Bowhunt At Texas-S Bowhunting Ranch
Arrival & Ricky's Hunt | Rick's Bad Attitude Boar | Day 2: Blaine's Hunt | Robert's Hunt

My Hunt 
Merle Smith suggested I go with his guide Richard Saunders on the 4-wheeler to an area with a ladder stand and spread corn around the place. He said I should certainly get some wild hog pictures and just might see one of the big boars that hang out in that area.
We drove to the ladder stand and I climbed it. Richard started up a contraption on the back of the 4-wheeler that sounded like the loudest popcorn popper in the world while it scattered corn all over the place. Only seconds after Richard disappeared I saw hogs coming.   

The hogs came from my left and I barely had time to get my camera turned on before it was picture taking time.

Very quickly, a group of wild hogs started chowing down the corn. Hogs of all sizes.

Some of them came right under me. I had to be careful taking pictures now because then were so close, I didn't want them to see my movement and spook.

A brownish colored boar joined the hogs underneath me. 

It, and this sow were the largest of the lot.

The group moved closer and just for grins I counted them, 46. None of the large boars showed up but I had a swell time watching them scarf down all the corn. When it was gone they all left. I radioed Richard that I wanted to go somewhere else.

We drove on the 4-wheeler to areas where he regularly see hogs. I did a couple of stalks on some hogs. I got within bow range of this one but wanted one with a few more years on it.

We drove around some more and saw a few hog groups but I couldn't get a shot. Finally Richard spotted a group walking along the perimeter fence. He zipped me way ahead and I crawled into the middle of a blow down tree near a trail on the edge of the woods.

Sooner than I expected  I saw the hogs coming leisurely towards me. There were two very big boars, one was in the lead. He came down the trail and when his head passed behind a tree (10 yards from me) I drew and put my pin where it needed to be when his ribs cleared the tree.

The other boar blew air through it's nose, and as the lead boar's head cleared the tree it looked right at me. Rats, its vitals were behind the tree. The hogs turned into their back trail and scooted out of there.

My hunt was over. When we arrived at hunt headquarters Rick's truck was loaded and everyone was ready to go. 

As always, hunting at Merle Smith's Texas-S Bowhunting Ranch was an action packed hunt. I'll never forget Rick's boar, charging through the trees at me, like he was shot out of a cannon, and looking plenty big. Which he, of course, was. 

Thanks once again Merle. Your hog hunts are the best.

Past Hunts at Texas-S Bowhunting Ranch: Hunts in 1999, in 2000 and in 2001. Interview with Merle Smith of  Texas-S Bowhunting Ranch | Web site of Texas S Bowhunting Ranch | You can email them at hunt@texas-Sbowhunting.com