint Rifles in Omaha as the ranch we Hunted boar on is archery equipment only - no firearms allowed! I would retrieve them on the way back home.
Upon arrival at Decatur we met up with our friends and fellow Hunters who came from Las Vegas, Nevada - New York, New York and Atlanta, Georgia. So we were a diverse group of Hunters assembled there in the north Texas hill country.
To say the Hunting stories flowed like wine every night at the lodge would be a gross understatement.
This late winter Hunt in reality was an excuse to get out of the "cabin" so to speak and do something different in March!
Many photo albums were shared featuring recent Hunts by all involved and again what a wonderful 5 nights of sharing stories of Hunts from literally around the world.
The largest boar harvested was 250 pounds. The ranch was in effect a 14 mile long fenced reserve that held all manner of creatures including Whitetails, Armadillos, Wild Turkey, American Elk, Buffalo, Hogs, Aoudads, Black Buck, Catalina Goats, Corsican Rams, Fallow Deer, Red Deer and numerous animals I did not really learn the names of!
I only wanted to harvest a boar. Alas no luck in that regard for me but I was well entertained and very happy with the new country, the myriad of animals that I saw and most of all the lodge and the company.
As an amateur rock and fossil collector I was literally blown away by the "billions" of fossils in beds sometimes 6 feet deep I found! I spent as much daylight looking at fossils as I did looking for hogs!
I did call in one Texas Coyote from across a half mile long field. I was in a tree stand on the edge of the field. The coyote came to within 65 yards but I did not want to attempt a shot at that range. The Coyote busted me in the tree before he came any closer. Oh well. The ranch owner desperately wanted us to shoot any Coyotes or Bobcats we came upon.
Five nights at the lodge and four full days of Hunting for $300.00 was money very well spent in my opinion! The lodge was first rate and well equipped for Hunters comforts! There was a Texas size barbecue pit and we used it every night for dinners. One of our Hunting team is a European trained chef and is now the head chef at a French restaurant in Las Vegas (average meal price there is $128.00!). He brought the steaks, chops, vegetables and many "fine" dining type items! To say we ate well would be a huge understatement!
I found several sheds from stags and rams (found 2 dead rams in the field!) and I was allowed to bring the horns home. They will look nice in my horn collection area here at Casa Varmint!
The highlight of the 1,800 mile (each way!) trip though either had to go to the skies full of Snow and Blue Geese, the incredible fields full of Sandhill Cranes or maybe the breathtaking visit to the Jackson Hole Elk refuge we made on the trip down! The Bull Elk all still had their antlers when we went through there on March 3rd! I have a full roll of photos of the Elk and the Grand Tetons that should warm me up again once developed! We also saw Moose, Buffalo, Mule Deer and Big Horn Sheep in Jackson Hole! Anyone that has not visited Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the winter should plan on doing so ASAP!
A close second in impressive sights on this trip would certainly have to go to the incredible numbers of Antelope seen in southern Wyoming from Rocks Spriongs through the Red Desert and on to the Nebraska border (300 miles)! There will be a great Antelope season in Wyoming this year!
I was very impressed!
I took a few Prairie Dogs in Wyoming and a couple of Jack Rabbits as well.
We stayed overnight at a ranch in SE Wyoming and I hope to be able to return there and help that rancher out with his "Varmint" problem!
His shed Mule Deer horn pile was second to none also!
We had occassion to stop at two different Cabelas stores in our travles. These stops were alone worth the trip! At the store in Kansas City there were 36 customers waiting to be helped at the Rifle counter alone! I counted them! I was impressed!
But most impressive at that store was their amazing display of world record class Mule Deer! All full mounted and displayed in natural panorams! I was blown away! I hope the photos I took inside there turn out as I had left the flash unit for my Nikon back at home!
I was told this display of 50 or so Mule Deer and the huge display hall it was housed in cost over 3 million dollars to gather and assemble!
I won't tell you to much about this amazing display as I want any of you that have not seen it to be as "blown away" as I was when you get there!
Breathtaking!
Its good to go off and do new things and I hope to return some day to that ranch and get after the hogs again!
I can add Armadillo now to my all time Varmint sighting list and I think I will add the Russian Boars I saw as well!
Its also good to be back home and now I need to clean some guns and gear and get back in the groove here at home.
Oh and by the way the people in Texas at the ranch and in the town of Decatur could not have been nicer! They simply could not have been! They really made us feel welcome!
Long live Texas!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varmintguy,

