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I'm with the Bill Nagley collection at the Buckhorn Museum.

Next stop of course was the Alamo. One of the great events in American history that is so well described in Lon Tindell’s “Thirteen Days To Glory” of the siege and it’s tragic conclusion. It was a bit humbling to enter the chapel where the Texans and Crockett’s Tennesseans made their last stand. Chris pointed out bullet holes in the chapel walls. I gazed for a long time at Crockett’s rifle, awed that here was a tool that one of America’s great icons had handled, loaded, aimed and fired at foe both four and two legged.

The next morning Chris and I were picked up by our guide Todd Tindell, who was not related to the Alamo siege author. Todd thanked me for inquiring though. It took nearly three hours to reach the ranch from San Antonio. One could say the rather flat land was monotonous, so covered with thick brush to the point nothing is really deciphered a few yards back from the road. I got to thinking just how are we going to hunt this country? This would soon be answered.

The Cinco Ranch facing the black top to Eagle Pass is high fenced and we entered through a locked gate. At the hunt lodge we were given enough time to get into hunt gear and make ready our war tools. The lodge consisted of a main building which included a large kitchen and a dining area that also served Rob as his office. The dudes had a double wide to bunk out in. There was a separate lounge for both hunters and guides to relax in after the hunt. Featured was a pool table, wide screen tv, plush carpeting, comfortable furniture and a full bar. The lounge was completed with fur and feather mounts of all the main wildlife to be found on the ranch.

As stated previously, Todd had seeded the two roads that Chris and I would hunt with kernels of corn. All of the guide trucks at the lodge came equipped with a mounted seed hopper for bait dispersal. Hunt methods were to either slowly still hunt seeded roads or to shoot from blinds which could be on the ground or from elevated stands. Each stand site came with a bait feeder. This may not seem fair, but the country is so thickly covered in vegetation, all of which seem to be armed with thorns and spines, that any other hunt method is not practical.
At the release of the bow string, the arrow pierced the peccary square in the chest. Good placement for a deer, but a trifle too far back for a peccary. The sow let loose with a shrill bark and frantically made for heavy cover. It tried to barrel through a prickly pear, but this effort was repulsed and the critter had to make another try. This time it exceeded in pushing through heavy brush and was gone before I could string another arrow. The rest of the mob lost no time in beating a retreat into the formidable brush.

Trying to follow up I retreated from the wall of thorns that reached out to grab every part of my being. Chris had now joined me having missed a peccary boar just moments before. We quickly decide to call in the professionals. Each hunter is issued a radio in which to reach the main lodge and guides no matter where they may be on the ranch. Both Rob and Todd answered and were soon on their way.