Best Friends Share Glory of Freakish Nebraska Nontypical Whitetail Trophy

“One Man Shoots Two Deer” is a headline that seems to pop up every year during the rut, as hunters encounter locked bucks and elect to harvest both animals. Far more rare is the twofer experienced by Kellen Meyer and Jordan Owens.

The pair was hunting on Owens’ farm during the Nebraska firearms season when this 20-point Cornhusker giant topped a hill 250 yards from where the two men were hunkered down at opposite ends of a U-shaped draw. Learn how these lifelong friends handled what may be the most unusual success story of the season.

Meyer and Owens grew up together in Seward County; they’ve known each other since grade school and their parents were friends before that. They hunt together often, and on the morning of Nov. 17 both had finished sits in separate locations before meeting at 10 a.m. to stalk the county’s abundant ag fields together in search of roaming bucks.

After stopping for lunch, they decided to upend their usual routine of a long midday break and return to the field as soon as possible.

Both of us have seen a lot of big deer moving over the lunch hour, and a lot of people don’t hunt then,” says Meyer, district sales manager for a seed company. “I had taken the whole day off and Jordan was caught up on his farm work, so we decided to just give it a shot. We didn’t have anything else to do.”

Around 1:30 p.m. they settled into a wooded 15-acre horseshoe draw in the middle of a 200-acre cornfield. Meyer set up at one tip of the U with his 30.06, and Owens readied his .270 about 300 yards away at the other tip of the U. They could see each other across open field.

A half hour later, two does popped over a hill north of them, with a big buck in hot pursuit.

“It’s usually a pretty good spot a few days into the gun season, because people push the deer out of the river bottom a mile away and they run up there and hide,” Owens says. “During the harvest I saw a nice 5-by-5 there from the combine, and I thought it was him when he topped the hill.”

Each man fired at the buck from 250 yards. Both missed. “We both get buck fever pretty bad,” Meyer says. “I don’t know how many deer I’ve missed on the first shot.”

“We would have probably been even more nervous if we’d known how big he really was,” Owens adds.

The buck ran north and east, giving both hunters a broadside look at his flank. “I took a little more time to line it up right on the second shot,” Owens says, “and led him just a hair.”

“I knew I had only a little window of time to get him,” Meyer recalls, “and I relaxed and made sure I could see him good in the scope.”

Both men shot “almost simultaneously” and the deer fell. The two met in the field and walked toward the buck together.

“He kept getting bigger and bigger the closer we got,” Owens says. “We were just so happy to see him lying on the ground that we didn’t really know who shot him.”

“When we saw how big he was we probably spent 10 minutes just drooling,” Meyer says. “We kind of looked at each other and it took both of us a while to see who was going to claim him. Then we looked a little closer and saw two bullet holes.”

About six inches apart on the buck’s right side were two entry wounds from two different caliber weapons.

“We both decided lets just call him ‘ours.’ He’s got two holes in him,” Meyer says. “There’s no sense ruining a friendship or giving one guy credit over another just for a deer. We figured it would be nice to both claim him.”

An official Boone & Crockett measurer tallied a green score of 228 nontypical, likely good enough (if the score holds up after the drying period) to make the buck a top 10 Nebraska nontypical. A check with the club’s record keepers confirms that there is a precedent for two hunters sharing a trophy listing, as more than one record in the Boone & Crockett database lists multiple hunters.

The rack features main beam lengths of 26 and 28 inches and foot-long G-2s. But what really stands out is the buck’s mass.

“It’s just amazing how wide he is out to the end,” says Owen. “Usually the bases are your widest point, but this one starts wide at the base and gets wider out to the end. All the way out you can’t even put your hand around it.”

“To me it’s amazing how much mass he has in the middle of the rack, around the G-3s and G-4s,” Meyer notes. “He looks like he was on steroids. There’s so many little points at the bases that come out here and there. The scorer called him a 10 x 10, but he could be more.”

