USA: Texas Hunt Trip

[dailordasailor]

To start, I was in Germany for work in July. What i found out very quickly was that the only english speaking channel was BBC News and i can only handle the same 45 mins of TV for so long. Mix that with unseasonable 100*F temps, jet lag, and lack of AC, I spent a lot of time on youtube. I have developed a real passion for pig hunting and one video lead to another which turned into Collared Peccary hunting. I am the type of person that quickly can become obsessed with an idea and this was one of those times.

I was searching all over Africa Hunting and the internet for a guide to take me Javelina Hunting in Texas. I came across a post by Panielsen about a big cat trolling his property. After some private messages, Paul offered me the opportunity to hunt is property in NW Texas for Javelina and any Varmit that may present itself.

Fast forward 3 long months. October 8th I left work at 4:30, picked up my rental car and began the journey from Myrtle Beach to Western Texas. I had decided to make a stop at Thompson Temple to shoot a cheap Ram and after reading many horrible and some good reviews I was very curious to say the least. A continuing theme of this trip is that I have never been to Texas and didnt expect the truly amazing views of hill country. Thompson Temple is truly whatever you make of it. I started off at sun up when the owner (Thompson) had me and two other hunters hop in his pickup and we took a rather scary/impressive ride up what seemed like a mountain. After getting dropped off at the top I headed off south in search of a clear view to glass from. I spent all morning until about 11:30 and never saw a single ram. Its acorn season and as Thompson warned, I was going to have to put work in. This is far from a real crappy "canned" hunt and I walked more in a day there on incredibly steep hillsides then I ever had hunting in upstate NY. After hydrating I headed back out again to get myself a ram. After two more hours I finally found a group with a ram i wanted to shoot. I carried my 30-06 in the morning but after realizing long shots weren't going to happen, i switched to my grandfathers Savage model 99 in 300 savage. I was about 75 yards away and the 300 did its job and took both lungs and broke opposite shoulder. The ram started plowing with his rear still up so I put one more in him taking out the heart and it was done, never kicking again.
If you are interested in a very affordable ram hunt, I would recommend looking up Thompson Temple. If you are someone that wants to drive your car in, walk 20 feet, shoot ram and go home, that's a possibility there as well as he has a smaller enclosure with a higher concentrate of rams. To each their own.

View from the top:

"Road" to the top

Break for drink and to catch my breath

The ram:


After skinning and quartering, headed off to Panielsen's property.

Long story short, I walked alot. I glassed as much as possible from the high side but didnt see anything and assumed the height of the brush was too tall. I hunted as much as i could and unfortunately only ever saw a good mount of tracks and that was it. Pauls property is in some real beautiful country and even without having the opportunity to shoot a Javelina, it was an awesome experience and I dont regret any of it. The more and more I meet new people in the hunting community, the more I am impressed by the amount of good hearted and giving people there are. Hunting and hunters get a lot of unjustified bad press but I couldnt be happier to be apart of this community. The fact someone I never met let me hunt his property, speaks volumes of Paul's character and I can't thank him enough.

Bad pic but truly impressive antelope on road near property

Tarantula, man they move fast

Roads were pretty productive for sightings

My trusty steed for the 4200 miles traveled

View from the "high ground"


The "good" side of not shooting a Javelina is that I can easily justify to the misses the reason I must go back to Texas next year. I am already looking for a guide for some javelina hunting and would like to tie in some other hunting in as well. Preferably deer, antelope, etc. Greatly appreciate any suggestions on that. Supposed to do a bear hunt in spring so would be looking at Fall hunt.

Thanks,
Dale

 

[wesheltonj]

You mean folks will actually pay to hunt Javelina? Whats the going price? It might be worth it for me to get a lease license, as I have plenty.

 

[bluey]

does that mitsi have a spare tyre ......
sounds like you had a ball, thanks for sharing it with us

 

[dailordasailor]

I was wondering if you would chime in funny enough, my hyundai had tranny problems day before I was supposed to leave so had to get rental on hyundai's dime

I truly fell in love with texas on this trip. Will be an expensive relationship...

And supply & demand I guess. No javelina in SC so will pay to play. Especially now that they eluded me.

 

[bluey]

does a javelin, grow big tusks like its swine cousin ?
pretty sure I remember , seeing photos of them with sharp teeth ,looking like a carnivore?
no shame in paying to play, long as its fair and ethical ......

