Those are some great pics! I can't wait!!

Mark, thanks for posting the pics.

This was an awesome time with good company.

Being new to trad, I realize just how hard it is to harvest with trad gear.

With a compound this would not even be a hunt.

Being so close to the animals and having several shot opportunities took me back to the early days when Oregon had plentiful deer opportunities and I was a new compound hunter.

It would have been nice to come back with a javi, but the experience and comraderie alone was worth the trip and I plan to go back as soon as possible.

I told Curtis I haven't had that much fun hunting in years.

Thanks for the memories guys.

Paul

You can't ask for much more out of a hunt. I'm fletching arrows for this hunt as I type.

Barry/Dustin/Paul...here is a report from Craig and Mac. I shot a javi the last evening and Mac shot at a javi but missed.. Mac and I went back the next morning to track and find my javi. Had a good blood trail for 150 yrds. We also found a place where the javi had layed down and bleed out.  A short distance further we found a pile of fur and a broken arrow and then no more blood. We went back to camp and got Curtis who proceeded to put on a tracking clinic. Looking at tracks Curtis was able to determine that coyotes had chased javi from its resting spot. Curtis then found another large pile of fur and bones. The coyotes had a very good dinner that night.  Great hunt!  Enjoyed hunting and sharing the camp with you guys.  Also thanks for the tips on where the javis were....

Is there anything that you guys didn't bring that you would have now?

I'd like to hear what you brought that you didn't need and what would have been good to have.

How did CK hold up... I hope He's doing better now.. I know how cold weather feels when You have been hurt real bad like he has...

Sal, it sounds like they are going to have to tie CK down to keep him from doing his Superman thing!!!! But I'm the same way so I cant say much. Guys like that you just cant hold back.

14 days and a wake up and I'm headed southwest.

Jim,

We brought entirely too much!      

We drove over from Louisiana and pulled a small trailer which encouraged us to take everything but the kitchen sink.  The next time we will scale WAY back as the extra stuff was just in the way.  I probably used less than 20% of the clothes I brought.  My advice and tentative quicklist for next time (modify to your needs)......

Tent Gear
tent, poles, ground cloth, sand stakes, rope, doormat, hammer, wool blankets, sleeping mattresses and pump, sleeping bags, pillow, lantern or flashlight, portable heaters, extension cord, camp chairs

Hunt Gear
bows, quivers, javi arrows with 3-blade broadheads, hog arrows with 2-blade broadheads, small game arrows, broadhead file and stone and sharpener, armguard, tabs, gloves, backpack, gps and compass, binoculars, hunting stool, knives, limb saw or pruner, shovel, machete, flashlight, camera

Clothes
wool hunting clothes (pants, vests, jackets, pullovers, hats), silk longjohns, wool longjohns, snake boots, wool socks, gloves, snake chaps, warm weather hunting clothes in the event the weather changes, street clothes

Medical
medicines, tweezers, bandaids, liquid bandaid, chapstick, sunscreen, dry skin lotion

Other
food, icechests, sunglasses, leatherman, weather radio, cell phone chargers, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, toilet paper, towels, cash


This still looks like too much stuff so I may need to scale back from here.

Others with more experience can probably give you a better list.....

Mark

Ok thanks, that gives me a good start.

Hi Mark,about this portable heater an extension cord,was this for the tent?I was going to take a small propane heater but I like the idea of electric if it's close by,and what did you guys do about cooking? Did you take a camp stove or anything like that? I'm packing now an it seems like we a lot also... Thanks Bill

We actually had two portable electric heaters and a Coleman propane heater in the tent.  The Coleman was only used for short periods while we were awake.  Your ability to use electric heaters will depend on the load being used by others.  We did have to get up and reset the breaker a couple of times when it tripped.  Curtis mentioned that he uses an electric blanket so that might be a good idea.  Remember, being from Louisiana we ain't acclimated to cold weather like some of you northern guys!

There is a little building with a stove hooked up to a propane bottle that some used for cooking.  Barry actually cooked a nice spaghetti dinner one night which was really good!  Also, I saw that someone used a portable stove.  Curtis also cooked a javi stew that was quite tasty!

Crane is only about 13 miles away and has a few eateries - Dairy Queen, Sonic, Subway, a couple of cafes, etc.  We ate in Crane 4 or 5 times in addition to sandwiches we made at camp.

Mark

Here is a pic of some of the Flora and my Horne T/D Brushbow.

Paul,

Nice bow. What happened to your Blacktail?

QuoteOriginally posted by Jason R. Wesbrock:
Paul,

Nice bow. What happened to your Blacktail?

Jason,

I sold the Blacktail and the Widow and now own 2 T/D Brushbows. I like them better.

Paul

So not too many hogs were seen?

Is this the ranch by Crane/Odesa Tx? If so we will be there April 4 2010. Can't wait, congrats on a great hunt..........

I think it is one and the same.

The ranch we were hunting was west of Crane and was huge - I believe over 50,000 acres.  Also, I think Curtis has several ranches in the Crane area.

As for hogs, two guys from Alabama who were targeting hogs both got shots.  Only one was successful.  We didn't start hunting hogs until our 4th afternoon.  Curtis moved us to a different area that was absolutely loaded with hog sign - some scary big he thought might go over 500#.  We didn't see any but we didn't put in much time hunting hogs as we spent most of our hunt having way too much fun with javelina.

Mark

glad you all had a good time, good luck to those who are going later in the month.  Looking forward to more pic's!!!

It was a sincere pleasure to host a hunt with so many great guys! Thanks to all of you for pulling some weight around camp and afield.

Hogs and javelina are not really overlapping hunting areas except in certain areas. I ask everyone when they enter camp if they want hogs or javelina. Everyone that wanted javelina saw javelina and those who wanted hogs saw hogs.

I took my first hogs since my accident and found new inspiration in getting back afield. I'm still very sore from the tractor accident but I'm well enough to go out every day and find more critters to shoot.

I really need a few days to tend to home/ranch chores and I'll get back to post pics and answer questions. I only have 7 days and I'll be headed back to the ranch.

Congrats to all you guys from hunt #1. It was a sincere pleasure to serve you.     CK


Dustin dragging a hog for almost a mile.

 

About 3/4 of a mile into the drag.

 

My first pork since the tractor accident.

 

Ron Swartz sent me a couple of single beveled Tusker broadheads to try out. They were "Sharpster" sharp and I felt that a proper test was in order. Straight through the heart and stuck in the vertebra. He dropped in 30 yards. Thanks Ron! The tusker did the job.

 

More in a few days.