The two men joke about a number of schemes for sharing the rack.

“We talked about splitting him down the middle and each doing a full-body mount to put on the wall,” Meyer laughs, “or Jordan said I could have the back and he gets the front.”

But they’re pretty serious about not letting their shared achievement ruin a lifetime of friendship. “We decided that day when we were driving home after the hunt,” says Owens. “That’s the way we’re gonna do it and we’re not going to get into it over a deer. I don’t think we’ve had one argument since we shot it.”

The plan now is to sell the original rack and have two replicas made. “We are just so thrilled because he’s going on both of our walls,” says Owens. “We’re each getting a replica. That’s enough happiness for both of us.”

By: Steven Hill

Arrows in Oklahoma By: Michael Lee

As the sun set on the Western horizon, my wife Beth, cameraman Hunter, and I still had six more hours of driving to do.  Traveling through Mississippi, the miles couldn’t move fast enough to the Oklahoma line.  We were headed to hunt the Okie state for the first time and couldn’t be more excited for a late season bow hunt.

Arriving after midnight, we quickly found our beds so we could start off the first morning.  As daylight came the deer movement began.  Since hunting over feeders is legal in the state, and late season food sources are a strong necessity to get a shot, we were going to use these to our advantage.  Beth was hunting the top of a ridge and not long after being in the stand she had deer coming in.  After the first few came in to feed, a nice buck followed but never offered Beth a clear shot.

Setting up just off a food plot on a hardwood creek bottom, I saw a few deer after first light, none large enough to shoot or close enough.  Suddenly I saw a nice buck trotting across the plot.  He was heading away and I decided to blow my grunt call.  With a few short tending grunts, the buck stopped and headed straight for us!  He came in on a string to the call and stopped at 15 yards…..right behind a tree!  Standing there looking, the buck knew something wasn’t right and trotted back up the ridge and out of bow range.  Talk about a great start to the trip!

Afternoon two was slow for me, only seeing a doe with two yearlings, but Beth was wrapped up on a food plot with deer.  She saw several bucks that were nice and a couple of shooters.  None offered her a shot on the first afternoon though.

When morning two began we awoke to rain, which isn’t a good combination for video gear or bows for the most part.  We decided to tough it out in ground blinds, we normally hunt in Ghostblinds but in the rain we needed cover for the video cameras.  Sitting in the blind as daylight approached we watched the woods come alive on the top of a hardwoods ridge.  With the acorns long gone, the only food available was the feeder setup 15 yards away.  Several does and yearlings along with one small racked buck came in to feed then eased back down the ridge.  I thought to myself that the rain was setting in harder and the deer would stop their moving for the morning when I looked to our right and a buck was coming up the ridge.  Checking him out with my Hawke binoculars, he was a nice eight with a broken rack.  As I looked at him, a giant eight point walked into view.  This buck had it all, mass, tine length, width, and height. 

Quickly I told Hunter there was a shooter coming in and to get ready with the camera.  I clipped my release on my loop and readied myself for the shot.  The bigger buck came right in and began feeding.  I slowly drew by my bow and anchored for the shot.  Gently touching the trigger, my arrow released and I hear a loud thwack and watched the buck hit the ground right there!  What happened?  The chair I was sitting in was a little low in the blind so after I released the arrow, my fletchings clipped the edge of the blind window just enough to kick my arrow up.  Luckily my Muzzy plowed the deer’s spine and dropped him right there.  After a follow up shot the buck was done.  Was I lucky or the buck just unlucky, I will never know but I had my Oklahoma tag filled!

Beth was back on the same food plot she hunted the afternoon before and again had encounters with a couple nice bucks with no luck.  She was looking for her first deer with a bow and was doing all she could to contain herself.  She finally had a nice eight point in range and drew back on him only to have a doe walk in the way and she was never able to get a shot off.  Over the next three days she saw plenty of deer but no shooters to get an arrow towards.  As dark fell on the last afternoon, I asked her if she wanted to give it one more try the next morning before we had to head home.  Her answer, “I didn’t pay all this money for a tag to eat it!”  She learned from me many times that tag sandwiches don’t taste good! 

