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[Guide Girl]

PIGTALES ADVENTURES IN HOGHUNTIN’                                            
GRANGER LAKE, TX
By Wendy White
Prostaff member for:

    

We decided that we were going to try the public land hunting for hogs, so we headed to Georgetown with high hopes. Duane and Royce were going on this trip with us, so between the four of us, something exciting was bound to happen. This property, is arrow only unless hunting squirrels. Then a shotgun was permissible. Being Royce didn’t have archery equipment, and Duane borrowed my extra crossbow, he was hunting squirrels and Duane walking along with him, was hunting pigs.
The hunting area is behind the dam of Granger Lake, so Royce and Duane took the far side, and Butch and I took the other.

We hunted, walking and stalking, until about 10 am before I heard Duane on the radio. I had just happened to stop to strip some of the clothing off as it was warming quite nicely, so I stopped to listen to the conversation. I heard Duane calling Butch. Curious to see what they saw, I listened and then, I really listened. I heard the word HOGS. Apparently, as the story was being told, they came upon a group of very large hogs, and they wanted to know if we wanted to walk in with them together. I want you to know right now, nothing was mentioned at this time about a shot, mad sow.

I chimed in and said I was done on my side, and I would meet Butch at the parking area and ditch all the clothing and equipment I wouldn’t need to be stealthy stalking in on the hogs.  Man, I was excited thinking they had found a herd of hogs, but not just hogs, Duane said they were in the area of 500 pounders. They were relaxing with small babies in a ravine in the sun. Wew! I can’t wait.

Well, Butch and I headed to where Duane said he’d meet us outside the woods. When I saw him, I got a funny feeling something wasn’t being told. You do that when you raise kids. You get this “feeling’ when something’s up. You see, Duane is Butch’s’ oldest son.  At the time, I also didn’t notice he didn’t have a weapon- My borrowed crossbow in his hands. When we followed Duane in on the trail, I did notice Royce with his shotgun sitting up in a tree. (There’s my sign. Duh!)
I just figured Royce was worried about being found out, but Duane said to us that Royce was there to watch the hogs in case they moved out. You know, I really should’a known what was gonna happen at that moment, but I didn’t because I hadn’t been told the whole story, and took for granted, we were  just stalking in on some relaxing 500 pound hogs. Right!

Butch and I ended up in the lead on the trail. That’s funny in itself since we were the “invited” guests on this shoot. Butch was leading and when we got to the top of the ravine, there were about five little biddy babies lying on the top ledge. But then, there was big mama just below them, sleeping in the sun. We backed out so we could get a game plan together. Duane then volunteered to circle around the hogs and push them up top on the trail we were standing on, and we would ambush them as they ran up. Then, Duane told us he had already shot one. Hmmm.

I quickly looked for a tree I could climb fast. I found a good one with a triple trunk. The bad part is all behind where I’m supposed to stand and shoot is thick briar vines. Oh well, I can shoot at them as they climb the hill of the ravine. Not to worry about that direction.

We got set, and I noticed Royce was hanging rather closely to where I was. I guess Butch had asked him to be my backup since I’m the one that seems to have problems with charging hogs. The problem being, they are not afraid of me for some reason. It wasn’t a good plan for Royce though he would find out later. Butch set up on a hanging tree limb at the edge of the ravine, that he could see the hogs coming out. Great spot for a brave lightweight soul. Me? I loved the spot but with my luck and my big butt, the limb would break and I’d land on top of a big mad mama hog. I decided I’d move back from the edge about fifteen yards. That’s as close as I want to shoot anyway. Royce was somewhere behind me and to the left with his trusty shotgun.

Okay, here they come! Man the noise of the five hogs is sounding more like a herd of twenty! Oh, hell! Here they come, but not as planned. The hogs are running right at us from our right side on a different trail. Here comes a pig, and another, and another, and hey, there goes one with an arrow in it. Must be Duane’s I figured. And another hog. They’re still coming. What happened with the five-five hundred pounders? There are hogs everywhere! They’re now crossing behind me and I’m trying to get turned around in the briar to get a shot with my peep sight without getting too far from my tree. You never know what’s gonna happen with mama hogs. Finally, I get a line on a very large sow. She wouldn’t stop though. So, looking down, I see a bunch of the little biddy babies right at my feet. The light bulb in my head went off. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Royce figuring out what I was thinking’. I’m real sure he didn’t like it either. Funny how someone real nervous can move and squirm so much and yet still be standing in the same spot. His eyes got real big too.

