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The Fall 2014 South Florida Hog Hunt that almost was not.
On September 30, 2014, after negotiating for three weeks prior, I sent a $1000 deposit check to Hawg Wild Ranch.
http://hawgwildranch.net/
My Fishing and Hunting group has hunted here at least three times in the past, and we booked from Friday November 21st through the morning of Sunday the 23rd , 2014. We had eight hunters booked for Friday night, and five for Saturday night, including one person flying in from Texas.
On Friday Nov 14th the wife of the onsite manager calls me and tells me the owner of the property has decided to use it Saturday and we will not be allowed to hunt. While I am in shock, I explain we have a contract based on our accepted deposit and I want to speak with the owner. The owner , Ken Earnest, does not call me. On Monday the property manager, Brian Kelley, tells me the owner doesn’t care and we will not be allowed to hunt Saturday. Since I have someone flying in, I scramble and find a different operator, Outwest Farms that can take the group of five on Saturday, and book two rooms at the Best Western in Okeechobee, FL.
We discuss cancelling, but Hawg Wild already has $1000 of our money.
After travelling 140 miles from home, I arrive first of our group, and Mr. Brian Kelley informs me that the owners will not allow us to spend the night in the bunk house Friday night, so now not only are we not hunting Saturday or Sunday, we have no place to sleep Friday night! My camp master has food for eight already bought, and ready to make. And the other seven hunters are also traveling about the same distance.
Dan gets the bad news from Brian Kelley.
Again I scramble and the Best Western in town can accommodate us with four double rooms Friday night. Whew!
The group decides to negotiate, that Hawg Wild should accept our $1000 and allow us to hunt Friday for no additional fee. Mr. Kelley has no room to negotiate with the owner Ken Earnest, who has never returned my call. We request a refund and Mr. Kelley who writes us a personal check for the $1000 deposit. Mr. Kelley was put in a very bad position by Mr. Earnest, and needless to say we will never go back to this property.
At 2:30 pm I call Outwest Farms and ask is they can accommodate eight hunters immediately and the the owner says “come over right now!”
Outwest Farms is about 40 minutes from Hawg Wild Ranch. To say we are all in a bad mood is understatement. I had been planning this group hunt for three months, and we felt really let down.
We were going to hunt from stands and blinds on 600 acres at Hawg Wild. Outwest Farms is a swamp buggy hunt. The owner, Lee Lightsey is a very industrious and well known local in Okeechobee.
http://floridahuntingoutfitter.com/
We arrived at Outwest Farms at 3:00 pm. Sunset was at 5:35 pm and last light 6:00pm. We weren’t hopeful that we would meet our goal of 8 pigs, one per hunter.
Our guide was “Bit”, an experienced operator who knew his farm really well. We loaded up the swamp buggy with eight hunters, two dogs, and one guide and off we went.
Bit, in the front, bringing us in at last light.
http://hawgwildranch.net/
My Fishing and Hunting group has hunted here at least three times in the past, and we booked from Friday November 21st through the morning of Sunday the 23rd , 2014. We had eight hunters booked for Friday night, and five for Saturday night, including one person flying in from Texas.
On Friday Nov 14th the wife of the onsite manager calls me and tells me the owner of the property has decided to use it Saturday and we will not be allowed to hunt. While I am in shock, I explain we have a contract based on our accepted deposit and I want to speak with the owner. The owner , Ken Earnest, does not call me. On Monday the property manager, Brian Kelley, tells me the owner doesn’t care and we will not be allowed to hunt Saturday. Since I have someone flying in, I scramble and find a different operator, Outwest Farms that can take the group of five on Saturday, and book two rooms at the Best Western in Okeechobee, FL.
We discuss cancelling, but Hawg Wild already has $1000 of our money.
After travelling 140 miles from home, I arrive first of our group, and Mr. Brian Kelley informs me that the owners will not allow us to spend the night in the bunk house Friday night, so now not only are we not hunting Saturday or Sunday, we have no place to sleep Friday night! My camp master has food for eight already bought, and ready to make. And the other seven hunters are also traveling about the same distance.
Dan gets the bad news from Brian Kelley.
Again I scramble and the Best Western in town can accommodate us with four double rooms Friday night. Whew!
The group decides to negotiate, that Hawg Wild should accept our $1000 and allow us to hunt Friday for no additional fee. Mr. Kelley has no room to negotiate with the owner Ken Earnest, who has never returned my call. We request a refund and Mr. Kelley who writes us a personal check for the $1000 deposit. Mr. Kelley was put in a very bad position by Mr. Earnest, and needless to say we will never go back to this property.
