It was a quiet night, with nothing but the sounds of crickets and other critters. And a hushed conversation between three people sitting in a small plywood box with windows cut out. In front of them was a large clearing next to a small pond.
It’s a good spot, according to guide Chris Cole. And should draw a lot of wild hogs. In fact, it doesn’t take long -- maybe five or so minutes since the three arrived and got settled that a trio of hogs found its way into the far side of the clearing about 80 yards away.
“Just start holding steady on the right spot,” Cole whispered. “Thinking through the shot… like they’re broadside. And this gun will shoot that far, so if you, once you get comfortable and you’re ready, they’re not going anywhere. You can pull the trigger whenever you’re ready. Stay steady.”
The hunter watched through the scope, slowly breathing in and out, holding steady despite the fact that this was the first time they had aimed a gun at an animal.
And then, the twitch of a finger and a shot rang out through the quiet night, followed by a piercing squeal and a cloud of dust thrown up in the air.
“You got it, girl. You flipping nailed it.”
“Good job.” “How did I do that?” “Did you see the sign on the gate when we drove in? One shot, one kill. You’re joining the club.”
This was a typical evening hunt on Friday, June 12, out at 405 Outfitters, a hunting lodge near Carney that’s a sanctuary for feral hogs, according to its website. It’s just one approach to managing the growing feral hog population in Lincoln County.
According to the Oklahoma Wildlife Department, there are an estimated 600,000 to 1.5 million feral swine in Oklahoma. They have a high reproductive potential, making it more difficult to control the population. And then there’s the damage. A sounder of feral hogs can tear up several acres a night looking for food. Many a rancher and farmer have stories of broken fences and rutted out cropland.
The Wildlife Department said feral swine compete for food resources that also support deer, raccoons, black bears and opossums, and can potentially spread diseases to them and possibly to humans.
While some people take to hunting feral hogs on their own land either themselves or by hiring professionals, 405 Outfitters offers another solution. People who trap the hogs can bring them to the lodge, wheretheowner,Bobby Davis, purchases them by weight.They’re then set free on the many acres of the privatelyowned property, where hunters can pay to hunt them.
A typical hunt comes with a guide who will plan everything, track the hogs and get hunters set up in stands. They also retrieve the game, field dress and quarter the kill. Cole is just one of several guides that has worked out at the property for years.
It’s one of the more ethicalways of handling feral hogs, he said. With the accelerated rate at which they reproduce and the lack of food resources, Cole said the hogs can turn on each other. This is why it’s important to cull out sounders, much like was done during the hunt on June 12.
Not to mention, it’s a unique experience for visitors.
The lodge has a shooting range where hunters can warm up and set their sights before going out. There’s also a skinning shed with an attached walk-in cooler, where guides can prep the kill for those wishing to take it home.
The lodge itself has enough bunk rooms to fit up to 16 hunters. There’salargecommon area that includes a den and full-size kitchen, along with a bar and another lounge on the second-floor loft, plus grills outside. The interior is completely decked out with cedar that was milled from the property itself and covered in mounted animals of all kinds that were killed by the guides, owners and sometimes hunters who have visited the lodge.
A centerpiece is a large stuffed hog that Cole used to demonstrate the best places to aim while out on the property that sits next to a posted list of rules that all hunters must follow while on the property.
Cole said they keep pretty busy, especially in the fall, and the most hogs he’s seen killed in a weekend were around 30 or so. He added that the guides do everything they can to guarantee a kill, so long as hunters don’t get too noisy while out in the field.
“Thepeoplethatcome out here that don’t shoot pigs are the ones that talk like this. We’ll have one or two that’ll start flapping, and ‘Oh, yeah. Like, we didn’t see anything.’ Because you were talking to him, right? We could hear you,” he joked.
405 Outfitters has a website and can be found on Facebook.