The Hog Blog

Rolled in and got to bed around 0100 this morning, and here it is about 0545 and I’m getting ready for work.  …or I should be, but instead I’m in here tapping away at the keyboard.

Got some great video from the weekend hunt, and I’ll try to get that online as soon as possible.  It was a lot of fun, and while I hate spoilers, I can say that the bucks will live another day.  Saw a bunch of deer, just none with legal antlers. 

But it’s the other stuff I saw that made the weekend… and it’ll all be in the video.  So don’t go away! 

How’s that for a teaser?

My friend, Shane Hearn who runs Borderbandit Outfitters just shot me this latest deal.  He said the deal is pretty much open for now, with no deadline.  He figures he’ll end it when the time is right, but from the looks of things in the outfitting and guided hunting world, now’s the time to offer a deal.  And brother, let me tell you… this is a DEAL!

Here’s what he sent me.

$500 – 2 axis doe, hogs and varmints. Lodging included

 $300 – Hog hunts …. bow/crossbow only …. 3 hogs … no size limit or trophy fee. Lodging included.

 All hunts are per hunter and hunter must provide 2 bags of corn each.

You read it right…  $500 for two axis does, lodging, and all the hogs and varmints you want to shoot.  Or you can do an archery-only hunt for hogs… three hogs for $300.  You won’t find a bargain like that in CA! 

If you’re looking for a hunt to hold you over ’til the late deer season, or if you’ve already filled your tags and are looking for something else to do, this is an excellent option.  Shane’s a great guy, and I can just about guarantee you’ll have a lot of fun and a great hunt at the same time. 

Give him a call at:  830-275-2199

Remember, to hunt feral hogs in Texas, non-residents must buy the basic hunting license.  I think my short-term license this year was less than $50.  You can buy online at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

Looks like I found another free weekend, and I don’t plan to let it get away from me.  I’m heading back up to the Hedgepeth Ranch this weekend in hopes of hanging my deer tag on a nice blacktail buck.  This may be my last deer hunt in the A zone for the season, and I’m gonna try to make the best of it.

Stories, pictures, and maybe some video to come!

There’s been a lot of griping and complaining and resistance to the lead ammo ban (and much of it with good cause). There’s also been a lot of hype about why it’s necessary and the “right thing to do”. But what we could use is more info about what to do with non-lead ammo. We have it. In many cases we have to use it. So what?

I’ve had a bit to say over time about shooting non-lead in rifles. Make sure you zero with the new ammo. If you have trouble with the Barnes, try a lighter load, and if that doesn’t help, give the ETips or GMX bullets a try. And work on your accuracy, so you can do everything possible to make your shots count.

But how about non-lead shotshells? Sure, we’ve been using them for waterfowl for years now, but what about for upland birds? Is it different? Thanks to Kat for sending me this link to an article in the Women’s Outdoor Wire about switching to non-lead for dove hunters. Apparently this is a new law in Kentucky, and a couple of other states are going this way as well.

Of particular note in the article are lessons waterfowlers have already learned.  Open up your choke (try improved cylinder instead of modified), because steel tends to hold a tighter pattern. 

“You need to practice with steel shot,” said Rocky Pritchert, migratory bird program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “It shoots a lot different than lead. It holds its pattern much truer because the pellets don’t deform in the barrel. All of those pellets arrive on target quicker.”

The lack of malleability in steel means you don’t want a tight choke on your shotgun. “I never use more than improved cylinder,” Pritchert said. “I use it the whole season. If I can shoot ducks and geese with it, I am not worried about doves.”

Also, steel is faster than lead, so you’ll need some time on clay targets to learn the proper lead on flying targets.  A little time at the patterning board wouldn’t hurt either. 

Anyway, it’s good to get a little constructive info about lead-free ammo in addition to the ongoing pro vs con debate.  If it’s here, let’s make the best of it.

Well, the blog has been on a pretty good roll for a few weeks, but as you may have noticed, things are a little slower right now.  No excuses, just haven’t been able to get to it as much this week.  I’m in the process of starting a new project and it will take a little time to get back on track with blog posts. 

Even so, there’s a lot going on or coming up, and I promise to keep you all up to date as things come down the pike.  Deer hunts, dove hunts, and some other stuff on the close horizon. 

Stay tuned!

Here’s a short edition of the Porcine Press, thanks to our friend and fellow blogger, Josh. 

From the sounds of this article in the Fresno Bee, the hogs are really getting down to work in Fresno lately, and the farmers are feeling their bite. 

These days, the pigs are venturing from the foothills in eastern and western Fresno County to devour oranges, almonds, grapes and vegetables on Valley farms.

Their rooting can destroy berms and rip through irrigation lines. While many of the pigs average about 100 pounds, some have grown much larger.

Of course, the farmers are fighting back:

At Harris Farms River Ranch near Sanger, as many as 200 pigs have been caught and killed over the last several years.

“We are one of the first green things they see when they come out of the foothills,” said Rod Radtke, ranch manager at Harris Farms. “And they have really taken advantage out here.”