The last morning she climbed in the stand well before daylight and was ready.  The morning was fairly slow then two bucks came in to feed.  One was a real nice eight point, and on the last day she wasn’t giving any a pass!  She drew back her Elite bow, anchored and placed her pink Muzzy right behind the buck’s shoulder at 31 yards.  Beth had just filled her tag and arrowed her first ever deer with a bow!  A nice eight point on top of all that!

There is nothing like spending time in the woods with the ones you love.  Getting to share Beth’s first bow kill with her was very special and hopefully the first of many to come.  She never hunted before meeting me, I don’t know if I’ve created a monster or not but she straight loves the outdoors and filling her tags as much as I do.  I know I’m blessed for sure!

Until next time, God bless and good hunting.

GEAR LIST:

Bow: Elite Pulse (Michael) Elite GT500 (Beth)

Rest: QAD Ultrarest HD (Michael and Beth)

Sight: Spot-Hogg Hogg-It (Michael and Beth)

Broadhead: Muzzy MX-3 ,100 grain (Michael), Muzzy 100 grain 3 blade Pink (Beth)

Fletchings: Bohning Blazer vanes (Michael and Beth)

Optics: Hawke Frontier ED 43mm (Michael and Beth)

Release: Scott Quick Shot (Michael), Scott Little Goose (Beth)

Treestand: Ol’Man Grand Alumalite CTS (Michael),  Ol’Man Aluminum Multivision Pro (Beth)

Scent Eliminator: Lethal Field Spray (Michael and Beth)

Attractant: Muzzy Bowhunter Setup (Michael and Beth)

Camo: Realtree APG by Gamehide (Michael and Beth)

Safety Vest: Hunter Safety System Pro Series (Michael and Beth)

Pack: Gameplan Gear Spot N Stalk (Michael and Beth)

Stablizer: X-Factor Outdoors System (Michael and Beth)

Boots: Lacrosse Alpha Burly in Realtree APG (Michael and Beth)

Sunday Hunting: Hot Topic in Virginia

If you live in Virginia, and you want to hunt on Sundays, right now, you have to go out of state.

Hunting on sundays is a topic that's causing controversy in the Commonwealth; from rural counties, all the way to Richmond.

"It divides families, it divides communities," says Republican Delegate Ben Cline. "It's a contentious issue we're going to deal with this year."

There's been a ban on Sunday hunting in Virginia for years.

"To change that tradition simply for tourism dollars, to bring hunters in from out of state, is not enough in my mind to overturn that ban," says Cline.

Some people say put the guns away and spend Sundays with your family. Other people say hunting is one way to do that.

"Children, being able to spend time with their family in the outdoors, are restricted to Saturdays mostly now," says Chad Siever, of Broadway.

Siever says it could boost the economy; hunting license sales might go up.

Plus, he wants to pass his passion on to his daughter.

"A lot of folks, hunting is their way of life, it's a lifestyle," he says.

By: Amanda Crawford

Branch Out From Grunt Calls for Better Deer Hunting

Sure, the grunt call gets all the press, but sometimes it takes a different kind of sound to bring in the big buck. Here are a few deer hunting tips on using doe and fawn sounds, the Snort Wheezer and rattling devices to your greatest advantage.

