Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Winchester Ridge 2015- feral pigs with youngsters

Ken. I am manly enough to overcome. Lol

Caught a 90 gr GMX in that head-shot hog. It was in his right ham, and TINY:



Will weigh when I get home. Found a 90 gr NBT in one of my son's hogs which was in the offside shoulder and just jacket but lost it when we emptied the truck of our "leftovers".

How about this sunset????!

Ken don't worry man just looking forward to hangin with you; REALLY. Pretty much killed out anyway, and cooler is STUFFED!! This was it half way through our 4 hogs:

That sunset photo is something!

Sounds like a fantastic trip. My dad and I went on a few roadtrips for Texas hunts when I was a new hunter. They were great.

Get another cooler! That pork will taste mighty good come summer grilling season...

With one ending comes a new beginning; last night Elijah said he is REALLY gonna miss this place and I'm with him!

Being vacation he slept in



and I had the breakfast of champions: rice pudding, HUGE cup of coffee (in a Baylor cup), and pork tenderloin left over from last night



and Elijah followed my lead in 10 yo fashion with leftover CHEESECAKE!



He is finally feeling "worthy" of his "boar hat"



and we're happy to know that our breakfast buddies'll be here when We get back





We're REALLY excited for the next leg of our trip when we get to hang out w/ my dear brother Kenjs1 up at his lease!!

I would be remiss if I didn't thank Joe Nagy, owner of Wincher Ridge Ranch for his hospitality, and my very close friend Tom Murphy who put this outing together. We'll certainly never forget it!!!

It was tough leaving the Hill Country. While temps were the coolest we'd seen since our arrival (high-40s vs high-60s) it was still a far cry from home and with scenery second to none







But the Prius was loaded down and the cooler STUFFED w/ 4 hogs; two of which went nearly 200 lbs/ea, one @ approx 160 & the smallest 130-ish



We grabbed some fresh cowboy jerky just outside the ranch from Garven Store at 41 & 83 near Mountain Home and Elijah was enthused for the road



Winding our way up through the Hill Country as we headed north we stopped in the charming German settlement of Fredericksburg where we grabbed a new cooler and dry ice for our meat. We also loaded up on Subway & snacks and continued toward Moran NW of Abilene in N. Texas to meet my friend Ken at his lease and stay in his camper there a couple of nights.

Great thread efw! Congrats to you and your son!

Our two days with Ken in his camper at his lease were fantastic in spite of some weather that gave even us Michiganders a run for our money.

As we drove up Wednesday night it started raining. By the time we met up with Ken it was really coming down, and I fishtailed down the road to his lease but on the 2-track in we still did better than Ken in his 2WD F-150!

The rain continued all night and Thursday morning it continued with heavy winds. We slept in and ate breakfast together, and Ken had a great collection of classic movies and board games we played a while





I was itching to get out and see the lease, so we set out in spite of driving rains, cold temps, and high winds. The views and scenery were well worth it; Ken has a lovely arrangement.



The Texas mud ain't no joke; before we were a hundred feet from the camper we were carrying quite a load on each boot. Even after scraping there was a lot:



Carrying that weight was tiring and the temps rain & wind wore us out quickly. When we returned to the camper Ken presented me with an extraordinarily special gift, a stag handle Moore Maker custom knife & leather sheath:



He couldn't know it but as I watched Joe & Tom work w/ their knives while butchering pigs I fantasized about the sort of fine blades I see pictured in posts here. I am amazed at his thoughtfulness & generosity!

We watched a few movies, told stories, sipped Dr Pepper, and got cabin fever.

Finally we could take no more and decided to shoot. Ken & I have, as near as we can figure, been "modern day pen pals" here on the 'fire since around '08 or 9 so we know a lot about one another's favorite rifles. It was a real pleasure to get to shoot his Rem 6mm in a Boyds Classic topped w/ Burris FFII 6x40mm & German #4 after hearing so much about it. Likewise he enjoyed shooting the 257 AI that has performed so beautifully on this trip w/ the M8 6x42mm & German #4 he gave me a few years back.

The evening was spent chatting, eating popcorn, and discussing hunt plans for Friday morn before Elijah & I'd head for Arkansas on our next step toward home. At every point Ken was gracious host, and exceedingly kind to Elijah rubbing him and helping him enjoy himself.

