I have hunted at independence ranch 4 times and never had a bad experience, food is always amazing, lodging is always clean, always plenty of animals around read more

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My family and I have visited Independence Ranch twice. Our first experience was excellent. My oldest daughter and I attended after winning a raffle, and we had such a positive time that when I won another raffle, I was genuinely excited to return. Unfortunately, our second visit was extremely disappointing and left us frustrated enough that we will not be returning. For our second trip, I brought both my oldest and youngest daughters and paid extra for what the ranch calls the "Honey Hole" package. From my understanding, the main benefit of this upgrade was being placed in a hunting stand rather than walking through the woods. When we arrived, our guide gathered us along with several other hunting groups. He drew a map in the dirt next to my vehicle and instructed us to walk straight back from the truck until we reached a fence and our stand. He also warned us there were hunters to both the left and right of us and specifically told us to remain between those groups. I asked him twice to confirm: "We just walk straight out from my car and we will hit a fence and our stand?" Both times he answered yes. My daughters and I followed those instructions exactly. As we walked, we could clearly see the hunters to our left, so we intentionally stayed to the right of them. Eventually we reached a fence, but there was no stand. At that moment, we encountered several hogs. Rather than miss the opportunity, all three of us safely took shots and harvested three hogs. We only fired four shots total, all safely and responsibly. I have been hunting for 35yrs and both my daughters have beside me hunting since they were able to walk. At that point we realized we were lost, so I called the ranch exactly as instructed to report that we had harvested three hogs and needed help locating our stand. The guide arrived quickly on a side by side and immediately began yelling at us, accusing us of being nowhere near our assigned location. He claimed our stand was far to the left of where we were. I pointed out that we could still clearly see the hunters he told us to stay between. He also accused us of "shooting like crazy," which was completely untrue. I again reminded him that we followed his instructions to walk straight back from the vehicle. He responded by accusing me of lying and saying my truck was not directly behind us. I then pointed out our vehicle, which was in fact straight behind us exactly as described. The situation became even more frustrating when he drove over and began yelling at another hunting group -- a father and young son -- claiming they were too far to the right and had not followed instructions either. It was obvious they were just as confused as we were. He even recorded a video of them, saying it was to "save his job." Watching a father and child get treated that way was uncomfortable and unnecessary. To make matters worse, after all of this, we were told we needed to load our own hogs on the back of the side by side. During our first visit, the ranch staff handled all of that for us, so the inconsistency in treatment was noticeable. Considering the large amount of money spent on this trip, we did not deserve to be spoken to or treated in such an unprofessional manner. When we returned to camp, we informed the staff that we would be leaving after our hogs were cleaned. After the way we had been treated, there was no reason to stay. Even though I would be wasting a night in the private cabin that I paid for. The father and son from the other group also decided to leave early. The final frustration came when the same guide who had yelled at us approached privately at the freezer and asked for an additional tip "under the table." This was after I had already tipped the ranch boss, understanding that tips were meant to be distributed among the staff. I had absolutely no issue tipping the ranch itself and was already familiar with that process from our first visit. However, being treated disrespectfully and then asked for extra cash privately was completely inappropriate. I want to be fair and say the ranch owner appeared to be a good person, and the other workers we encountered were pleasant. Unfortunately, this particular experience overshadowed the entire trip. For the money spent, customers should expect professionalism, clear communication, and respectful treatment -- especially families hunting with children. Because of this experience, we will not be returning. There are many other outfitters available for Texas hog hunts, and I would encourage others to carefully consider their options before booking. read more

