How a Hog Hunt ended in a Summer Deer and Snake Adventure

Cassy and I operate a huntin’ and campin’ ranch in Central Texas where we have been blessed with an abundance of game.  She enjoys the hikin’, wildflowers and watchin’ the deer, turkey, fox, armadillos, well, about every critter you can imagine, and I enjoy the huntin’.  Unfortunately, we have a hog problem.  Our game cameras no longer show game animals, just feral hogs that tear up fences and knock over feeders.  I’m not talkin’ about 5 or 10, I’ve counted over 60, from piglets and sows to massive boars.  We are under siege!  Last December we harvested a 192 lb gilt that provided some of the best pork chops and ribs we have ever tasted, and it was time for another hunt; not only for the pork, but to start scarin’ them off our property!  If I wanted to fill the freezer with venison this fall, they had to go!

It was early July and the temperatures were nearin’ 100, so some preplannin’ was necessary.  The right guns, a blind in the correct location, and safety features to ensure I wouldn’t have a bout of heat stroke or dehydration.  I expected this hunt would last 2 days for approximately 12 hours each day, and I expected it would be a gruelin’ hunt in this heat.

Setup the Afternoon Before

First a bit about myself.  I’m only 61 years old, but I have been told I need both knees replaced, I have arthritis, and let’s just say my exercise schedule is irregular at best, so preppin’ the blind the evenin’ before the hunt was necessary.  I used my ATV the afternoon prior to preposition most of my equipment, scout the area for diamondbacks -- which are prolific in this region -- and ensure the blind was situated so I could see to the north and southwest, where the heathen hogs tend to be.  I then cleared the brush from my field of vision and checked the feeder to make sure it was operational.  Finally, I washed my huntin’ clothes usin’ scent-free detergent.  I was ready! 

Day 1:  Night hunt from the cabin porch

All of my preparations may have been in vain, as I decided to sit on the front porch of our log cabin with my Remington 308 fitted with an ATN day/night scope.  I promised Cassy I would return home once I harvested a hog, and this combination helped me bag my last hog…with one shot!  As I scanned over the dry creek that runs down the middle of our ranch, I suddenly heard loud rustlin’!  My adrenaline rose as I expected to see my target, but that wasn’t the case.  It wasn’t hogs but a herd of black angus cattle that took over the property bellowin’ as if there was no tomorrow!  There were about 25 of them and they decided to surround me and my target space, bellowin’ so loud you could hear them in San Antonio.  This is a hazard of ownin’ a ranch on an open range, but none-the-less, the night hunt was over.

Day 2: The Blind Hunt

Since the hogs were showin’ up all day long on the game cameras, I was in no hurry to get to my blind the followin’ mornin’.  My intent was to arrive at sunrise, about 6:45 AM. After sprayin’ my outer clothin’ and arm pits with scent masker, I made the ½ mile walk to the blind.  It was goin’ to be a scorcher, 94o, so I was carryin’ lots of water, snacks, and sweat bands in order to stay cool and not allow my scent to proliferate all over the countryside.  Although it was only 69 o at 6:45, I figured that later in the day, inside the blind, it would be well over 100 o!  The game cameras indicated that the hogs were daily visitors, but not punctual – anytime from 8 AM through midnight. I expected a long, uncomfortable day!

After walkin’ around to make sure there were no diamondbacks I entered the blind and sat down, rather noisily, as I was not expectin’ the hogs for at least another hour. I aimed my gun at the expected target areas to get an idea of the movement required and how I could reduce the noise of movin’. I then chambered around with my Browning 300 Win Mag long rifle and put the safety on.

Before settlin’ down I moved my chair from side-to-side to get comfortable (I planned to sleep a bit, as hogs are loud and I figured they would wake me up when they arrived).  Suddenly I noticed branches movin’ about 20 yards on the other side of the feeder, approximately 80 yards from my blind.  I was hopin’ the breeze would reach me as it was already stuffy in the blind.  But then I notice the branches were movin’ up and side-to-side in unison, and that wasn’t natural.  I slowly and quietly moved to my gun and viewed the object in my Sig Sauer Tang04 scope.  It an ancient Axis Buck who was gettin’ up from his beddin’ location.  How did I know he was ancient?  Well, first of all, he didn’t notice me noisily arrivin’ and settin’ up for 15 minutes and secondly, he actually was gray in the face, neck and chest area and had a massive rack!

Because he was facin’ me on the far side of the blind, and there were brush, trees and a fence between him and me, I could only watch, hopin’ he would move to one side or another providin’ me a shot.  He did, givin’ me a 4 X 8-inch heart-lung shot, and I took it!  It was 7:02 AM, 17 minutes into a hunt that I expected to last for 12 – 24 hours over two days; the hunt I planned for a week and prepped for hours was over.  I waited the mandatory time (by TV huntin’ show standards) before approachin’ the area where I targeted the Axis. I expected to have to search for my prey, but that was unnecessary as he literally laid back down on his beddin’ and it was over.

After the Shot

My adrenaline was high, and I quickly walked back to the cabin to retrieve the ATV and its trailer.  This was a big one and I wasn’t gonna carry it!  When I returned I threw down a tarp and field-dressed him on the spot, leavin’ the remains for the grey fox that live in the area.  As I was pullin’ out his organs, directly in front of me I saw a coiled snake in strikin’ position.  Without thinkin’, or even lookin’ that I can remember, I grabbed a 3” round limb to my right and clubbed it multiple times (my adrenaline level had just risen higher!).  This area is full of diamondbacks and I didn’t take time to check what species it was – just that it was BIG!  Well, the snake was dead, and I could see where my hand had dug into the ground grabbin’ the limb to whack him with – must have been muscle memory left over from my military days! It wasn’t a rattler, but a 6’, pissed off, Texas Indigo that didn’t like the location of my tarp!  I feel bad about the incident, but better safe than sorry when it comes to snakes.

I finished field-dressin’ the Axis and my adrenaline was wanin’ as I pulled up the ATV to load the 180 lb trophy.  This was the first time I missed Cassy, a powerliftin’ champion!  She easily helped me lift the 192 lb hog into the trailer last December, but now I was on my own.  After a struggle, I was able to load it into the trailer, but every time I started drivin’ it fell out!  This happened twice, so the 3rd time I drove slower and watched.  Axis antlers are long – this one had 32” antlers and they would catch a sapling which would pull the deer out.  After drivin’ more cautiously and soaked in sweat, I finally got to my truck where I had just installed a winch to hoist whatever I harvested 4’ onto the bed.  Unfortunately, I brought the wrong controller and it didn’t work.  I once again lamented that Cassy was not with me.

Thank God nobody was around to witness the calamity, but I did get the deer on the truckbed, packed it with ice, and retrieved my equipment from the huntin’ site.  After a quick wash and change of clothes, I was off to the processin’ plant, which was closed, but had a cooler to “lift” the deer into!  It was about a 3-foot lift from the back of the truck, and this was the 3rd time I said out loud, “boy I wish Cassy was here!”.

Well, all ended well!  There were three other Axis in the cooler, and all were significantly smaller than mine!  Now our freezer is once again full of venison and I don’t have to wait 4 months for Whitetail season!

Note: Axis deer are considered an invasive species in Texas and can be harvested year-round, day or night.  They are a beautiful deer and the flavor of their venison cannot be beat.  Feral hogs are also invasive and extremely destructive.  They not only tear down fences, but prey on fawns and other smaller wildlife reducing the number of game animals.  For more information, see: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-plague-of-pigs-in-texas-73769069/.