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Gotta love Texas....."Yessir I got 2 loaded rifles in the front seat. Doesn't everybody? Wouldn't be fair if only the driver had a gun, now would it??"

I knew this place was well appointed, but dang! I build stuff for a living and was VERY impressed with how well thought out the compound was. My comment to Rob was that this place is WAY too nice for pig hunting! I am not exaggerating a bit when I tell you that our room was a heck of a lot nicer and cleaner than the La Quinta where we overnighted in in San Antonio. The rooms even have a custom made gun rack that holds 4 or 5 guns! I did mean to tell Rob that he needed to add some pegs here and there to hang bows from…

Since we arrived around 2:00 on the day prior to our hunt start, Rob graciously offered to get us into stands that afternoon. We shook out gear, put bows together, confirmed zero on the 3D and rifle ranges, listened as Rob went over the do’s and don’ts, signed the death waiver and we were off.

Thats Brian, the ranch owners Grandson and the mystery man John, on the right.

John, one evening in the cantina, after a few pulls of Makers, revealed that he was formerly an enforcer for the Mexican Cartels and ruled 100's of miles of frontier border through fear and intimidation. So legendary and effective he was, that no photos of him existed during this time, just shadowy recollections of those that witnessed his ghastly deeds and may of caught a glimpse of "El Guapo", as he rode off on his bay gelding.

He now leads a mild mannered life, sequestered in the WPP, is a proponent of the Indian medical practice of Ayurveda and regularly flushes his lower intestinal tract with prickly pear juice colonics.

Every night ends in the Cantina, a separate building with a fully and well stocked bar, TV and wifi. Mounts from animals taken on the ranch are part of the décor. A few 170’ish whitetails are just a few of the heads. Giant sheds line a shelf behind the bar. VERY cool building….

Within minutes, the piggies start returning.

How far from San Antonio and which direction? Keep it coming, I'm hooked!!

As his feeder comes into view, I stop and glass and there he is, still in the ladder stand. Whew…. He finally notices me and frantically waves me over, an ear to ear splitting his handsome face. He explains that an hour ago, a pig came in on red alert. The pig circled him a few times, so rather than waiting for him to get to the corn, he found a hole and took the shot as the hog stopped broadside at 22 yards. He thought the placement was good, but he was worried about what looked light light penetration.

He climbed down and we went to look. A great blood trail led 35 yards to a deep, dry creek bed and in the bottom lay Jakes first wild hog! And what a hog he was! 180 lbs. with teeth on a scale rarely seen on truly wild pigs! Great moment. Perfect shot with the arrow stopping in the off shoulder. Here’s the pig!

Tell him I'm jealous!!

Hunt- LM rolls to his own beat, but I believe we might catch a glimpse of him before this thread plays out. I understand he had quite the adventure and almost bought it for real this time.

Emailed and let mama know we needed room in the freezer….

Besides the accommodations and exceptional cuisine, the variety and quantity of wildlife is amazing! This place is birders nirvana. I’m still comparing pics to bird books trying to figure out what we’ve seen.

Crested Cara cara

I asked Rob to put me in an area where I could stretch my legs without crossing any of the other guys up and have a decent chance of finding pigs. Again, the man obliged.

Jake slept in this morning. All that pig killing and Javelina stalking has tuckered him out.

Brian knew the spot well and drew me a quick, but very accurate map of the area. I waited for daylight on the edge of an expansive hay field. As the sun rose, just a few deer were visible. I glassed the field for another 30 minutes, then started working my way around the perimeter, towards the back of the field and a heavy bush line. Coming across another edge that bordered an adjoining field, I glimpsed what looked like a really nice WT buck. I snuck through the narrow brushline and indeed, it was a VERY nice buck! A low 150’s 4 x 4, or as Rob would call it, a “cull” buck! As I watched him through the binos at 80 yards, a big, jet black boar came jetting out of the bush, 50 yards away! Apparently spooked by the buck, he ran out to 100 yards, turned around and stood there staring at the buck for 20 minutes. I tried to call him in with pig squeals, but he eventually wandered off, offering no chance at a sneak.

I had gone about 200 yards with no pig sightings. I stopped for bit to glass the field ahead and thought I heard pig squeals in the thick bush to my right. Again. No doubt. Pigs! I answered with a few squeals and hoped for a charge, but it never came. I waited and watched, looking for movement, but could not see very far into that thick brush.

I HATE it when that happens....

Cool.... hanging on every, um, post.

Great story. Congrats.

Fields- NO snakes! Seems they have almost NO rattlers.

Indy- It IS Texas desert.......my wife was not happy about the "prickly things" in our dirty laundry....

Wish I could have joined you. Especially for the big feed at PD's!

Keep it coming brother.

Great story and pics, brother.

