K
KurtJ
Guest
My spring break of 2006 my dad, a friend (Danny a.k.a. hoythunter72), and I went to Texas for a wild boar hunt. My dad and I had each bought hunting pack ages at a Whitetails Unlimited banquet. The hunts were through Hunting with Jeff at The Double C Ranch. The Double C Ranch is located in Dimmit County, Texas which is a 2 hr. drive south of San Antonio near the town of Crystal City. Danny goes to school with me and after telling him about the hunt he decided it sounded like fun. He was able to purchase about the same hunting package on e-bay. We were able to communicate with the owner of the ranch, Jeff Myers, in the months prior to prepare for the hunt as this would be our first boar hunts.
Finally spring break came and as all the other college students were heading to the beach Danny, dad, and I were heading to Texas with only hunting wild boar on our mind. We drove down and when we got to the ranch we were greeted by our guide, Kevin Cross. After unloading our gear we went out to the shooting range to sight in our rifles. My dad and Danny were going to be shooting 30-06 rifles and I was going to shoot a .243 rifle. Once we were ready and had our guns sighted in we were ready to go out. The way your hunting time is set up for the entire hunt is that you arrive in the afternoon of your first day and hunt that first evening. The second day you are there you get up eat a small breakfast and then go out for a morning hunt and coming back in you eat a bigger breakfast. After breakfast you have the rest of the morning and the earlier part of the afternoon, with lunch in the middle, to spend as you like. Some time around late afternoon you go out for your second evening hunt, you can have your guide take you out as early as you like but the wild boars do not get active until just before dark or even right after dark. After the evening hunt you return to the lodge and eat supper and hangout. The third day you get up have a small breakfast, and then go out for your last hunt. After coming in from your last hunt you eat breakfast, pack up your gear and game, and are on the way home.
Day One
The first evening hunt we went out my dad, Danny, and I was each dropped off by our guide. For the first evening we went to one of the ranch’s high fenced locations. Sitting in a blind on a high fenced ranch is totally different from a non-fenced spot. I saw all kinds of exotics. While waiting I saw elk, axis deer, blackbuck, and of course whitetail deer. Danny and I were unsuccessful the firs evening but my dad shot his limit of two hogs; each probably weighed about 75 lbs.
Day Two
The first morning hunt did not bring much excitement. We were placed in a high-fenced location once again. Neither Danny nor I saw any hogs but I did see something you don't see in the Iowa deer woods. I saw 3 of our friends from south of the border heading north on their marry way. My dad was the only one to see any hogs.
The second evening started out good. This was the first location that we were going to hunt at was not fenced at all. It was called the Pecan because there was a Pecan orchard on the property. Our guide was going to put Danny and I in what he thought would have the best chances of seeing hogs and put my dad in the least likely. On our way to drop me off at my blind, not long after dropping Danny off at his blind, we saw an armadillo. Our guide asked if I wanted to shot it and I was more than willing to. Since my .243 was overkill for an armadillo, Kevin let me use his .22 Mag. I snuck out shot it and ran over and grabbed it.
We then went to drop me at my blind. This time since I was not in a fenced location I just saw a lot of whitetail deer. When it was just starting to get dark I heard a shot from Danny’s direction. After hearing that shot all the deer that had been hanging out by my feeder took off. Several minutes later I saw something dark approaching the feeder. I put my scope on the object and could tell it was a boar. I decided to wait on a shot to see if the boar would go to the feeder which had a little light on it. When the boar finally got to the feeder it did not go underneath it so I was looking at the boar behind the light, which was harder to see it than when it was just in the plain dark. The boar then emerged on the other side of the feeder. Although in the dark, I waited until I felt I had a good side shot. Since we were advised to shoot them in the head so we would not have to search for them, I aimed at the boar’s ear and dropped the cross-hairs down so I was aiming at its head. I shot and the boar dropped. I kept my scope on the boar just in case it would get back up. Once I was sure he was staying down, I lowered my rifle and sat back. Not long after shooting I heard another shot come from Danny’s direction. The truck showed up with Kevin and my dad he pulled up with the lights toward the feeder. He came up to me and asked if I had shot anything and I pointed. He did not see it because it was not under the feeder like he normally expects. We loaded my boar up and went to get Danny. Danny had shot 2 hogs and both were right under the feeder. When we got back to the ranch we weighed our trophies. Danny’s first hog was about the same size as the 2 my dad had shot so we just guessed about 75 lbs. We weighed the other 2. Danny’s larger hog weighed 145 lbs. and my boar weighed a total of 200 lbs. It turned out to be a great day!
