MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
LIKE A BOSS
HOGS ON THE RED PLANET
SUMMER EDITION 2018
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DEPARTMENTS & CONTENT DISCLAIMER & FROM THE EDITOR THHA STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT - THERMAL DOG OUTFITTER pg1 AIR GUNS - EYDIN HANSEN pg3 4500 PSI POWER LIKE A BOSS BOW HUNTING - JEFF RICE pg5 BOW HUNTING HOGS AFTER DARK FEATURED ARTICLES CHECKMARKCAUTION-SOLID BY JOE HEIDELMEIER pg7 THE EAST TEXAS YONDER BY MELINDA JORDAN pg8 HOGS ON THE RED PLANET BY SHAWN STAFFORD pg10
From the Editor: We at The Sounder are so excited to release the 3rd issue of The Texas Hog Hunters Association magazine. You will notice some new features such as embedded video, direct links to advertiser's web pages and easier navigation. We look forward to providing a user friendly publication with accessibility that's only a click away. We also encourage feedback, article submissions written by members and business advertising. Contact us directly for writing and ad opportunities. -Melinda Saylors
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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Thermal Dog Outfitter At Thermal Dog Outfitters we pride ourselves in bringing a unique experience to our customers. Our goal is to ensure we provide a memorable time filled with excitement and a little bit of adventure. You will be constantly moving from location to location till we find our intended targets. We will evaluate as a team the best approach and tactically execute our stalk to an extreme close distance. If successful our customers will walk away with a unique and exciting story to tell all their friends. We don't want them to worry about anything so all the equipment is provided for them. They just need to show up and be ready to do their thing. We have been blessed to be one of many sponsors of a great organization that we know as the Texas Hog Hunters Association. However, long before that we were merely members that truly enjoyed the forum created by this organization. It has been through this organization were Thermal Dog Outfitters has thrived. We have built great relationships with it's members and have partnered with other outfitters to bring the best service to the members of the association. More importantly the organization prides itself on being family oriented and their actions have time and time again shown this to be true. We were asked a few questions regarding what we do, and here are our honest and heartfelt answers. Question 1: In the years that you have been outfitting, how have you seen the industry change? We have been lucky to see how the industry related to hog hunting and trapping has changed. Even better we have had an opportunity to participate in many aspects of these changes. First it is important to recognize that the catalyst to this huge industry is the spread of the feral hog population. The hog problem as we know has not decreased over the many years. Even with the increased amount of hog hunting through various mediums such as stand, spot and stalk, dogs, trapping, helicopter, and even thermal after dark have had a small impact. However because of this problem we have seen the boom of different business arise to help meet this problem head on. Companies that develop products such as corn to attract, light systems to spot at night, thermal/night vision equipment to continue even into the dark when they are more prevelant. The use of airborne system such as helicopters all the way down to small thermal mounted drones are now widely used in the market. The increased demand on these products has also assisted in dropping down the cost hence more hunters and trappers are using. Additionally this has helped to sprout many opportunities for outfitters and land owners alike as a new revenue stream. Lastly, for hunters that love the opportunity to test their skills the hog populations and new industry products provide for non stop hunting opportunities throughout the year. While the feral hog issue is a problem to many it is a daily chance for great memories for others and an outstanding year round sporting opportunity.
Question 2: If someone with little hunting experience hires you to guide them, what can they expect to learn? The biggest reason Thermal Dog Outfitters was started was because we wanted to provide great memories. We wanted to be the ones that everyone looked to when they thought of a good all around hunting experience. We pride ourselves on focusing on the customer which begins with learning about them. While many come with extensive experience many have never even picked up a weapon. It is our responsibility to teach them the basics and prepare them for a unique experience. We want them to be comfortable and minimize any concerns they may have so they have the most memorable time. From the time they make their first call we discuss the time of year of their hunt and what they can expect. Part of the conversation goes into weather conditions and what equipment (bug spray, cold weather gear, mud boots and more) to bring that will help in a good experience. We then discuss their experience on arrival as discussed above. This is followed by weapons and special gear training so they are ready for the hunt. We then discuss how the hunt will unfold to include tactics with respect to spoting and stalking, reading the wind, and target approach. The best part is all the electronics that we have will create an exciting experience. We will also make every attempt to record and produce a video of their experience to share with friends and family. We want the experience to continue long after the hunt and the videoing of the hunt allows for this. In the end it's all about creating a great memory and that is truly our mission. Question 3: What advice can you offer the youth of the association in regard to conservation? We would tell the youth in regard to conservation and with respect to the feral hog a few things. While the feral hog is an invasive species to many we must always remember that they are a great resource for many others. The feral hog survives because it is a smart animal and well suited to reproduce quickly. Enjoy your opportunities to hunt this very elusive and intelligent animal and while we may hunt them in great numbers, always respect their spirit of survival. Always give thanks for the bounty that they produce and encourage others to share your love of hunting an animal that allows you year round opportunities. To book a hunt with Thermal Dog Outfitter contact Hector or Coty at
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Spotlight cont'd.
