Bowhunting For Wild Hogs - 2004
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2004 - A Wild Hog Bowhunt In Progress

The Grim Reaper Broadhead Crew Return To Caney Creek

At lunch on Friday we met with Jim Autrey and he and Jay Liechty arranged to go to Caney Creek Lodge and film a hog hunt there for Jim's show Texas Deer Hunter TV.

Jay & Kellan arrived at 4:30pm Friday afternoon. Jim was already there and he and Jay hurried to a stand with a Double Bull blind. A group of hogs came in right away but Jim's camera battery went down. Once the hogs had passed through the area Jim scooted out to get another battery and returned. 

Two hogs came in. A black boar appeared nervous, moving quickly from place to place. Jay drew but had to hold for a minute before he got a good shot opportunity at the black boar and sent the Grim Reaper through it's lungs.

Jay & Jim waited half an hour and tracked the hog. It was in a creek bottom 50 yards away.

They filmed the recovery and took the boar back to camp and butchered it.

The next morning Kellan hunted in a treestand and Jay wore his Rancho Safari Ghillie suit and sat on the ground to video. Several hogs walked into the area right by Jay. But they got spooky and wouldn't walk through. Later some hogs passed by 25 yards away but were obstructed in the brush and Kellan couldn't shoot.

At 12:00 noon they set up a Double Bull blind near an existing stand in the woods. A group of small pigs came in. Then some larger ones appeared. Kellan had a good broadside shot at a hog 15 yards away and lung shot it and it also ran to the creek bottom. Kellan was very excited, this was the first large animal he has taken with his bow. 

Kellan Rollins & his wild hog. Loading the pork in the truck.
LARGER PHOTOS: Jay & hog, Kellan & Hog, and loading truck.

They went home with 6 big coolers of meat from 7 hogs. Proof positive that the Grim Reaper broadhead is up to the task of taking down tough Texas wild hogs. (Just as Jay claimed it would.)

Tonight (Tuesday) Jay is home and I talked to him on the phone. He is having a pig roast with a bunch of his friends. Next week they are planning a luau with roast pork.

We Can Make It Through That Mud. Woops!
Jay Liechty and Kellan Rollins (Grim Reaper Broadheads) were tired from their late arrival and slept in. We ate at the Red Barn restaurant and then drove around. We found hog rooting (300 yards long) at the edge of the wheat field near the brushy rock ledge where the hogs bed. It's been slow raining here for days and the field was slick but we were going ok, until we stopped going ok. And buried up the tires. We walked home and got the shovel and went to work. We finally got my truck out at 4:00. After de-mudding, Jay & Kellan hunted the field edge. They saw a group of longbeard gobblers. No pigs. Just for grins here Jay and I are with the stuck truck.

A Little Hog Charge Always Makes Your Day
Jay Liechty of Grim Reaper Broadheads and Kellan Rollins (cameraman) arrived after dark with 4 wild hogs already in their coolers!
They had just hunted at Caney Creek Lodge in Fairfield, TX and definitely had good luck. They are videoing to create a loop tape for the companies archery shops to show bowhunters that the Grim Reaper is tough enough for Texas infamous big wild hogs. They got a good start on their video footage. 
After arriving they hunted from a Double Bull ground blind and saw 3 groups of hogs. Jay double lunged one (complete pass through) at 25 yards. It went 40 yards. Next morning, back at the blind Jay heart shot a hog at 15 yards. It dropped in 50 yards. 
They moved to another blind and saw several smaller hogs before a big group of hogs showed. A big boar was with them. Jay waited anxously for a clear shot at the boar and finally got the chance and double lunged it at 15 yards. It went 80 yards. Another group came into the area and Jay heart shot yet another boar at 5 yards. It went only 30 yards. The big boar weighed 200 pounds and field dressing revealed a 2" inch thick "Shield" -- that the 100 grain Grim Reaper had gone right through. 

When they recovered the hogs things got tense. A 340 pound bad attitude, wild boar came out of some brush 10 yards away, and charged right at them. Justin downed the aggressive hog with a shotgun as Jay finished it off. The Grim Reaper penetrated the Shield on the charging hog also.
They field dressed all their hogs and headed for my place.
Here are the pics: Jay Liechty & Justin Bounds with 3 hogs. Jay with the 340 lb. boar.
Obviously Jay recommends Caney Creek Lodge. Anyone interested in a good wild hog bowhunt can ask for Justin Bounds at 903-389-8052. 

 Jay  Liechty and the 340 pound wild boar that charged them.
 

Feb 12 - More stalking
This afternoon I skulked through the the narrow, mile long and Rock Ledge area that borders the field along the river (where I saw the hogs this week). I found a group and  followed them quite a ways. I got a pic of them in the brush. Finally I got within shooting range but couldn't make a shot happen at one of the mature hogs.
Feb 11 - Cannibals
This morning I took up the trail at last blood. It turned right along the fence at the edge of the field and led to the dead hog, laying in an incline. Ripped apart and meat eaten from the bones ... last night ... by other wild hogs! Reality in the wild hog world. I took a pic of what was left of my 150 pound hog; but let me warm you, don't look if you are squeamish. Hog Carcass.

