Thank you "J-Bob"!
http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=584469
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Ten Point
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Houston, TX
Hunt In: Public Draws
|  First Hog and Second - Long Read
My ten year old son got his first turkey on Good Friday last year and had been trying for a deer or hog all Fall and Winter without any success. After deer season he got really focused on hogs and I really wanted him to get one, so I was extremely happy when I called Trophy Ridge Exotics last Monday and found out they had room for us on Good Friday.
I had read good things about Trophy Ridge on here and it was only an hour from Houston which is really nice so I booked a hog hunt with them for Friday/Saturday. I took both sons, who are 8 and 10. When we pulled up to the main lodge I was blown away by how nice this place looked. There is a really nice rifle range and bow range along with a pond that has a great dock for hanging out and a big stone deck and fire-pit . The main lodge was huge with pool table, Foosball table, darts, full kitchen and a giant TV. The log cabin lodge we stayed in was first class - very roomy with two bedrooms of four bunk beds each along with a kitchen with full fridge and microwave, granite counter tops, living room with two large couches and two bathrooms. The bunk beds were large and very nice with fancy pillow top mattresses. There was also a deck with comfortable chairs overlooking the water. My first thought after entering our cabin was that my wife, who is not at all interested in roughing it, would really like this place. Everything was first class, including the people. While we were driving in we passed owner Mike Amico and his 12 year old son getting geared up in full ghillie suits to go try to get on a hog with a spear. Even though we were just hog hunting, the cheapest hunt they offer, we met Gezilla Amico at the lodge and she was extremely welcoming and seemed genuinely excited about my boys trying for their first hogs. We got unloaded and then went for a paddle around the pond, which my boys really enjoyed. There are some prehistorically large looking bullfrogs in that pond. After the boat ride, we chatted with Mike, who was extremely friendly and welcoming. He told us about the history of their ranch and then about the spear hunt that afternoon and how they had gotten very close, but got busted at the last second. He also said they had been hunting a HUGE ~ 36" axis for the last 6 months, including earlier that morning. He said he didn't think we would have any problem getting our hogs, and he was right. We met our guide, Shane, a big 6'5" college defensive end, at the main lodge when it was time to go to the stand. Most of their blinds are elevated two man stands sitting about 25 yards from feeders, set up for bow hunting. The Amicos are big bow hunters. Since there were three of us they decided to put us in a nature blind (the ones that look like a big oak stump) overlooking a protein feeder at 100 yards and Shane corned the road between us and the protein feeder. The action was immediate with a group of rams coming in and working toward us along the corn trail. They got within about 5 yards of the blind without knowing we were there. They actually took a nap about 6 yards away on some hay behind us. The nature blind is very nice and insulated which helped dampen the sound of an excited 8 and 10 year old. We then saw a group of whitetail deer along with what I think was a red deer hind. Over the next couple hours we would see several more groups of rams, audad, white fallow, chocolate fallow and two great looking axis bucks at 30 yards, including one that was ridiculously wide. Oh, and we saw some pigs too. Lots and lots of pigs. We waited for the first group of hogs to move off the protein feeder toward the corn for an easier shot, but they did not seem to want corn. By the time the second group hit the protein feeder I gave my older son the green light and he stoned what I thought was about a 70 lber with a head shot. He was pumped and we all high-fived and switched his little brother into the shooting seat. It wasn't much longer when he took a shot at a group that immediately scattered. He was disappointed and I could not tell if he had hit one, but I told him we would go look for blood when we got out. He had shot 2 coons at 70 yards the week before with the same scoped .243, so I thought he may have hit. Although I had told them to shoot for the head so it would be a kill or clean miss. Older son got back into the shooting seat and was about to pull the trigger when a group of bigger hogs came filtering through the trees. They seemed cautious at first but eventually got to eating and my older son shot a nice looking tan hog at the protein feeder. It looked decent and was very thick so I guessed weight at 120 lbs or so. We called Shane who came and picked us up. When we walked up to the hogs they were much bigger than they had looked from the blind. We could not find any blood from my younger son's shot, so Shane declared it a miss and he would get to try again in the morning. Shane estimated the small hog at about 100 lbs and the big one at 160 lbs, but when we lifted it we really struggled so he said he may be a little low. Turned out when we weighed them that they were 120 lbs and 220 lbs. Shane gutted them and hung them in the cooler for us - they offer to skin and quarter them for $25/hog, which to me sounded like a great deal. The big one had a huge heart (picture below). We checked in with the Amicos where were thrilled that my son had gotten his first hogs and then we got cleaned up and went to bed. I don't know if my younger son slept at all Friday night. He was so excited. He woke me up at midnight asking if it was time to go yet, then at 12:15, then at 12:30. I caught him at around 1 a.m. standing by the window staring out. He said he was trying to see if he could see anything moving out there. Even though I didn't start hunting until I was an adult, I understood. I remember being that age (and older) and not being able to sleep the night before a big fishing trip. It is still pretty much impossible for me to sleep at night at my friends' place on Big Lake when I know the trout may be popping under his green lights. We got in the blind before daylight and were covered up with animals again. There was a group of hogs working very close to us but they were stacked up and I didn't want him to shoot a double or triple so I told him to hold off. Then we noticed some behind us at about 100 yards so we swung around and he set up for a shot. Another miss unfortunately. Shane came out and was determined to find him a pig. He drove us around the property and they stalked up on two different groups but were not able to get set up before being busted. We called it a great hunt and went back to get loaded up. When I was talking with Gezilla about the hunt I asked what the biggest hog they had taken weighed. She said Mike and some hunters were doing a night vision hunt once and came up on a 600 lb hog. They got all the hunters together and all shot at the same time. They put 12 rounds into the beast and it went down. But then it got back up and started coming at them. They unloaded on it and it finally went down for good. She said they have some in the 350 lb range there now. We saw one I would guess was 250 lb toss a 100 lber in the air with its head like it was nothing to get it away from some corn the big boy was after. I have already told a bunch of friends with kids about this hunt and we are planning to put together a big group for a return trip. It was fantastic - facilities, lodging and people - and so close to Houston. I can't wait to get my younger son on an animal. Below are some pictures from the hunt. |