I reached down to grab one of those babies, and the sow stopped, very abruptly I might add. I pulled up on her again, and she started running again. I tried to pick up the baby again, and she stopped again. I pulled up and she started running. That second time she stopped, she swirled around and gave us the very evil eye. I now knew these were her new babies. Not only that, she was intimidating enough for me and my buddy Royce to start up the tree at the same time. I grabbed the tree when she swung around, and Royce and I looked at each other. I 'splained to him at that point, that this was my tree, go find your own. Royce spun around to try and quickly find his own tree, but before having to climb, the sow once again turned and ran. I bet there were twenty hogs in that group. What an adrenaline rush!
Duane walked to us, and then confirmed he had shot a sow earlier. Then, we get the disclosure we should have had before this event. Let me tell you how his story went.
It was something about he and Royce hunting, Duane seeing and shooting a sow, and the others charging them. When Duane started running from the hogs, he threw the crossbow down. Each time he would try and retrieve the crossbow, they were charged by a big sow. The same one I was trying to shoot. They climbed the tree until Duane decided to call  backup-us. Thinking back, seeing Royce in the tree when we entered the woods, it made sense. Duane actually needed us to distract the hogs while he went back for the crossbow. If he would’ve lost it, He would have never heard the end of it from me.

We recovered his sow, but the one I saw with the arrow in it run by was Butchs’ shot. He said he got off two shots from that tree. Royce and I never heard the shots, so we didn’t know what had happened. That’s why the hogs changed trails to come out of the ravine from our right side and behind us, instead of the trail in front of us. Ain’t nothing like hunting with your friends and family. Especially your kids!
Good Hunting!

[Urban Legend]

Great story GG,. Thanks for sharing it with the members.

[Mountainman]

Good story...Thanks for sharing.

[909bowsniper]

Mountainman said:

Good story...Thanks for sharing.

X2...Great story:)

[saxman]

Another great story.
I think you would be fun to hunt with.

[Guide Girl]

I'm hoping now that kennisondan  and cjnfirmn will come back to Texas and see of we can't get into trouble with a hog this time, like this! No side arms though in public land to save us. LOL!

[edge]

Great story, but you didn't take time for some action photos

edge.

[Guide Girl]

edge said:

Great story, but you didn't take time for some action photos

edge.

LOL! Yea, seems when I should have the camera rockin', I get too busy trying to get out of trouble. Just like at the forum hunt when Dans Javelina charged me. I only got the footage of before and after that rodeo. I'll work on that though.

[ridgehunter]

What a suspense thriller:eek:!  Call me a really dumb northerner but do hogs leave a blood trail so they can be tracked?  Did Butch hit one on the move?  That would be awesome. Up here we can use a leashed dog to follow a wounded deer.  Would that work with a hog or not a very good idea?  What happened to Butch's pig or is it still running to save its bacon:D?  

One of my camp buddies called me today to tell me that he found several hog wallows and numerous tracks in the swamp below our camp.  Call me one pumped up ole guy after your story and the phone call.

[Bushnlo]

Great story!

[kmtpr]

Another great story, Wendy.   Love reading them.  Thanks for sharing it.

[Lscha]

That was a good one!! I still don't know how you get a shot at those things. They seem to be moving all the time. Nice that you can climb trees. I'd be pig food.:D:D

[JakeinTX]

Ok,

This is the second time I have heard this little ditty!  The first time was when I was sittin in the shade with Royce, Wendy & Butch!  Now, I am no Royce expert, but Royce sittin in the tree is something I would pay money to see!!!!  I am sitting here laughing and my wife thinks I am nuts!  Now that property down south doesn't have alot of BIG trees for Royce so he might need a big gun!

Jake

[Guide Girl]

ridgehunter said:

What a suspense thriller:eek:!  Call me a really dumb northerner but do hogs leave a blood trail so they can be tracked?  Did Butch hit one on the move?  That would be awesome. Up here we can use a leashed dog to follow a wounded deer.  Would that work with a hog or not a very good idea?  What happened to Butch's pig or is it still running to save its bacon:D?  

One of my camp buddies called me today to tell me that he found several hog wallows and numerous tracks in the swamp below our camp.  Call me one pumped up ole guy after your story and the phone call.

Oh yea they leave a blood trail! That's also when it can get really exciting, real fast. When tracking one. It's why I would rather hunt hogs than deer any day or night. They can hunt you back.

Yea, Butch hit one on the move, but we lost blood and eventually gave up on it. There were so many, the trail was trampled for too long to pick it back up. If you use dogs to track, you better have some tough dogs and more than one, because a hog will kill a dog if it can. I've witnessed a dog and hog fight many times in my own yard between my pet hog and my Rottweilers. My dogs got lucky more than once. It's pretty ferocious. Hogs are extremely strong and mean, and have no neck to grab, are very dense skinned, whereas a dog does have a neck accessible, and soft hide.
People here train dogs to hunt hogs and are trained to have a catch dog, and the others grab legs and the tail to hold the hog until a hunter gets close enough to shoot or stab the hog. If someone is to shoot the hog, the dogs then release it at the trainers command for so the shot can be taken. It's called stabbing, and I'll pass on that. The dogs wear large collars to protect the necks and kevlar jackets to keep from being cut in the vitals. Many a dog has been stitched up after these altercations. Hogs and dogs naturally hate each other.