Independence Ranch - Wildlife Hunting Ranges Near Me - Waelder, Texas

I won a three-day, two-night all-inclusive unlimited hog hunt for two people at a National Wild Turkey Federation banquet, and it turned out to be one of the worst hunting experiences I've ever had. Before arriving, I exchanged text messages with Paul "Ranch Boss," who told me all private rooms included a king bed and a fridge/freezer. When we arrived and upgraded to a private room, we found two twin beds, no fridge/freezer, a broken door lock, and even a scorpion in the shower. When we brought this up to Paul, he told us we were "too late" and suggested we look at larger cabins that clearly would have cost even more money. We stayed in the room we had, but felt completely misled from the beginning. That evening, we were sent to an elevated blind. On the way there, staff poured corn in a straight line directly toward the blind instead of spreading it out properly. Once in the blind, we discovered the latch on the door did not work and my husband's chair was broken. Because of how the feed was laid out, the hogs lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, making it very possible to accidentally shoot through one animal into another. Considering the property also had exotics and cattle, this setup felt extremely irresponsible and unsafe. The next morning, we arrived at our stand and discovered there was no feed put out at all, so no animals came in and the entire hunt was wasted. We were later reassigned to another blind, only to discover that latch was broken too. The overall upkeep and maintenance throughout the property was extremely poor. Later that day, we harvested a hog and specifically told the processor we wanted the meat kept in the walk-in cooler until it was vacuum sealed and frozen for transport the next day. We did not want exposed meat sitting loose in a cooler on ice. Saturday morning checkout was another issue. We were never given a receipt, and the charges were simply scribbled on the back of our liability release form, which felt incredibly unprofessional and questionable for a business handling this much money. When we went to pick up our meat, the processor brought out a tub of exposed raw meat and dumped it directly into my cooler. He then threw bags of ice onto the ground and attempted to dump loose ice onto the meat before I stopped him and asked for unopened bags instead. Even after that, he picked up the same dirty ice bags he had thrown on the ground and placed them directly on top of the meat. I have never seen such poor handling of wild game or such disregard for cleanliness, maintenance, and customer experience. This was by far the worst hunting experience I have ever had. read more

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I started to do this review and was about 500 words into it getting more frustrated and pissed off that I didn't review Google and Yelp reviews before booking this! I deleted my rant. Although there was a lot of frustration, confusion and hidden fees, I spent a few days bonding with my brothers and our sons for an amazing experience hanging out with each other. We shared some laughs and that was well worth it in the end! Do your homework, ask questions with the management and get it in writing! The website is misleading and doesn't represent what you'll experience. read more

October 24,2024 my husband and I went to Independence Ranch for a 3 day Ram Hunt. A first for both of us. We had a wonderful time. I met a lot of terrific people. Paul and his staff/family are amazing. Talk about wonderful customer service My husband has been to a couple hog hunts at Independence Ranch over of years. But I haven't been in 11 years My very first hog hunt was at Independence Ranch 11 years ago And I had great time then too. There were some many wonderful changes since my last visit 11 years ago. From different blinds. I like the Van Blind.. But cabins are AWESOME! They are so nice. Not only did I have a great time,I had a comfortable sleep The food was really good too read more

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This place is horribly ran. It's a scam. They bend you over and take all your money. They also clearly don't pay taxes since they only accept cash for all their hidden fees and then refuse to give receipts. They also let pigs just suffer a long death with guts hanging out instead of doing the right thing and ending their life humanely. I will never send my money here again and honestly someone needs to investigate this place. Multiple deaths here have happened and there is no gun safety required here. RUN far away from this place! read more

We had a great time! Paul the owner's sons went above and beyond to make our first experience at ranch amazing. Husband shot 4 boars and our neighbor got 3 boars! See you next year ! read more

A group of 4 of us visited independence ranch in late April, 2025. We had the "All Inclusive Bachelor 3 Hour Hunt". We did end up with two pigs but the organization and communication were terrible. What the web page states and what actually happens are not consistent. You only get three rounds in a clapped out rusty 12 gauge. No further ammo can be purchased. We were split into pairs and sent to "blinds" that were probably 100 yards apart. It seemed like they let maybe 8-10 pigs out of a pen and a bunch of groups of people started shooting. The workers were nice but the owner/manager provided very poor customer service, so I'm giving this 2 stars because we actually got some hogs and the workers were nice. Would not recommend. read more