Radtke said the pigs have ripped through lawns and flower beds, yanked low-hanging oranges off trees, gobbled grape bunches and trampled sprinkler equipment. The pigs have also found their way into the feeders and water troughs used for the farm’s thoroughbred racehorses.

“We have knocked them back quite a bit, but we know they are not gone completely,” Radtke said.

What’s it all mean? 

Well, the central coast farmers are already familiar with the risks to crops and property these hogs pose.  Crop damage is already high, and likely to go higher.  And as the article points out, nothing seems to be stopping them, despite depredation hunting, sport hunting, and natural predators.  The tide can be slowed, but not stopped.

Despite the lead ban and the insane price increase of the pig tags a couple of years ago (from about $15 for a book of five to $19.70 for a single tag), hog hunting is still growing in popularity in this state.  Maybe it would help to open up more private lands to hunters.  Or maybe we just need more depredation hunters. 

I don’t know the answer, but one thing is for sure.  This story in Fresno is only one of the many we’ll be continuing to see as wild hogs spread out across the country.

As Hawaii celebrates the 50th anniversary of statehood, the island’s public relations campaign is providing more insight to this awesome string of islands, and the culture that brought us the luau (the Polynesian Pig Pickin’!).  As I was reading through some trivia, something caught my eye… the mention of Kamapua’a, the Hawaiian “pig god”.  I mean really!  A pig god!  Wild pigs?  Hawaii? 

I love mythology, I love hunting hogs, and I love Hawaii.  I had to know more. 

OK, so Kamapua’a was not so much a god, but a demi-god in the wonderful lore of Hawaiian mythology.  He was powerful and popular in many stories from all the islands.  He even hooked up with Pele after a colorful and tempestuous courtship, earning her love and fathering a child… although he left her to swim the seas and inland waters as the humuhumunukunukuapua’a. 

According to the standard web research sources, such as Wikipedia, Kamapua’a was associated with fertility, and was considered a kupua, or trickster (e.g. the southwestern icon, Kokopelli, the Norse Loki, and the West African Anansi).   Many of his stories involve his clever tricks which he used to defeat and confound his enemies. 

It makes you wonder, is the pig a trickster too?  That would explain a lot.

As a fertility symbol, his union with Pele represented the traditional conmingling of fire and water, but also is used as an explanation for why her volcanic rock becomes fertile ground under the warm, island rains.  This myth also explains the starkly contrasting island ecosystems, with the harsh volcanic “desert” adjoining the lush jungle. 

There’s a really nice, condensed history of Kamapua’a on the Sacred Texts website, if you’d like to learn more, quickly.  Otherwise, there are all kinds of renditions of Kamapua’a stories, myths, and legends on the Internet… some even speaking to the present day.  It’s cool stuff, especially if you’re into mythology and folklore. 

Funny how we find stuff we never even looked for.

Well, about a week or so ago, I got an email from one of my “virtual” friends, Nate Treadwell.  Nate’s been living the hunting dream of late, heading out to Africa last year to bowhunt big game, and getting in a good bit of hunting here in CA as well.  This year, one of his big treats was an antelope hunt in Colorado, and as he mentioned in the email, he did alright.

So, I had his pictures and his story all queued up to go on the Hog Blog this week, but a couple of other items came out first… and it looks like now I’ve waited too long.  My buddy John, at the Western Wanderer, beat me to the draw.  It’s a good story, and a great goat, so be sure and go check it out! 

John just came back from a pretty awesome hunt himself, over in Nevada.  He came home without venison, but from what he wrote, it sounds like a successful trip nonetheless.  Imagine, spotting 51 bucks in a single day! 

Good stuff, and congrats to both hunters for getting out there and giving it their best.  Hopefully, I’ll be finding a chance to get out for a bowhunt before the season rolls past me.

I recognize that I’ve been on the wrong coast too long, because I occasionally catch myself saying stuff like, “what are ya’ll gonna barbecue tonight?” 

That’s blasphemy where I come from, and I know it damned well.  But then, I’m living here in this blasphemous state (or so my family keeps telling me), so I guess it’s to be expected that my poor mind and habits have been corrupted.  

Of course I always rush right away and wash out my mouth with soap… or if soap isn’t handy, I’ll find a strong cleansing concoction containing grain alcohol instead.   (Appropriate penance can only be done at 90 proof or better.)  Then I have to repeat the mantra, like a sinner repeating, “Hail, Mary”. 

“Barbecue (or BBQ) is not a verb.  It’s a noun.  It’s not beef.  It’s not a grill or stove.  It’s not sauce.  It’s pork, dammit… slow-smoked over wood coals!”

But the longer I live here, the more I slip toward the darkness. 

That’s why I was glad to see this article in the Wilmington Morning Star, the daily paper in my old, NC hometown.  It’s about a camp that’s being run to pass along the knowledge of real, pit-cooked North Carolina BBQ.  Sounds like I may need to make a field trip in October (next adult classes will be held Oct 8-10 in Corolla, NC)!  The BBQ Boot Camp is being put on by that scholar of barbecue, Jim Early, whose NC Barbecue Society was established with the following mission:

The mission of the North Carolina Barbecue Society (NCBS) is to preserve North Carolina’s barbecue history and culture and to secure North Carolina’s rightful place as the Barbecue Capital of the World. Our goal is to promote North Carolina as “the Cradle of ’Cue” and embrace all that is good about barbecue worldwide. As we strive to achieve these lofty goals we will be guided by the polar star that barbecue is all about good food, good friends and good times.