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4500 PSI POWER LIKE A BOSS MONSTER AIR GUNS ON THE GO Eydin Hansen It’s been over two hundred years since the air rifle started making their mark. If you haven’t noticed lately you would be amazed at the advancements in technology. One of the most popular brands in Texas is the AirForce® air gun line of rifles and their Texan SS 45 caliber suppressed air rifle with a 3000 PSI tank (upgrade available to 4500 PSI) at 750 feet per second with a 405 grain hollow base and slinging a 215 grain semi wadcutter at 880 feet per second. Cost, $1149 with 3000 PSI tank, without scope with a max velocity of max velocity 930 feet per second. Also expected out this year, Umarex is releasing their 50 caliber integrally suppressed Hammer™, launching an impressive 550 grain bullet at approximately 800 feet per second and a 200 grain at 1150 feet per second. Base cost projected at $799 with a 4500 PSI tank, without scope and max velocity of 1300 feet per second. Look out hogs there are going to be a slew of two legged “big bores” hunting you down. So far, I have been very impressed with most of the big bores on the market. There are a lot of features on the new rifles that will increase the natural feel and performance of a conventional firearm. Probably one of the biggest questions I get is “How do I pump it up?” I am sure you remember your younger days of hunting squirrels and coke cans, pumping up your “ten pump” or even the single cocking springer pellet guns. The newest big bore rifles are carrying on-board air tanks stylishly designed into the stocks and foregrips. It starts getting interesting when you see a 3000 PSI charged cylinder and now the big dogs are running 4500 PSI carbon fiber wrapped tanks. So how do you pump them up? I just received my Air Venturi 4500 PSI electric pump and it takes all the guess work and hassle out of finding a place to fill my tanks. I can pump them up at home. Plug it in, plug in the tank or rifle and quickly I am charged up and ready to go. My biggest challenge is hunting in remote locations when the nearest charging facility might be an hour away. The new big bores can move a lot of air. So after three to six shots you will need to top it off. If you don’t have multiple tanks that could be a challenge.
Coupled with generator with a clean power, I can throw my Air Venturi 4500 PSI pump in the back my truck and voila I am mobile. Wherever my truck is I have air! In just a lunch break I can fill my big tanks and just a few minutes charge my smaller portables. A lot of people have asked me “have you killed a hog with a 22-caliber air rifle?” and the answer is yes. Right between eyes on smaller pigs will do the trick it if you are over 1000 feet per second. I like the lethality of the big bores though, now more accurate and with the invention of the Havox™ solid copper pellets we now have mass expansion round causing devastating damage when you hit them in the vitals. The old school way of hunting with air rifles is head shot centric and now the doors have opened to making ethical, lethal shots into the larger vital area of the animal. Take a black powder rifle with a with a 32 inch barrel and a RCBS #50-515 528 grain bullet and load with 70 grains of powder and you have a speed of about 1100 fps. The air guns are quickly closing in on matching black powder rifle speeds. I still won’t give up my brass plated butt-stock Thompson's Hawken’s 54 caliber black powder rifle, because the nostalgia runs deep. In addition, it was given to me by my very good friend Frank Kuchi, thanks Frank!! Can you imagine being able to have three shots with repeated accuracy in a magazine fed rifle. It’s a thing beauty. I am literally pumped up about the future of air rifles and with my own charging system that takes away from me relying on somebody else. I find it interesting how we’ve come full circle with many our hunting tools. Lewis and Clark used air rifles over 200 years ago to take big game and its exciting that we can do the same with some modern conveniences. Although we are not allowed to hunt deer with an air rifle in Texas yet, there is plenty of other game and exotics out there you can. Don’t stop getting outdoors and refine your hunting skills and get ready, because you might just want to add another gun to your hunting rifle collection and one that will bring you back to 1804 when Lewis and Clark started their 3 year, 8000 mile journey.