We had a great time! Snatched up some vittles, and it was worthy of a future trip! Already making plans, with several others this time! read more

Independence Ranch - 45-70 - Wildlife Hunting Ranges Near Me - Waelder, Texas

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If you are seeking a canned hunt with the opportunity to shoot relocated hogs in a shooting gallery- this is the place for you! From the moment I was intercepted at the zoo gate, I was asked if I had my signed release of liability form (to reduce further scrutiny of another death on the property) and cash money (you wouldn't expect an operation like this to pay taxes, credit card fees, or provide a receipt of transpired charges). Shooters (because I refuse to inaccurately refer to patrons as hunters) are required to bring 100 pounds of cracked corn/sweet feed to layout a buffet for the hungry deer and rams in hopes that a hog might be attracted to the buffet line. Luckily, for my time in the blind not one hog approached the feed as if a ram or deer stepped in front of my hog shot, I would have been charged an astronomical trophy fee. I was misled to believe that feral hogs were overwhelming Independence Ranch and this was a solution to help combat the issue while bringing some meat home to my family's table. Self-proclaimed Ranch Boss, Paul C. stated in a YouTube advertisement for his petting zoo "Texas is overrun with hogs. We have so many hogs on this ranch and here in our general region of Texas, that we are hunting them 24/7 365. We never give it a rest, because if we do if we stop for a few months. They're going to run off with the place!" This establishment perpetuates the known issue and capitalizes on it by buying captured hogs and releasing them in a contained environment that gives them the opportunity to reproduce and create more undisclosed revenue for the ranch. Food- decent at best. The extended family who live on the non-working ranch gets expedited service through the buffet line to sit at their reserved table and then it is opened to the patrons who paid for the experience. Lodging- I was hesitant to sleep in the bunkhouse due to my snoring. I didn't want to disturb other shooters. Luckily, they polished off multiple bottles of whiskey and passed out at the picnic tables outdoors giving me private accommodations! They crawled in the cabin just in time to miss the morning hunt, but I guarantee they were still hung over during the mid-morning session at the shooting gallery as we tromped through the woods with high powered rifles just feet away from my minor son. This is hardly a ranch as they buy boxed beef from a supplier. Even more so this is not a business that plays by the rules. I was denied a receipt at checkout of the cash only charges and they did not collect any taxes for product, services rendered, or accommodations. I left tip money on the buffet line tip jar but was still demanded a cash tip at check out before I was able to collect my belongings and exit the safari park. read more

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This was a great place to hunt. They really treat you well. Other reviews said it was in-safe... Horse feathers! My son and I are both law enforcement firearm instructors and there was nothing weird or unsafe going on here. I live about :45 minutes away and have hogs on my property, so we go for the amenities and the ability to just "get away". Paul "Ranch Boss" is a great guy and will work with you. read more

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Hi, to everyone ! I just made it back from the ranch after a 3 days hunt with my 17 year old boy. I respect and understand all of your expectations from this place . My personal experience at the Ranch as my first time was Very good as I did all my homework before we got there. I did read all the online reviews I could and especially the bad ones. I knew all about this place before we got there based on some people having not what they expected. I was not disappointed on my part as I agreed to go . And yes they run an operation that does not always allow them to be relaxing or Friendly. When you get people shooting guns there is always something that can go wrong. There is more options for a private cabine. but I definitely liked the lack of comfort, especially to get my son away from it and get a more rustic outdoor experience. . It was like a training camp for him and the fact that he wasn't coddled helped him to excel himself. If I wanted comfort I probably stayed in a hotel but that wasn't the point of this trip. We went to shoot some wild pigs and that is what we did .I did have an opportunity to talk with them in moments when they weren't very busy and as a latino in Texas they treat me very well . I also realized there were problems with some hunters that kept them worried . Yes we paid for the pound for cleaning but as a business they need to make some money right ? Plus talking to the crew who do all the cleaning I was told that there are some days that they don't have any cleaning to do and the ranch still pay them for. It was good to hear that !!.. As I said before I did my homework before and I don't have anything to cry about as I knew what was about . I do respect all your opinions as it helped me to expect something bad but it wasn't the case. For that i will give this place a 5 star !!! Jorge P. read more

