Russian Boar

Yes, Bill Richter. Yes, 2000 acres. It was a great time. Met some great people and ate some great food. I plan to return next year with my son.

http://huntwildhill.com/

If you have time and feel like it, can you provide some more trip details?? I have been thinking about heading up there for a boar hunt and would love to hear more about it from someone who's been.

thanks-
 
If you have time and feel like it, can you provide some more trip details?? I have been thinking about heading up there for a boar hunt and would love to hear more about it from someone who's been.

thanks-

When I get a chance I'll upload some more photos and write up an account of the trip. Maybe later this week or on the weekend.
 
I was up there about 20 years ago. A buddy of mine won a boar hunt for two at some sort of auction or raffle.
We each got our boar. When my buddy shot his boar it charged him and he dropped it about three feet in front of him with a second shot.
It was quite exciting. I thought it was going to steamroller him before he touched off his second shot.

We had a guide with us the first time we spotted some boar and the guide was a bit miffed when I passed up a shot at one of them because I could see through my scope that it had a broken tusk on one side of its mouth. I didnt want a boar with a broken tusk. The guide got a little pissy with me and acted like he had something else to do and I was wasting his time.
Too bad.
We continued on until we spotted another group.

Im considering a six day Texas boar hunt sometime late this winter at this ranch.
Unlimited free range boar with some critters mixed in.
http://www.ybarranch.com/index.htm
NES Group hunt anyone?
 
Im considering a six day Texas boar hunt sometime late this winter at this ranch.
Unlimited free range boar with some critters mixed in.
http://www.ybarranch.com/index.htm
NES Group hunt anyone?

I did 3 days / 2 nights at Heart's Bluff in Talco, TX last May, and am headed back this March. 2 Hogs, room & board for $610. The real winner at the Y Bar Ranch looks to be this deal:
Combination Doe & Hog, Nov 3- Jan 20, 3 days / 2 nights, $750, Hunt includes 2 does and 2 hogs (as well as room & board). May have to keep it in mind for next winter.
 
[bow] WOW...

Buffalo.jpg


I would not want to field dress that.
 
[bow] WOW...

Buffalo.jpg


I would not want to field dress that.

Hell of a shot. There were two buffalos there, which can be dangerous as the one that doesn't get shot may attack. He decide on which one and shot it behind the ear. It was a great shot and it fell right over. I am told the lucky guide that field dressed it was up to his neck in it.
 
Trip Details 1

I was both surprised and excited when my friend Tom (#1) invited me to join him and his friend Tom (#2) on a hunt at Wild Hill Preserve in Fairlee Vermont. Excited to be able to see and hunt these animals so close to home, and surprised because my wife said yes.

Wild Hill hunts are 2.5 day hunts, either Fri, Sat, and Sun AM, or Mon, Tue, and Wed AM. You arrive the night before. Because of work, we had to shorten our hunt and planned on arriving on Friday night. One important note to mention. There is no cell phone signal available, but there is a land line phone in the office that you can make credit card/collect calls from.

Tom #1 planned to hunt a Bison on Saturday and a boar on Sunday, while Tom #2 and I planned to hunt boar. From my house, it is about a 3 hour drive to Fairlee. I picked up Tom #1 in Chelmsford MA and then Tom #2 in Concord NH. From Concord, I was already half way there.

I had plugged Wild Hill's address into my GPS and it brought me right to the front door. When we arrived at WH it was around 6:00 PM and we were greeted by this:

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0302.jpg

We entered the main cabin and met some of the other hunters who had been hunting that day. We met Bill and his son Eric and we were shown our room. We brought our packs in from the truck and began to settle in.

Main Cabin:
http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0343.jpg

There were probably at least a dozen people staying in the main cabin which had two main open areas with rooms off of each. The main gathering room was well equipped with sofas and chairs as well as dinning tables. It housed a well equipped kitchen and there were probably 3 or 4 bedrooms off of this area. The other area had a couch and a desk (office). The bathrooms (with showers) were off of this area as well as 2 or 3 bedrooms, I think.

Both rooms were decorated with many trophies as well as pictures and souvenirs from Bill's hunt in Alaska and Africa.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0308.jpg

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0309.jpg

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0310.jpg

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0307.jpg

After Dinner, the butchers arrived to pick up the harvested animals. They took each hunters order request and brought back the processed meat the next afternoon. One of the butchers was a young girl who was given a hard time by one of the customers. He was being very particular about what he wanted done because he had a bad experience the previous year, with a different butcher.

