Bandera
AH senior member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2024
- Messages
- 91
- Reaction score
- 143
- Location
- Huntsville
- Media
- 6
- Member of
- SCI
- Hunted
- USA, Canada, Africa
This is bit of a belated hunting report. For my buddy's (Buddy #1) birthday he organized a Hog Hunt for 4 of us at Great Southern Outdoors down close to Montgomery Alabama. This was to be a hog eradication hunt! Game on!
The lodge as mentioned was Great Southern Outdoors.
I took my trusty Marlin 336 XLR in 30-30
We hunted over feeders with motion detecting lights.
We the told this before the hunt. We were also told that we would not need IR or Night Vision. So I left the 6.8SPC with the ATN THOR at the house.
The hunt took place in the month of May.
The lodge had decent rooms, kinda a bunk house style, with no bunk beds. The food was great!
The staff, the cooks were very attentive. The Guides well that is where it started to go south.
Our orientation meeting was decent, we were assigned to to guide. Turns out they didn't have enough guides for the 16 people in camp.
Me and buddy #2 were assigned to the owners son who was a smart ass that could not take sarcasm when thrown back at him.
When they. started talking about the hunt they made it clear this was a deer hunting camp and not a hog hunting camp. Ok?
We were instructed to get in the stands and stay in the stand.
Our group was also asked. which two of us had the most hunting experience. Buddy #1 & 4 point at me and Buddy #2
Me and Buddy #2 are told that they do not have enough guides and vehicles so one of has to drive . No problem, we did not know that was going to be semi self guided.
We follow the owners son to our hunting spot and he gives verbal directions to the stands. Ok off we go.
After we split up buddy #2 shoots a hog about 10 minutes later while walking in. Turns out to buddy #2 dropped a 250 pound porker.
I get into my stand and I can see the hogs running in the creek bed. Why is stand set up for bow hunting deer? Oh that's right they are deer hunters.
No hogs for me.
No hogs for the 14 other people in camp
Up at 5:00 am the next day but is pouring down rain and nobody wanted hunt. Well me and #2 drank coffee till 7:00 am. While doing this we were told that we could leave for the stand any time we wanted. so at 7:00 we headed back to the spot we were in the night before. We turn off the main road and there are hogs every where. We park and get loaded up off we go. We bump these jokers a couple of times with no shot. Then we find them in the front yard of a house? WTF there is a house out here we are hunting. Turns out it was a cabin that the guides live in. We could have shot a couple of with no issues.
After lunch our guide tells us he is going to show use are hunting that evening. He showed the spot after we helped him put new batteries in all the lights on the feeders.
Driving in that afternoon we see hog in the field. A brief stop and look about reveals a creek bed that is a hog highway!
We get in out stands at about 4:30
At 5:00 pm I see hogs in the field again. Looks to be a Sow with piglets in tow. So I shoot her she raises straight up spins and drops. One dead hog!
At 5:30 I see another group of hogs making their way towards me. Two sows with 8 piglets.
They cross the dry creek behind me and get into this little green field about 40 yards and it is game on. I drop the first sow with a head shot, hit the second sow, the piglets are running every where. I drop two piglets line up on a third knowing this is my fifth round and click. I forgot to reload. I call our guide on the radio and he says he will be along in a bit. After about 35 minutes I decide to recover these hogs.
I recover the one sow and the piglets. The sow was about 100 pounds on the hoof, the piglets about 40 pounds. The one sow ran off into the swamp. No big deal the guide has a dog that hunts dead.
The one out in the field had a blood spotty trail leading into the swamp also.
My guide shows up a 9:00 pm!
I have the hogs all lined up.
I take the guide and his dog over to the first hog, yup blood, dog gets on the trail and then the guide calls him off and says you did not kill that hog? Probably nicked him.
I take him to the other spot where that hog ran into the swamp, and he says, there is snakes and poison Ivey in there. I reply I have snake boots on. He refuse to track the hog again.
How did everybody else do?