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The owner is an absolute slime ball. He is worse that a used car salesman. He told one hunter $1700 for a Ram. The guy pays it and the next day goes out to find a Ram. After about 20 minutes the guide says what are you looking for. The hunter say one like that with the horns. He was told no, those are $2800. So he asked what can I get for $1700? They said one without horns. The hunter asked what about for $2000? They said we only have $1700 without horns or $2800 with horns. They would not give a refund so the choice was to shoot one without horns or pay more. When you buy a Ram hunt doesn't that mean a Ram with horns. It is the dishonesty, just say $2800 up front and the guy would have paid it. Now that customer is pissed. The A-hole owner does this with everything. They have freezers but don't freeze your meat they put it on ice. When you check out they charge you $5 per bag per hog and 2 bags per hog over 100 lbs. I am fine with paying for ice but don't tell me after the fact. He purposely doesn't tell you things or tells you something different, then nickels and dimes you for everything. He could have a great operation if he was just honest. I will never go back and I will tell everyone I know to not go. Mine was a "free" trip as well that ended up costing a lot of money. P.S. DON'T HUNT HERE, IT ISN'T SAFE, ONE GUY WAS KILLED A YEAR AGO. read more

Called the ranch today regarding prices , hogs , they claim wild hogs but ranch is fully fenced, guy I spoke with on phone demanded payment which we allready did but we're told we couldn't schedule until 90 days out , then told today we should've scheduled long ago. We asked for refund since we never scheduled but paid. Ranch denied us refund and hung up phone. At best this ranch is a scam . DO NOT , I REPEAT DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE. We are out $1200 , and never even made it to Texas. Damn shame! read more

Love this hunting ranch. Plenty of animals to hunt, you will never leave empty handed! Great staff, food have lots of variety, great new log cabins. Even if you bring none hunter, they can go with you everywhere. They use every possible moment for you to spend hunting, and if you don't feel like it, you can chill at your cabin or go play pool. You can exchange your hog for a sausages, and OMG they have sooo many options, I was stunned by selection. Will be coming back, don't even wanna look for something else. read more

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I found out about this place after watching a video of IraqVeteran8888 on YouTube. And for me, and my expectations of a full service hunting experience, this checked all the boxes. Good food, friendly / helpful staff, and decent accommodations. I'd recommend befriending your hunt boss (he'll tell you the secret spots, along with some funny stories). Ours was Steve, and he was fantastic! I'd strongly recommend paying the $100 for the Honey Hole blinds, and the additional $100/night for your own private cabin (although if you're with a group of 3-4 you'll more than likely get your group their own room in the Bunkhouse). An experience to be remembered! read more

Independence Ranch - Sunday Morning Breakfast - Wildlife Hunting Ranges Near Me - Waelder, Texas

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I have hunted my whole life in Mn and I have never had such a terrible experience. A scam for sure. Don't give them your business. I got a one day hunt ($250 with rusty 12 gauge rental) and was blindsided by a lot of hidden charges ($75 for any pig under 70 lbs and $1.50 per lbs for anything larger) (25 dollar orange hat) (3 dollars for each low quality shotgun shell) . They start by asking if you have cash at the door because it is understood that you will be up-charged heavily. It was very clear at the 30 min mark that this was not going to be a good hunt. The whole ranch smelled like death. Hundreds of hogs (many wounded,missing limbs, or with birth defects) jam packed into a small property with hundreds of other large animals (always in the backdrop of your shot). You can walk up and pet the pigs because they are shot to hell and have no will to live. From someone who truly appreciates the challenge of the hunt this only made me sad and upset. It felt more like executing animals rather than hunting. After 45 min of pure disappointment I attempted to shorten my hunt from 8 hours to 3 hours and the owner rudely told me about the fine print on the website as well as "get back out there". Offering no refunds what so ever. I ended my hunt after one hour. I will never go back and it has left an awful taste in my mouth about all ranches and game farms. (Key points) owner was a d$@k, lethargic near death animals, many unknown expenses, Unsatisfying experience. (0/5) stars would be more accurate. read more

