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| Bergheim Pet Hospital & Clinic Built By Chris Carson Contracting Co. Photo: JM Photos |
When I wrote him his check for the final payment of an
outstanding job, I asked him if he was free the next weekend for a hog hunt and
he was eager to go! We planned to go the following Friday evening. We met at what was then the Super S Food
Store in Castroville to pick up some snacks and drinks. He was now working on some modifications on a
tamale plant in San Antonio and brought some of the most delicious tamales I
think I have ever had.
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| Suzuki Samurai Outfitted For Hunting Photo: Chris Carson |
knew hogs crossed and wait for them. We also used some hog attractant and a pig call.
After a few hours of prep work and showing John the lease,
we headed over to one of the sites we corned, which was around a protein feeder
that we had seen pictures of hogs trying to reach the feeder tubes. We set up on the road about 50-60 yards downwind
from the feeder. We were slightly down
hill and the weeds were very tall from all the rain we had been having. I was a little concerned that a shot on a hog
might be kind of tough because of the weed growth (even with the elevated rear
seat), but we decided to stick it out and see what happened.
We settled into eating tamales and trading hunting
stories. If we weren’t fast friends yet,
we were on our way. He told me about
bird hunting oil leases in West Texas and I told him about hunting hogs in East
Texas. Our whispered conversation was
almost continuous. About the time I
thought that we didn’t have anything else to talk about, we would find another
topic.
As sundown approached, we had a few deer come in to the protein
feeder. We watched as they milled
around. Most ate the corn. I used this opportunity to judge where we did
and didn’t have clear shots through the weeds. Surprisingly there were more
clear shots than I thought, but they were doing a number on the corn. I was glad to see them at the protein feeder
though, because I could see a few inches of antler growth on every deer in this
little bachelor group.
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| Corned Road Somewhere In South Texas Photo: Chris Carson |
I sat back up tall and began to replay what I had seen in my
head while listening and scanning the brush line. This animal bounded in from the right. Then it smoothly eased across the road and
back into the brush. It dawned on me
that the color I saw looked like a lighter toned deer, but it didn’t move like
a deer and there seemed to be something moving behind it. I leaned back in toward John and whispered “I
don’t think that was a deer.” He whispered back “me either.”
By this time, the hair on the back of my neck was standing
at attention! John leaned over and asked “What do you think it was?” I knew what I thought it was, but I didn’t want
to say it for fear of being that guy.
You know, the one that always has an outlandish tale that doesn’t seem
plausible. Honestly, I didn’t REALLY see
it, so I just shrugged him off. Being
from South Texas, I had to make the obligatory Chupacabra joke to lighten the
mood.
Then I began thinking about the fact that just a few months
prior, I hunted this property on foot because in our hasty move from our lease
in Grapeland, TX, I didn’t have a chance to get everything set up because I was
so busy trying to clear my backlog of jobs so I could start the vet clinic on
time. I made makeshift ground blinds out
of whatever twigs and fencing were laying around. Fallen trees, small bushes and just plain old
laying on my belly had been my preferred method of hunting and quite honestly
it was one of the best hunting seasons I had ever experienced.
As if all of this weren’t unnerving enough, I realized that
we were in the one area on that side of the lease
where there were large mesquite trees with horizontal limbs that were about a foot or more in diameter. Yep, now I was pretty sure what I had seen was a Mountain Lion. I could tell John was a little sketchy about this situation too. His eyes were darting around and it was pretty much completely dark by this time. I leaned in a told John “I think that was a cat.” To which he replied “I think that was a BIG CAT!” I breathed a sigh of relief for a moment knowing that he had seen what I thought I had seen.
where there were large mesquite trees with horizontal limbs that were about a foot or more in diameter. Yep, now I was pretty sure what I had seen was a Mountain Lion. I could tell John was a little sketchy about this situation too. His eyes were darting around and it was pretty much completely dark by this time. I leaned in a told John “I think that was a cat.” To which he replied “I think that was a BIG CAT!” I breathed a sigh of relief for a moment knowing that he had seen what I thought I had seen.
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| John's Hog Photo: Chris Carson |
We checked a few other spots and I finally put John on some
hogs, but he missed. I took him several
times that summer and if memory serves, he missed a couple times. We finally got him his hog one night in August. We had a heck of an experience together.
One I will never forget. I kept
the Mountain Lion sighting to myself for a few months not wanting to be that guy.
I hoped that somebody would get a pic of it on a trail cam, but
nothing definitive. Lots of blurry images,
and maybes. You can see just about
anything you think you want to in those photos sometimes. Then one day, talking to the ranch owner, he
told me that a neighbor had seen a Mountain Lion. I
sighed in relief again knowing I wasn’t crazy! It was finally time to let the cat out of the bag so to speak.
About seven years later, I was deer hunting from a blind on the other side of the lease with my son Cole. When it got to be prime time (that 20-30 minutes of gaslight when the sun goes down and the woods come alive), I thought I had seen something out the side window about 15-20 yards from the blind. I had no idea what it was, but I was certain that a deer must have busted me took off in the brush. Several minutes later, I shot a Bobcat. We gave it the usual 10-15 minutes or so to let the nerves settle before we approached it. I told Cole to open the door and start crawling down and as soon as he opened the door, he said "What's that?" I was still packing up and wasn't in a position to see what he was talking about. He said "Is that another Bobcat? It's huge!" I said "Where?" and moved over to look out the window and Cole said "It's gone." I said which way did it go?" and he pointed north. We quickly hopped in the truck and tried to follow, but what ever it was, was gone.
On the way home that night, I quizzed him about what he saw. He was certain it was not a deer, and it was "way bigger than a bobcat". When I got home, I showed him a picture of a Mountain Lion and he said "That's it!" He was 7 or 8 then. I don't think he even knew what a Mountain Lion was until I explained it to him. He has never been one to tell tall tales, so I tend to believe that (at the very least) he thinks he saw a Mountain Lion. Chupacabra maybe? Who knows?!?
About seven years later, I was deer hunting from a blind on the other side of the lease with my son Cole. When it got to be prime time (that 20-30 minutes of gaslight when the sun goes down and the woods come alive), I thought I had seen something out the side window about 15-20 yards from the blind. I had no idea what it was, but I was certain that a deer must have busted me took off in the brush. Several minutes later, I shot a Bobcat. We gave it the usual 10-15 minutes or so to let the nerves settle before we approached it. I told Cole to open the door and start crawling down and as soon as he opened the door, he said "What's that?" I was still packing up and wasn't in a position to see what he was talking about. He said "Is that another Bobcat? It's huge!" I said "Where?" and moved over to look out the window and Cole said "It's gone." I said which way did it go?" and he pointed north. We quickly hopped in the truck and tried to follow, but what ever it was, was gone.
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| Bobcat From The Deer Blind |
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