As is usually the case, the Schell clan gathered in San Antonio, Texas in late January 2010 for fellowship and our annual hog hunting adventure.  On the afternoon of January 28, my brother Eric loaded his F-150 with guns and gear for four shooters which included my daughter Lindsey and a friend Mike Erb.  We headed south on I-35 in to the lower Rio Grande Valley.  At Moore, TX we headed southwest on Hwy 57, through Pryor TX to the Chilipitin Ranch--almost half way to Eagle Pass which sits 25 miles away on the Mexican border.  Meeting us at the gate was our guide Chris Valle of Tejas Outfitters. 

                Chris made sure we were settled into the very comfortable bunkhouse before inviting us out for a night ride of spotlighting hogs and coyotes.  The accommodations featured bunk beds in each of three bedrooms.  Lindsey had her own bedroom with bath.  Eric, Mike and I shared another bedroom with shower, head and even a whirlpool bath (for those who might like to honeymoon on such trips).

                 Later we rode around in the bed of a Toyota, safari style, illuminating the adjacent brush with a spotlight looking for hogs.  Unlike Kentucky, Texas allows night hunting for hogs and other varmints.  Unfortunately the few porkers we spotted were schooled in the drill and made off quickly before any shots could be fired. 

                Back at camp we got the scoop on how the hunt would be conducted.  Up at 5 and out to the stands at oh dark thirty; back to camp at 8:30 for breakfast.  After a rest we would cruise the roads looking for pigs and javelina.  There would be steaks on the grill for dinner,  followed by after-dark cruising and spotlighting.   In addition to the expected fare, we were to prepare to encounter bobwhite quail, jackrabbits and rattlesnakes.  I was carrying a new Blaser combination gun with one 20 gauge barrel and one .308 rifle barrel.  The other hunters each had shotguns in addition to their rifles.   We all made preparations for tracking wounded animals with snake chaps or boots.  Chris warned that even in January these reptiles were active.  After turning in that evening, we were serenaded to sleep by the drone of border patrol planes looking for illegals.

View From the Blind

Eric Scores the First Harvest

                The first morning we were welcomed by pouring rain, a 25 mph wind and 33 degree temps.  The guides placed us each in covered blinds, but it was still miserable by any measure.  Notwithstanding the rain, huge deer visited the feeders on this low fence operation.  The cost of killing one of these 160+ class brutes ranged from 5k to 8k depending on the size.  We understood why these operations are sometimes likened by non-residents to cattle feeding operations.  Notwithstanding the weather, Eric spotted a beautiful bobcat featuring a snowy white coat covered with black and brown spots.  Because no hogs were in view, Eric carefully placed a 6.5X55 140 grain bullet into the cat’s vitals and scored the hunt’s first harvest.

                In post-breakfast cruising we found that the rain had stopped, and animals had begun to appear.  Chris and I rode together searching for game when he pulled the pickup into a power line clear cut to glass some black spots about 180 yards out.  The black spots turned out to be collared peccary (javelina).  They all exited before I could get a good rest, so we decided to sit and see what showed up.  Soon a large boar javelina stepped into the clear cut.  Not long thereafter I sent a 180 grain Federal trophy bonded bullet downrange and I had my first ever peccary.  We made our way back to the skinning shed and hung the morning’s take.

Mike and His Hog

                 While we were taking photos (see accompanying photos), Mike and his guide rolled in with a nice hog.  Apparently they happened by the same clear cut in which I had scored and spotted the pig feeding. 

                That evening before dinner, we made our way back to the stands.  My stand consisted of the bed of a pickup parked about 135 yards from a feeder where we quietly waited.  The weather was still cold and windy, making it a challenge to see through my scope.  The ever present deer were unconcerned about the peccary, but they all gave way when a 250 lb boar hog muscled its way into the corn.  The shot from the .308 was just a little back and the hog headed for the undulating, brush-choked hillside to the left of the feeder.  We knew that searching for the hog was a non-starter as it got dark, so after the next morning’s uneventful  hunt we deployed all the guides and a couple of snake booted hunters to find the boar.  With my .41 magnum revolver at the ready, I pushed through the thorny 8 to 10 foot tall foliage for two hours without success.  The day after we left, the ranch owner spotted the deceased hog, so at least I was able to retrieve the tusks.  A good dog would have been a blessing.  The post-dinner ride that evening in the bed of the Toyota was unpleasantly cold and we were all delighted to hit the showers.

                Day two’s morning hunt rendered nothing but photos of big deer.  Unfortunately, we also found evidence of a poacher who left the body of a bruiser sans head by the roadside. The ranch is low-fenced, so it is not difficult for intruders to get in and out undetected.

Lindsey With One of Her Two Peccary

               Because Lindsey remained scoreless, Chris drove her around the property after breakfast until they located a pack of peccary.  Lindsey found a steady rest for her Remington model 7 in 7mm-08 and nailed the first one at 120 yards.  Sitting quietly, Lindsey and Chris waited to see if the herd would return after the commotion subsided.  As fortune would have it, a few did come back into the clear cut at 185 yards out.  Lindsey carefully set up and squeezed off another shot to attempt an encore.  Another peccary hit the Texas dust and Lindsey’s collared peccary tags were filled.

                That afternoon Mike and I were riding in the back of Chris’ truck scouting for meat.  The vehicle rolled to a stop in front of a pod of javelina and because it was my turn to shoot  (and assuming that all parties understood that I would shoot), I fingered the trigger for the .308 barrel, and the peccary pan-caked into the turf.  At the report, both guides jumped out of the cab yelling at the top of their lungs.  My assumptions had not been correct.  The guides had not been expecting that quick shot and had not covered their ears.  The reverberations from the .308 had ejected the guides from the cab.  Not that they were in any danger, but I promised to announce “fire in the hole” prior to the next missile launch.

               Our tour of the 4,400 acre ranch continued until we spotted a couple of coyotes coursing parallel to the truck.  We set up on a hilltop to see what the dogs would do.  They were obviously intrigued by the chase and each one entered the track about 300 yards in front of us, one a time.  Mike took a crack at the first and I launched a projectile at the second.  Neither of our .308s connected.  Given a little more range time and experience with our respective weapons, we might have a better performance on next year’s trip.

                At dinner time we gathered back at the ranch and packed up to head back to San Antonio.  Each of us had fired our weapons, harvested game and experienced the fun of giving and receiving barbs about everything from shooting success or failure to camp eating behavior.  In this age of immediate gratification by email, the photos of our various successes had already been shared with family and friends.

                All of us agreed that this was a great trip and we look forward to next year.  If you would like to get in on some very reasonably priced hog hunting (we paid $300 per hunter for two days with accommodations and food), contact Chris Valle, Tejas Outfitters PO Box 723, Marion TX  78124.