First deer/hog hunt, open to advice/suggestions (a little long)

Yes, I'll admit it: I'm a 44 year-old virgin. I spent a lot of time
hunting small game and birds (rabbits, squirrels, doves, etc.) in my
youth, but never got the opportunity to go after any larger game.
Well, having a son (who is 13 y.o. now) has given me the impetus to try
my hand at bagging something that will take up more space in the
freezer, while simultaneously introducing my boy to the joys of the
sport. Living in North Central Texas (Dallas suburbs) and wanting to
hunt in-state seemed to present us with four general categories of
options:

1) Spend a boat-load of money on a good deer lease that we can hunt all
season...or sharing a deer lease with someone else that we can hunt
part of the season, for only a half of a boat-load.

2) Spend a couple thousand clams on a hunting package at a ranch, with
at least a high probability of success (important, I think, for a boy's
first hunt) and some help from a guide...also important, I would
suspect, for a first time out.

3) Hunt public lands, which are minimal in TX (only about 5% of the
state is public land), and with a lower probability for success,
especially not being an experienced white tail hunter.

4) Hunting hogs on a ranch. This has the dual advantage of a high
success rate coupled with a MUCH lower cost.

My son and I are, at this point anyway, concerned only with the joy of
the hunt and of making a kill for meat (a critical part of the
experience, in my opinion). As such, options 1 & 2 seem unwise for a
first-timer who works for a living. They seem more appropriate for
someone with some experience under their belt (at least enough to
confirm that they're hooked on the activity) and for those seeking
trophy bucks. Option 3 isn't attractive for the reasons already given.

So, a reasonable hog hunt seemed like our best bet for a first outing.
I had settled on this and began doing some research ("some" being an
understatement...my eyes began to bleed, I'd read over so many ranch's
web sites) and then, all of a sudden, I got lucky. I found an
operation not far away that offers, in a no-frills manner, both hog AND
deer hunting for the same price (about the same as most hog hunting
only ranches). The catch, if you wish to consider it a catch, is that
they are a participan in the Texas Parks & Wildlife Managed Land
Program, which means that they only permit the harvesting of does and
spike bucks. This seems perfect for us since, as I said, we couldn't
care less about a trophy at this point (maybe next hunt)...AND they
have openings for days that are convenient for us. The opportunity to
go after both meat hogs and deer in the same 2-3 day hunt sounds like a
great introduction to larger game for the both of us, so I will be
conacting them after work today to book a hunt with them for later this
month. Now, having bored you with all of that long-winded bit of
background, I'll get to the inevitable "any tips/suggestions from the
experienced hunters in this area" question. OK...would anyone care to
offer any tips/suggestions beyond the basic and usual suggestions
(gun/hunter safety, etc.)? Tips specific to the area (Northeast TX)
would be extra appreciated, as would clever insights regarding gear
that might not occur to the first-timer, or appear on lists usually
cited for a hunt.

I should also mention: Several months ago, in anticipation of this
event, I acquired a basic rifle suitable to the task in question.
Namely, a Savage 110FCXP3 rifle/scope package in .30/06. A no-frills
gun, but one that seems to be more than up to the job. I've spent a
lot of time at the range blowing through boxes of somewhat pricey ammo
and now feel comfortable with my ability to hit the mark reliably at
100 yds. (the furthest target available at our local range). My son is
even more accurate with the gun than I am (he's a better shot overall,
as a matter of fact), though he complains about the recoil. So, I went
out and bought him a similar package deal, but with a little less kick:
The Savage 111FCXP3 in .243. This was to be a Christmas present (and
what else says Christmas like a rifle and a box of shells?) but I'll
have to give it to him early so he'll have adequate time at the range
to become comfortable and proficient with it (which should be fairly
quick given his experience firing my gun.)

Thanks in advance for any/all feedback.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: First deer/hog hunt, open to advice/suggestions (a little long)
    ... > hunting small game and birds in my ... but never got the opportunity to go after any larger game. ... > 1) Spend a boat-load of money on a good deer lease that we can hunt all ... > 4) Hunting hogs on a ranch. ...
    (rec.hunting)
  • Re: First deer/hog hunt, open to advice/suggestions (a little long)
    ... I must mention that if you haven't already done so, get a set of ear ... hunting small game and birds in my youth, but never got the opportunity to go after any larger game. ... season...or sharing a deer lease with someone else that we can hunt ... a reasonable hog hunt seemed like our best bet for a first outing. ...
    (rec.hunting)
  • Re: finding hunting partner(s)
    ... im new to hunting and was wondering how some of you found or find ... Finding a good place to hunt is an ... If you want to develop some hunting partners I recommend you invest some ... come along and give you a few pointers on locating game in the area and how ...
    (rec.hunting)
  • Re: Dumb Q: Can you "Build-Your-Own" Rifle?
    ... Brian, if the terrain you plan to hunt is wooded, or if something ... besides large game is on the agenda, ... at gun shows, used, for $50 to $75. ... backup gun for any type of short range hunting. ...
    (rec.guns)
  • Re: Venus figurines and Upper Paleolithic society
    ... > safer hunting) and intelligence to have contributed significantly to ... I hunt every day between Oct. 1 and the end of March. ... If I used a gun, bow, or spear or hunted larger game, I could probably ... invited Lewis to go hunting with me but so far he's declined. ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
Loading