At 2:30 pm I call Outwest Farms and ask is they can accommodate eight hunters immediately and the the owner says “come over right now!”
Outwest Farms is about 40 minutes from Hawg Wild Ranch. To say we are all in a bad mood is understatement. I had been planning this group hunt for three months, and we felt really let down.
We were going to hunt from stands and blinds on 600 acres at Hawg Wild. Outwest Farms is a swamp buggy hunt. The owner, Lee Lightsey is a very industrious and well known local in Okeechobee.
http://floridahuntingoutfitter.com/
We arrived at Outwest Farms at 3:00 pm. Sunset was at 5:35 pm and last light 6:00pm. We weren’t hopeful that we would meet our goal of 8 pigs, one per hunter.
Our guide was “Bit”, an experienced operator who knew his farm really well. We loaded up the swamp buggy with eight hunters, two dogs, and one guide and off we went.
Bit, in the front, bringing us in at last light.
"A patriot is mocked, scorned and hated; yet when his cause succeeds, all men will join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." Mark Twain
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Replies
The swamp buggy taking us out.
So between 3 pm and 6 pm, one by one, we caught up to seven pigs. Five boars and two sows.
Dan and the stainless 45 70 ready for action
My stainless Rem-lin 45-70 was used by a new hunter in our group, Jason with my reduced power loads. He popped off about 12 rounds before a fatal hit. His partner also used it to drop one boar with one shot. We used a combo of guns between the eight of us, 45-70, 30-06, 44-40, and 30-30.
“Deadeye” Bob Straille, five for five in the past three years, open sights on his 30-30
Bob T and his one shot 45-70 kill boar
Newbie Jason burning some rounds chasing his boar, hey! Those are cows!!!:
Camp master Bruce K with is boar:
The guides cleaned our kill and we headed back to our hotel at 7 pm. It was an outstanding hunt and save and we have nothing but respect for Outwest Farms, Lee Lightsey, and The Best Western in Okeechobee.
We cooked our camp meal of salad, venison chili, and rice, topped off with fudge marshmallow chocolate cookie, and beer. Full and satisfied we all turned in. Much to my surprise the beds at the Best Western in Okeechobee were among the most comfortable I have ever slept on.
Dinner around the pool with the guys…
After breakfast with my Rotary group , they dispersed at 8:30 AM happy with the hunt and the way things turned out.
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
I wandered over to “The Gun Shop” owned and operated by Paul Box.
The Gun Shop
(863)357-1115
2020 S Parrott Ave Suite 102
Okeechobee, FL
No web site but they do sell on Gunbroker. One of the nicest Florida Gun stores I have had the pleasure of shopping. They had what looked like over 300 long guns on display and a large assortment of handguns including some gorgeous antiques. I mentioned my interest in 45-70’s and he pulled off the shelf an exceptional Siamese Mauser conversion, in a pristine custom stock with a perfect bluing job, for $850.
MUST NOT BE TEMPTED!!!
After a bit of shopping I make it to Outwest Farms to greet my second set of hunters, my friend Kurt, and our own Shotgunshooter3 ( Matt ), and his father, 41Magnut (Russ ) who had just flown in on Thursday to visit in Tampa with Matt.
The group get ready to take off:
Left to right Kurt, Me, our guide “Bit”, Matt, and Russ
Matt has brought along his Remington 700 in .243, and Russ a Marlin 30-30 with a Leupold scope on QR mounts in a scout setup, Kurt is using my 1979 Marlin 30-30 with a Leupold, and I was setup with my Savage 16 with a 4x12x40 Redfield.
“Bit” is our guide again today and his trusty dog Max is along for the ride. We load up and head out.
Max the dog .. a real character, he is with Kurt:
We had to work harder to find out prey, working about an hour maneuvering the buggy through swamp and pasture, and finally we spot two boars on the run about 3/4 of a mile away. Bit guns it, gets us within range, about a 50 yard to 75 yard shot.
Kurt and Matt on the left looking for game:
First, Russ is up and drops his boar with one shot with his 30-30, and then Matt with his .243. Excellent shots and results.
Russ, his boar, and his scout mounted scoped Marlin 30-30
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Dad and son…
After plenty of pictures and congrats to each other, Russ and Matt move to the back of the swamp buggy, and Kurt and I take the front seats looking for our game. It takes us about another 30 minutes to find two more boars, in the middle of some water buffalo that are on the property.