Like a Boss cont'd.
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This is a heavy duty steel gambrel made for Texas Hog Hunters Association by Koenig Mfg. and welding in Waco, Texas. These are absolutely the best gambrel game hangers we have had the pleasure to use. All steel construction and built to last, tested up to 1600 lbs. We don't put our name behind many products but this one is a winner with us.
SHOP THHA introducing the new Texas Made Gambrel
Lights on my bow that are essential for bow hunting hogs after dark
BOW HUNTING HOGS AFTER DARK Jeff Rice Darkness was closing in as I climbed up into my ladder stand in anticipation of putting an arrow into a one of the many hogs that roam the woods around me. The temperature on this July evening was right at the 100° mark. The feeder I was hunting over soon began throwing corn, and I was going over my checklist in my mind, to make sure I was prepared to make a shot should one present itself. When it comes to bow hunting hogs after dark, the whole game changes once you have lost daylight. Soon, I found myself sitting in complete darkness. On that hot summer evening, it was so dark that I could not see my hand in front of my face. A recent rain had left a puddle of water underneath the feeder I was hunting along with plenty of humidity in the air. In the weeks leading up to this hunt, I had carefully studied all of the trail cam pictures taken at the feeder I was hunting and there were plenty of hogs regularly visiting this spot. I had high expectations that I would see a hog or two come into the feeder. Little did I know, I was about to see the largest boar that I have ever seen on my property. My compound bow is equipped with lighted pins, luminescent glow peep and a green light that attaches to the riser that will cast a beam of light out to approximately 30 yards. I find it essential to have all of these tools in order to effectively bow hunt hogs after dark. I had been sitting in the blind for approximately an hour and 45 minutes when suddenly I heard the distinct sound of a hog picking up pieces of corn in the water below my feeder. I slowly picked up my bow, aimed the bow light toward the feeder and hit the pressure switch to turn the light on. The green beam lit up exposing a very large boar at the feeder. I immediately turned the light off and turned on the light to my sight pins. With my pins lit and my glow peep brightly glowing, I again cast the green light toward the feeder. I realized at that time, the giant boar had vanished. A few minutes went by and I again heard the distinct sound of a hog feeding.
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Once again, I cast my green light toward the feeder and you guessed it, there he was again. With a second opportunity, I wasted no time preparing myself for a shot. I immediately drew my bow back taking careful aim on the beast that stood before me. I hit the release sending an arrow screaming toward the old boar and breathing a sigh of relief after seeing my arrow sink deeply into its chest cavity. Yep, it was a perfect hit. It all happened so fast, he was there and then he was gone. I replayed the shot over and over in my mind and was convinced that my shot was well-placed. I distinctly recall seeing my lighted nock disappearing behind the front shoulder of the old boar and seeing him disappear into the thicket. I decided at that point that it would be best to exit the blind and head back to camp. I was going to give that hog at minimum, one hour before I took up the trail and look for him. I was hunting with a buddy who was a several hundred yards to the west of me on the other side of my property. Once he came back to camp, we grabbed our flashlights and headed in for a look. When we got to the feeder and started to look for signs of a hit, it was obvious that my arrow hit its mark. I remember following the blood trail that indicated that the hog was bleeding from both sides of its chest. We hadn’t gone 30 yards and my flashlight lit up the dead boar lying on the forest floor. Upon walking up to the boar I could not believe my eyes. The size of this hog was way beyond my comprehension. I have seen plenty of big hogs in the 10 years I have owned my property but nothing compared to this big old beast. A photo of Jeff’s big boar following the retrieval of his prize hog . I realized real quickly that this old boar was not going to be easy to move. My friend and I struggled to move him a mere 15 yards to the road. It took the two of us over 30 minutes just to get him to the road. Once we got him out, we were able to load him onto the bucket of my tractor and bring him back to camp. To date, this is the largest boar I have ever shot and recovered on my property. I had one other encounter of a very large boar that I was able to arrow, but never found. The one thing you must remember, if you plan on hunting hogs after dark, there is a lot of prep work required. Lighted pins, glow peep and a riser light are essential for hunting hogs after dark. Always remember to check and make sure you have good batteries in the equipment you use. The last thing you want to have happen is to find yourself without working equipment when going after hogs in the dark. Lastly, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of practice shooting your bow after dark prior to hitting the stand.
After Dark cont'd.