Our room was comfortable, but both Tom and Tom snore, but not as badly as some of the others that had rooms near the bathrooms.

Our Room:
http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0306.jpg

We awoke Saturday morning to coffee brewing. The two coffee pots had trouble keeping up with the demand at first, but eventually caught up. Bill was there keeping the coffee pots brewing and telling stories. Bill is quite a guy and people would tend to migrate in his direction as he spoke.

A very nice woman named Marty came in cooked up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each meal was delicious and usually included some game along with eggs, potatoes, etc. One morning I we had boar sausage and french toast which was fabulous.

While eating breakfast, Bill mentioned he had a reduced rate on water buffalo because he wanted to thin out the herd before the winter. Tom #2 decided to change his hunt to a buffalo.

After breakfast everyone met outside in front of the main cabin for Bill's briefing. After that, each hunter was brought to different "stands" (not tree stand) by way of ATV.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0371.jpg

From the front porch you can see the two trout ponds on the property which are allowed to fish, so bring your fishing rod if you like.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0345.jpg

Arron, one of Bill's other sons, brought me to a nice looking area and told me to keep a sharp eye out and they would be back to check on me later. I was there maybe an hour and a half, but didn't even see a squirrel. I did see some deer scat, so I was hopeful. Bill's other son Eric showed up.

He told me they spotted some boar near a field and I should go with him. He also told me that Tom #1 had just shot a boar (he was after a Bison) with his bow and took it with one shot.

We drove up to the field and he told me to follow him on foot. Eric was communicating with Bill and Arron via 2-way. After crossing the field on foot, he told me to wait while he checked on something. While I was waiting I noticed right in front of me, in the woods, was a deer.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0322.jpg

The whole time Eric was gone this deer and I had a staring contest to see who would move first. I won when he bolted as Eric arrived. We hurried back to the ATV, after stopping briefly to grab this shot of the White Mountains.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0325.jpg

We hopped on the ATV and then met up with Bill and Arron. We talked a bit and Bill suggested Arron bring me to this other stand which was next to the edge of the field, with the woods behind me and an ATV trail to my right. They all left and I waited.

As I waited I kept good watch. I made sure to scan the woods behind me as a hunter from the previous day missed a deer because they had come up behind him. I would scan the field and the ATV trail as well. As I scanned I noticed some branches blowing up on the hill in the field. Eventually I realized that one of those branches was not a branch, it was an antler. I continued to scan, but kept a close eye on that antler and sure enough, slowly but surely this fallow deer walked right up the ridge, maybe twenty yards in front of me.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0333.jpg

I must have watched this guy for 45 minutes, pondering the financial decision of whether to take him or not. I sighted in on him a few times, but my pocket book could not handle the $1500-$2000 hunt fee, so I passed on him.

I then heard some wrestling to my left and found a small buck with 4 does. The does were much more alert but I managed to capture one with my camera.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0334.jpg

When I turned back to the Buck I had been watching he was standing straight and alert and looking right at me. Busted. Then I realized he wasn't staring at me, he was staring at the does. Then he proceeded to walk right past me toward them.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0336.jpg

Eventually he followed them off to the woods and I was alone again. Eric then showed up and said we needed to move to another spot. We got there and started moving along this ATV trail. Eric stopped suddenly and signaled to me that one was coming our way.

I got ready and sure enough this beautiful (well maybe not beautiful) boar is heading right in our direction. I got him in my sight and fired. Eric said "You got him!" and then I said "Then why is he still running?". The boar headed up a steep hill that was thickly wooded. I tried to get another shot off before he went over the hill, but I missed him.

We hurried back to the ATV and went around the hill, then we followed him on foot. He was hurt, but still moving. Eventually we caught up to him, and by this time Bill had caught up to us. The boar appeared to be cornered and looked like he was ready to charge and was facing me head on.

Bill was yelling to shoot him while I was trying to figure out where I could hit him without shooting him in the head/face (I planned on a trophy). I fired before he charged. The angle was not good and I think I hit him in the gut. He was still on the move. I dropped my fanny pack and Eric and I gave chase. We caught up to him and he was down but still moving, so I put one right behind his ear.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0339.jpg

Eric field dressed that animal like a pro in no time. They loaded the boar onto the front of Arron's ATV and he and I rode back down to camp, passing Tom #1 on the way down. I met up with Tom #1 at my truck and we each discussed our morning adventure.

Apparently, Tom #1, who was hunting buffalo, came upon a boar so he decided to take it as he was planning on getting a boar as well. He put his pack and bow aside (out of reach) to keep them clean as he field dressed his boar.

