Mequite Bowhunting...???

[Knight in Mossy Oak]

I know there have been a few threads on Mesquite Bowhunting in Pearsall by several TBH members in the past.

I know it's only 250 acres and it's advertised that Gerald has Axis, Sika, and several other exotics.

What I want to know is if and when you have been there, about how many Axis or Sika does he have on the ranch at a time.
My wife bought me a hunt there for November and I was just wondering what my chances actually are at getting a shot opportunity at a nice Axis.
What about the rams and hogs too???

Thanks for your help.

[m'gobo]

I wish I could help you out but it will be Oct. when I go. I have heard nothing but great things about the ranch. I talk to Maria often and she is very helpful and always nice over the phone.

[AggieBowHunter09]

You will really enjoy it. I have had eight sittings at Mesquite Bowhunting and 7 of them I could have shot at legal animals. The place is really awesome and a bow hunters paradise. I think when I was there we saw 3 really nice sika and a ton of axis so you will be just fine. Gerald is good about having animals out there.

[hcshooter]

Knight

There is good Axis there and I see them almost everytime but not always in my shooting lane. He has some real good Axis there and the Sika are there sometimes presenting and somtimes not. I was hunting Elk there and I had a NICE Sika pose for a shot, bow up , full draw and I did not shoot.
He has plenty of hogs and you will see rams and Auodads.

Go for the hunt and you will enjoy it but always as with any wild animal even though its fenced it is fair chase and they dont always co-operate with where or how we set up to hunt them.

Let me know if you want to know anything else, I have been hunting down there on and off for 4 years and i wont stop going, I have to much fun and see too many animals to not go. Its always worth my time.

[Bowanta]

We were there early June of this year and had plenty of game. Lots of hogs and rams. Axis were seen, but known in close enough for a shot, same goes for the sika. going in Nov you should be there at a great time of year.
Gerald will do his best to put you on what you are looking for. He can and will suggest locations, move stands, etc. to help you out.
Keep us posted on how it goes and good luck.

[Knight in Mossy Oak]

I just got back on the Mesquite Bowhunting website.
They have now changed the number of hogs you can take with the hunt packages. It used to be two (2) and now it is one (1).

[hcshooter]

knight i am sure there is a good reason, when i speak to them again i will find out and let you know.

[Knight in Mossy Oak]

knight i am sure there is a good reason, when i speak to them again i will find out and let you know.

I've already got an email in to Gerald. We booked prior to this change. I was just wondering if we are going to get 2 or 1 since we booked and paid our deposits prior to the change.

I am sure he will answer it tomorrow. If not, then I will call. We have 5 people booked from my family for a November hunt.

[hcshooter]

i am sure you will hear from him then.

[Knight in Mossy Oak]

I got in touch with him. Due to some regulation change by TPWD, he is required to lower the limit to One hog.

I was unaware of any change...Does anyone know?

Thanks!

[Rabidbowhunter]

There was a change in a law about trapping and moving hogs but I dont know anything about limiting the amount of hogs you can give with a hunt.

[Knight in Mossy Oak]

The Texas Animal Health Commission has now made some regulation changes concerning the "transporting" of wild feral swine.

Here is the link

http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/swine/2008Aug_FeralSwineRegulationsAndComments.pdf

This regulation will make it illegal for ranch owners to transport trapped feral hogs to their ranches for hunting or for trappers to transport feral hogs to hunting ranches.

If you read the regulations in the link above, you will see that of all the comments that were made during the regulation proposal, the "hunter" was not represented very well nor was the "Ranch Owners". I think it's time that TBHer's step up and voice their opinion.

This regulation seems it will make matters worse for the areas that hogs are being trapped in. For instance, if the trappers know they can't transport and know they won't have buyers now...what's to keep them trapping in areas where the hogs are a major problem.

I think that this regulation will only "multiply" the problems of unwanted wild feral swine in these areas and cause greater damage to crops, etc.

It's not just the Hunting Ranches that will be affected by this change. This is going to have a dynamic effect all across Texas.

Just my 2 cents...

[Kicker]

A couple buddies, and I went to Mr. Geralds place back in the middle of June. We had a lot of fun. We shot 3 hogs, 4 rams, and a buffalo. One axis was shot, but it was shot high, and only had a couple inches of penetration, and we never even found blood. We went back the first week of August, and again had a great time. This time it was my buddy, his son, and I. My buddy, and I were just hunting pigs, and his son was hunting exotics. Total we killed 8 pigs, and his son shoot a ram, an Auodad, and a fallow buck. The Auodad was shot because it was blind, and it was his sons first exotic. We saw a lot of fallow, and a really good axis. Due to the rising market price of fallow he has raised the price of his fallow deer to $750. We also saw a couple really nice sika deer, and some pretty impressive whitetail bucks as well (a couple take would go over 140"). Mr. Gerald has hogs every where out there, but they are pretty spooky so its not a walk in the park by no means. The rams however are pretty easy, but he doesn't have any really big rams. A few full curl rams were seen, but mostly 1/2 to 3/4 curl rams.

As far as the pigs go, Mr. Gerald told us that due to the new regulations with trapping feral pigs he was lowering the amount each hunter would be allowed to take. He said that he can still get pigs from his trappers, but they have to be boars, no more sows. The trapper has to quarentine them for 30 days or so, and make sure they don't have some disease, and when he gets them he has to keep a record of all boars he gets, and when they are killed.

You should have a really good time. Good luck.

[hcshooter]

leave it up to the politicians to make a screwed up decision that they really have no business getting involved in.

I told you I had bet there was a good reason behind the change.

[Bowhntr]

These few word are from the article about transporting feral hogs:
As these animals spread
throughout the state, there are more contacts between feral swine and domestic swine.
This creates greater need to ensure that those trapped, transported and released feral
swine are not able to range onto land owned by others.
Disease Risk:
I thinks someone thinks as trappers move these hogs around to various ranches for hunting, they ae helping to sperad them where previous there were none. This new regulations is aimed at TRYING to stop the spread of feral hogs in Texas. Just for measure they had to throw in the fear factor of "disease risk" to justify the rules. I have not know of any type of disease being spread to domesticated animals (they are treated by vets). I think this is why the ranch owner set his limit down fro 2 t0 1 hogs (he don't want to deplete his stock-knowing he may not get anymore brought in from trappers. Just another step from liberals to interferee with our hunting rights.
**********STAND UP AND BE HEARD! or SIT DOWN AND REMEMBER WHAT HUNTING USE TO BE LIKE************