This was actually my second time hunting with this outfit in Florida. I was invited to go two years ago by a guy in West Virginia that I had never met in person.
As it turned out we really hit it off well on that trip and I was put on a "fill any cancellation spots" that they have in there normal group.
For this trip we all met at the outfitters camp about mid day on the 24th. Our hunt started that evening and we hunted thru Tues the 28th.
You are allowed to shoot all you want, with meat hogs costing $100 and trophies $150. They consider a trophy anything with 1" or longer cutters.
They have a fellow named Mike that skins and cuts meat for you grinds sausage etc. for an additional $40/hog.
Most of the hunting is done from tree stands over feeders, but you can spot and stalk, hunt from ground blinds or really anyway you want to hunt.
The first evening I opted for a tree stand that did not even have a feeder but had been baited for a few days with corn and oat piles.
As it turned out there was already a 120Lb boar on the bait when I arrived so what the heck, I up and shot it when it was quartering away at about 15 yards.
So I am thinking this is cool I haven't even got in the stand and have meat on the ground, the hog went about 80 yards and piled up in a grassy ditch.
I went ahead and got in my stand basically to just wait to be picked up at dark. The hogs had other plans though as they decided to keep tempting me by coming to the bait. I am not sure how many other pigs I seen but I know it had to be over a dozen of varying sizes from 10 - 100 lb. then about 30 minutes before dark a big old sow came in that weighed about 160Lb Well I like 10 yard shots, she went about 60 yards.
First evening and I have two hogs on the ground, my intent on this trip was to only take three pigs, at this point I would say I was pleased!
Over the next 2 days I was very selective and did not shoot anything else even though I had ample opportunities. I ended up shooting one more boar on the last day that also went about 120 maybe 130 Lbs.
There was 5 hunters in the group that killed 20 hogs, There was a new guy on this trip, who had never shot a pig and he went a little nuts and shot 6
It was fun to watch him come in just to see what he had shot that time out.
Everybody else shot what they wanted and was happy.
Lots of game to see down there from Osceola turkeys to otters and gators and deer that resemble 1/2 grown whitetail.
I've shot a zillion Osceolas---took that many to make a sammich! Tall, skinny bastages. Sounds like you had a good hunt, and of course, I'm jealous as hell.
Were you in South Florida?
where you were was my old stompin' ground!
If you mentioned my name around Kissimmee, and they let you leave, the statute of limitations must have run out!
Jim, those guys are a fine bunch. I went with them to NF on a moose hunt. I took the place of Frank who could not make it that trip. They pig hunt in that area every year. I bet you I know what story Jim told you about me.