Overall: the experience was great. Visited for a two day hunt on Feb 26-27, 2021. Staff was professional, not super talkative, but friendly! Food: best meal was breakfast, dinner included bbq. BBQ wasnt the best I have ever had but not terrible. Accodmation: we got the private cabin and it was nice and cozy. Hogs: my father-in-law and I saw roughly 5 hogs during our two days (3 were beyond firing range with our AR15s). We shot 2 hogs for a total of 270 lbs of "live weight." I think the recent snow storm decimated the hogs because I had heard this place had tons of hogs but we did not see very many. I wouldnt sign up for the meat package. We thought we would see a ton and shoot alot of hogs but again only could shoot 2 during our time there. Definitely sign up for the honey hole and hopefully when you do the night hunt the deer dont come and eat all your corn. Overall, a fun and nice place, just might get unlucky on seeing alot of hogs. read more

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I think giving this ranch 1 star is generous. an absolute money scan. A entry Fee, a fee per pound and im almost fairly certain they steal meat. theyre in a constant rush and Steve was an absolute prick. and as youre leaving they demand a tip for opening a gate and letting hogs run. absolutly attrocious. read more

Friend and I get here and they set us up with a cool 1k meat thing and it's just not possible. I'd suggest to not offer this to clients if you knowingly set them in bad blind spots night one where the wind is immediately going to the bait and holler up and down that theres hogs, because theres not especially if they can smell us seems like a real big oversight for an almost 300 acre lot. The Honey Hole was a Vinegar Hole. My friend and I got set up in the middle where there is no blind and everyone around us was rapid firing like crazy. This is a very unsafe situation to be put into this was making us scared for our own lives and it became a duck and hide instead of a hunt. We didn't have any cover let alone any concealment how we're we suppose to get a hog like this? 200$ for a 98lb pig is outrageous. After this amazing luck we told them to set us up where the pigs will be and guess what.... right back to that same spot where we were skunked with a 50lb hog the night prior.... we brought 200lbs of feed just watch the livestock eat it up.... shoulda just shot a cow at these prices. 1.5k for a thousand lbs of meat that is not guaranteed, 200 in just "booking" fees, 200 again for the "Piss" Hole because it's 100 per person, the cost of 200lbs of feed then to wrap it all up we have the cost of fuel both ways, all for 198lbs of meat, what a scam and an absolute afront to God and Texas.... BTW can someone please feed the Elk with the money yall took from us cause man the ribs were all showing. If I could give 0 stars I truly would but the food was absolutely amazing. I'd honestly never come back even if I lived in the same state 30min away. read more

DO NOT GIVE THIS PLACE YOUR BUSINESS. THIS PLACE IS A SCAM. Recently went here as a group of 6 for a bachelor party (all experienced hunters just looking to have a "guided" hunt) and this was the worst experience we have ever had. First off there was an initial disagreement on the verbally agreed price before arrival. Second the owner and all the workers there were rude, unprofessional, narcissistic, unfriendly, and just straight up ass holes. Be prepared to show up and get nickel and dimed off everything you possibly could. And then get blamed that it was your fault for not reading the "FAQ". When there was NEVER an emphasize on reading the FAQ prior to arrival. There was ZERO Gun/hunter safety given prior to the hunt. Multiple (unclean) shot guns were handed out with the safety off. Everything had to be paid cash, through Zelle, or through cash app/venmo. The amount of tax evasion this place does has to be unreal. We were charged for the guided hunt, which was COMPLETELY unguided, we were told "walk to the yellow building and then go past it and wait". No map, direction or guide at all. That accompanied with the disrespectful comments and communication made it the complete worst experience ever. Be prepared to be additionally charged $50 for an orange vest and orange hat. Be prepared to ALSO PAY PER HOG YOU SHOOT. Because you HAVE TO PROCESS anything you kill. And they will charge $1.50 per LIVE HOG WEIGHT. On top of that, the meat you receive is NOT FULLY PROCESSED. They gut and pull the hide off and cut the meat off in quarters for what you'd like to take. It is Not processed ground pork, or encased sausage. And they FORCE YOU to pay even if you don't want the meat. If you choose to hunt here, be prepared to feel like a nuisance, like you're not wanted and/or a valued customer. They don't give a shit if you're there or not, they only care if you pay them in cash. Please enjoy the video I took of our conversation with the owner before paying for our hogs to be "processed". Where at the end he gladly decided to insult me and the group I was in. read more

