That sure felt good. An Arctic cold front just blew through, dropping temperatures into the mid-30s. It was a welcome relief from the high temperatures, complete with high humidities, Louisiana is famous for.
A contingent of local bow hunters knew the time was right when they set sail west for Kansas. The rut was on, and as any deer hunter will attest, it was time to go hunting.
Jeff Scarborough and crew were tuned up and psyched for the opportunity at a buck-of-a-lifetime. Jeff found an impressive monster rub that was real fresh, and that was enough to garner his attention. He slowly backed out of the area, so as not to push the buck. He would return manana.
A 175” Boone and Crockett Kansas bruiser taken by Jeff Scarborough. Photo by Jeff Scarborough
Jeff sat tight as a skittish doe approached with a buck in hot pursuit. The doe passed without missing a beat. This hunt was shaping up. Jeff readied himself as his heart rate zoomed. The trick now was to get the buck to stop in his quest for Lady Love. This was happening fast.
Jeff got a brief glimpse of horns with a lot of bone and drew his bow. The buck stopped broadside at 15 yards, and it was show time. With a practiced shot to the vitals, the buck didn’t travel far.
This is why hunters drive to the Midwest for a chance at a mature buck.
Jeff’s 16-point buck had unique one-of-a-kind horns measuring 175 inches of mass. The long tines that raked the tree Jeff found proved to be the buck’s calling card, and earned him a trip to Louisiana.
Any landowner, farmer or hunter can tell you about the extent of damage wild hogs can create. It’s almost physically impossible to curb their numbers. They’re notorious for overpopulating areas with multiple litters and taking over large tracts of land.
Enter the Louisiana Hog H-Team. This group of dedicated hog hunters was on a mission. They’ve taken an oath to reduce the local population of wild hogs and they’re serious.
The Hogs’ fearless leader is Scott Long or “Boss Hawg.” Pepper Bourque and Matt Byrley rounded out the H-Team. This hunt was on.
It was a great day for the Hog H-Team
The team gathered near Gum Cove and devised a plan for maximum hog carnage. Matt was the push man who would drive the beasts into Scott’s blocking position. Matt was fully loaded with No. 4 buck shot and a shotgun he could handle very well.
As the first shots rang out, Scott began to get nervous as he awaited the marauding hogs. There were more shots, followed by several more volleys that came from the area where Matt was pushing. There was a war going on, and Scott began to fidget.
Meantime, Matt was in a hog frenzy. The hogs were running wild, and Matt could do no wrong. He commenced fire and reloading furiously. He sustaining some major fire on the crazed pigs.
When the smoke cleared, Matt had piled up a beautiful pile of ten DOA wild hogs.
Back at camp, Scott was visibly shaken after the deadly melee. He hadn’t fired a shot and could only shake his head in disbelief. Pepper was the delegated skin man and began to sharpen his knife for field dressing.
The second best part of these pigs is they are outstanding table fare. Not a pig morsel would be wasted this time around. Everyone on the Hog Team knew just how to serve them up.
Matt rightfully took the coveted Most Valuable Hog (MVH) award, and had nothing but praise for his fellow pigs. Scott is recuperating nicely, and is presently undergoing therapy for hog rehab. Sooiee pig!
Happy hunting!
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