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THHA and friends at the NRA
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CHECKMARKCAUTION-SOLID Joe Heidelmeier written · October 17, 2015 · Okay group-it's almost deer season in Texas-so-it's story time. I used to be a guide. I worked on 2 ranches close to Sonora Texas. 15000 acres total. Rough coun...try. Canyons-brush-snakes, lions (yes) and we were safety oriented. I had 12 2way radios (there were no cell phones out there except for mine which was a bag phone the was wired to the truck. I bought 20 of the loudest whistles I could find. When we took hunters to a stand (some could be 15 miles from camp) they were instructed to NOT leave their area if they crippled a deer-I would find it. Everyone had a radio and a whistle. The ranch behind us was 45,000 acres. I got to know the ranch manager who also ran the hunting operation. He came to our lodge late one evening-frantic-I've lost a hunter-can you help? Of course!!! They didn't have the same rule I did, and this hunter had shot a deer in the almost dark. Went to look for it. No flashlight, no radio, no whistle, and didn't even take his gun. He was lost. We looked for a couple hours. We were so far out there was no weather reports. A front hit-it started snowing and the temp dropped to 15. We found the hunters rifle, backpack and jacket at the stand. My friend went to his ranch and rounded up a bunch of cowboys on horseback. They found him about a couple hours later-close to being hypothermic. He started using my rules. Never go into the brush without-a gun-a flashlight-gps-a compass. And a damn whistle!!!
Helicopter Hog Hunting and more. 940.366.1565 executiveoutdooradventures.com Platinum Business Member of THHA
Are you a paid member/sponsor? Want to be featured in our magazine? EMAIL US AT: MELINDA@TEXASHHA.COM for a full media kit and art/photo requirements.
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THE EAST TEXAS YONDER Melinda Jordan Pineywoods Rooters, established in 2013, strives to create an affordable hunting adventure for everyone. Traditionally, they were a word of mouth secret that provided only family and close friends an opportunity to hunt. A cozy cabin nestled deep in the woods of East Texas, it is truly a get away that unplugs you from the hustle and bustle and submerges you in the beauty of what can only be called "God's country". They cater to adult/youth hunts and the promotion of youth into the great outdoors and the sport of hunting, they offer a special pricing for youth under 16 years of age and truly honor our military. Kurt truly has a giving spirit and has programs ensuring that no matter your ability or budget, you are made to feel welcome and right at home. Their hogs are free range so they cannot guarantee the hunt, however their success rate has been stellar with the number of hogs in the area. Hunting area includes stands to accommodate every need, from ground blinds, box stands and tree stands they can strategically set up for the best kill scenarios. Their stands are set up to accommodate both rifle and archery hunters, and the property can be hunted day or night, although most often you see hogs at the feeders during the mid-morning to mid-afternoon hours.
Yonder cont'd.
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At the camp, you will find comfortable accommodations including a full service bathroom with shower. The living area is also equipped with satellite TV, AC and heat for those really cold times that you may encounter in the later months. Bed linens and pillows were fresh and clean and the entire cabin was more than pleasant. From sun up to sun down our days were spent in good company, with good food, tall pines and good information. Not only with you leave with your soul recharged, you will leave a more proficient hunter with a warm belly and the sense that you've made a lifelong friend; and that's not just the peach jar talking.
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HOGS ON THE RED PLANET By Shawn Stafford The drive alone seemed like an insurmountable feat of endurance at times. Little did we know that would just be the beginning. Anytime you set out for a 14 hour drive to a place you’ve never been it automatically turns into an adventure. I have had the pleasure of hunting hogs on multiple occasions and truthfully am yet to find table fare that exceeds that of what a wild pig can produce. When a coworker got stricken by the hunting bug and became a hardcore adult onset hunter the stage became set for a trip to Texas. After hearing me talk of the fun, challenge, and meat associated with a hog hunt the two of us collaborated together finding a unique and pocketbook friendly hunt that could satisfy our yearning for challenge and pork. We landed on a ranch near Seymour, Texas the size of many of the counties in the Midwest where we grew up. We would be allotted unlimited hogs and more area than we could possibly cover. It sounded perfect, so off we went. We spent the next 14 hours traversing the countryside listening to recorded pod casts from Steve Rinella and Randy Newburg. I had never really had the time to spend listening to pod casts but certainly enjoyed listening to these two and their guests. When we weren’t listening to pod casts we talked of strategies and tried to envision the landscape we would be hunting. Both of us would be doing something that we had yet to do in our hunting careers that actually almost seemed taboo to us, hunting at night. As you know in Texas hogs can be hunted by nearly any means and definitely at night. We would be equipped with gun mounted lights and 24 hour hunting. At first this sounds like a great plan, which it is, until you actually realize that there is nothing but your stamina to keep you from hunting. Energy and the ability to function on little sleep would be our only limiting factor on the amount of time spent chasing this unexpectedly elusive animal.