Doe Bleat and Grunt
Deer are far more vocal than many hunters believe. It's just that the sounds are often so quiet that hunters never hear them unless the deer is directly under the stand. A doe bleat and grunt is most effective from late pre-rut to post-rut. Remember, the secondary rut occurs a month after the peak of the first rut. The reason doe sounds are effective at this time is simple -- bucks are looking for does to breed.
Follow the normal deer calling rules when using doe bleats or grunt calls. A tip-over call or mouth-blown doe bleater should be used sparingly. Produce a couple of bleats every 20 or 30 minutes, and watch down wind for bucks to sneak in and attempt to smell the doe. Use some doe estrous urine set to both sides of your stand, and hunt as scent-free as possible. Anytime you call you can position the deer downwind, and if it smells you instead of the hot doe he heard, that buck is out of there.
When using a mouth-blown doe call, practice at home or in the truck on the way to your deer hunting spot so you can consistently product the proper "baaaawwl." Use it sparingly to avoid letting a buck pinpoint your exact location, and if using in the early morning, wait until good shooting light to produce your first bleat.
Fawn Bleat
Fawn bleats can be effective all season long for one reason – a doe's maternal instinct. The mournful bleats of a lost-fawn will bring any doe within earshot in to investigate. If you're hunting does, have at it. But this does not mean that a fawn bleat will only work on does. During late pre-rut to late post-rut, the doe that investigates may have a buck in tow, so while all of the other hunters are blowing their best grunts at every buck in the woods, a fawn bleat can be your ace in the hole. This is comparable to calling to a gobbler with hens. You can't call the gobbler away, but you may attract the hen and she pulls in the gobbler.
Another way to use a fawn bleat call is to call in a distressed manner. The payoff is that the hunter never knows what will approach the sound of the deer call. It could be a buck or a doe, or it could be one of your local predators looking for a free meal. When using a fawn-in-distress call, begin quietly for a minute or so before cranking up the volume. Remember that fawns have smaller lungs than you do, so keep your breaths into the call short. The fawn-in-distress call is excellent for bringing does in to investigate.
Snort Wheezers
The snort-wheeze is a sound bucks make that is interpreted as aggression. It's a fantastic call to go to when your grunts are being ignored. The snort wheeze is a call that can be effective all season long.
Snort wheeze calls often are used in association with grunt calls and rattling. Use the "fffttt, fffftttt, fshhhhhhhh" of a snort wheeze call to add another component to your rattling/grunting sequence or to top off a grunt to a visible buck. Often the snort wheeze call is more than a buck can take, kinda like talking about someone's Mama. Them's fightin' words.
Rattling Devices
Whether it's a Rattle Bag, real antlers or another rattling device, the act of deer rattling can be effective all season long, but really shines from the late pre-rut to the post-rut. It's the sound of two bucks fighting, and brings in bucks for several reasons. First and foremost, everything loves to see a good brawl. Just like the Fighting Purr system in turkey hunting, rattling for deer brings in young and adult animals alike.
Another reason rattling works is its volume. A good clashing of antlers can be heard much farther away than a grunt or snort-wheeze call. Don't be shy when rattling. Ensure there are no deer in view prior to producing a sound, then really go at it. Buck fights can go on for more than a minute, so don't be afraid to get into it. Quick slams and hard grinding of the antlers or Rattle Bag can reproduce the sound of two bucks really going at it.
Add in a few grunts and maybe a snort wheeze at the end (or even during, if possible) of your rattling sequence provides the realism you need to pull in a buck. Again, watch downwind for bucks sneaking in and trying to get a whiff of the bucks it hears.

by Knight & Hale Game Calls

Revolutionary Approach to Blood Trailing Deer

John Jeanneney tracks more wounded deer in a season than most bowhunters do in a lifetime. He is widely respected within the hunting community as one of the top trackers and blood trailing dog breeders. That’s why his recently released deer tracking book Dead On! raised more than a few eyebrows.
The book covers blood trailing and tracking from top to bottom, but one of Jeanneney’s most interesting points is that he encourages bowhunters to re-think the conventional wisdom of waiting (at least a half hour) after the shot to follow up on a deer. No more automatically sneaking out of the woods to let bowshot whitetails “lie down and stiffen up.” No more coming back after supper to pick him up.
Jeanneney admits that his “don’t wait” advice flies in the face of conventional bowhunting wisdom. Wisdom that is still taught in bowhunting education classes. But he has solid reasons for his recommendations.

