SNA Winner Robert Faas Connects in Texas
04/28/2008 5:09 pm

Well folks, we just got back from a great 3 day hunt out in East Texas with SNA weekly excursion winner Robert Faas and what a time we had! While most everyone else is out hunting turkeys during the spring we were going to be chasing a few East Texas grizzlies. In other words…big, toothy hogs.

Robert is a firefighter back in his hometown of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and is relatively new to the hunting world having only about 5 or 6 years of experience. He indicated that no one in his family hunted growing up and that he was basically having to teach himself as he goes along, absorbing all he can from magazines, t.v. and other fellow hunters. When I asked him why all of a sudden the desire to hunt arose and he decided to answer the call, his response was a simple and pure, “I just love being outdoors…” I smiled as I couldn’t help but think about the number of folks that might pass on the opportunity to be in hunt camp and spend some time in the outdoors just because it was a hog hunt. This hunt went to a truly appreciative soul.

I picked Robert up at the airport and after a barbeque lunch and picking up his license, it was time to stare at concrete for a couple of hours as we headed out of Dallas. Robert was amazed at how the terrain changed so fast from the flat agricultural fields just out side of the metroplex to the lush green rolling hills of hardwoods and pines as we headed further East. We arrived at the Buck and Boar ranch around 4:30 in the afternoon. We met up with ranch manager Chris Byrne, dropped our gear off at the lodge and wasted no time getting out and having a look around. Over dinner we discussed a game plan for the morning hunt. Chris explained to us that a number of pure European strain hogs had been released on the ranch a number of years ago and had bred with the native feral hogs to make a “best of both worlds” breed.

The first morning, we set up in a gun blind overlooking a meadow where we had seen fresh signs of rooting in the soft East Texas sand and where Chris had seen a number of hogs the afternoon before our arrival. A group of 5 smaller oinkers came in early along with a number of VERY pregnant doe’s and a couple of small bucks. Even though Robert was allowed two pigs, one trophy and one meat hog, he decided to pass as it was early on his first morning and he wanted to see what the day had to offer yet. Deer feeding, pigs running here and there, Robert enjoyed nature’s show and even got to see two of the doe’s square off and start boxing, a first for the novice hunter. As the morning heated up, the animals sought the comfort of shade and water so we headed in a grabbed some breakfast.

After breakfast we went for a bit of a walk-about, to some of the more dense parts of the farm. Chris wanted to show us a HUGE community wallow where the hogs had dug out a large hole in the soft high sided creek bank to lay up in during the heat of the day. As we got to within ten yards of the hole, Chris and Robert quickly backed up as they realized that there was a BIG boar rooted up inside. We couldn’t tell exactly how big he was as only his back half was visible out of the hole but judging from the size of this pig’s rump, it was a dandy. We set up about twenty yards outside of the wallow as it was all the dense cover would allow and with some coaxing from Chris, we watched about a 150 pound boar with serious cutters come busting out of the den and right at us for a split second before he turned and disappeared into the thick stuff. Talk about getting your heart pumping! After the encounter we decided to head back, grab the fishing poles and go wet a hook at a stock tank on the ranch. We fished for about an hour and a half, each of us catching about a half dozen largemouth bass before we decided to go cool off and get something to eat before the afternoon hunt.

Robert and I set up in the same blind from the morning with high hopes. As the sun dropped behind the pines and the air became noticeably cooler, a few deer began appearing out of the dense vegetation to feed. Not long after, the family group of five hogs from the morning hunt showed back up. Robert decided he was going to take a nice looking chocolate colored boar for his meat hog. As he was about to click the safety of his rifle I caught movement off to our right, “Wait! Wait!” I whispered, “Three more coming in”. As I was getting on them with the camera, a VERY excited Robert whispered, “Big hog, big hog!” A bit further back from the rest of the group I was focusing on was a dandy of a boar. I quickly got on him with the camera and could tell right away this porker was EASILY between 150 and 200 pounds with good tusks visible from under his snout and from his bottom jaw. Robert waited until the pig was quartering away slightly and clear of the does around him before taking the shot. Hogs being the cagey animals that they are, the boar took a couple of small steps forward just as Robert squeezed the shot off causing him to hit the animal low and back and out of the vitals. The big boar quickly recovered and was off at a dead sprint back into the thick cover nearby before a second round could be fired. With no blood to be found and not knowing EXACTLY where the boar hit the brush as it was out of view where he went in, four of us searched as best we could that afternoon and again the next morning with no luck and no sign anywhere of where the boar went to.

Robert went into his afternoon hunt optimistic as he had seen 2 boars that were trophy size in the same day. We hunted in a new set a bit closer to a water source and thicker cover and also down the same direction the big hog had come from the evening before. With only an hour left in the hunt the woods came alive. First 3 decent sows came in to the area but having little ones with them were safe. A perfect size meat hog came in, this time a boar so Robert again readied him self. As we waited for the boar to clear the sows, I heard Robert barely whisper, “Don’t move, there’s a buck right outside the blind!” Without moving my head, I cut my eyes to the right to see a yearling buck just growing his first set of horns standing less than 10 feet from me. A few tense moments passed as he watched the hogs feed and then walked right in front of the blind a mere 15 feet away and into the thicket opposite where he came in from. Robert readied himself and squeezed his shot off, connecting with the boar and bagging his first wild hog!

I never get tired of filming winners on their hunts and this hunt with Robert was no exception. We had a great time, saw plenty of game and got to enjoy an extended hunting season. What a way to end a week! Until next time folks, stay safe and have fun!
Chad McDonald
SNA Operations Mgr
SNA Field Producer, Sportsmen Video Productions