Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - February 2020

PASSING ON TRADITIONS By: Haley Rivera

Working in the family business and seeing all the hunts our clients go on finally gave me the hunting bug. I was able to go on my first hunt with my mom and Wade last year in hopes of my first hog. While the experience was wonderful with being out in nature with no cell phones and just surrounded by nature, the hogs had other plans. With the weather conditions being as they were, very little to no wind, the hogs could hear our every move. After hearing the hogs all around us with no hogs coming out, we decided it was time to move to another spot and try again. As we drove to our other location, a group of hogs ran across the road right in front of us. It was a bittersweet feeling for me because I finally saw the hogs I came here to get, but they knew why we were there. After trying two other spots that day, Wade, my mom and I called it a night. With the defeat, I was wanting to go out for a redemption hunt the next chance I had.

As time went by with our busy schedules, my mom, Wade and I were able to come back out to our Deer Camp and get ready for another weekend hunt at the Javeline Ranch. From the previous hunt, I came with my fair share of doubts, but I was hopeful at the same time that I was going to leave with a hog this time. As Saturday morning came we all were out and set up at the 3-way blind by 6:15 am. Once some time had gone by, we were not seeing any hogs yet, and Wade called the 15-minute mark. At this point, my hopes were fading and I was becoming doubtful yet again. However, one hog was hungry because one of them finally decided to come out shortly after Wade had made that call. Now, my hopes are up and I’m doing my best to keep my eyes on him as he moves around. Once, he gets into a good position for me to take my shot, I felt my heart racing and all the feelings coming over me. Finally, I look over