Thanks for the report (yours are always awesome). Sounds like a great trip. I, too, took zero boar on a boar hunt in Texas a few years ago. Can't wait to go back some day (kids...house...job...).

Mt Al: I forgot to mention that I saw another new creature for me and my all time viewing list. It was some kind of large reddish Squirrel! He was much larger than the Gray Squirrels I am used to seeing. I need to look them up in one of my books and get the proper name for them.
Also I saw for the first time the beautiful Red Cardinal song birds! They were a hoot!
Yes I would like to go back another time or two to try and harvest one of these Varmint pigs.
Like i said its nice to go and try something new every once in a while!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

don't ya'all just love VG's posts!! I actually drive through decatur every time I go back to pick up my kids for the summer in waco. VG you need to go back and get in on some of the feral hogs. I bet if you talked to the right people you could find some farmers that would let you hunt them for free. People say if you get them mad they will charge you, I think this would just add some excitment to the hunt. I have heard there is a place in idaho that has russian hogs, have you heard how it is. I hope you didn't leave Texas without eating some "Real" beef brisket.

VarmintGuysounds like a good hunt. Know what you mean about the KC Cabelas, I live about 45 miles south. I hate to go there, costs too much everytime I walk through the door.

quote:

VarmintGuy

I went to KC Cabelas it is not to far from Wichita. Cabelas is a nice place to spend a day at. If you took some pictures of the different animals while on your vacation you might post them.

Glad to hear you had a good time, so many of my friends get wrapped up in the hunt they forget to enjoy the time away from work, relax and enjoy everything that the supreme creator of the universe made.

Cummins Cowboy: By coincidence we did stop on the way down at "Johnny's" BBQ in Ardmore, Oklahoma! I did have the brisket and wish I had put in an order to go! It was great! Johnny himself served us and made sure we had enough to eat! LOL! I had to roll out of the place.
We did eat breakfast at Matties in Decatur, Texas and the rest of the time we ate at the ranch/lodge.
I appreciate the tip on the hogs and their Varmint status. I saw how they root up the ground and the grass!
No I had not heard about the place in Idaho! I will look into that.

Jbhewitt: Yes I was on a budget so to speak as I had only so much cash along but I did buy $118.00 worth of Berger bullets and Sierra bullets along with a Redding 204 Ruger neck sizer die! Well stocked and quality stuff at both the Cabellas I stopped at!
I literally saw one wife dragging her husband by the ear out of the Sidney, Nebrabska Cabelas! She was half joking in front of their friends or relatives but my wife would have been doing the same if she had been along!
I need to go back to a Cabelas when I can spend some time!

Swede I do really enjoy doing new things and yes I try and go at a pace that allows the maximum enjoyment of places and animal sightings.

More later

Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

hey VG check out this link

http://www.europeanwildboarhunt.com/./the_hunt.html

Cummins cowboy: Thank you very much for that link! I am familiar with that area and simply did not know it held the ranch with the Boars!
This knowledge could have saved me about 3,000 miles of driving!
Thanks I will send along your link to a couple of my buddies!
Thanks again!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I am not sure if the place is any good or not. don't know anyone who has tried it, I have just seen a few advertisements in our area and remembered them, IF you happen to talk with them let me know what you think if the guys seem alright or not. They do however guarantee a pig, which would make it hard to go wrong.