Red Planet cont'd.
As we neared the ranch the topography appeared flat as a table top with pasture and tilled up wheat fields as far as the eye could see. I would have no problems hunting this type of country since if you substituted pasture and wheat with corn and beans it would be what I have known my whole life. However, this would all change after seeing our accommodations and heading out for a quick tour of the ranch. The truck passed through several gates and rolled through multitudes of cattle showing some pretty promising looking locations. There was one gate in particular that we began to approach where the earth appeared to abruptly end similar to when you are nearing a large body of water catching glimpses of nothing but sky through small openings in the trees. I had reviewed maps of the area and new that no body of water of this magnitude existed on the ranch so my curiosity was piqued. Soon the two track turned into nothing but red dirt and the trees vanished into thin air. What lay before us looked as if we had just landed on the surface of Mars. Eons ago layers of sediment, rock, plants, animals, and glaciers created one of the most unique scenes I’ve laid eyes on in this country. The red rocks and soil were so vivid it looked not of this planet. Intermingled within the reds were distinct lines of white that seemed as though they had been painted in. The grass and scrub trees were instantly replaced with rock and cacti for as far as unique formations as if to show us there is always more under the surface if we just take time to look. Intermingled through the Red Planet were a few ponds with green cattails and the occasional creek bed with seeping amounts of water flowing downward. As we drove the red roads various blinds were pointed out and a few prominent markers to help us navigate this new world.
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At one blind location in the basin we decided to get out to do a quick walkabout to peer over an edge into a cattail choked creek bed. Our host passingly suggested that it looks like the perfect place for a hog to hide out but for some reason they never see them in this thick, muddy corridor. Almost on que a group of pigs burst from the cover catching us completely off guard. Of the three guns present at the time I was the only one who was ever so briefly presented with a shot. I threw the gun up and fired an offhand shot at a dirty cream colored pig just as it reached the top of the gully through some light brush. The rushed and unstable shot resulted in a clean miss and the remainder of the animals scurried off into the underbrush. Following this unexpected sighting on our “tour” my hunting partner and I’s hopes were on high that we would indeed be bringing home some sausage on this trip. Later that evening we returned to this location assuming that if there were pigs there earlier more may indeed be utilizing this as a travel route. We set up on the hillsides just before dark with our green lights and hoped to hear them sloshing through the mud. Honestly, I just hoped a rattlesnake didn’t decide I was in his spot. It was August and 102 degrees when we arrived so certainly they would be out in the darkness searching for prey. My only hope was they wouldn’t be searching for me. We stayed out till 11:00 PM or so without event, pig or reptile, and decided to call it a night after a long drive and an early morning rapidly approaching. Sleep came easy that first night and hopes were high that first morning after having pigs running through fields as we drove towards our spots. Not wanting to drive down into the basin and bust anything out we opted to sit up top and guard the field edges hoping to catch the swine returning from their evening feed. My partner chose to sit in an elevated blind 200 yards or so from the property line and myself 300 yards to the South. There was little going on as the sun began to rise when I received a text inviting me to look to the North East. What I saw looked like something from the dustbowl!! A herd of who knows how many pigs where deadheading right toward towards us in a massive cloud of dust. As our heart beats rapidly increased and our trigger fingers tightened the massive group took an abrupt right and ran the fence line on the bordering property and out of our crosshairs. We would find out as the hunt progressed that this would be a reoccurring pattern each morning. Those pigs knew where they were safe, and where they were not.
