Hog’n Down Texas Style - Texas
Bucky Beckham and Jay Richardson!
Steve, Bucky, Kevin, Scott and Joe.
Hunter – Scott Wolfe
Cameraman – Joe Rush
Several months ago I got a call from Joe Rush, asking if I would be interested in tagging along on a Texas hog hunt with Posse members Bucky & Kevin from Missouri. After about a “nanosecond” of thought….I said YES!!!
The plan was to drive to Missouri where we would meet up with Bucky, Kevin, and their friend Steve, rest for a few hours and then head off to Texas for a weekend of fun. Our destination was a small town east of Abilene where the hogs were running wild.
The theme of this hunt was to get away, meet new people, and just RELAX. With that said, we still packed the camera equipment with us because….well, filming is what we like to do.
After an extremely long day of driving into a strong head wind, we found ourselves at the front door of Bucky’s good friend Jay who would be our host for the weekend. Jay and his family opened up their home to us and I quickly got settled in a room with Hannah Montana posters on the wall. (Bucky wanted to fight me for this room but I was too quick for him!!!) haha
Before I get to the action, I should explain the How’s & Why’s of hog hunting in Texas. The WHY is simple……Texas is overrun with hogs and they are very destructive to crops, vegetation, fences, etc.
The “How” is the fun part. On this hunt we did everything from set up on waterholes, to spot and stalk with gun and bow, and even hunted them with dogs. I’ve never hunted with dogs before and I didn’t think I would like it. I was right….I didn’t like it….I LOVED IT!!!!
Although the two hogs I took on this trip were spot and stalk with my TC Triumph, I enjoyed watching the dogs work…..and work they did. If we “cut” a trail or got a visual on hog, we would release the bay dogs and the chase was on. If all worked well, we would catch up to the dogs and attempt to take a shot while the dogs kept the hogs busy.
If this method doesn’t sound appealing to you, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!!!!
Now let’s get to the action…
We split into two groups and the plan for our first evening hunt was for me to hunt while Joe filmed. We only had a few hours of daylight left so a sit in our Choice blind on a waterhole seemed like the thing to do……especially since we were pretty exhausted from the long drive down.
One thing I learned early on with hog hunting……plans change quickly. While heading towards the waterhole, we spotted a 4-legged pork chop and the chase was on.
After my first of two 5-k runs for the afternoon, I found myself 20 yards from a hog but some brush kept me from taking the shot. During 5-k run #2 which started about 10 minutes after the first one completed, we found ourselves in hot pursuit of a very large hog with a very unique coloration according to Jay. This chase ended when Kevin noticed that the quiver was no longer attached to the crossbow. It had been ripped off in the thick brush and I never even noticed.
That was the end of my excitement for the night as far as hunting goes but when we returned to Jay’s home we saw a nice hog on the “meat pole”. Steve had put one on the ground and it was high-fives for everyone. (FYI….it you think you don’t need to be in shape for hog hunting, you are wrong)
Day #2 starting out with a bang for Kevin, Bucky, and Steve but it was pretty slow for Joe and me. While we were trying to catch up with the only group we saw that morning, Bucky and the boys were launching Bemans in every direction. When the dust had settled……5 more hogs for the meat pole.
That evening found Joe and I stalking up on a large group of hogs just as soon as we hit the ranch. I would like to say he missed but we don’t have proof since the cameraman was on the wrong hog. I’m not sure how I….I mean how the cameraman got on the wrong hog…but it happens. haha
Right at last light as we were leaving the ranch, we found ourselves surrounded by hogs again. Now, when I say surrounded….I don’t mean “hogs around us” surrounded….I mean “circle the wagons and every man for himself” surrounded. We were stuck smack dab in the middle of a hog frenzy….almost like how cockroaches scurry away when you turn a light on. We got set up the best we could and Joe made a great shot on a large sow that was fixin’ to leave the scene. He had come to full draw on a huge boar with big cutters…..but the shot never presented itself.
I wish I could go into more detail but the action happened so fast and it was over before it started. This is definitely a hunt that you have to try to get a full understanding of just how fast and exciting the action really is.