Jim Boswell of Rudderbows with his pack hunted hog. Shot with a steel tradepoint and bamboo-backed hickory bow.

"No compound shooter could ever do that!” Joe exclaimed after seeing Jesse shoot a wild hog in the lungs while on the run after being charged. Just a few seconds ago, the wild hog had stared Jesse down, sizing him up and getting ready to cut him good with those razor sharp hooks they are so famous for. All of a sudden the angry hog decided to charge Jess at full steam from only ten yards away. Thinking quickly, Jesse stepped behind a small tree causing the pig to veer off in front of him only five feet away. As he had done many times when shooting rolling pumpkins, Jesse swung his bow and drew just as the pig passed by. Reacting out of pure adrenaline, Jesse released the string and planted a cedar shaft in both lungs with a clear chunking sound just as the pig passed. The second our guide saw it, he exclaimed, “No compound shooter could ever do that!” He repeated this same sentence three times during the course of the next two days. Jesse was good at hitting those rolling pumpkins and spuds while practicing for rabbit hunts, but none of us ever thought it would lead to something like this. Our hunting guide, Joe, has seen a few bow-hunting clients use traditional glass bows and compounds but let everyone know he has never seen people make their own gear and effectively hunt with it like this. It felt good to make a positive impression on a respected professional hunting guide. The next day Jesse said he was absolutely NOT coming out of the tree stand for the entire day. Can’t say I blame him! What’s funny about this is he actually ended up coming out to help me bag a sizeable hog the next day only to be charged again by the hog we were targeting.

?Jesse shot this hog at 5 feet while the hog was charging him!

We learned a lot on this trip about hunting the primitive way. Our first morning had been productive but frustrating. We walked into the Texas brush and pine forest with great expectations and high hopes and, of the three of us, two shot arrows into pigs almost right away. However, neither shooter killed their hog outright. Before this trip, we had practiced and practiced with our bows, determined to avoid just this kind of situation. It didn’t take us long to figure out we would need to work together as a team to track and hunt the wounded pigs. These things can be mean and tough, and it made sense to work together, not only for safety’s sake but also to more effectively track and dispatch the wounded hogs. The primitive pack hunt was on.

There was not much of a blood trail, and it was our experienced guide who came to the rescue. Our guide was a seasoned veteran when it came to finding wounded animals and he took us straight to the pigs. One of the wounded hogs had run about 100 yards and died—the arrow placement from the first shot was better than we had originally thought. One down! With Joe on the trail, we were able to locate the second wounded hog within a short period of time, and I was able to get the second wounded hog with a second arrow. Done deal! Whew! Frustration and fear were gone, and we had learned a few lessons from the experience! We learned that teamwork is smart and does pay off! Maybe those primitive hunters knew more than we did!

?Jesse’s father, Travis, with his hard-earned hog shot with a bamboo-backed multi-wood-layer bow.

With the morning’s lessons fresh in our minds, we decided that if we hunted alone we took the risk of shooting game and losing it because these hogs didn’t seem to drop as much blood on the ground as other game animals we had hunted. There were quite a few watery bogs and mud holes for them to roll in so they were well-covered with thick mud that possibly kept the blood from spilling as fast as it should have. Also, once they were shot, they ran through the water holes and mud bogs making hit animals in a group more difficult to spot. The lesson we learned was simply that with more eyes, we had a better chance of finding downed game. We decided to stay within shouting distance of each other so that if one of us hit a hog we could yell for help. Then everyone would converge and use our weapons together to get the animal down more quickly. This seemed like an effective and quick way to dispatch game and have a blast working together at the same time. We started to hunt like a pack of wolves.

My buddy Travis and I had made three bamboo-backed hickory bows for the hunters in the group. Jesse, Travis, and I used these bows throughout the entire hunt except for on the second day when I felt compelled to put the bamboo-backed bow down and use a solid Osage bow. There just seems to be something intriguing about the idea of using a simple self bow made of wood. We all used typical cedar and ash arrows with broadheads. I used fire-hardened steel trade points that had a better effect on the hogs than I had anticipated. The trade points sunk in all the way to the fletching on my second hog. All of our handmade gear worked with great effect on those hogs, not to mention what it did for our egos. I mean, it’s not nice to gloat in front of the compound boys, but in this case it was strictly us against the pigs and not teamed up with a mainstream weapons manufacturer. Our intellect, skills, and handmade weapons were matched against the animal’s instincts and keen senses. It’s almost like the hunt had started the minute we made a choice to build a weapon to harvest an animal for meat on the table.

?The author, Jesse and Travis– proud and tired

On the pack hunt we walked and stalked within shouting distance. Sometimes we worked together to push the wild hogs toward one of the other hunters. Using the pack method, when one of the hunters connected with a hog, he would make a loud whooping sound. At that point the chase was on, and we would all converge on the pig much more quickly than a single hunter could and plant the best shots possible until the pig was down and in the bag. As it turned out, the pack method of hunting was one of the most effective means of hunting I have ever seen. Keep in mind that these animals can be aggressive and mean when they are wounded so we had to be careful the whole time—their teeth are very sharp and those wild pigs know exactly what to do with them!

Perhaps it was just this particular hunting situation where this method was so effective, but I can’t get away from the idea that this same way of hunting was used a million other times in years gone by. And I believe it was done this way because it fed a few hungry kids and wives back at the village! No joke, this was one of the fastest-paced and exciting hunts I have ever been on, and the fact that we were all able to share the excitement with each other by pack hunting gave us insight on how highly effective primitive hunting methods and weapons can truly be.

?After shooting this pig, Jesse vowed not to come down out of the tree stand for the next hog. He did anyway and helped me take a larger hog.

And finally, if we did not recognize the patience, kindness, and hard work of the guide who sponsored our primitive hunt, we would be doing him and our sport a great disservice. The hunt we attended was sponsored by Mr. Joe Langley of Texaswildhoghunting.com in Centerville, Texas. Enough cannot be said about the way Joe made it possible for us to have the kind of exciting hunt most people only dream of. Joe gave us the primitive vacation hunt of a lifetime and happily catered to our desire to pack hunt the primitive way with our own self made weapons. Everyone at the Langley ranch was warm and accommodating, making us feel more than welcome with their southern hospitality. Joe’s wife greeted us with a freshly-baked pear cake and a big Texas smile. I have to mention that the title of this story came from Joe’s three-year-old granddaughter Caraline. Little Caraline is a wealth of information; she informed us in a deep southern Texan drawl that “hawgs eat corn” and that the seasons of the year were “deer season, squirrel season, duck season, and hawg season.”

?Joe Langley, the best hunting guide in Texas, along with his granddaughter Caraline who can tell you all there is to know about wild hogs including Hawgs Eat Corn.

?If you are interested in a hunt with primitive gear and want to enjoy the best of southern hospitality and fast-paced hog hunting check out Joe and his family at www.Texaswildhoghunting.com. Jim Boswell owns and operates rudderbowsarchery.com and specializes in providing a variety of materials and kits for primitive equipment. You can see them by visiting rudderbowsarchery.com.