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    1st Hog

    I’ve seen plenty of video of arrows with an insatiable taste for pork. I’ve seen people take them over bait, on trails, by calling, out of stands, with dogs and spot and stalk. However, none of this prepared me for my recent 4th of July hunt. The best name for our method would have to be spot and crawl hunting. The morning began with us driving around the ranch in an attempt to find a few of the many hogs on the place. We spotted a couple of medium sized hogs and attempted a stalk, but they were already spooky and put too much mesquite between themselves and my sight pins. We then checked a couple of spots known to be popular with the hogs but to no avail. Finally Ray, our exceptional guide decided that the only other place they could be was inside a large cedar thicket on a particular corner of the ranch. So, we set up one hunter at the end of the thicket while Ray, another helper and I began a slow stalk from the other end. Well as I mentioned before this place was so thick I literally had to crawl through some parts of it. But Ray was right, this place was full of sign. After some careful creeping down a thin hog trail I realized that there wasn’t much light coming through those hundreds of branches all around me despite the blazing sun above us. Finally, I caught movement up ahead. The hogs must have heard us as they began nervously leaving their beds. Over the next few seconds I tried desperately to find a hole through this army of limbs guarding the hogs. Finally, I found a baseball sized window, drew and released. At that moment I watched as an errant branch effortlessly slapped the arrow out of the sky, sending it on a path far from the hidden swine. Fortunately the errant missile was quiet enough that the pigs did not explode from their hideout but rather began their exit at a nervous trot. I watched a retreating pig through a heavy screen when suddenly it slipped right past an opening about the size of a basketball. Just as I was about to curse my luck I noticed its little sister bringing up the rear. As she entered the window I pulled back the string just in time to watch her stop broadside. Well, I’ve mentioned that this area was a virtual spider web of cedar branches, but I neglected to mention the weeds. Anywhere there was not a cedar tree spreading from the ground you would find anywhere between 2 and 4 foot weeds growing. Being a naturally short animal, this sow stood completely covered by weeds but for her head. I lowered my 15 yard pin onto the weed that veiled her shoulder and let my arrow fly. Almost as soon as the feathers were swallowed by the weeds the spotted sow bolted in the direction she’d been heading. Although I didn’t see my arrow, the weeds smeared with red, bore the hieroglyphs of a well placed shot. After a couple of minutes I called to Ray, “I’m not sure where, but I hit one!” Twenty five yards away he answered, “I got ‘er. She’s right here.” The sow expired before I could even walk over to her. She only weighed maybe 50 lbs before I skinned her, but taking my first hog with a bow under those conditions made her a hogzilla in my eyes.



    A couple months back I’d taken a couple of my hunters ed students and they each shot animals as well. Ricky shot a hog and Jason shot a Catalina goat. They’re good kids. We plan to go back later this month. Who would have thought you could find such good hunting in Brownfield?


    Last edited by donpablo; 08-03-2007, 08:39 PM.

    #2
    Congrats on the hog.

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      #3
      Congrats on the hog and congrats to the kids. That hog is just at the yummy size!

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        #4
        Congrats on the first! Thats awesome!

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          #5
          Your an awesome story teller. You should be writing for some of them there hunting magazines. I was actually able to visualize it. You did good with the porker, congrats.

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            #6
            Originally posted by ptlmg View Post
            Your an awesome story teller. You should be writing for some of them there hunting magazines. I was actually able to visualize it. You did good with the porker, congrats.

            Very well written. Congrats!

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              #7
              Congratulations to you and the kids it seemes like the harder you work for an animal the more appreciative you become for the animal when you are finnaly successful

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                #8
                great article! Congrats on the new method, spot and crawl. Most of the time I only get to do that when it is HOT, or course that only adds to the fun.

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                  #9
                  Congrats on putting one down in those tuff conditions, thats hunting and a trophy as i see it. Congrats to the kiddos too.

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                    #10
                    Thanks

                    Thanks guys. I think I've been reading too many hunting mags. That was an awesome hunt and a trophy indeed. Of course she didn't have any tusks so I didn't keep the skull, but I hope to make something with the hide. The kids shot theirs with a 30-30 but Ricky wants to get into bowhunting now. Oh yeah, yes that pig was definitely tasty!

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                      #11
                      Great write up dp! Congrats on the pig!

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                        #12
                        congrats on the pork and nice job on the write up.

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                          #13
                          Congrats

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                            #14
                            Sounds like it was an awsome time. Just remember:

                            The "True Trophy" is not in how large the animal is, but the experience gained in acquiring it. - MikeB.


                            .

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                              #15
                              Congrats Pablo!!!! Are you hitting up the lake this year? Shoot me an email.

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