Wild boar hunter Dennis Murawska (Genoa City, WI - ph: 262-279-3660
- e-mail: den@aa-taxidermy.com) bagged a wild hog during a morning
of wild boar hunting on January 3, 2002 in south Florida.
Sorry have no pictures! I was unable to take pictures
of their kills because I had other clients out duck hunting during
this hunt. I am however waiting for the above party to send me
pictures to post on this page of their wild boar hunting success.
Here's
2 e-mail testimonials I received from the above wild boar hunter:
Florida
Wild Boar Hunting Testimonial: January 13, 2002
From: Angler's
Art Taxidermy <den@aa-taxidermy.com>
To: Cap'n Ron <fish@ronsguideservice.com>
Subject: Re: hog hunt
Date: Sunday, January 13, 2002 1:29 PM
Dear Cap'n
Ron........Just finished a story for our newpaper about my hunt...sending
a scan of a photo taken if you can use it. I will keep you updated
on other stories I do and the web magazines they will be printed
in. I am getting ready for my first hog roast here and looking
forward to coming years.
Thanks...Dennis
HOG HEAVEN
Just what
hog heaven is, and the prerequisites for entering, have always
been mysterious. Well, no more! I have been there and would like
to share a great hunting and outdoors opportunity with my fellow
"Sconnies".
Hunting
big game that bites back is usually restricted by many factors.
There are seasons, licenses, travel, and often whopping price
tags involved. Hunting conditions, especially where mountains
are involved, can be extreme. So can price tags. A guided hunt
out west for example, can run several thousand dollars. What if
you could have all this excitement and a virtual guarantee of
harvesting your quarry for under $300? If so, you might want to
consider a mid-winter trip to southern Florida.
Feral hogs
were probably introduced to this country by early Spanish explorers
like Ponce de Leon in Florida, and Hernando de Soto in Texas.
These prolific animals quickly adapted to their new homes and
have spread to at least 20 states, where their rooting and crop
destruction has given them a "nuisance" status. For
instance, in Texas, the population is over 2 million and growing.
Compare these statistics to those of a whitetail. A sow can have
an average litter of 3-5 piglets which in turn breed at the age
of 6 months. It is estimated a single sow can be reponsible for
1000 offspring in 5 years.
Hogs are
one of the most intelligent animals in the woods. Unlike deer,
they have no home range. They will roam for miles, and when spooked
out of an area, may never return. Even slight hunting pressure
causes many of them to become nocturnal, especially during hot
summers. For these reasons, there are few hunting restrictions.
In fact, in Florida, you can hunt 365 days per year with no license
using any conceivable weapon.
I chose
the Lake Okeechobee region in Florida for several reasons. The
hogs here are "free-ranging" and not fenced as they
are in some large hunting leases. Dogs are part of the scene that
make the hunt both exciting and productive. The terrain and vast
swamps of this area make walking around looking for hogs an execise
in futility, and one in which you will encounter biting insects,
snakes, and perhaps a "gator or two. The way to go is with
dogs.
My January
hunt began with an early morning rendevous at a bait store. Here,
the local duck hunters, anglers, and general good old boys filter
in for coffee and conversation. My guides, Brandon and Patrick,
showed up in a pickup adorned with hunting dogs described as "Florida
curs". This is a mix of hound, bulldog, enthusiasm, and just
cussed toughness. The many scars on their hides were visible reminders
of what the slashing tusks of a boar can do.
The many
large cattle ranches in the area border hog country comprised
of swamp, palmetto thickets, and cane fields. A short pickup ride
got us to an area where hogs have been previously scouted. Patrick
stayed with me on dry ground while Brandon set out with the dogs
to pick up a scent trail. they kept in contact with radios, and
soon the barking of the hounds signaled a hot trail. By the time
we arrived on the scene, several dogs held a hog at bay, and there
was quite a commotion with the barking, snorting and squealing
going on. The dogs were pulled back so a clean bow shot was possible,
and my thrilling chase through the thick brush was over.
Part of
the fun of this type of hunt involves exploring the local culture
and ecology. Patrick told me about the wild guavas that grew in
the hunting area, how to eat wild swamp cabbage, and how to avoid
some very large spiders that seemed to hang from every dead branch.
Airboats and "swamp buggies" can take you into remote
areas teeming with wildlife. You can pick fresh citrus fruit,
sample boiled peanuts, or dine on alligator tail nuggets for lunch.The
fee you pay includes everything including gratuities and a careful
cleaning and quartering of your hog. The lean meat of these animals
is some of the tastiest table fare going, and was well worth lugging
through the airport in a large cooler I had rigged up with a handle.
So, if you
are tired of freezing weather and bothered by winter doldrums,
pick up a cheap ticket to Lauderdale, Orlando, or Fort Myers,
and take a short drive into the world of hog hunting. A three-day
weekend is sufficient time for this type of hunt, or you can include
it as part of a longer vacation. I strongly recommend the use
of dogs for a successful hunt, as well as their ability to help
keep an enraged boar off your tail. If this type of hunt interests
you, contact Ron's Guide Service at ronsguideservice.com or call
863-946-1742.
Florida
Wild Boar Hunting Testimonial: January 6, 2002
From: Angler's
Art Taxidermy <den@aa-taxidermy.com>
To: Cap'n Ron <fish@ronsguideservice.com>
Subject: hog hunt
Date: Sunday, January 06, 2002 2:17 PM
Dear Captn.
Ron.........
I thoroughly enjoyed taking a hog with Brandon and Patrick. They
got it frozen and
cut up to where I could pack it in a cooler on the plane and oook
forward to some fine eating.
I will put together a photo article and send it not only to you,
but some of the websites I write for. I will do what I can to
get these fellows more clients in light of the airline problems
that may be cutting down on hunts. Some pluses are how Patrick
talks about the local ecology, spiders, wild fruits, etc. I think
you could really promote these hunts with these tactics....get
those guys an amphibious vehicle to give folks a tour of the swampy
hog country they are hunt. Let them sample some swamp cabbage,
have local hog barbeques with boiled peanuts and give folks a
sample of the interesting local culture.
Again, thank these guys for a fine hunt. I will be back, and you
can be sure I will send more clients.
Thanks...Dennis
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