We make our way up to them and separate the boars out to make sure we don’t hit one of the buffalo. Kurt lines up with the 30-30, and hits the first one. He takes a second shot to drop him, while I line up on a large red boar with the .243. I aim for a head shot and let it fly, but seem to miss. However a moment later the large red boar lays down and is done.
Kurt with his boar, Max the dog, and my 30-30
Me with my boar and my Savage .243
Max, my boar and my Savage .243
We gather up our game and head back to the office and cleaning house. It was a really successful and fun hunt for all.
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
A little autopsy analysis. This will never match Zee, but we took a look at the damage my 100 gr speer boat tail did. Estimated velocity 2700 fps.
Entrance skin removed, right side mid rib:
Exit left side mid rib:
Nasty teeth! Needs to brush between meals!
Our coolers are full and we head back to the hotel. Russ and Matt join me, while Kurt drives the 70 miles back to his home in Jupiter, FL.
It’s about a 15 mile drive from Outwest Farms to the Best Western in Okeechobee. Russ and Kurt check in and we head out to dinner at Pueblo Viejo, a Mexican Restaurant less than a mile from the hotel. We eat an excellent meal, and head off to find a watering hole for a few beers.
Mexican in Florida…. a definite Guns Up salute from Russ
We wind up at Roper Paradise Café for a cold 5 beer bucket for $10.00, plus some pleasant sights and College ball games.
Russ and Matt and I had a quick breakfast and then they were off. I can’t say enough about what good folks they are and it was a sincere pleasure to meet, hunt and socialize with them both.
I left the hotel about 9:30 AM Sunday heading the 140 miles south through the sugar cane fields of South Florida, Domino Sugar and the King Ranch. It is a real agricultural marvel when you get into the area, as far as the eye can see nothing but sugar cane. And in the middle of it all, a processing plant.
This is the cane field. The camera is 12 feet high and just above the tops of the sugar cane, as far as the eye can see:
Big Sugar making its product in the middle of it all:
I was home by noon, and able to drop off my 60 lbs of pork to my local sausage maker, Babe Froman Sausage.
http://babefroman.com/
Not a bad trip for the hunt that almost was not.
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Jerry
Wish I could have made it.
Too bad there wasn't a lawyer in your bunch. I still think I'd be looking for one or asking some legal advice about what happened. I mean if you signed a paper that's sort of a legal document and should be somewhat binding. That land owner may be liable for balking on that hunt. If he is I think I'd be more than tempted to sue his ass.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
That's one thing Florida and Texas have in common, copious numbers of hogs. Great hunting. I just busted a 120 pound boar this past week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been wanting to shoot one with my 30-06 and my pet load consisting of a 200 grain Sierra Game King Boat Tail Spitzer over 56 grains of IMR 4831 with a Winchester primer. But the wife has been using it and even though she wasn't hunting with me that day, I didn't bring the 06, because since she's been using it, I've gotten used to using my .270 and just couldn't resist it. That's my third hog in as many years with the .270. That little 130 grain Game King sure did a number on it though.
I just love to hunt and/or read about hunting hogs. I loved reading this story.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Does this guy add anything to wild pork for sausage like domestic pork fat for making sausage?
Sausage is the main reason I shot my hog this last week. I have about 40 pounds of deer meat and now I'll ad what wild pork I have with some domestic pork fat when I make my sausage so it won't be too dry. However I do like it a bit on the dry side.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
There were three lawyers in our group and one is a private judge. The fact is $1000 is not enough money and aggrivation to litigate and we got our money back. We will, however, honestly tell our story all over social media.
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
I'm sorry to hear about the trouble and glad that it all worked out in the end. I wish I knew you were dealing with Hawg Wild Outfitters when you first mentioned this hunt. You may have, but I didn't catch it. If it's the same Wild Hawg Outfitter I had read about in the past, that outfit has quite a reputation for scam artistry. I will try and find it, but there was a very damning, detailed hunt report from a someone floating around the net that documented a pretty extensive scam those guys were running. Here's another review I found, not quite as detailed as the one I will try to find.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/hog-wild-outfitters/okeechobee-florida-/hog-wild-outfitters-joaquin-capelle-hog-wild-outfitters-ripped-us-off-then-threatened-us-980443
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Up at 0400 Monday to catch flights Back to the high plains of Texas.
Will add a couple of pics later.
Thanks again!
All weapons verified clear & actions open for the after action photos
+2.
"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and speed is the economy of motion" - Scott Jedlinski
AKA: Former Founding Member