Four of us went down for an "all inclusive" 3-day hog hunt at the end of January, beginning of February 2023. When we pulled in the gate, we were stopped (by the owners) and asked who had let us in, quite rudely. We told them (the owners) that a guide let us in and after that they made a strange remark that they were just counting the money coming in the gate. We all went to the main headquarters, got assigned to our rooms and were unpleasantly surprised to find they were about 30 degrees with one small heater and 2 sheets for each of us to sleep under. The showers and restrooms were also very cold. Our "guide" was a very unpleasant individual. He would not look up from his phone most the time to answer questions. All the "guide" does on this ranch is tell you which stand to go to and sits in the headquarters. The owner walked through the lodge numerous times and never once would talk to the guests and ask how the stay or anything was. He acted like he was too good to say hello. The kitchen staff was personable and friendly, and the food was decent, although we paid about $900 a piece to eat spaghetti. You get charged a gratuity charge, which does not go to the kitchen staff, only to the "guide." I am not certain if the butchers got any of the tip either. This was supposed to be an all-inclusive hunt, but we got no ice, no water, and no pop. We each got hogs which was nice, but it's not really a hog hunt, more like a shooting fish out of a barrel experience. The trappers in the area come and put the hogs in a pen, and before you (the hunter) go to the stands, they let a couple hogs out. We also paid for 400lbs of feed to lure in the hogs, but we only ended up using 50lbs. We did not get refunded for the amount we didn't use, but rather the ranch used it to feed the variety of other animals they had there. The butcher staff and pick-up guys were personable and good to deal with as well. There was another group of guys that rented rifles from the ranch but ended up having to test over half a dozen guns before they found one that was useable. One of the guns was plugged with mud. Luckily the hunter they handed it to had enough brain to open the action and look down the barrel after seeing the shotgun coated with mud. The ranch originally charged these guys for every round they shot trying to find a working gun, but eventually got reimbursed after having to ask. Make sure to show up in a car that can make it through mud. Even if it's raining, you have to drive your own vehicle to the stands. If you go to this place to shoot a pig, take lots of cash. After paying for this all-inclusive hunt, without purchasing anything extra, we ended up owing an additional $1700 at the end in unexpected fees. The owner wanted us to use all the cash we had prior to using Venmo to pay for the rest. No credit cards! Finally, this is a pretty small ranch with too many people on it. They definitely overbook. It can get very dangerous, very quickly. read more

Great experience hog hunting at the Independence Ranch. Steve is a no nonsense guide & extremely informed. Great weekend. read more

The "hunt" was conducted from a series of blinds arranged along the line of a dirt road. The hogs were kept in a pen at the extreme left of the blinds. Once released, the group of hogs (around 10 or so) would run flat out from the left to right in front of the blinds. The firing zone was approximately 50 feet across at the widest giving the shooter only a second or two to make a clean shot One of the hogs had been gut shot and was running with a large amount of bowel dragging on the ground from an abdominal wound. Most of the hogs proved to be pretty smart (doing this death run multiple times a day) and would run straight towards and then behind the blinds, staying out of the firing zone. The only hunters who got kills were the ones in the left most blinds. On this day the hogs were visible twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. The business website states "No Kill Fees", however when you get into the fine print there is a $1.50 per lb processing fee for each hog killed. The cost was $275, and the business website stated that each hunter was to bring 100lbs of feed which we did. However, upon arriving we were told the feed was not needed, but we could donate it to the Ranch. That did not sit well with us. This was a highly unsatisfying experience, and I would not recommend the Independence Ranch for single day hog hunts. read more