At the very least, I can rest assured that someone is making sure the tradition and the magic that is NC barbecue will live on, even as more of the native sons move away to the pagan hinterlands where people refer to beef, fish, and ohmygod, chicken as “barbecue“… not to mention where the unwashed heathens insist that simply cooking outside is “barbecuing“.  

And lord knows, they need to spread the word fast too!  Even in this bastion of great cuisine and knowledgeable foodies, San Francisco, they’ve lost touch with the smoky truth.  Today’s online edition of the SF Chronicle carries an article referring to a trend toward ”pulled pork” sandwiches in many “barbecue spots“.   I’m sorry folks, but those right there are BARBECUE SANDWICHES, and they’re served at grills, diners, or sandwich shops.  To the best of my knowledge, there’s not a Real Barbecue Spot in a 100 mile radius of San Francisco. 

If there was, I’d have smelled it and I’d be there right now, waiting for them to open the doors for an early lunch.  (There actually was a place right up the road in the little town of Niles, but they had to close down when the building they were in was condemned due for asbestos content.  They also served “Texas-style” with beef and sticky red sauce, but I forgave them for that.)

Dang… I guess I know what’ll be on the menu when I get back to NC for the archery deer season next month!

It’s an annual, September ritual around many parts of the country. 

Back “home”, in NC, I remember the dove opener as a big, social event.  It usually included real barbecue (Barbecue is NOT a verb!), slow cooked for hours and served up right off the cooker.  With full bellies, we’d sally out to our spots around a freshly harvested field… corn, safflower, melons… and load up the shotguns.  You couldn’t start shooting until noon on the opener, a gentlemanly time to begin hunting.  The build-up to those first shots at the grey blurs was almost like Christmas.  And, of course, the dove dinners that followed… oh yeah!  Fried, grilled, baked, cooked with dumplings… 

Since coming to CA, I’ve learned that the dove opener can be just as big a deal.  One difference here, though, is that the opener is set by the calendar, so the season often begins on weekdays, as it will this year.  CA dove season opens on September 1, which falls on a Tuesday.  A lot of hunters all over the state will still be taking days off from work, and pulling their lucky youngsters out of school for the traditional trip to the dove fields. 

Others of us won’t be quite so lucky, and will have to wait until Labor Day weekend to get after the feathered flurries.  But we’re looking forward to it just as much.  Kat and I will be down at the Native Hunt ranch again this year.  I’ll be helping out with the rest of the clients, but we ought to have plenty of opportunity to fill our limits.  There are a ton of doves down there right now, and they should hang around as long as we don’t see any serious cold snaps or severe weather.  Even if the weather does change, there are always enough birds there for a great shoot. 

This hunt is usually by invitation only, but this season, Michael’s opening up the hunts to customers. 

As you may have been hearing, Native Hunt is announcing its annual Labor Day Bird Hunt. For the first time in our history, the bird hunt is being opened up to the public. This one time offer is only $250 a hunter and includes a 1 day bird hunt valued at $500 & a gourmet lunch prepared by our on-site chefs at no extra charge.

We are also offering $500 hog hunts on Sunday the 6th. This special price is only available to hunters that are participating in the Bird Hunt on the 7th and is only available for the 6th. We are also opening up part of our property for tent camping and RV’s the night before the Bird Hunt to accommodate guests that have farther to travel. If you are planning on camping you MUST make arrangements ahead of time with one of our Hunt Coordinators.

Space is limited to 25 spots for this event and we are filling up fast so call or email us today to secure your spot! Remember… the date is September 7th 2009, the event is the Native Hunt Labor Day bird hunt the price is an unbeatable $250 and the number is 1-888-HUNT-321.

The dove opener is apparently a big deal in Texas too, with some estimates showing that the Lone Star State is responsible for about one-third of all doves harvested in the US each year.  Despite several invitations over the years, I’ve yet to experience a Texas dove opener, but I’m keeping it on the list… one of these days.

A further temptation came in my email yesterday, from my friend, Shane Hearn, owner/operator of Border Bandit Hunting.  Shane’s got some great sounding dove hunting opportunities on properties he’s managing this year.  Here’s what he had to say:

Just wanting to let everyone know about the dove hunting availability I have right now. Dove are looking great in South and Central Texas ….. alot better than I thought originally due to the drought.  Here’s what I have available for the Central Zone opener …
 
Eldorado, Tx – $60 a day, 2 day min.
 
Uvalde, Tx – $100 a day, 2 day min.  …. lodging available
 
Please call or email for more details …. also have some whitetail, axis and hog hunts still available.
 
Thank You!
Shane Hearn
aka “Borderbandit”
Borderbandit Hunting Services
www.borderbandithunting.com

The Central Zone season opens on Sept. 1.  Wish I could make it down there for some of this action, but not this year. 

What are ya’ll doing for doves this year… in the states where you can still hunt them?