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The day was spent riding around in the 100 degree heat periodically getting out to glass the valleys and ravines hoping to catch something hiding in the shadows or cooling off in the mud. In general this was a pretty fruitless activity but with such breathtaking views it was difficult not to take advantage of the opportunity. Around 1:00 or so we headed back to our ranch house for some lunch and a nap prior to heading out for the evening. With a little rest we headed back out around 5:00 to get set up for the evening hunt. As time would eventually prove, the evenings and late night were not the most productive time to be out for us. No pigs were spotted and we headed in once again to get to bed just prior to midnight. Morning came quick and we were in the truck opening and closing ranch gates well before daylight. Based on the previous mornings observations my partner moved further North to hunt near the fence row the hogs had cut across. I also moved North into the elevated blind he sat in the day before. I sat quietly thinking about how great this Texas expedition had been even though nothing had hit the ground yet. The morning sky was dark but beginning to show the slightest sign of the impending sunrise. I had just removed the green light from my scope and strained to see any dark figures roaming the plowed fields surrounding me. Then as animals do, a form appeared from obscurity to my left. I raised my field glasses to extract what little extra light they offered to confirm what I was hoping to see. There traveling across the field was a lone pig heading for the tangles to hide from the days oncoming heat wave. The gun was raised as I simultaneously dialed the scopes magnification to max. I followed the beast until I finally got a momentary pause in his stride so I could put the cross hairs just behind his shoulder. In a flash of lightning the rifle roared and the hog seemingly disappeared. Not knowing exactly the outcome of the shot I quickly recovered for a follow up if necessary. Frantically I searched but could not find anything in the scope but could tell I had made solid contact based on the ear piercing squeals that were penetrating the early morning silence. Then all was silent. I pulled up the binos to find finally find the lifeless form laying where I had last seen him in the scope. Bratwursts at last. I unnecessarily gave the animal some time, mainly to allow my partner to finish his hunt, and sat back to savor the moment. As they did the day before, the pigs skirted the fence line where my partner sat and eventually he started to head my way. As we walked up to my hog I could barely hold back emotion of happiness and thankfulness of what had transpired that morning. I took a moment to thank God and the hog and quickly the two of us loaded him into the truck to get the butchering chores done before the blistering sun could do it’s damage to the meat. The remainder of the day and night were void of pig activity so reluctantly we called the night a little early with aspirations for a good morning hunt the next day.
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By now the mornings had become routine and we were back in our spots well before light. Since we were having luck catching the pigs traveling across the fields in the early AM we opted to sit in the same general locations we had been. As I sat in the twilight hoping that this trip would yield more than a single hog and that my partner would get a crack at one himself, forms began again working across the field. I carefully turned my green light on and worked to get it centered on the two pigs. As I finally had the light, cross hairs, and hog all in my field of view I squeezed the trigger. Click. “What!??!?!?!” Miss fire. The hogs continued on their way to safety as I sat there dejected. I ejected the shell and examined that the firing pin had indeed hit the primer but for whatever reason the bullet did not fire. The sun came up bright and hot, the large group of hogs ran the fence line again, and reluctantly we called it a morning. We walked up to the truck somewhat discouraged opening the doors to load up and try the valley again. For some reason I’ll never know I just happened to turn and look back towards the field we had just exited. There sauntering across the fresh dirt were 20 plus pigs unaware we had just vacated the vicinity. I yelled, “Grab your gun!” and abruptly dashed towards the field. My partner did so and followed suit not knowing exactly what was transpiring. My gate was fast and as he caught up I pointed out our unexpected guests still meandering along. Since I had already killed a pig I whispered that I would let him get the first shot and then after that the pigs were fair game. Rounding a corner giving me an unobstructed field of view I threw down my shooting sticks and worked to put a bead on one of the larger animals. As I followed along waiting for the crack of a rifle I began to get a little anxious waiting. I pulled up off the scope to look and see what in the world he was waiting on! He had found his way to a little rise 40 yards away and was obviously dialing in for a perfect shot. While my impatience had shown through, his lack thereof paid off. At the shot the largest of the group went heels over head into the dirt not to move again. The herd expedited their exit but the flood gates were open and I picked up the next hog I could and fired. Jamming another round in I repeated. Looking for third round I realized I had never replace the misfire from earlier in the morning so my fun was done. As the dust settled the pig I shot looked bigger in the scope than in real life but would absolutely be fine dining. The only other hog was the first that fallen so happily we walked up to claim our prizes. The rest of morning was spent butchering animals for the long trip home. One final nap in the afternoon and our last sit was upon us. I didn’t see as much as a glimpse of another pig but the turkeys and deer put on enough of a show for me to admire in complete satisfaction. I’ve never hunted in such a unique place, and may never again, but as the sun set for the last time my level gratitude for the chance was at its peak. We drove home the following day talking of successes, what we would have done different knowing what we knew now, and how we would have our pigs processed. One thing is for sure, given the prospect of returning to The Red Planet again, I wouldn’t hesitate!!!
-trapping -deterrent -consulting scott@texashogcontrol.com