Day Three
The last morning we went out was uneventful. But we left the Double C Ranch with two coolers of meat, a boar head, a few sheds that we scooped up, and some memories that will last us a lifetime.
Finally spring break came and as all the other college students were heading to the beach Danny, dad, and I were heading to Texas with only hunting wild boar on our mind. We drove down and when we got to the ranch we were greeted by our guide, Kevin Cross. After unloading our gear we went out to the shooting range to sight in our rifles. My dad and Danny were going to be shooting 30-06 rifles and I was going to shoot a .243 rifle. Once we were ready and had our guns sighted in we were ready to go out. The way your hunting time is set up for the entire hunt is that you arrive in the afternoon of your first day and hunt that first evening. The second day you are there you get up eat a small breakfast and then go out for a morning hunt and coming back in you eat a bigger breakfast. After breakfast you have the rest of the morning and the earlier part of the afternoon, with lunch in the middle, to spend as you like. Some time around late afternoon you go out for your second evening hunt, you can have your guide take you out as early as you like but the wild boars do not get active until just before dark or even right after dark. After the evening hunt you return to the lodge and eat supper and hangout. The third day you get up have a small breakfast, and then go out for your last hunt. After coming in from your last hunt you eat breakfast, pack up your gear and game, and are on the way home.
Day One
The first evening hunt we went out my dad, Danny, and I was each dropped off by our guide. For the first evening we went to one of the ranch’s high fenced locations. Sitting in a blind on a high fenced ranch is totally different from a non-fenced spot. I saw all kinds of exotics. While waiting I saw elk, axis deer, blackbuck, and of course whitetail deer. Danny and I were unsuccessful the firs evening but my dad shot his limit of two hogs; each probably weighed about 75 lbs.
Day Two
The first morning hunt did not bring much excitement. We were placed in a high-fenced location once again. Neither Danny nor I saw any hogs but I did see something you don't see in the Iowa deer woods. I saw 3 of our friends from south of the border heading north on their marry way. My dad was the only one to see any hogs.
The second evening started out good. This was the first location that we were going to hunt at was not fenced at all. It was called the Pecan because there was a Pecan orchard on the property. Our guide was going to put Danny and I in what he thought would have the best chances of seeing hogs and put my dad in the least likely. On our way to drop me off at my blind, not long after dropping Danny off at his blind, we saw an armadillo. Our guide asked if I wanted to shot it and I was more than willing to. Since my .243 was overkill for an armadillo, Kevin let me use his .22 Mag. I snuck out shot it and ran over and grabbed it.
We then went to drop me at my blind. This time since I was not in a fenced location I just saw a lot of whitetail deer. When it was just starting to get dark I heard a shot from Danny’s direction. After hearing that shot all the deer that had been hanging out by my feeder took off. Several minutes later I saw something dark approaching the feeder. I put my scope on the object and could tell it was a boar. I decided to wait on a shot to see if the boar would go to the feeder which had a little light on it. When the boar finally got to the feeder it did not go underneath it so I was looking at the boar behind the light, which was harder to see it than when it was just in the plain dark. The boar then emerged on the other side of the feeder. Although in the dark, I waited until I felt I had a good side shot. Since we were advised to shoot them in the head so we would not have to search for them, I aimed at the boar’s ear and dropped the cross-hairs down so I was aiming at its head. I shot and the boar dropped. I kept my scope on the boar just in case it would get back up. Once I was sure he was staying down, I lowered my rifle and sat back. Not long after shooting I heard another shot come from Danny’s direction. The truck showed up with Kevin and my dad he pulled up with the lights toward the feeder. He came up to me and asked if I had shot anything and I pointed. He did not see it because it was not under the feeder like he normally expects. We loaded my boar up and went to get Danny. Danny had shot 2 hogs and both were right under the feeder. When we got back to the ranch we weighed our trophies. Danny’s first hog was about the same size as the 2 my dad had shot so we just guessed about 75 lbs. We weighed the other 2. Danny’s larger hog weighed 145 lbs. and my boar weighed a total of 200 lbs. It turned out to be a great day!
Day Three
The last morning we went out was uneventful. But we left the Double C Ranch with two coolers of meat, a boar head, a few sheds that we scooped up, and some memories that will last us a lifetime.