Wait or Don’t Wait?
Dead On! posits hunters are wasting valuable time by waiting before searching. As a minimum they should quietly go to the hit site and search for evidence (provided the deer has left the area). This includes blood and hair analysis, looking for ground sign and arrow recovery if possible. If conditions are right, hunters should then immediately move forward with the tracking and recovery process. Here’s Jeanneney”s rationale for immediately moving forward.
Only Dead Deer Stiffen Up
Jeanneney argues that he has jumped hundreds of deer from their wound beds and has yet to observe any evidence of stiffness. Weakness, yes, but unless the deer is risen from the dead (as rigor mortis sets in after death) there will be no stiffness.
Initial Shock Favors the Hunter
Jeanneney then moves on to discuss shock theory stating: “shock (in humans) sets in within minutes of a traumatic injury.” Humans in shock are often drowsy and weak but often feel no pain. Medics treat shock by lying down the injured individual and helping him stay calm.
Transfer the above condition to a wounded deer and:   “we can see that the time immediately following a traumatic injury is the time when a deer’s survival instincts are most likely to be most muddled …this is the time to approach carefully for a finishing shot rather than stay in the stand and hope for the best … it doesn’t make much sense to do what combat medics recommend for survival”.
Moving Deer Bleed More Than Bedded Deer
In defense of getting on the blood and pushing the deer, the author points out correctly that most if not all archery killed deer die through blood loss. A running deer’s heart rate is 3 times greater than that of a resting deer. It stands to reason that a heart pumping 3 times faster than a resting heart will bring on accelerated blood loss (and accompanying pressure loss and death) a lot quicker than a resting heart.  A moving deer will be easier to track and flush out clots quicker than a resting deer. This argument applies to both chest and leg and shoulder hits. Hard to argue with that.
The Coyotes Will Get There First
If that’s not enough, Jeanneney’s argument against waiting is bolstered by the proliferation of coyotes in many areas. Coyote populations are rising rapidly in whitetail country and there is ample evidence to suggest that they are learning to key off of hunters, eagerly and easily following the scent trails of wounded or already dead game. This year I was beaten to my first bow kill of the season by a pack of hungry coyotes intent on eating supper the same time I was eating mine (while waiting for my deer to stiffen up and die). Numerous hunter anecdotes from around the country report “race to the carcass” conditions in coyote infested areas. Certainly it is very risky these days to follow traditional wisdom and wait until the next morning to find your deer.
When to Wait
With the caution of a true scholar Jeanneney is quick to state that a rapid follow-up is not always called for.  Such is the case with shots to the stomach liver and intestines. Here he states there is much less external bleeding (easy tracking) and deer are prone to bed in the first few hundred yards. Sadly, many of these hits result in a slow and lingering death so it is best to try to keep them bedded in a small an area as possible.
Food for Thought
According to Jeanneney deciding on the appropriate waiting period is one of the toughest calls in deer hunting. After one of the worst (shooting) seasons our hunting gang has had in years I painfully must concur. Among the hunting fraternity nothing is worse than not recovering a wounded animal and recovery strategies must be thought out carefully.
If nothing else, Dead On! forces us to think more carefully our recovery strategies. With deer hunting season winding down, this is a good time to look back on our recovery rate. Did we lose more than we should have?  Did we employ the right recovery strategies?
John would be the first to tell you that answers to these questions are never absolute and the only definitive answer is a recovered deer. But I can assure you that Dead On! can make your tracking decision a whole lot easier.
About the Book and the Author
Jeanneney’s tracking knowledge was accumulated over a 36-year career of tracking deer and responding to calls from hunters needing the assistance. Jeanneney has tracked over 1,000 wounded whitetails. He gets the call when the hunter gives up. He sometimes takes 2 or even 3 calls per night at his upstate NY location.

