A few weeks back our good friend Mike Pawlawski called and we visited about some upcoming trade shows we would both be attending. Of course as hunters and having our priorities straight, we both realized that we would have some downtime between a couple of these shows.
Mike is the owner of GO Wild Camo and has a show that airs on the Outdoor Channel called “Grid Iron Outdoors”. Mike being a former quarterback in the NFL created this show where he combines his love for the outdoors with friends he has made in the NFL. As we planned this hunt he called his longtime friend Steve “Wiz” Wisniewski and asked if he would like to join us for some Texas hog and predator hunting. Steve agreed so we began putting the logistics in place.
Steve had a great career in the NFL playing 13 years for the Raiders, qualified 8 times for the pro-bowl and is considered by many to be the best offensive guards in modern football history. What many don’t know about Steve is he is also an accomplished hunter and very knowledgeable about firearms. Above all of this he is also a fine Christian with an incredible story of overcoming adversity through faith that he is willing to share.
With it being August and very hot we knew the animals would not be very responsive during the day so we planned our hunt for late evening, through the night, and into the early morning. This meant we would also get to test some new Flir thermal devices that Mike had paired with his Ruger rifles.
As predicted the hogs and predators were apprehensive to move much in the oppressive heat but with the help of the Flir thermal sights/cameras and Convergent calls we did manage to get some great footage for Mike’s show.
Mike and Steve took a break from the hunt to visit with our local High School football team. They both gave a very inspiring pep talk to these kids. This was a real treat for a small 2A rural school.
Early in the hunt Steve had mentioned that a bobcat was high on his bucket list. With the aid of my Overseer bite call I was thankful to be able to call in this last minute cat for Steve.
Hope you enjoy the story and pics. This show should air sometime in January on the Outdoor Channel.
Good Hunting, and God Bless
Byron South