To start, CTO is a Christian Youth organization that takes boys hunting and fishing to teach them about the outdoors and preserve our heritage while tying it all in with the teachings in the Bible.
Back in September, Jay Hutto had asked Zach and myself if we would help him with a CTO hunt and we said sure. That hunt was this past Friday and Saturday nights on a ranch North of Harper.
Seven boys ages 10 thru 15 and 3 adult Outfitters, Jay and his son Caleb, Myself and Zachary, landowner Jaimie and his boy Derringer. After a circle meeting explaining the rules and saying a prayer, we headed out.
I had Blade, Petra and Girl. Jay had his old Dan dog, Jr, Redman, Sandy, Sam and Bo the catch dog. The dogs got busy quick and had a smallish boar , maybe 90 lbs in no time. There was an order the boys were in to stick a hog and the first up got it done neat and quick. After pics and gutting, we headed to a water trough and before we got there, Blade had rolled out on his own . I was keeping up with him on the Garmin and when we were ready to move on , I told Jay that Blade was Bayed. We got as close as we could and got some help to him. Zach, myself and one of the outfitters , Kevin got to the dogs and it was another smaller boar that Zach kept under a knee til the kids got there about 10 minutes later. They finally made it and that boar was knifed by a boy who's birthday was Friday.
We rolled on after more pics and gutting and pretty quick, Blade and Redman had another going. This was a little fat sow and the 3rd boy was in and out and we were 3 for 3 early on.
Not much later Jr, Redman and Blade started another and the rest of the dogs got there and got him stopped. We got there to fgind the fight on in a shim oak thicket and it was a spotted boar with good cutters pushing 200 lbs. Zach got a leg with Caleb helping and when the outfitters called up the next kid in line, he had to pass. Too much hog for a little feller I guess and they called up the next one and got the same response.
That left the biggest boy in the group, Colton who was hanging back letting the others get one because he is coming back in a few weeks with his Dad and brother who is shipping out soon. But when the first 2 declined, he stepped thru and got 'er done in short order. It was Colton's first hog in any fashion.
The only thing that went wrong was Girl had her left shoulder laid open . She was the only dog hurt.
We got him to the truck ( cool thing was, the boys had to get all hogs to the truck ) and headed to the camphouse . After more pics and stapling up Girl, Zach and I headed to Hondo and got to bed about 5 that morning.
Saturday's plan called for an earlier start with daylight so they could shoot some video. We had left Girl home and brought Zach's 9 month old Cat, Diesel for his first hunt ( he has been on hogs here at the house ). We turned out, went about 300 yards at a dirt tank and all the dogs git busy. It was beautiful to watch those dogs fan out and cover ground til they lined out and Diesel was right in the mix. They hit a hog hole under the fence and were gone like a shot. Within seconds, it was on and we knew this was not a pig. CDs were grabbed and put over the fence and uphill we went.
Another shin oak thicket and a bog black boar was wreaking havoc. It was tight , but Zach and Caleb were finally able to get behind him and grabbed his legs, then Jay grabbed a front leg and they got him flipped. The kid did himself proud and stood in there and got it done.
When it was over, Jay yells " Bobby one of your pups ids cut ! " Diesel had blood literally pouring from his face. When we got to him and wiped it away best we could, he had been cut across the bridge of his nose and it was bleeding like a razor cut. he had also been raked up a front leg and across his chest. Petr had her left thigh laid open about 5", Blade was poked under his chin just above his cut collar, Sandy had a tooth go thru the sin under her neck and came out the other side, Sam was cut as was Dan. The only dogs not cut were Redman, Jr and the CD, Bo.
We got loaded and went to the camphouse, tended dogs, took pics and headed out to see if we could get the last 2 boys a pig.
I'm down to just Blade and he's getting tired as are all of 'em. Jay's dogs were not bad, but we left Petra and Diesel in my box.
We went to the opposite side of the ranch and Blade rolled out and started another. This one is headed right to us and Jay stopped in the hog hole in the fence and we saw the hogs in the lights going up the fence and back into the woods. A short circle and they caught w little spotted boar and one of the boys that backed away from the big boar the night before redeemed himself.
They headed for the truck and after they got far enough away I could hear, I heard Blade bayed again , I looked and he was just over a hill about 150 yards. We went in and it was another littler shoat and that last kid got his pig.
It worked out great, to little shoats for the 2 smallest boys in the group.
We made the rest of the round and called it a night at 10:30 and went to camp.
More pics, staples for Petra, double checking Diesel and the rest and Zach and I headed home.
Two nights, seven boys and seven hogs, including 2 good boars. No dogs killed, I have to wonder if that prayer at the start asking for protection for all and a successful hunt wasnt answered.
Me and photobucket are going round and round, so I am posting the 2 big boars and will post more when I get them uploaded. We guessed the spotted boar at pushing 200 and the black boar weighed 187 dressed, so we gave him 250 mas or manus.
Colton and his boar
I'm sorry I dont remember this kid's name, but here he is with his boar, the dog wrecker and Petra, who hammed it up for the camera all weekend.
