Tina’s Thanksgiving Thriller

About 7 years ago I met Tina at work and we instantly bonded over our love for the outdoors; her passion for fishing and my insane addiction to hunting led to hours of conversation and story swapping. After years of listening to my incessant outdoor adventures I guess she decided to try it out. At age 50 Tina bought a rifle (a shotgun and a mountain of hunting gear) and decided to start hunting. The following year she told me she wanted to learn to bow hunt & I was elated. We made a trip to the bow shop, got her all set up & she began practicing. She killed a doe and some hogs with her rifle but never had many bow hunting opportunities that year. You should know that Tina is one of the most dedicated new hunters I have ever seen; researching, reading, practicing, and participating in every part of the hunt from start to finish learning as much as she can and it was about to pay off in a big way.

Fortunately we were able to make a trip to a favorite place of mine in South Texas. My husband and I are always blessed to go on doe patrol (doe/herd management) and even more so to bring Tina with us. I knew the opportunities for her first bow kill would be abundant and it would be a trip to remember.

Upon arrival we set up a ground blind and stalked for hogs that night; I chased a javelina with my pistol, but no luck on either. Thanksgiving morning as we were walking in the dark to the ground blind we spotted a hog. As we stood in a line next to each other, my husband, Tina & I waited for this hog to come into range. Tina’s comfort zone was 25 yards or less and as I ranged him she prepared for action. With our red lights on him he made his way closer but was facing us eliminating a good shot. At 18 yards Tina started backing up getting a bit nervous, but I was able to get her to stand her ground. At 16 yards he turned, Tina shot and we watched her lighted nock dart off into the thick South Texas brush. Everyone was so excited and I could see her smile even in the pitch black of night! She had just arrowed her first hog!

The shot was good, just a bit high in the lungs, so after a quick look we decided to give him some time and set up in the ground blind for more hogs. Still beaming with joy from her shot, I was now in the shooters seat ready and waiting when a group of hogs started feeding in. I could hear them grunting and eating on the corn but didn’t have a visual yet.  Finally, a boar came into view at 12 yards and I launched my arrow. He squealed and ran down the road, then 20 more seconds of squealing, followed by the squeal of death! My face lit up because I knew he was down! Tina changed seats with me hoping for more hogs but with possibly 2 dead hogs around the odds were against us.

We finally exited the blind and immediately spotted my hog lying in the road; my first full blondie hog! We took pictures while my husband and friend made their way over to see our kills! My husband had already shot a javelina with his bow that morning too. We started crawling through the thick brush to look for Tina’s hog, and after about 60 yards of getting stuck and stabbed by the brush we found him! The excitement of her first bow kill will be a moment none of us will ever forget. As she walked up to him all of her hard work and hours of practicing were validated; it was also a very special moment for me. I was there for the ignition of the hunting spark, helping her get her first bow, providing the little knowledge I have, and standing beside her as she shot and recovered her first animal with a bow…I was a proud and overjoyed friend and fellow hunter!

As we loaded up the hogs and made our way back through the ranch we spotted a group of javelina. Perfect! Tina had her bow in hand as I ranged the group at 35 yards. As we started walking toward the group 2 more javelina ran into the road at 26 yards. We stopped and she shot! Immediately upon her arrow slicing through the javelina she let out a squeal of her own followed by laughter and high fives from everyone! It was another moment I will never forget because she was able to see this shot in full daylight and watch him run just a few yards before expiring. She has just notched 2 of her first bow kills in one morning, Thanksgiving morning! What a great start!

The evening hunt and next morning hunt didn’t produce much but the trip was already a success in my book! We set out for doe patrol with our rifles and Tina and I each helped out with herd management and putting meat in our freezer with 2 deer down.

The weather was nice so we continued to search for javelina. Tina took a shot on her second javelina; a protective female who wasn’t giving up without a fight. The shot was a complete pass through and a bloody arrow was found but as we were tracking she made her presence known with the popping of her teeth (a sound that will definitely make you jump if you have never heard it before). With my pistol drawn during the tracking process because of the low visibility & maneuverability of the thick brush and a possibly wounded animal I was unable to get a clear shot on her. After a short standoff we were able to get a better angle and put a finishing shot in the javelina for a quicker expiration and Tina had her second javelina & 3rd bow kill down!

We sat back in the ground blind that evening waiting on the anticipated cold front; however, it arrived many hours earlier than expected. Tina and I were on the opposite side of the ranch and the plan was to stalk towards where my husband was for hogs and javelina, but as the front arrived with high winds, freezing rain, and a 40 degree temperature drop, our plans changed and my husband was already making his way to pick us up to get back to camp. As we drove back in the dark, pouring freezing rain and winds we shivered in the Polaris but as we made the turn onto the last road everything changed.

There in the road through the wind and the rain, illuminated by our red light was a large group of about 20 hogs feeding in the road. Tina had her shotgun loaded with buck shot so the hunt was on. As we stepped into the road we were slipping and sliding in the mud making too much noise, so we stopped and stood. With the freezing rain stinging our faces the group of hogs slowly fed down the road to us. The wind was perfect and muffling any noise as Tina steadied her shotgun. She fearlessly let the group of hogs approach to less than 20 yards and shot, and then shot again and again. As hogs scattered and the adrenaline was pumping we saw 2 small hogs laying in the road; a boar and a sow. We checked the area for any other wounded ones but didn’t find any more. Our frozen bodies were soaking wet but had warmed up just enough from the adrenaline to enjoy the moment, take pictures in the rain and load up the hogs. One was quartered up and the small sow was left whole for a nice BBQ dinner! Tina was beyond excited with this crazy impromptu hunt and my heart smiled as I listened to her back at camp recount the stories over the phone to her family.

The rain continued through the night leading to a long day of hunting in mud, drizzle, and cold, but we weren’t going to just sit at camp! As we made our way to one of the fracking ponds we spotted a coyote running across the damn and my husband quickly grabbed the rifle for a shot. At 140 yards on the run he was able to hit both back legs of the coyote and a few follow up pistol shots led to one less predator on the prowl. Successful team effort!

The evening hunt was slow until dark when my husband dropped a hog and we added another round of pork to the cooler. Everyone was having success!

We stalked for hogs into the night and set up for one more morning hunt. With no luck at first light we began stalking for javelina when I was able to get one down with my bow to end the trip with another animal down.

With 5 hogs, 4 javelina, 2 deer and a 1 coyote down, it was one of our most successful hunts in south Texas but not because of the animal count; this trip was all about Tina. Not only was she able to get her first bow kill (and second and third), but she gained a vast amount of hunting experience, confidence in her own abilities and made memories to last a lifetime. This trip was exponentially greater than anything she could have read, researched or been told because experience in the field is priceless whether an animal is killed or not.

I am so proud of her and her accomplishments and knowing another hunter has the passion and knowledge to carry on our hunting heritage is phenomenal. Whether you are a 10 year old child or just starting to hunt at age 50 like Tina, all that matters is that you are in the field hunting legally, ethically, and enjoying each moment. Carry on the passion and let it shine so others see it; you never know who you might be inspiring!