Of the 16 people in camp only two killed hogs.
Only 2 saw hogs.
Most folks felt like they were on a Snipe hunt.
We had one guy see a few deer, not a good sign for a deer hunting camp.
My general conclusion is to steer clear of this place.
The lodge as mentioned was Great Southern Outdoors.
I took my trusty Marlin 336 XLR in 30-30
We hunted over feeders with motion detecting lights.
We the told this before the hunt. We were also told that we would not need IR or Night Vision. So I left the 6.8SPC with the ATN THOR at the house.
The hunt took place in the month of May.
The lodge had decent rooms, kinda a bunk house style, with no bunk beds. The food was great!
The staff, the cooks were very attentive. The Guides well that is where it started to go south.
Our orientation meeting was decent, we were assigned to to guide. Turns out they didn't have enough guides for the 16 people in camp.
Me and buddy #2 were assigned to the owners son who was a smart ass that could not take sarcasm when thrown back at him.
When they. started talking about the hunt they made it clear this was a deer hunting camp and not a hog hunting camp. Ok?
We were instructed to get in the stands and stay in the stand.
Our group was also asked. which two of us had the most hunting experience. Buddy #1 & 4 point at me and Buddy #2
Me and Buddy #2 are told that they do not have enough guides and vehicles so one of has to drive . No problem, we did not know that was going to be semi self guided.
We follow the owners son to our hunting spot and he gives verbal directions to the stands. Ok off we go.
After we split up buddy #2 shoots a hog about 10 minutes later while walking in. Turns out to buddy #2 dropped a 250 pound porker.
I get into my stand and I can see the hogs running in the creek bed. Why is stand set up for bow hunting deer? Oh that's right they are deer hunters.
No hogs for me.
No hogs for the 14 other people in camp
Up at 5:00 am the next day but is pouring down rain and nobody wanted hunt. Well me and #2 drank coffee till 7:00 am. While doing this we were told that we could leave for the stand any time we wanted. so at 7:00 we headed back to the spot we were in the night before. We turn off the main road and there are hogs every where. We park and get loaded up off we go. We bump these jokers a couple of times with no shot. Then we find them in the front yard of a house? WTF there is a house out here we are hunting. Turns out it was a cabin that the guides live in. We could have shot a couple of with no issues.
After lunch our guide tells us he is going to show use are hunting that evening. He showed the spot after we helped him put new batteries in all the lights on the feeders.
Driving in that afternoon we see hog in the field. A brief stop and look about reveals a creek bed that is a hog highway!
We get in out stands at about 4:30
At 5:00 pm I see hogs in the field again. Looks to be a Sow with piglets in tow. So I shoot her she raises straight up spins and drops. One dead hog!
At 5:30 I see another group of hogs making their way towards me. Two sows with 8 piglets.
They cross the dry creek behind me and get into this little green field about 40 yards and it is game on. I drop the first sow with a head shot, hit the second sow, the piglets are running every where. I drop two piglets line up on a third knowing this is my fifth round and click. I forgot to reload. I call our guide on the radio and he says he will be along in a bit. After about 35 minutes I decide to recover these hogs.
I recover the one sow and the piglets. The sow was about 100 pounds on the hoof, the piglets about 40 pounds. The one sow ran off into the swamp. No big deal the guide has a dog that hunts dead.
The one out in the field had a blood spotty trail leading into the swamp also.
My guide shows up a 9:00 pm!
I have the hogs all lined up.
I take the guide and his dog over to the first hog, yup blood, dog gets on the trail and then the guide calls him off and says you did not kill that hog? Probably nicked him.
I take him to the other spot where that hog ran into the swamp, and he says, there is snakes and poison Ivey in there. I reply I have snake boots on. He refuse to track the hog again.
How did everybody else do?
Of the 16 people in camp only two killed hogs.
Only 2 saw hogs.
Most folks felt like they were on a Snipe hunt.
We had one guy see a few deer, not a good sign for a deer hunting camp.
My general conclusion is to steer clear of this place.
