Dove Hunting ... I mean Hog Hunting in Texas

Turns out it was a great day for hog hunting and not so good for dove hunting. My son and I left the house super early to make the drive to our hunting property for an early morning dove hunt. Once we hit the gate I pulled out my AR15 just in case we needed it. As we drove to our area to set up for dove it became clear the rifle was needed as a huge pig ran out in front of us. I slammed the truck to a stop and jumped out just in time to break the shot at the running boar and he dropped. Since there was one, we decided to drive the property and see if we found more. As you can see from the photos below, I picked off 4 more pigs at different locations. All my shots at these remaining pigs were from the truck with the exception of one. The last pig I had to bail out and chase it on foot as it tried to evade us. I was able to pig the sow off as she ran away from me through the trees. Needless to say we never saw any dove but had a great time with the pigs. Aligator eats a pig! Now that is hunting with Bait!

Summer Protien Feeder Pictures of Antler Growth

I frequently get attacked on my YouTube videos about shooting small antlered deer on my hunts. However, with attempting to manage the quality of the deer you must take out the lower quality antlered deer so that the better quality antlered deer can breed. We do the best we can to manage this but keep in mind that we are on a low fence property. That means the deer are free to move through the territory and come and go as they please. Since the deer are not isolated from outside deer like on a "high fence" property, this makes the chore even more difficult. But over the years it appears to help some. We have more and more better quality antlered deer showing up than in the past. Be sure and see the video at the end of this post to see what I mean.

Hunting Cabin Deck Addition "The Complete Story"

Well its been a while in the making but it is finally done. The new deck on the cabin runs along the length of the existing cabin at 36 feet and comes out 8 feet from the cabin. The photos below were taken over three "work weekends". So it took me 3 trips to complete what you see in the pictures and videos. Of course they were not consecutive weekends since other commitments in between took precedence. So the project was not done in a 3 week time period as you would think. The decking used is 2x6 cedar boards that I purchased from a Craigslist ad for $250 if I remember correctly. It was not quite enough to complete the new addition so I had to head to the lumber store and by the remaining 11 boards needed. Talk about sticker shock! At $15 a board, these 11 boards with taxes came to about $180. Looking at these numbers, the entire foundation of the cabin would have put me in the poor house. In the end I think this addition cost $2,500.

So many followers expressed the view that we should leave the trees growing through the deck and roof. So I talked it over with the guys and think we came up with a plan to do it. We had to remove one the trees since it forked below where the roof line would be and make for too large a hole in the roof. So we only have one tree. It looks pretty cool and eventually I may seal it up with a tire inner tube or something. I'm open to ides if anyone has any.

Rustic Cabin in Terlingua Texas (Inspiration for my Hunting Cabin)

Many people have asked how I came up with the idea of our hunting cabin. The answer is easy. A friend of mine's dad from high school had a rustic cabin totally off the grid located on the Terlingua Ranch just outside of Big Bend National Park. I had been to Big Bend a few times for canoe trips and hiking but never stayed outside of the park itself. One spring break my friend invited a few of us to come out for the week. We had to pack everything we were to use for the week since the nearest grocery store at the time was 2 hours away. This included ice for our beer! And being students, we drank lots of beer! Unfortunately I have no photos of the interior. These photos were taken with film cameras since digital was not around at this time. But from these few photos of the exterior, you can easily see the similarities between it and my cabin. The views where what I loved most about this place. You could lay in one of the many bunk beds inside and see the sun rise above the mountains in the distance. The cabin was completely off the grid. We had to haul water in from the Ranch Headquarters. Located miles away along unimproved roads. We used a 12V pump to pump the water from the collection barrel into a 55 gallon barrel in the rafters of the cabin. This allowed for gravity to provide a little water pressure for the kitchen sink and outdoor shower. Lighting was done with propane lights plumbed to a central tank outside the cabin. There was a propane cook top in the kitchen area for cooking and a BBQ grill and open fire ring outside. The privy was just an outhouse located near the cabin. For gun lovers such as my self, you could shoot in any direction with no fear of hitting something you did not want to destroy. By the end of the week it was not uncommon for us to make 100+ yard shots with 22 pistols at empty cans. With 22 ammo at $.99 per 50 rounds... there was plenty of practice.

Hunting Cabin Update "The New Deck"

Since this video above was filmed we have pretty much got the decking complete. My reclaimed lumber for the deck fell short. I am missing about an 8x5 foot section of decking in the back but it should go quick to finish. It took three adults and 3 kids about the age of 12 to finish the deck to this point in about 11 hours straight. The next day we constructed a storage shed that was prefabbed at my house on a previous weekend. Erecting the 4x8 walls of the shed in 30 mile an hour wind gusts was crazy hard. But the shooting range is coming along nicely.

Trophy Deer on Display

I spent a very expensive visit at the taxidermist this weekend. I picked up a couple of shoulder mounts and some Axis hides from the 2012 hunting season and three antler mounts from 2013. This past 2013 season was not the best on record for sure since we had a great acorn crop. The deer were not moving and not coming to the feeders. Since I was hunting with the kids most of the time, I was unable to really get out and stalk hunt except twice.

Why I use an AR15 for Hunting - Wild Boar Attack!

Using the AR15 for hunting has it's benefits. From the ergonomic design, to the light weight setup. But more importantly, for the semiauto and magazine capacity. Check out this crazy wild pig attack. I bet he wished he has a semiauto.