No sooner did he start when another boar came upon him, within 20 feet. He didn't move. No bow, and a .357 sitting out of reach on his pack. He see's Eric pop up on the hill and slowly started waving his arms and backing away. It turns out Eric had another hunter with him and they were tracking the second boar.

When Tom #1 was far enough away, the other hunter fired and dropped the boar. Here's Tom #1's boar.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/Picture020.jpg

Eventually all the hunters made it back to the cabin for lunch. We shared stories and pictures. Tom #2 had not seen any buffalo but was still optimistic. There were 6 boars and a fallow deer taken that morning. The fallow deer was taken by a soldier who was on leave. He was going to make jerky out of all his game to bring back to his unit in Afghanistan.

Here's his deer:

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0350.jpg
 
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Trip Details 2

After a great lunch, Tom #1 and Tom #2 headed back out together. Tom #1 for a Bison and Tom #2 for a water buffalo. I wanted to go along but Bill couldn't allow it for liability reasons. So I got changed and went out to find some beer, and a cell phone signal.

When I returned with the beer, Tom #2 was in the cabin and told of his adventure. Apparently Tom 1 & 2 came to a field and they spied two buffalo, a brown one, and a slightly larger and darker one. Bill was with them and suggested both Tom #1 and Tom #2 each take one of them. Mentioning a previous encounter of being attacked by a buffalo and being chased up a tree.

But Tom #1 was after bison, not buffalo, so he declined. Bill suggested Tom #2 take the brown one. He pondered for a second and then said, "But the other one was bigger". I'm not really sure which buffalo Tom #2 took, but he sighted it in right behind the ear and fired. The buffalo just fell over.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/Picture034.jpg

Funny, I'm not really sure which buffalo he shot or how the other buffalo responded. When I get a chance I will ask. I do know that Eric was up to his neck in blood after field dressing the animal.

Edit: At first, the brown one was a better shot, but he ended up shooting the darker/larger one. The brown one hung around, so Eric had to run it off with the ATV. It was reluctant to leave. Bill says these guys are aggressive and will charge (even an ATV). This is typical behavior for this species as well as the American Buffalo.

Here's a shot with Tom #2 and Bill.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/Picture031.jpg

By the time Tom #1 made it back to camp it was dark, and he was disappointed, not having seen as single bison, but was hopeful to get out there the next morning. Our soldier friend had hunted in the afternoon and managed to get a ram, just before sunset.

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0358.jpg

More stories were shared and eventually they got all the animals to camp and loaded into the butcher's truck.

Here's a shot of Tom #2's hand and the buffalo's hoof:

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0361.jpg

And loaded into the truck:

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac206/kengog/Wild%20Hill/IMG_0359.jpg

The butcher took everyone's processing order. Tom #2 told them they did not have to have his buffalo ready the next day and to take their time, let it hang/age. He was only an hour and a half away and he would return the next week to pick it up.

I have since learned that after skinning and caped it weighed 1077 lbs. That probably puts it in the 2500-3000 range. I also heard Tom #2 has a new 15 cu ft. freezer.

Sunday morning while we ate breakfast Eric and Bill went out and did some scouting. They saw now signs of bison and decided that Tom #1 would be disappointed that day. They don't normally hunt on Sundays as they get ready for the next group. They suggested that Tom #1 could come back in early December when there's some snow on the ground and the animal would be easier to track. I believe he will take them up on the offer.

The rest of that morning we packed up. We each met with Eric and paid for the hunt, the butcher (cash only), the taxidermy, and any souvenirs (tee-shirts, and some very nice antler handled knives made by Silver Stag, with Wild Hill Logo on them) we wanted.

The butcher arrived with our meat. Tom #1 and I each gave Tom #2 some of our boar and Tom #2 plans to give us some buffalo. I still had one and a half large coolers filled with meat. We then hit the road and brought Tom #2 back to Concord NH. While we were there, Tom #2 decided he was going to need some space in his freezer and he gave us a cooler full of venison.

I then dropped Tom #1 off, we split the venison and I headed home. I have some loins, rib roasts, chops, ribs, and sausage from the boar, not to mention venison steaks, sausage, and ground.

My wife cooked up a loin and it was out of this world. Tom #1 said he had some fabulous ribs that night. I had some sausage yesterday with breakfast, and we will be cooking a rib roast tonight.

I really enjoyed this trip and I think it will be a great place to get my son started out on hunting so I plan to take him with me next year.
 
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