My First Wild Hog Hunt

          My mother had introduced me to wild hog hunting by arranging a guided trip with Wilderness Calls in Stewart County Georgia. We planned to meet with one of the Wilderness Calls conservationist, which I had anticipated to be peculiar at best. Despite the irony of having a conservationist assist me wild hog hunting, to my surprise it was a refreshing experience as he turned out to be a regular guy with enthusiasm for nature. He introduced me to camp and showed me the ropes about taking care in the wilderness.

          My time had come to finally make the acquaintance of The Redneck Guru. Let me tell you this is no misnomer, his experience and wisdom of the outdoors surpasses even his own reputation. Knowing that I was learning from a seasoned hunting veteran and a wise outdoors professional, I felt confident that my wild hog hunt was going to be a colossal success. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I would bag a boar and have plenty more to gain from my experience.

          From the time of my arrival in camp, I found that we were surrounded by a band of wonders only found in the wilderness. The woods and streams just teamed with life and beauty. Even on the plains by camp we saw through binoculars a 'suffering sow' and a good bunch of piglets following her during the day. At night we had seen doe and buck sniffing about just before the horizon of trees. Beaver damns, packs of boar, flocks of birds, and families of deer were just a few more to name of the earth around me. Even still admiring the marvels calling from the wilderness, I had a goal for this great place and that was to hunt, but I didn't reckon there would be so much to hunt after. The way James explained it was that conservation existed just for that, so there's plenty to go after. Being out at camp I began to understand how valuable their work was to preserve and upkeep the land so the hunt was that much better.

          After a good long rest in the camp bunks, morning hadn't begun to shine when my regiment began. We started out four-wheeling, which despite my prior experience riding, a safety lesson was suggested. It proved to hold air, with all the fun of riding the trails I still learned important lessons to behold when maneuvering in the harsh landscape. With so much to consider, I also learned to appreciate ATV's as a method of transportation, and not a toy in the wilderness. Despite the seriousness of the lesson, the trails were an awesome ride.

          It wasn't too much later in the day I was to be taught even greater lessons in responsibility, rifle training and firearms safety. I was issued a .308 caliber bolt action rifle with a scope mounted on it. Immediately upon issue, I was trained in gun safety lesson and that the safety switch always stays safe until I am about to pull the trigger. The Redneck Guru himself set me up at the range and guided me through the procedure of tuning my sights and locking in the rifle accuracy. As The Redneck Guru told me 'An inaccurate rifle is an unsuccessful hunt '. I was also warned that if an animal becomes mutilated, I would have to deal with James, who literally turns into one unhappy camper.

          As the day began to settle, it was decided that I should get a taste of the hunt and get a good feel for my stand. The Guru handpicked my location, due to the success of the spot in the past. We drove our four-wheelers to a good distance from the site and we walked the rest of the way. As a part of my rifle training, I was instructed to always keep the barrel of the gun pointed away from anyone riding beside me and as always gun safety is the key to a successful hunt. It was also imperative for me to keep the gun in my lap with the scope facing me to avoid damage to the rifle or scope. Before we began our descent into the woods, I was loaded with three .308 rounds and given a reminder on gun safety and how to calm for my shot. I was escorted to the camouflaged infrastructure and guided on proper entrance and where to focus my fire. The Guru left me and my four-wheeler a short distance away. As I waited a while I listened to the deafening silence of the earth, waiting for a rustle. There was no sign of boars. As I arrived at camp near dark with the Guru he assured me that tomorrow's hunt would be a success and we will head out earlier.         

          The following day, we woke to an early sunrise and immediately set to work planning the days hunting activity. By about the high noon sun, we rode back out to our drop point where I was guided again to my seat. The minutes I sat were spent using a hog call The Guru taught me about until my patience was rewarded. In the distance I heard a herd of hogs. A bunch of bloated boars came snorting up to the feed.

          With loaded gun in hand, I quietly eased the stock to my shoulder and focused a squinted eye through the lens of the scope. With three fingers prying I turned the safety switch to the firing position. I eased my index finger past the trigger and rest it the trigger guard as I positioned my sights over the fattest boar I saw. I took a deep breath, held it, sighed, slowly and gradually I eased my index toward me over the trigger. The deafening air shattered. I looked again through the scope hastily to confirm a clean shot. To my surprise the animal was flailing like a mullet on dry land.

          I nervously fired again to what i had thought was its head again. By the second shot, The Guru had already departed from camp and was well on his way to check my progress. I shakily descended from the ladder of my firing tower and ran double-time to the flailing creature. In an attempt to save any potential pain harbored by the boar and to assure a fresher harvest, I took aim a few yards away and shot a third time. This did not diminish the struggle of the nerves dying but gradually it stopped moving.

          The guru arrived soon after and immediately began rolling over procedures for preparing the harvest. We snapped a few quick pictures, hauled the harvested meat onto the Guru's four-wheeler to be strapped on, and i was given a quick lift to my own transportation stationed nearby. I turned over my motor and we rode back to camp. My mother's face was washed with calm to see her boy well and safe. The Guru and I began out next lesson, skinning, gutting, and cleaning. We began to prepare the hog, got it hung, and I got more hands on experience. That night, we had barbecue ribs like nothing I've ever tasted. Thank you Wilderness Calls, for one of the best experiences of my life.