 Texas dawn in a blind with my Browning BLR in .300 Win. Mag. and a Bushnell 3-9 X 40 mm Firefly scope. Scopes with illuminated reticles are highly recommended for night hunting on the ranch. We also used the Leupold VX-III 3.5-10 X 50 mm with the Illuminated German #4 Dot reticle, and both worked great. See the WTU website for more information about caliber and scope selection. |
The sky has been lightening for more than an hour, and as the sun starts to show over the tree line it’s already 86 degrees. I’ve been hearing the snorts and grunts of my prey since I settled into the blind, and while I’ve seen some vague movement from my quarry, I haven’t seen a target clearly enough to be able to take a shot.
I’m hunting feral hogs in south Texas, and despite the heat, a soft breeze is keeping the blind comfortable. I’m at the Double C Ranch, on the same hunt that is offered at WTU banquets, and this is my last chance to take home the bacon. I’ve had several excellent opportunities to bag a hog, but I shot with a camera instead of a gun, and I was close enough that the camera noise spooked the animals before I could shoot for real. However, I’m tired of being razzed back at the ranch about not bagging a hog, and this is my last chance.
It is the third day of the three-day hunt, and it has been a great time. Let’s face it: August is not the ideal time to visit south Texas (it was above 100 degrees every day), but work and school schedules provided only this time for my son, Jordan, and me to get away together. Strictly by chance three WTU field directors were also at the ranch at the same time we were, and it was a pleasant surprise to see friends when we checked in. The downside was that the verbal abuse was relentless.
I’m a photographer, and this was a working vacation for me, as I was doing a story on the ranch and the hog hunts. That made no difference to Tim Powers, Kevin Harrington, and Darel Martin. As soon as we got back to the ranch the question was always, “What did you get?”
“I got some great photos,” I’d reply. “You didn’t shoot anything?” they would chorus. And then the abuse would start. As they pointed out, you can’t eat photographs.
 Feral hogs range from 40 lbs. to well over 300 lbs., and are not an easy animal to hunt. They lay up in the heat of the day, and scatter as they see you approach. They are fast, and can scoot through trails under cactus and thorny brush. At night they gather at feeders, and while there are lights on the feeders, they are very dim red lights, which make lining up a confident shot a real challenge. |
So this final morning I was determined to succeed, and as if on cue, a trio of hogs came trotting out of the scrub across the field. I had seen enough of them to know that these were on the small side, but faced with the alternative of being completely skunked, I quietly rested my Browning BLR on the stand window, found the hog that presented the best head shot, lined up the crosshairs, and squeezed the trigger. Now I had an answer to the “What did you get?” question.
For me, even without the meat in the freezer, this was a great trip. There was challenging hunting, good food, excellent accommodations, wonderful hospitality, tremendous guides, and I got both photographs and game. It was a trip that was relaxing and tiring, if that makes sense, which is my favorite kind of vacation.
However content I was, on that last morning Jordan just missed a tricky shot on a large boar, and was not happy with himself. On the way home I asked if he had had a good time, and he said “Except for that last shot.” “Would you like to come back sometime?” I asked. “Absolutely!” he said. And we are going back. Next time we’re taking his grandfather and uncle, and I’m not going to be working, just hunting.
Feral Hogs
Feral hogs are a growing problem in much of the country, but nowhere is the problem more acute than in the state of Texas. However, this problem for landowners presents an opportunity for hunters, and Whitetails Unlimited now offers an opportunity for members to hunt feral hogs in Texas by partnering with an outstanding outfitter, Jeff Myers and the Double C Ranch.
 Our guide, Gabriel, left, and Jordan set out for a look at a pond just behind the hill they are approaching. Hunting at sunrise and sunset is from blinds, and during the day we would try to get the jump on hogs at mud holes and ponds. There was plenty of fresh sign, but no hogs. While we took breaks for meals and to relax at the ranch facility, we were able to hunt from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
Wild (feral) hogs have been in the Americas since the 1500s, when early explorers brought pigs from Europe. Hogs that live in the wild can live very well; they are very adaptable and have a high reproductive rate. They eat a wide variety of food, and take advantage of whatever is available, including food that is intended for livestock, deer, or other game animals. They can do a great deal of damage to property, including digging up land by rooting and creating wallows, damaging fences, and destroying crops. Feral hogs compete directly with desired game animals for both food and habitat.
Damage from these pests is estimated to exceed $50 million in Texas alone, and millions more dollars are spent trying to control the animals. Some 30 states report that they have feral hog problems, and they are believed to be migrating into many more states than that. Just in Texas, it is estimated that there are more than two million feral hogs. They are smart and tough, and it is not easy to get rid of them.
But for hunters restless to get into the field after traditional hunting seasons are over, many states (like Texas) consider feral hogs to be an unprotected species, with very liberal seasons and bag limits. Plus, landowners want to be rid of the pests; and just like domestic hogs, feral hogs are good eating. In fact, some landowners hire private trappers to live trap and sell the animals for market.