The forecast suggested an end to the rain Thursday night, and we were excited for a walk around the lease & some coyote calling. That was when I missed having camo...

Excellent all around. Thanks for sharing. Nice looking knife you got there.

Thanks for the kind words brother and for letting me know you made it to the next stop ok. You and E-man are welcome any time. Come back when we can put that knife to use. I want a picture of your using it!

We made the most of it and the mud let us see how much activity that place is having at the moment. Tracks of all kinds criss-crossing everywhere. I think right now it may be the epicenter of the coyote world, right Eric?

It was great seeing the rigs we talked abuot so much and shooting that M8 again reinforced my comments said on the thread regarding sentimental attachment to a scope.

I made it out fine but yeah, cannot wait to replace those factory tires! Anyone want a slightly used set of mud magnets? That lease gets crazy slick with just a fraction of an inch of rain. I got home and my grandson was excited to see me but before even hugging me looking very serious and sounding disappointed sighed " Ohhhh Papa's truck is dirty again" and shook his head.

Folks it was great hanging with Eric and seeing what a terrific father he is. A big play pal to his son while maintaining his respect. He chatted with his family at home while were were holed up in the camper and the great bonds between them all is a joyful thing to witness. Blessed people who actually know it. He is the same guy in person as he is here and I am glad to know him.

Great story Eric!, look like it was a grand time and a great success a and yes I'm jealous.

Can't wait for pork on the grill.

Ken and I had a fantastic walk on Thursday morning; his lease is amazing! Not only is it large and scenic, but the mud (that colonies to make hiking difficult) showed a great deal of game active on the place.

We called at several locations hoping to see a few of the MANY coyotes we heard & whose prints we saw, but this was when my lack of camo burnt us,



but cruising the lease of a great friend with our favorite rifles (his 6 Rem, my 6-250) was awesome even without a shot fired!

I'm positive it and the stiff breeze were both significant liabilities. I did see a coyote at one point but only in a flash as he circled downwind of me.

Once he's given me a tour we returned to find sleeping beauty just out of bed



chillin w/ a Dr Pepper which he later called his "coffee"!

After cleaning out the trailer we got out for a pic together before Elijah and I hit the road for Little Rock.



Yeah Ken blinked but Elijah took forever to get the shot right...

On our way we stopped for dinner and Elijah basked in the knowledge that he was finally worthy of his camo boar cap



and we picked up some AWESOME road music



which we enjoyed all the way!

Today (Friday) is our last full day on the road. We were up early and enjoyed breakfast



after which we got in the car and had coffee... and "coffee"



getting out occasionally to make room for more, run around a stretch a bit, and model the awesome shirts Ken gave us as souvenirs



as we made the long ride from Little Rock to Indianapolis where we HAD reservations in a hotel w/ a pool. Apparently they've had a big problem for quite a while and it's shut down, so I ought to have just finished the rest of the trip... Elijah, on the other hand, was fine just chilling out for one last evening w/ his old man flipping channels complaining about how there is never anything on.

Oh for a collection of classic movie DVDs !!

what a great story!

Great story, Ernie along with some great pics. Too bad you had to hunt with such inferior cartridges.

Home!!!!!

Thanks SO much for the kind words and prayers all!

Dang Denny I didn't have the heart to kill em any deader....

Thanks again for taking the time to post the pictures and write the story of your adventure with your son. I am looking forward to making the trip down to the annual 24hourcampfire hog hunt *Texas Edition* for 2015, with my only son.

We've already talked ourselves silly trying to decide on rifles and gear for the trip. Hoping to make it down a day early so we can make it down to see the Alamo.

I'm sure you know it, efw. You are a blessed man.

Oh boy DO I EVER!

We certainly overpacked gun- & ammo-wise, but we thought we'd be shooting steel and didn't get to. If I had it to do over again I'd have packed one rifle a piece w/ a 50 round box of ammo.

Also in past hunts I've found that if AI want to kill something with a handgun that's all I can bring along or, as a rifle loon, I'll utilize that tool first.

I can't even express the gratitude I have for such an awesome son, wife, friends, vocation, etc, that allows me to have these experiences! God has blessed me far beyond anything I could ask much less deserve.

You'll have an amazing time! The Alamo will be a worthwhile stop! Are you flying or driving?

Arkansas is STUNNING!

Leftover stump was 40.4 gr, or about 45% retained weight.

Pretty good considering how tough hog noggins are!