SFC Lance Dement poses with a nice, 100-pound boar taken at Fort Benning during the first week of March.
I had the very good fortune to spend the first week of March at Fort Bening, Ga., hunting hogs as a guest of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. The whole trip actually started back in January at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. While riding a shuttle bus from the airport to my hotel, I met SFC Lance Dement, who is a member of the marksmanship unit’s service rifle team. It turns out he and many other members of the team also are avid bowhunters, and when he found out who I was, he immediately invited me to come down to Georgia and check out the first-class hog hunting available at Fort Benning.
Spot-and-stalk hog hunting requires you to cover lots of ground in search of nomadic groups of pigs.
To make a long story short, I found myself arriving at Fort Benning March 1 for three days of spot-and-stalk hog hunting on this sprawling, 182,000-acre military installation. Despite heavy military use – Fort Benning is home to the U.S. Army Infrantry and is in the process of becoming headquarters for Armor too – the base is surprisingly beautiful and absolutely filled with wildlife. Although I was there to chase hogs, I saw dozens of deer, a handful of turkeys and more coyote and bobcat sign than I’ve seen anywhere else. Even better, the Army is a big supporter of hunting at Fort Benning, and although units are opened and closed daily to accommodate military training exercises, more than 60,000 acres of the base were open to hunting each day I was there. That gave our group – myself and fellow outdoor writer Mark Taylor, along with Dement, SFC David Steinbach and Staff Sergeants Emil Kovan and Brandon Green – plenty of room to roam in search of pigs.
Despite intense military use, much of the landscape at Fort Benning remains visually stunning, with plenty of prime wildlife habitat.
Although Fort Benning is home to countless feral hogs, that doesn’t mean killing them is a piece of cake. As any experienced hog hunter knows, these animals are nomadic and will wander far and wide in search of the best food and cover available. So, where you find pigs today and you may well find none tomorrow. In addition, pigs have incredible noses, which go a long way toward making up for their relatively poor eyesight and overall lack of speed. The name of the game is simply covering as much ground as possible until you find a group of hogs. Then, you get the wind in your favor and make the stalk. Considering the challenging nature of the game, I am happy to report that our group manged to kill three pigs in three days of hunting. I consider that a pretty darn good success rate for bowhunters, and although I was not among the killers, I did get to full draw on a running hog the first day and to within 55 yards of a nice group of about 20 pigs the second day before they caught our wind and ran off. Overall, I saw roughly 40 pigs (though some were spotted in units closed to hunting) and felt good about the opportunities I had to seal the deal.
U.S. Army Rangers Lance Dement, David Steinbach and Emil Kovan look over a map and discuss strategy during a hog hunt earlier this month at Fort Benning, Ga.
On top of the hog hunting itself, I really enjoyed the opportunity to just escape from winter for a few days and see the beautiful country at Fort Benning. The base has pretty much every kind of prime wildlife habitat you can imagine, from vast stands of mature pines to innumerable hardwood creek bottoms to impenetrable swamps and well-manicured food plots. Honestly, I am a bit envious of the soldiers stationed at Fort Benning, because the hunting is excellent and these guys have it at their fingertips for virtually no cost. The Army also welcomes the public to hunt at Fort Benning. However, you must be sponsored by someone at the base and accompanied by them in the field. Guest hunting licenses are available from the Army at a cost of $10 per day.
- From left, U.S. Army Rangers Lance Dement, Brandon Green, Emil Kovan and David Steinbach hosted BOWHUNTING Editor Christian Berg on a hog hunt at Fort Benning, Ga.
As great as the outdoor experience was, there is no doubt the highlight of my trip was being able to spend time getting to know Dement, Steinbach, Kovan and Green. These guys are, in a word, heroes who serve their country with honor. All of them are world-class rifle shooters who represent the Army in national and international competitions and are capable of 1,000-yard groups that measure just inches across. We’re talking about marksmanship skills that are just mind-boggling here, and if you are interested in learning more details about the Army Marksmanship Unit and the type of competition they participate in, check out their Web site HERE. Members of the unit spend about half their year training for competitions and participating in them. The other half of their year is spent instructing fellow soldiers on how to be better marksmen, which improves the effectiveness of American soldiers in the field.
In addition to their awesome shooting skills (which also carry over to their archery pursuits, I might add), many members of the marksmanship unit have served with distinction in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. I heard a number of war stories during my time with these Rangers, and I can tell you that I have nothing but the utmost respect for their dedication and sacrifice. Nothing I ever do afield while bowhunting will hold a candle to what these brave young men have done to preserve our freedom.
In light of that, it was truly humbling to see how enthusiastic they were about my visit and the opportunity to share a small taste of the military hunting culture with me. Several of them made a point to tell me how much they love bowhunting and much prefer pursuing game with a bow to a firearm because of the added challenge involved and heightened satisfaction they feel when successful. These guys truly rolled out the red carpet and went out of their way to make my experience at Fort Benning the very best it could be. For that, I am truly grateful, and I sincerely hope I will be back again someday to chase those pigs. Next time, I’m going to stick one!
Thanks guys. HOO-AH!
BOWHUNTING Editor Christian Berg poses with U.S. Army Ranger David Steinbach and a nice eating hog Steinbach shot with his BowTech Admiral during a March hog hunt at Fort Benning, Ga.
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