The Hunting Package
The Double C Ranch package available at WTU banquets includes three days of hunting (first day afternoon, one full day, and the morning of the third day), two nights accommodations, maid service, and all meals and drinks, at their south Texas location, about 85 miles from San Antonio. There is a guide included for each hunting party, and these guides are sharp and work very hard to get you in position to take your animals. Each hunter can take two hogs and one aoudad (a type of sheep), and additional animals (including exotics) can be added for additional cost. Animals are cleaned, quartered, vacuum packed, and refrigerated or frozen immediately on-site, and the meat can be shipped anywhere UPS will deliver (at your cost).
 Hogs can appear suddenly at feeders, and can leave just as quickly, moving easily through the tough Texas scrub. They often retain the coloring and appearance of their domestic relatives, although they gradually get darker and hairier. This trio are on the small side, and a hunter might pass on them early in the hunt; but for landowners any size hog is a problem, and they just want to be rid of them. |
There are more than 25,000 acres in three counties available for hunting, and landowners regularly ask hunters onto their land when they get too many hogs causing problems. The guides scout out locations, position feeders and stands, and put the new locations into the rotation. One afternoon Gabriel Gamon, our guide, took me into a gorgeous pecan orchard where they had a new stand, but we couldn’t use it because workers were installing some irrigation pipe. Safety is always paramount with this operation, and the guides are constantly checking with each other so they all know where all the hunters are.
This package has been very popular at WTU banquets, and we’ve had great feedback from those who’ve gone on the hunts. I decided that I wanted to see what the hunt was really about when I was approached at a banquet in Minnesota by a member who had gone on the hunt, but didn’t get a hog. In fact, he said that no one in his group got a hog. “Oh, no,” I thought, we’re in trouble offering this hunt. However, he was not really upset, and he had high praise for the operation itself, the food, guides, accommodations, and staff, but they just didn’t get any hogs. Then he told me that he came to the banquet in order to bid on the trip again because he had so much fun he wanted to go back! He ended the conversation by telling me, “Well, that’s hunting!”
I figured that it must be a good trip if he’s willing to pay for it twice, with a smile, and I was sold. After being there, and only getting one small hog, I’m also paying to go back again. And as for being skunked, I asked our guide about that. He said that they are able to get 95% of hunters in position to take a hog, and then it’s up to them to connect. “It’s pretty rare that a hunter doesn’t get an opportunity for a shot,” Gamon said. “It can happen, but we can almost always get them (hunters) to where the hogs are.”
 WTU Field Director Kevin Harrington with a hog he took with one shot from the WTU Commemorative Smith & Wesson .460 hunting handgun. This one is topped with S&W stainless steel rings and base, and a Bushnell E3200 2-6 X 32 mm scope. Always use steel rings for this handgun because of the robust recoil. For more information about the WTU/S&W .460, visit the WTU website. |
In addition to the hunting, the ranch offers a swimming pool, game room, den with easy chairs, a huge flat screen TV and hundreds of DVDs, outdoor range (each hunter has to sight-in before going in the field), unlimited trap shooting over a pond just steps away from the dining hall, and great food and drink. Satellite TV and a high-speed wireless internet connection keeps you connected to the world, if you want to stay connected. The beds are comfortable, the air conditioners made the room too cold in 100-degree heat, and the water pressure in the showers was even good — a definite plus in my book. The staff really takes care of you, and the facility is top-notch. I’ve been in a lot of hunting camps, ranging from subprimitive to pretty swank, and this entire operation is exceptional.
The only cost not included in the package is tips for the guide and staff, and that was one expense I had no problem paying. The service from the entire staff was extraordinary.
On The Hunt
I’m the kind of guy that loves the early morning (but hates to get out of bed), but the mornings we hunted were glorious, and well worth leaving that comfortable bed. I watched sparring elk, dozens of deer, and an irritated rabbit chase quail away from ‘his’ patch of shelled corn. One elk passed within six feet of the blind, and one morning the water hole on my left had more than 60 animals come for a morning drink in just one hour. I also learned all about the flora of south Texas, which seems to consist mostly of prickly pear cactus and mesquite, both of which will leave you sorry if you get too close.
We hunted at blinds at sunrise and sunset, and drove to water and mud holes and stalked during the day. The feral hogs are wary, and the big ones get that way for a reason – they are very smart. Make no mistake, this is real hunting, and the skills of the hunter are important. On the other hand, this is also an excellent trip for a young or novice hunter. The guides will adapt to the skill level of the hunters, and will work hard to ensure success.
Want More Information?
There is much more to say about the Texas hog hunt at the Double C Ranch than we can fit on these pages. For more information, go to the WTU website, www.whitetailsunlimited.com, click on Magazine and then Articles. It includes more photos, the daily schedule, what to bring, how to work with a guide, the Smith & Wesson / WTU .460 hunting handgun, and how to get the most out of your trip. You can also visit the Double C Ranch website, www.huntingwithjeff.com.