Women experience the outdoors together

Young women, all guided by women, participated in a javelina hunt in South Texas, as part of the Texas Youth Hunting Program. Retired game warden and ranch manager Scott Kruegar oversaw the hunt at the Paloma Ranch. Photo by Briana Nicklow.

By Kristin Parma for Lone Star Outdoor News

“Look, there they are!” Ana Ronquillo, 15, exclaimed on a chilly 28-degree South Texas morning.

The group had barely gotten comfortable in the blind before they shuffled Ronquillo’s position to give her an optimal view. One by one, the javelina appeared from the brush line 120 yards away. Ronquillo shouldered the rifle like a seasoned pro and peered down the scope. She had practiced with the rifle at the range the day before, and her guide was confident in her ability to make a perfect shot.

“Are you ready?” her guide asked and Ronquillo nodded before looking down the scope again.

One round was loaded into the chamber and Ana’s mom, Lucero, watched through her binoculars.

The group of javelina kept coming closer to the blind, weaving in and out from one another, making a clear shot difficult. A tree limb in the way, or a whitetail crossing behind, they were surrounded by all kinds of distractions. Ronquillo was reminded to exhale.

Finally, a clear opportunity arrived. Ronquillo clicked the rifle off safety and squeezed the trigger. She made a quick shot on her first javelina of the weekend and her second would follow that evening. Lucero, who had never been hunting with her daughter before, seemed astounded by the whole experience.

“My husband told me to let her (Ana) do her thing but I want to go hunting now too,” Lucero said.

Lucero received her first lesson in hunting that day by looking through the unloaded rifle and practiced aiming at a target. She had the hunting bug

now, too. It was the perfect introduction and opportunity for mother and daughter to experience together. Ana had been hunting since she was 9 years old, primarily with her father but had never experienced the activity with her mother.

Youth hunters Leila Herrington, left, and Kaylie Sellier, right, skin and quarter their javelina harvests after receiving instruction from their mentors. Photo from Briana Nicklow.

“Being a mother of a passionate hunter, I loved to spend the weekend doing what she loves the most with other women,” Lucero said.

The Ronquillos hunted with four other mother/daughter groups on the Paloma Ranch outside of Eagle Pass through the Texas Youth Hunting Program.

Led by an all-women team, the goal of the weekend was to educate on the sometimes-misunderstood collared peccary and give mothers and daughters the opportunity to bond in the outdoors, from first-time hunting with a rifle like youngest hunter, Alex Hairell, 12, who was the first to take both her javelina for the year, to Lucero’s first time watching her daughter harvest an animal.

The weekend was packed with learning opportunities for the mothers and daughters alike, including learning the differences between Texas’ invasive feral hog and native javelina, unique facts about them, rules and regulations on hunting javelina and observing their behavior from a blind, to animal charades back at camp, a guided painting lesson, and even Dutch oven cooking tutorials.

Volunteer and guide Kayla Krueger reflected on her experience of sharing wild game cooking techniques with others.

“So often, people’s solution to preparing wild game is to wrap it in bacon or throw it in the deep fryer,” she said. “That is not necessary. Don’t be afraid to treat game like you would most other meats. Anything tastes great with the right seasoning and a good sear.”

All involved in the hunt left with a new appreciation for the collared peccary, as well as fond and fun memories made alongside each other.