His secret? Years of experience and a kennel full of superbly trained tracking dogs. His dogs are worked on leash and are capable of following wounded deer for miles. Run out of blood sign, no problem, they will key on body scent. Rain, snow or a day old trail no problem, John and his dogs can generally work it through. Like the Energizer Bunny they just keep going and going until the deer is recovered or John decides the deer was not mortally wounded and reluctantly calls a halt to the search.
 And this is what makes Dead On!  truly unique. It is written from the point of view of a person who can stay on a wounded deer with no visual sign present. He can advance the line well beyond where a normal sight tracker must quit. Because of this he has been able to figure out what hundreds of wounded deer have done after being wounded. It’s this extra knowledge of following deer with no visual sign, (along with a lifetime of study and experience) which qualifies Jeanneney to write books, present papers (across the U.S. and abroad) and challenge conventional wisdom on recovering wounded deer with unparalleled authority.

by Craig Dougherty

How to Age a Whitetail Buck

My mind rattled as my eyes bugged out: Is the buck mature or just a youngster with potential? The buck stopped. I had one window through trees to the buck’s vitals and I’d had just one glance at its face and rack. As adrenaline rattled me, I shot.

Minutes later I wasn’t disappointed with the buck’s rack, but I was disenchanted with my age-judging abilities. The buck was 2½ years old. It was well on its way to becoming a heavy-racked buck and, as I was on a managed property, I should have let it walk.

Hunting can be like that. If you’re managing a whitetail property, one of the quickest ways to get more trophy bucks on your land is to pass on younger bucks. In fact, Grant Woods, a consulting biologist and owner of Woods and Associates, says, “Age is the strongest correlation of antler size for a buck. If the object is bigger racks, food won’t do much without age to back it up."

So how can you tell the difference between a 2½-year-old buck and a mature 5½-year-old deer in those few tense seconds before you shoot or don’t shoot? For answers, you need to familiarize yourself with the ever-changing body features of the whitetail buck.

“Most animals change body shape as they age. I’m 48 and getting a bit of a pot-belly. Whitetails are similar. When they reach midlife they acquire a sagging belly. The older they get, the more that belly sags,” says Woods. “Any individual human or animal can defy that trend, but by looking at body shape you should be able to age deer to at least within a year either way.”

1½-Year-Old Bucks

The easiest bucks to judge are youngsters. Bucks at 1½ years of age may have spikes or even small racks sporting 4x4 or more points, but few racks will exceed the width of their ears. They’ll also appear to be all legs. Look for a slim torso leading up to a slender neck to confirm their yearling status. During the rut their neck won’t bulge. They’ll rarely have stained tarsal glands like an older buck. Woods also says, “When you’re looking at a buck, ignore its antlers. If, without its antlers, it looks like just an average-sized doe, then it’s a yearling. This trick works from Florida to Canada.”

2½-Year-Old Bucks

Think of 2½-year-olds as yearling bucks on steroids. These bucks still portray a leggy look with a slender overall appearance. The main body difference between a yearling and a 2½-year-old is a slight appearance of muscle structure. During the rut you can detect some swell in the neck and even some staining in the tarsal glands of a 2½-year-old.

Woods again suggests ignoring the antlers. When you do, if it looks like a super-dominant doe, you’re likely sighting a 2½-year-old.

Since you’ll only have seconds to determine the age of a buck in the field, Woods has come up with this quick, mental imagery test: Imagine a 2x4 wooden board placed horizontally behind the front legs of a buck. Now imagine you and a friend lifting up on that board from either side as the buck stands on all fours. If the buck tips backwards, it’s a 2½-year-old.

3½-Year-Old Bucks

Determining buck age over the next two years is as challenging as raising a hormone-rattled teenager. Not only do 3½-year-olds have more muscling and features common to a mature buck, they also can have tempting racks. Three-year-olds have finally bulked up with muscle, so look to see if the rump and chest are bulging and in equal proportion. Also, look at where the neck and shoulder meet since there still will be a noticeable separation. Its gut will seem lean and flat.

