Live Hunts - South Texas Hog Bowhunt - May 2

Live Hunts - South Texas Hog Bowhunt - May 2 - Day 2

Thursday - May 2, Day 2
South Texas Hog Bowhunt

A.M. Hunt
This evening I'm hunting from a Gametamers lock-on stand out of a BIG Live Oak tree. It overlooks a spot between the thick brush, and a pond, where J.J. has been feeding corn for several months now. He said I'm only the 2nd hunter to hunt this stand, so I'm hoping to get a shot at some undisturbed hogs.

I had a great view of the pond from my stand, and about 45 minutes before dark, I heard some splashing and grunting on the far side of the pond. I could see that there were 4 hogs out there splashing around and having a grand time in the water. When it gets really hot in the summer, that is one of the first things they do in the late evening, is hit the waterholes. They left after a few minutes, and over the next 45 minutes 4 more lone hogs came to the other side of the pond and did the same thing. 3 of them looked like big boars.

My spot for the evening, overlooking a feeding area

As it got closer to dark, I had several deer come underneath to nibble on the corn. All of a sudden they spooked and ran, and I figured that was a good sign hogs were coming. Sure enough, directly behind me in the woods I heard some wooshing sounds as they ran through the tall grass and I could see shadows moving through the brush. They didn't come right out, however. I saw them cross the road about 50 yards down and head to the pond first. I could hear them making a ruckus for a bit, then about 10 minutes later they crossed the road again. This time they came out of the woods - about half a dozen pigs - and started chowing down on the corn. It was already too dark for me to see my regular sight pins, but I could see my Tritium sight pin just fine. There was still enough light that I could see the silhouettes of the hogs well enough that I didn't need to use my stabilizer light. I drew on a good-sized pig that was slightly quartering away at about 10 yards, lined up my pin low behind the shoulder, and let it fly. I could hear the impact and saw the hog react. Right away, I could hear some stumbling sounds and I figured that was an indication of a good, fatal shot.

I got down right away and found my arrow, and quite a good blood trail. The trail went for 25 yards right to my hog, very dead. The arrow entered halfway up the chest right behind the shoulder on one side, and came out low on the other side, breaking the off-side leg, a heart shot. That's why it didn't run far. Heart shots are by far the best shots to make on a hog, they just won't go far.

My hog from this evening, a photo taken in the field with mud ON

The same hog, after a good cleaning - black with tan spots!

This pig was much bigger than my one from last night. I'd say it was definitely over 200 lbs., and like the one last night, was soaking wet and muddy. We snapped a few pictures and got it to the truck. When we got it back to the skinning rack, we cleaned off the mud real good and discovered that the pig was spotted, not grey! And let me tell you, it was a FAT pig. LOTS of fat.

I'm always impressed with the amount of game, and particularly the number of pigs, that I see at the Trulove Ranch. If you want a great do-it-yourself hog hunt, with the benefit of pre-set stands and corned areas, I recommend this hunt without reservations. I'm also going to be there hunting deer this December!

Hope you enjoyed the hunt, join us again soon for another Live Hunt!

Trip Notes
Our Hog takes place on the Trulove Ranch in Uvalde County, Texas, about 60 miles west of San Antonio. The ranch, approximately 3,000 acres, is in that fringe area where Hill Country meets Brush Country. The ranch is loaded with Hogs, Whitetail Deer, and Turkey, all three are in abundance. All hunting on the ranch is bow only and has been for more than 5 years.

The Trulove Ranch has a comfortable camp. They have a cooking/eating area, hunters are responsible to bring their own bedding and food. J.J. Reynolds will assist hunters in whatever way he can while on the ranch, with stand locations and such. J.J. is a hardcore bowhunter himself and knows bowhunting, so his help is very valuable in getting to know the ranch. If you'd be interested in setting up a hunt on the Trulove Ranch, you can visit their web site at:

http://www.huntinfo.com/finfur/

Equipment
I shoot a Martin Jaguar bow set at 70 lbs, Easton 3-60 ACC arrows, and Wasp 125 gr. SST Hammer broadheads. On this hunt I was wearing Predator Spring Green camo, as it blends in very well with the foliage in this area.

Equipment
This section is to tell you about some equipment that I've used extensively and highly recommend. I'm not a paid representative of any hunting product manufacturer, so these are honest-to-goodness reviews of quality equipment. In case you're interested in trying out some of this equipment for yourself, I've made links to places on the Internet where you can buy them at good prices. Just click on the photo or the name of the product.

Bausch & Lomb® 7x42 Binoculars	I've had a pair of B&L 7x42 Discoverer's for 5 years and have given them a real beating in a large variety of climates and conditions. I am very impressed with the overall quality. Compared side by side with Swarovski Binoculars in the field, the only noticeable difference was the price. They will cost you about $500 less than Swarovski's.
Garmin® GPS 12	Buying a Garmin GPS 12 was one of the best purchases I ever made. It has so many uses, and is so easy to use. In unfamiliar hunting areas, just mark your vehicle, hunt anywhere you want, and at the end of the day, get back to your vehicle with no problem. It's also great for marking downed animals to return to later. My GPS goes with me on EVERY hunting outing.
Wasp Hammer SST 125 Gr. Broadheads	I've used probably 10 different makes and models of broadheads in the last 10 years. The Wasp SST Hammer is the best Fixed, Replaceable blade broadhead I've ever used. I used to use Thunderheads, and took several animals with them. On a friends recommendation, however, I tried the Wasp. That was 2 years and a dozen or so animals ago, and I haven't tried another broadhead since. The Wasp has given me better blood trails, by far, than any of the other heads I've tried. They are tough, penetrate well (complete pass-throughs on all but one animal) and fly great. What more could you ask?
Double Bull Titan I.C.E. Blind	There is no question that hunting from my Titan blind has made my success rate as a bowhunter much higher. The Predator Deception pattern fairly melts into the brush. I've shot animals less than 5 yards from the blind. Also the best thing for Turkey Bowhunters since the Box Call. Light, very portable, strong, and conceals movement very well. Great for increasing the amount of time you spend in the woods.
Olympus D-450 Zoom Digital Camera	If you're interested in getting a very high-quality Digital Camera, the Olympus D-450 or one of it's successors is a great choice. I've had my D-450 for about 3 years now, and have taken all of the photos for all my Live Hunts with this camera. It's not cheap, but this is one instance where you definitely get what you pay for. I highly recommend this camera.

e-mail Joshua Flournoy

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