You should always start out the new year with a Texas hog hunt!

Barry is a hard person to buy a gift for.  Christmas is always a big challenge for me to come up with something for him.  If he wants something he usually goes out and buys it, leaving him Christmas list-less.  Or he can't think of anything that is "affordable". 

While sitting and wondering, yet again, what to buy Barry for Christmas an idea popped into my mind.  A hog hunt in Texas.  Texas is full of wild hogs, in fact, they are a problem just like the coyote so I figured it would be a easy as 1,2, 3 to find a place to hunt at.  Not so much.  Some of the prices were crazy. For example one ranch charged a set price for the hunt - then there was an additional charge for the size of your animal or a trophy fee?  A pig up to 100 lbs was $125, up to 150 lbs was $175 and so on and so forth... Dumb.  Finally I found a place in Trent Texas called Dos Plumas "The Working Man's Ranch".  No hidden fees - a very affordable price.  Who would have thought finding a hog hunt would be so complicated.  

The present was a big surprise and Barry was excited.  He was so excited he said that I should hunt too so we purchased another hunting package.  

The drive to Dos Plumas took us about 10 1/2 hrs.  We checked in, talked for a bit with the owner, Allen Williams and hit the sack.  Butch their ranch hand picked us up the next morning at 6:30 a.m. before the sun was up and drove us 2 miles down to the far north pasture.  He dropped us at a stand with a feeder and we waited for the sun to rise.  Just as it was getting light the feeder went off and here came four "cute" little hogs.  The wind was wrong and they caught wind of us and off they ran.  We sat a little longer and in came some exotic animals.   Did I mention this ranch also had exotic's to hunt?  Very interesting and neat to see.  Texas has the prefect weather for some African stock.  

We had the entire ranch to ourselves this day so instead of just sitting there until 9:30 and getting picked up we arranged to hunt much longer and walk around.  As we walked down the road we saw a couple of New Zealand Red Stag (cool), and I believe some Fallow deer.  We came around the corner in the road and spotted an Oryx "hiding" from us.  Um, not sure that he/she knows what it is doing yet.  We could see it's mother hiding in the thick brush watching us. 

We decided to split up and hike around in the Texas brush which includes every and anything that has stickers and pokers.  I could hear pigs grunting and squealing but when I would almost get to them they would hear or smell me and run away.  After a couple of hours Barry and I met up again.  He has stalked several pigs but had not had any luck yet.  He was hunting with his bow and I was using the .243.  My bow and I are still not one yet.  

Barry took me to an area where he had been seeing a lot of hogs so we slipped through the brush and scrub oak until we came upon several hogs at this pond just rooting around.  They were to far for Barry to shoot so he let me take a shot... I think he could had slipped up on them but he wanted me to get a pig.  

My wonderful hog guide.

Butch had told us if you get a pig drag it to the road and they would come pick you and your hog up.  After some photos and looking at her we heard some more hogs off to our left.  I told Barry he should go after them and I would drag my hog to the road, where ever that road may be... 

Okay, this pig was heavier than she looked. I bet she was close to 100 lbs.  It is not easy dragging dead weight, a gun, a back pack and maneuvering though cactus and thick brush and I was not sure which way was to the closest road.  I would get her a few feet (okay a little more than that but I was not getting to my destination very fast) I would look up and there was Barry moving very slowly w/ his bow ready to pull back.  Oops.  After the third time of this I just decided to wait and watch.  He drew his bow and shot and I heard it hit, a bunch of hogs scattered.  He had a complete pass through with his arrow.  We found a very short blood trail and never found it.  It made him sick and disappointed that he never got to recover his hog.  

Barry looking for more blood.

Later that night Butch took us back out and dropped us off again at our stands.  In the evening you are suppose to stay sitting in your stand.  Barry went looking for his pig and stalking other hogs.... After an empty search he went and sat on his stand.  Waited for the feeder to go off and nothing... so no animals came in.  Frustrated, he decided to get down and hunt on foot.  As he was getting out of his stand he missed a step, started to fall, threw his bow far, far away (to avoid stabbing himself) and landed with a thud on his back (the stand was about 10 ft. tall).  He laid there for a moment mentally checking all body parts and decided he was okay. After gathering himself and all of his gear back up he stalked another nice big hog, drew and shot.  Because it was getting kind of dark he failed to see a small limb/stick and it deflected his arrow making him miss the pig.  

Meanwhile I was sitting comfortably in my stand watching some Aoudad (some kind of exotic sheep) waiting for the feeder to go off. As soon as it went off they came in and started eating the corn.  I could hear pigs in the brush grunting and squealing at one another but they would never show themselves.  The Aoudad decided to leave and in came to pigs.  I chose the bigger of the two (they were not very large but good eating size) and I had my second hog down.  After dragging him to my side of the road I sat down up against a tree. It was getting dark when I heard this stampeded coming down the road to the feeder.  It was a group of 13 hogs, all sizes.  They were so funny to watch fighting and pushing.  About 7 more came.  A couple of times they were as close as 10 feet from me.  I started to wonder what would happen if one ran over me, they had no idea I was there.  After about 5 minutes they were done and off they want.  Butch picked us up and back to the bunk house we went.  

Barry cleaning my second hog.

Axis deer (spots) and some Fallow deer. 

The second day was much colder and we had to sit there much longer because there were other hunters.  

Fallow buck.

It was windy and cold that our  noses would not stop running.

Ah the clouds cleared and the sun came out.  Barry trying to warm his feet. 

9:30 a.m. rolled around and Barry had gotten permission to stay and walk around instead of going back. We walked and walked and walked and didn't see much until we started heading to the bunk house.  The wind was swirling around so much Barry could never get close enough for a shot. 

Barry had come across this Oryx the night before.  A hunter that was there a couple of days before us shot him and they couldn't find him.  We thought it would be fun to pretend that Barry got him with his bow. 

If you look WAY up there, there are a bunch of turkey.

Barry went out again that evening and had no desire to walk around anymore (I stayed back and packed our things).  We hiked around so much the first day and that morning of the second day we were tired.  He said a bunch of little hogs came in and some Aoudad but the bigger hogs were skittish and never would come into range.  

Despite Barry coming home empty handed he had an extremely fun time.  When he got in the truck the first night he reminded me of a kid that just ate way to much candy. He was almost giddy.  Even the second night he came back and said he had a blast.  So I would say this Christmas present was a hit.  He (we) liked it so much we are going to try and get a little family group together and go back in May.