Texas Boar hunting

[Beginnersmind]

The lure of southern boar/wild pig calls! I and my family/friends are putting together a trip to Texas to hunt wild boar this spring. April to be specific. We're planning on going to Independence Ranch (but still doing our research on the place and competitors if anyone has any stories to share?) with some of us flying and some of us driving. Those who are flying can help out with gas/travel costs and those of us who are driving will haul the guns and meat back and forth, avoiding the hassles with the airlines for both.

We've got four firm commitments and another two or three maybes right now and are looking to get a group of six to ten folk who are for sure committed to going. So far we have three men and one woman in the group with ages ranging from 16 to 47, with another woman and two men who are possible but not for sure and bump that age range up to about 55 if they come along as well.

We're all committed to having fun and a great time in Texas via being respectful of each other and the environment, putting ethical and sustainable hunting into practice, and getting some good meat. The hunting and eating are more important than a trophy for us, but we'll support you if you are looking for that 600 pound monster.

We have folk who are going from both Seattle proper and Eastern WA and our over road trip will start out by going from Seattle to Walla Walla to assemble the caravan, with needed stops to pick up people and gear on the way. The drive down (about 33 hours of road time) will be quick but comfortable with the goal to get there with one overnight stop (making for two 16 plus hours days of buddy driving) and to arrive in hunting shape. The caravan will arrive on Thursday and folk who fly in can plan on arriving Friday morning and we'll start hunting that Friday afternoon.

There will be lots of jokes, lots of stories told and lived, and lots of pork in the freezer by the time we're done. If all this sounds good drop a response or a private message to me and let's find a time to go shooting and have a meal together to talk details.

And, whether or not you're interested in going, any words of wisdom to share about the idea of boar hunting in Texas?

[diyhunter192]

I'm down here in Houston.  Hog hunting in Texas can be tough as summer kicks in because they become pretty nocturnal due to the heat.  Since you're hunting on a ranch, they'll probably be more accustomed to coming to the feeders when they go off....or they'll have you hunt at night, which is what a lot of places do out in this area.  I'm not familiar with the ranch you mentioned but I checked out their web site.  You ought to have a blast (no pun intended).  As for the meat, it's hit or miss (again, no pun intended).  I've shot hogs in the same geographical location and one tastes like something out of the supermarket and the other tastes like something out of hell.  I do most of my hog hunting either at a friend's place down in South Texas or on some public land a little east of Houston.  That's a helluva drive you're making...I travel to hunt quite a bit out of state and have never had any hassle with the guns at the airport...maybe takes and extra 5-10 minute is all.  I fly southwest so I get two free check-ins.  The rifle counts as one and then my hunting gear as the other.  As for the meat, you can freeze it and stuff it in your suitcase and it will still arrive frozen....just some options in case the drive gets more unappealing as the trip gets closer.  Good luck and good shooting.

[konradcountry]

Independence Ranch is the place in Waelder that used to be called Texas Hog Hunting. Like a lot of pay for play Texas hunts it is fenced.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hog-hunting-in-texas-waelder
 
My advice would be to fly into Austin or San Antonio and make plans with some local ranchers. Or fly into Corpus Christi and get some beach time as well.

[Beginnersmind]

Thanks to the both of you for the info. Yeah I did some digging into reviews and between that and the danger signals in their marketing I'm staring to think less of Independence Ranch, tbh. But we're planning on going in April, not summer, so hopefully we can avoid the worst of the heat.

Finding a rancher on private land that would let us hunt would be great but doing so across this distance seems more difficult than finding a commercial operation, if we can find a good one.

Thanks again and if anyone else is interested sing out!

[diyhunter192]

To be honest, despite the rampant hog problem we have in Texas, it's near impossible to find a rancher that will let you hunt his property.  Most ranchers (IMO) are already signed up with guides or outfitters.  Check out the Texas Hunting Forum for hog hunts.  I've used that forum before for deer hunts and it worked out fine.  Most forums are self-policing since if a member gets screwed, they're going to sing out on the forum.  Good luck.

[konradcountry]

You can find ranches offering bait spots for cheap on craigslist. You should have no problem getting a good group rate.

[Beginnersmind]

At this point our leading contender is Circle T Ranch, http://www.circlethuntingranch.com and we moved the date to Feb. to avoid the heat....

[Tempura]

Are there still spots available? Myself and 2 additional guys would be very interested in this.

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[cumminsbassguy]

when driving, get sunflower seeds!!!   ive made 9 trips to Michigan, and one to Colorado (there and back)..   they keep you chugging along all night ( drove 16 hours from Colorado in one shot).  It could be the young guy in me, but they do help.