During the rut, 3½-year-olds definitely sport a swelled neck and have staining on their tarsals. Keep your eye off the rack and scrutinize body parts to avoid shooting an up-and-coming giant. If you use Woods’ 2x4 test, a 3½-year-old will actually balance when the beam is lifted.

4½-Year-Old Bucks

At 4½ bucks often have the frame and character of the rack they’ll display later in life. According to research, Woods confirms that they will have 90 percent of their antler growth at this age. They may add an extra point here or there, and of course mass, but you’re seeing their future frame.

It’s at this age when a buck literally looks like his neck and chest are seamless, particularly during the rut. Legs now have a short, stocky appearance and the chest and stomach definitely have a common line. Many classify 4½-year-olds as mature bucks. As for the board test, 4½-year-olds and older tip backwards as they have a heavier rear end.

5½-Year-Old Bucks and Older

If you’re lucky enough to see a 5½-year-old or older buck in the woods, you’re experiencing something special. From here on out determining the age of a buck is as difficult as believing the sincerity of politicians. Use everything at your disposal including preseason, firsthand scouting and trail-camera photos. Bucks that hit this golden mark are all chest with a head sitting atop.

Their nose becomes bulbous or “Roman,” as some call it.

In addition to a large muscular structure 5½-year-old and older bucks portray a sagging gut and back line. Lastly, racks are definitely near 100 percent of their potential. If you think a buck is really old, use a tip from my good friend professional hunter and biologist Larry Weishuhn: Look for loose skin in its face, especially the skin below the jaw, which becomes flabby on 7½-year-olds or older bucks. At 8½ years or older, bucks start to nosedive in both antler size and body character. Most of us won’t have the pleasure to view such a senior citizen in the wild, but you never know.

By Mark Kayser

Pork Choppering completely legal in Texas

They are destructive, elusive, and they're taking over Texas. Feral hogs are spreading so rapidly, wildlife officials are searching for ways to control them. A law that just took effect this fall has hunters paying big money to shoot hogs from the air, also known as "pork choppering."

I am particularly interested in efforts to control feral hogs in Texas, because of what they do to my lawn several times a year. Maybe you've seen the damage hogs can do in your neighborhood, as they root around for food, but where they've really taken a toll is out on farms and ranches where they ruin fields and kill livestock. So now, land owners are calling in air support.

Hunters from all over Texas, and other states, are paying about $500 an hour to take aim at feral hogs from a helicopter.

Stephan Charles flew in from Tennessee just to do this. He says you can't beat the rush of flying up to 80 miles an hour, while trying to hit a 300 pound hog that's running at 35 miles an hour. He doesn't consider it sport hunting. He thinks of himself as an exterminator.

"Hogs are not indigenous to the United States, and they're spreading and they're causing damage to agriculture and so they need to be controlled in some fashion, you know," said Charles.

Prior to September, it was legal for landowners to hire helicopter companies to shoot hogs for them, but many couldn't afford it. So, this year the legislature passed a law allowing hunters to pay for the chance to ride along and be the gunner.

Mike Morgan says hundreds of hunters have called his company, Vertex Helicopters of Houston, asking to take a mandatory safety course, then head out on hog hunting missions. Morgan supplies the specially modified semi-automatic assault rifles. The hunter pays for ammunition and air time, and the landowner gets free hog control.

"The private hunters, which there are no shortage of, are basically subsidizing the program now," said Morgan.

Within a half hour, Stephan Charles gets what he paid for -- taking out five hogs. The last one is a boar that is so big, he wants to land and take a closer look. The thrill of aerial hunting leaves this experienced outdoorsman almost giddy.

No doubt some will disagree, but Morgan argues this is humane.

"We don't just shoot a hog once and leave him there squirming around. We go back and put a number of rounds into it to make sure it's dead, so we don't have any problems with PETA."

With an estimated three million feral hogs in the state and the number growing by twenty percent a year, the aerial hunting industry may be on the verge of going hog wild.

by Jaie Avila