Feb 10 - Hogs Again!
A couple days ago I broadcast a bucket of winter oats in an area near my house that the hogs had rooted up recently. This afternoon I saw hogs rooting there again. I grabbed my bow and camera and snuck towards them, using trees to block my view. A boar, two young sows and 4 small pigs were so busy trying to hog the grub that I got within 25 yards. First I took a picture of some of the hogs. Then I waited for the boar to give me a clear, broadside shot. Finally he did and I drew, aimed and put my arrow in the ribs. The boar went 50 yards and fell down in some sapling trees. Then is got up and trotted out of view. There was a good blood trail and it led straight downhill and right through a hole in the fence -- into my neighbor's coastal field. Daylight was fading so I walked out to a ditch in the field, figuring it as the most likely place for the boar to go. But it wasn't. By now it was dark and I didn't have a flashlight. But there was a good blood trail and I'll find the hog tomorrow morning. 

Feb 3 - Back At The Hammer Hole
I was there. They weren't.
Feb 2 - Trying To Get To The Hammer Hole
I parked my truck and took a trail to the Hammer Hole. Two hundred yards later I entered a small opening. A black hog stood on the opening's edge, apparently waiting to see what I was. It trotted away and another hog fell in behind it. 
I continued. Noise! Hog grunts in the brush to my right. I nocked an arrow. Nothing happened. I circled to see if I could intercept them. No luck.
So I worked my way to the Hammer Hole road to make up for lost time. In 100 yards and I saw a large, toothy, black boar moving toward the road. I froze and he crossed, real close. As he stepped into the brush I slipped an arrow out of my bowquiver and nocked it. The boar stopped. I drew. He stepped behind some brush and kept walking. I did a slow count to 100 and followed. But never saw him again.

Jan 30 - Skulking around this afternoon I spotted a group of wild hogs in the woods. A big, ugly, black boar charged at them and they spread out. Since I had good cover I took advantage of the skirmish and went straight toward them. When I was within bow range I looked under some low cedar branches to locate the big boar. He was 15 yards away and looking right at me. He woofed and ran and so did the others. Later I saw another group but couldn't catch up to them.

Jan 17 - Joe Balyeat began his trip home to Montana last night. Today our woods road was flooded out and I couldn't get to the the Hammer Hole. So I hunted the Slew Hole. It was a great looking afternoon for hog hunting. But I guess the hogs didn't think so. Nothing showed.

Montana State Representative Joe Balyeat Bowhunts For Wild Hogs
Joe Balyeat wanted to bowhunt for wild hogs. 
And after some emails and phone calls Jim Autrey got hooked him up with me. Joe is a dedicated bow hunter, he's a good guy and we need more like him in the government fray.

Jan 12 - Joe Balyeat heard grunts behind his tripod stand at the Hammer Hole. The wild hogs stopped 5 yards to his rear. They waited there for two minutes and circled to a trail and 8 walked out in front of Joe. A black boar stopped at the right angle. Joe drew, aimed and shot. And went over the hog. They all ran into the woods.
I hunted the Point and saw 3 does (close) and a buck (60 yards away). So we're off to a good start. Tomorrow we will hit the brush and spot and stalk the hogs.

Jan 13 - Six deer came through my area this afternoon. One was a buck that had lost it's antlers and also was a deer that Timm had seen that had a very swelled lower leg. It was still swelled a little but the deer was using it now. It appears it well be ok. Joe Balyeat zipped at the Hammer Hole, no wild hogs showed there either. TOMORROW a local wild hog caller Chris Gilbert is coming over to call. Everybody says Chris is the man for the job. This should be a ball. And as an aside, one of Joe's legislative projects has to do with the Wolf and we will publish info on that very soon.

Jan 14 - Mid day Joe Balyeat and I stalked the cedar breaks and rocky slopes looking for bedded wild hogs. No luck. At 3:00 this afternoon I dropped Joe off at the Slew Hole. Later today wild hog caller Chris Gilbert will arrive and we will all go to the river and call for hogs. (That's Joe Balyeat in the pic. For a larger pic Click Here.)
Joe saw 2 deer at the Slew Hole, no hogs.
Calling Hogs: This  was pretty cool. We called up 12 hogs in all. They didn't get within bow range. We're gonna try it again soon.

Jan 16 - It's been raining all day long. But that didn't keep Joe out of the woods. He's been at the Hammer Hole most of the afternoon.
Later:  Joe came in after shooting light. No hogs moved at the Hammer Hole.

First Wild Hog Of The Year 
Jan 10 - The last 45 minutes of the day I drove around to see what was out. Lately the rancher is feeding hay and cubes to his cows and I spotted a group of wild hogs at one of his feeding places that is close to the woods. 
I parked quietly, got my bow and snuck over to the wood's edge. I tried to take pictures of them but my camera went blank.
Another group of hogs approached the original group and a boar charged them and backed them away. They new hogs tried three more times but the boar would have none of it and they finally left. 
So I drew and put my pin on the largest hog's ribs. The arrow was dead on and all the hogs bolted. My hog skidded to a stop in 40 yards. Again my broadhead was a Grim Reaper and it once again did the job. I gutted the hog and was  back home before dark. (No pics of this one, my camera would not come back on.) 

Bowhunting For Wild Hogs - 2003

2003 was a super year for wild hog bowhunting. They were at the Hammer Hole, the Slew Hole, and everywhere in between. Lots of pics and action. To 2003 Wild Hog Bowhunts...

Wild Hogs Bowhunts In:2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

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