RobSky
Ultimate Member
In celebration of my 50th birthday, I decided to scratch one off the bucket list by going Wild Boar Hunting in Florida. I participated in three styles of hunting: swamp buggy, dog, and stand.
Let me preface this story with the fact that I flew from BWI to MCO and met my retired brother and a friend. My brother drove down with large fish coolers to haul back the meat. The check in process at BWI and MCO were uneventful for rifle and handgun. Just follow the TSA and Southwest website for instructions.
The first hunt was the swamp buggy hunt and was a solo trip. This hunt was booked thru a company called Rons Guide Service. Rons is a booking company, the guide/outfitters name was Blake. I promptly met Blake in the afternoon and we boarded a swamp buggy. This buggy has large rubber wheels and a flat platform on top. Blake drove this buggy into the hunting area. For a couple of hours, we saw and kicked up a few small to medium hogs, but nothing worth taking. Later that afternoon, a big boar broke out of woods and headed across the field to a another wooded area. Blake was on it, and got me into a position about 75 yards from boar. I took a running shot at boar and connected, but needed a finishing shot to the head. The tusks measured 2 1/2" and I decided to get a European mount. The location of this hunt was north of Lake Ockechobee and the cost was $275 plus tip. http://ronsguideservice.com/
The second hunt was the dog hunt. This hunt was booked with Triple M Outfitters. I met up with my brother, friend, guides, and dogs at Matts (owner and guides) house at 8:00pm. Matt was out of town, but set up with two of his guides Jedd and Brandon. The guides led us to Matts property about 10 minutes away. We jumped onto a swamp buggy and headed off into the night. After about 15 minutes, we stopped and turned off the buggy. The dog was let go and proceeded to try and pick up a trail. The dog began to signal that it was on the trail of a hog and eventually got one. The dog was outfitted with a GPS device and the guide determined he was 125 yds away. The guide fired up the buggy and off we went. After getting close to where the dog and hog were located, the guides jumped off the buggy with a hunter in tow and ran to the dog. One guide grabbed the two hind legs of the boar (like holding a wheel barrow) and the other guide pulled off the dog. The hunter approached and execution style, finished with a head shot. This continued for the next several hours and produced a total of six hogs. The location of this hunt was in Palm Bay, FL and the cost was $225 plus $100 for each additional hog plus tip.
http://www.triplemoutfittersunlimited.com/
The final hunt was the stand hunt. This hunt was booked with Switchgrass Outfitters. We met the owner and operator Seth at a boat ramp at 5:00am and fog thick as pea soup. We hopped onboard an air boat and blasted into the marsh. All I could see was fog on my glasses and alligators sliding into the water as we sped by. Being 50, I almost soiled myself
. After 15 minutes of back and forth, Seth pulled right up to a two man stand. I climbed up the ladder and Seth handed me my stuff. Off he went to drop off the rest of our party. I saw a boar that morning, but I couldn't get a clear shot, so I passed. Seth proceeded to pick us up at noon for a tour of the area and lunch at the Jolly Gator. The views were awesome and the gator and frog legs were good too. At 3:00, we were back in our stands. I didnt see anything that afternoon/evening, but did hear some grunt sounds. My brother did connect and ended up getting a hog. Switchgrass Outfitters is located in Christmas, FL and the cost is $250 plus tip.
http://www.switchgrassoutfitters.com/
Of the three hunts, the stand hunt was my favorite. Even though I didn't get a hog, I like the idea of stand hunting and the overall experience will be memorable.
Let me preface this story with the fact that I flew from BWI to MCO and met my retired brother and a friend. My brother drove down with large fish coolers to haul back the meat. The check in process at BWI and MCO were uneventful for rifle and handgun. Just follow the TSA and Southwest website for instructions.
The first hunt was the swamp buggy hunt and was a solo trip. This hunt was booked thru a company called Rons Guide Service. Rons is a booking company, the guide/outfitters name was Blake. I promptly met Blake in the afternoon and we boarded a swamp buggy. This buggy has large rubber wheels and a flat platform on top. Blake drove this buggy into the hunting area. For a couple of hours, we saw and kicked up a few small to medium hogs, but nothing worth taking. Later that afternoon, a big boar broke out of woods and headed across the field to a another wooded area. Blake was on it, and got me into a position about 75 yards from boar. I took a running shot at boar and connected, but needed a finishing shot to the head. The tusks measured 2 1/2" and I decided to get a European mount. The location of this hunt was north of Lake Ockechobee and the cost was $275 plus tip. http://ronsguideservice.com/
The second hunt was the dog hunt. This hunt was booked with Triple M Outfitters. I met up with my brother, friend, guides, and dogs at Matts (owner and guides) house at 8:00pm. Matt was out of town, but set up with two of his guides Jedd and Brandon. The guides led us to Matts property about 10 minutes away. We jumped onto a swamp buggy and headed off into the night. After about 15 minutes, we stopped and turned off the buggy. The dog was let go and proceeded to try and pick up a trail. The dog began to signal that it was on the trail of a hog and eventually got one. The dog was outfitted with a GPS device and the guide determined he was 125 yds away. The guide fired up the buggy and off we went. After getting close to where the dog and hog were located, the guides jumped off the buggy with a hunter in tow and ran to the dog. One guide grabbed the two hind legs of the boar (like holding a wheel barrow) and the other guide pulled off the dog. The hunter approached and execution style, finished with a head shot. This continued for the next several hours and produced a total of six hogs. The location of this hunt was in Palm Bay, FL and the cost was $225 plus $100 for each additional hog plus tip.
http://www.triplemoutfittersunlimited.com/
The final hunt was the stand hunt. This hunt was booked with Switchgrass Outfitters. We met the owner and operator Seth at a boat ramp at 5:00am and fog thick as pea soup. We hopped onboard an air boat and blasted into the marsh. All I could see was fog on my glasses and alligators sliding into the water as we sped by. Being 50, I almost soiled myself
. After 15 minutes of back and forth, Seth pulled right up to a two man stand. I climbed up the ladder and Seth handed me my stuff. Off he went to drop off the rest of our party. I saw a boar that morning, but I couldn't get a clear shot, so I passed. Seth proceeded to pick us up at noon for a tour of the area and lunch at the Jolly Gator. The views were awesome and the gator and frog legs were good too. At 3:00, we were back in our stands. I didnt see anything that afternoon/evening, but did hear some grunt sounds. My brother did connect and ended up getting a hog. Switchgrass Outfitters is located in Christmas, FL and the cost is $250 plus tip. http://www.switchgrassoutfitters.com/
Of the three hunts, the stand hunt was my favorite. Even though I didn't get a hog, I like the idea of stand hunting and the overall experience will be memorable.