They don't disclose you have to pay per pound what you shoot. Also you have to wear fluorescent orange to sit in a makeshift blind to have hand fed hogs guided right to you. It was more like shooting clay pigeons than actually hunting read more

I won a hunt and after showing up I was $675 in the hole. Killed two pigs which cost me another $200 and then they charged me another $50 to clean the pigs. When I got home I did not have either hind qtrs on the larger pigs. Total ripoff read more

A buddy of mine and I spent three days here on the hog hunt. It was a lot of fun on the high fence ranch. The staff were polite and very helpful and the lodging and food were frankly better than what I had expected. The only downside we observed was the roads inside the ranch were pretty slick and rutted with all the recent rains. But they weren't a problem for those of us with pick up trucks. For those with cars or smallerish SUVs, the staff offered rides to the blinds. There are quite a few exotics out here as well as other hunters. So, definitely identify your target as well as what is in the background. read more

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The hogs are trapped then later released within the relatively small confines of the ranch. As such, there can be plenty of hogs to shoot. This type of hunting is canned hunting. So be advised, if that is your thing, enjoy. Also, be warned that the butchering costs quickly add up. I paid more than twice the coast in 'butchering fees' as the actual cost of the (canned) hunt. As hunters/shooters are not allowed to take part in the butchering process, not even basic field dressing, the butchering fees are charged at the full hog weight. Having done more research into other outfits, one can easily spend the same amount on a guided 2-3 day (proper) hunt as you won't get hosed with the butchering fees. And finally, except for the butchering crew, I found the attitude of most of the ranch staff to be arrogant and pretentious. read more

DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE Complete scam it's like shooting your neighbors dog you pull up to the gate and the first question they ask is do you have cash you pay and go out and by the time you realize it's a scam they deny you any type of refund the owner Paul was a complete prick and the animals where tame I wish I could give negative stars read more

This was a great trip , This ranch is more about shooting than actual hunt there are so many pigs that the hunting part is picking the one you want .. We are archery hunters and did very well both sitting and walking .. My advice is that you read everything on the site and there will be No surprises .. As for the staff they are great ,real helpful and want you to have a great time . Steve the guide ran a very tight ship as he should ,you dont want to hold others up because your not paying attention .. If you get your feelings hurt easily than this is not the place for you ! All four in are group agree we would do this again ... read more

Let me start off with that the overall experience was great. We harvested 990 lbs. of wild hogs and really enjoyed the trip. The staff was great and the "Ranch Boss" Paul was nice and a straight shooter, but make no mistake he likes cash and is a business man. Our guide Steve, which we referred to as "Mr. Personality", has a very dry sense of humor and a foul mouth, so don't take offense and give it right back to him. He will warm up to you. We stayed in the new cabins and were wowed by the deluxe accommodations, it's worth the extra money. The only downside was it had little water pressure in the shower, but the shower was warm. The food was good and there was plenty of it. They could do a better job, explaining the hunts and what to expect. In many cases the blinds were nothing more than folding chairs out in the open. Be prepared for inclement weather, since it rained we had to go to Walmart (10 min away) to pick up some rubber boots, because it was a soupy mess. If you're bringing an AR or rifle, I would recommend iron sights or a red-dot scope. Many of your shots will be taken at 30 yards or less. (The longest shot I took was about 75 yards.) We brought AR10's with high power scopes, which was great, but hindsight we would've been happier with iron sights. The exotic animals were great to watch, but they ate all the corn that had been spread out. So there was nothing for the hogs. (Everyone complained of about that). We would definitely go back because of the overall fun we had. Keep in mind, with a trip like this is more for the experience, and you definitely want to bring your money. If you are looking JUST to fill your freezer, you'd be financially better off buying the meat at Walmart. The stories that were crafted and exchanged on this trip was priceless. read more