When you go to Cabo or Cozumel, its just a vacation. When on the drive in, juste several miles from the ranch, you pass Border Patrol checkpoints and are asked a bunch of questions because your rental has Cali plates...and when the ranch you're hunting has Border Patrol camera towers at strategic locations, as well as MANY remotely monitored trail cams on roads...and when you are given specific instructions on how to respond should you see illegals while hunting...and the fact that a skeleton of an illegal immigrant was found on the ranch last year....you come away with a different sense of "them" and "us" and "ours" and "theirs". So close, but they are not entitled to what is ours. The freedoms enjoyed on our side of the river are OUR freedoms! Won with blood and guts spilt, very likely at some point, right here on this ranch. Soldiers inscriptions on the rocks below this lookout tell of hours of stationed protection of this border from a threat from a different time. Perhaps the likes of Pancho Villa or a renegade band of Comanches...

Whatever the threat of the time was, I am thankful to all of them that stood, so that I can now stand on this spot with my family and friends and call it OURS!

And I'm thankful to those that STILL stand and protect, wherever they are tonight.

In 35 years of traveling to hunt, I have experienced just 3 outfits that have the program down and run a well oiled machine. Rob runs one of them. The dude actually has someone put those little soaps and shampoos on the sink in the bathrooms! Knowing him now, I'm sure he steals them from hotels in San Antonio, but there they are! Trucks work. When one breaks, its replaced in minutes. We saw that happen. Hunting that is at least partially dependent on corn to attract game is in abundant supply. Food is indescribable. Juanita and Patty actually hand cut the tomatoes, Chiles and vegetables for the Pico de gallo every morning!

I don't need great food and a cozy bed with 4 pillows to have a great hunt. I truly LOVE wilderness adventures where Mountainhouse turkey tetrazini is all I think about on the hike back to camp. I really LIKE climbing into a cold down bag and have frost cut loose from the tent ceiling in the morning.

But a hog hunt?? This is the ultimate FUN hunt, a great way to introduce a deserving young man to the world of the traveling hunter. A great adventure with the opportunity for comforts and smooth edges that a horseback elk hunt can't provide.

You may have noted that I am still a bit protective, so I was careful who I invited. All men in whom I have great respect and trust. The unknown was the crew at the ranch. Jake met some great guys and learned a bunch. In 4 short days, Rob, John and Brian became good friends and took great care of my boy. Rob is, well, a true Texan. Well travelled and full of stories. If you hunt with him, you MUST ask him to tell the story about his son, the F word and the Librarian. Maybe the screamingest, funniest story Ive ever heard anyone tell. Rob is supremely accommodating and does whatever it takes to make sure everyone has a good time and has what they need. He even made some special, over the top concessions to accommodate the requests of Lego Man! Turns out, he and LM go way back, although the details were a bit cloudy, neither one coming totally clean....I heard mumblings and laughter about 2 twin Apache girls from Silver City as they were hitting the Makers one night....

I could say a bunch more about this place, but I think you get it. You can hunt hogs for cheaper, but like my hog hunting mentor Bustaribs said above, "hog hunting is so much more than hunting hogs". I will never do it anywhere else but at the Cinco with Kiebler.

Best Bowsite Hog Photo EVER! (The mud-caked snout above)

Great job Steve, while it's true I may have intro'd you to the allure of the swine, I could no sooner mentor you on hunting than I could mentor Jordan on his jumpshot! One of our hunting partners told me Steve could probably kill a Moose in Giants Stadium. I'm not sure about that, but you get the point.

I'm curious what Rob's rate is? You will never hunt hog's anywhere else? That's all I need to hear!

Gotta get my Daughter out there someday...

Best of Luck, Jeff

Hopefully, Drycreek will chime in on the thoughts of his wife while they were there.

The area from Austin - San Antonio and the Hill Country is worth the time, if you have time to do some sightseeing.

Cinco Ranch is very quite and peaceful place. I never heard a jet while I was there, not did I see a jet stream in the sky.

Just my 2-cents !!

As far as bringing a non hunting spouse, as long as she understands what men sound like when unfettered by PC convention or can install filters on her ears when Rob gets cranked up and she's not a Hilton only camper, she'll be fine. This would be a FANTASTIC place especially, to introduce a non hunting or hunting curious spouse to your world. She can share a box blind with you and you might ask her is she would like to be inducted into the Texas Hog Hunters Club! I just made that up....you can now use your imagination to make up your own club rules....

: ^ )

Please PM me for hunt details like costs and logistics. Rob does NOT have a website.....might be why he has yet to become a sponsor. I believe BS requires sponsors to have a www.

For my buddy Bustaribs.....more muddy piggy faces

Were the hogs naked ???

Try this one Creek.....

Drycreek is right. Call Rob for specifics. I will tell you that he can accommodate up to 10 hunters, but he prefers 8. If you go with 8 guys, you'll have the whole ranch to yourselves.

I can provide additional details via PM.

Creek, did you try to view that vid via the last link provided? I believe it works cut n paste.

Steve

"Shut Up!"

Classic

You can still call though....lol