 

[dailordasailor]

From my research they are certainly not "pigs" and people get snippy if say they are. Even though look exactly alike. Their " tusk" are actually large canines that are sharpened by them snapping their jaw together to make an audible noise when in danger. Their teeth look pretty vicious and will make a good European mount one day

 

[wesheltonj]

They do have tusks, but nothing like a warthog. They will come to a feeder and eat all the food if you let them. They will tame down like a dog if you get one very young. If you want to eat one you want a young one and have to be very careful with the scent gland, one wrong cut the the meat is done.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Great report. Glad you gave it a whirl.

Hunting those little devils is an art. When you don't know the little beggars habits it makes the hunting tougher.

One of these days we'll just have to see what hunting these little guys is like.

 

[enysse]

Javelina hunts are much desired from hunters from upper North America.

Thanks for the hunt report, great story and pictures

 

[JimP]

As for the javelina I go along with a friend to Arizona every winter in February to hunt them with handguns. Been doing that for over 20 years now and still love going down there from Colorado to get out of the snow for a couple of weeks.

 

[dailordasailor]

JimP, you guys go on public land or private?

 

[JimP]

JimP, you guys go on public land or private?

It is all public with a mix of some private but the ranch owner doesn't care and is a great guy as long as you leave his cattle alone.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Great report, thanks for sharing. While you plan for your next Texas hunt, check out Nilgai hunts in south Texas. Almost like being on an African PG hunt. Nilgai are free ranging, big animals and great tasting meat. A 300 Win Mag or 338 is recommended.

 

[dailordasailor]

Jimp, was hoping you'd say had a guide as I imagine you don't go every year to be unsuccessful

The Nilgai is something I've never heard of. Looking at pics, it's not an ugly animal but definitely different looking... 375, have you used a guide for them? Who?

 

[ScottG]

Sounds like a great adventure.

 

[JimP]

Jimp, was hoping you'd say had a guide as I imagine you don't go every year to be unsuccessful

Nope no guide but we do have a friend down there that taught us how to hunt them. The first year was a bust, but I blundered into some the second year and met up with our friend down there. After that we learned to ride the washes on our 4 wheelers and look for tracks then to get high and glass for them before we start to put a stalk onto them. We have also learned the area well enough that we know where they hold up and where they run to after being jumped along with a lot of their other habits. And in all the years that we have been hunting them there have been a few that we came home empty handed but that was usually a choice made by us rather than not getting into any of them.

Mostly it is a trip to get out of the cold weather of Colorado and enjoy the company of good friends while we are down there.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Jimp, was hoping you'd say had a guide as I imagine you don't go every year to be unsuccessful

The Nilgai is something I've never heard of. Looking at pics, it's not an ugly animal but definitely different looking... 375, have you used a guide for them? Who?

I use to live in the Houston area and one year I got invited to go hunt whitetails in south Texas, just a little south of Corpus. It was a non-guided hunt. Deer hunting is done from deer blinds and while driving around the ranch, you just bump into Nilgai, just like PG in Africa. Get out of the truck, load up a rifle, grab the sticks and let the stock begin. My friend asked me to bring a big caliber rifle because we might get an opportunity on a Nilgai, so I brought my 338. I had never heard of a Nilgai and had to Google it to learn a bit about it. Well, after two different deer hunts to south Texas, I've yet to take a trophy whitetail (did pass on lots of small and medium size bucks) but I've taken 2 nice size Nilgai. The last one had 9-7/8" horns. Anything above 9" is considered an exceptional trophy, so I had it mounted. They graze just like cattle so the meat tastes very similar to lean beef.

 

[wesheltonj]

Javelina hunts are much desired from hunters from upper North America.

Whats the going price for those?

 

[G Skinner]

I would love to do a trip like this .....so much to do.......so little time !
Glen

 

[dailordasailor]

That's the problem! The more I look at hunt options, the more animals that pop up and the list keeps growing!!

Javelina hunts range from 1k to 2500 from what I've seen. I just can't do that for a a javelina hunt. Soo looking more for a combo hunt.

Was that whitetail hunt on private land or an outfitter that just set you up in blinds? Assuming was just a buddies property by sounds of it. Know of any hunts down that way 375? Guides you've run into? I feel like a javelina and nilgai hunt would fill my freezer for a good while!