NEVER EVER BOOK THE ALL INCLUSIVE HOG HUNT UNLESS YOU WANT TO LOSE MONEY!! More about the all inclusive hog hunt in a minute. First, about the hunt... The food was good, the facilities decent, and the staff was friendly. That's the reason for the two stars. The actual hunt: The entire hunt is canned (fully fenced) and they release hogs twice a day from pens. I am kind of ashamed that I participated in this type of "hunt." At night, you go to a blind and hope that along with cattle, rams, and deer, a hog comes and eats your bait. (You have to bring 100 lbs of feed per hunter.) But during the day it's a different story. In my opinion, the ranch was dangerously overbooked. There were about 50 people hunting at the same time in a confined area. About 2/3s of the hunters I spoke with had little to no hunting or firearms experience. You are told to walk in a straight line with 10 to 12 people you've never met and hope for the best. I chose to go back to my cabin and await the night hunt which was relatively safe. Now about the ALL INCLUSIVE HOG HUNT. (I'm sorry but I need to be very detailed to show that this is a no-win purchase.) So if you have read the reviews and still wish to go on this hunt, BOOK THE $399 HUNT, NOT THE ALL INCLUSIVE HUNT. You are guaranteed to lose money on the all inclusive. Here's why... So one person books the $399, 3-day hunt. He pays $399. At the ranch he pays the $100 guide fee + one dollar per pound for each hog he shoots. A different hunter books the "All Inclusive" hunt for $699. He basically pays for the $399 hunt + the $100 guide fee + 200 lbs of hog in advance. BUT WAIT. There's a catch: one hog can weight up to 50 lbs and the other up to 150 lbs. BUT WAIT. There's another catch that is not on the website. If you go over by even one pound on either hog, YOU LOSE THE MONEY YOU ALREADY PAID IN ADVANCE. Here's some examples of how purchasing the All Inclusive hunt is a guaranteed losing proposition. Hunter "A" purchased the $399 hunt. He pays the $100 guide fee when he arrives at the ranch. He shoots a 90 lb. hog and a 60 lb. hog (total weight 150 lbs). He pays a total of $649. Hunter "B" purchased the "All Inclusive" hunt and prepaid $200 for hogs. He shoots the same as hunter "A", a 90 lb. and a 60 lb. hog. The $90 hog is applied to the "up to 150 lb. hog" included in the package. But the 60 lb. hog is over 50 lbs so this hunter has to pay a full additional $60. He loses the money he already paid in the package. So Hunter "B" paid $699 + $60 for a total $759, for a loss of $110 over what he would have paid if he purchased the non-inclusive hunt. Are you seeing how this is a no-win purchase? One more example: If a hunter purchased the all inclusive and shot a 151 lb. and a 51 lb. hog he would get no credit for the 200 lbs he already paid for and would have to pay an additional $202, for a total of $901. This is a $200 loss from what he would have paid if he purchased the $399 hunt. The only way to break even is to shoot one hog weighing exactly 150 lbs and one hog weighing exactly 50 lbs. I truly believe those odds are on par with winning the lottery. So if you still want to go here, make sure to not purchase the all inclusive hunt. In my opinion, canned hunts are about as ethical as the billing practices of this ranch. read more

If you're a hunter with any experience, do not consider the 3-hour hog hunt. Very disappointing experience and not worth it at half the price. My advice is to find a private property owner whose land is being destroyed by hogs and arrange a private hunt. It will be more rewarding for everyone. read more

Our party of 3 had a very good time. I have read all the other reviews and I will try to reconcile the polarization of them. I will relate the consensus from my party. My son in law who was on his first hunt, myself, an occasional hunter that now has some disabilities, and our friend who is a very seasoned hunter. 1) This place is not for everyone. Do your research. Manage your expectations. This is for new to fairly new hunters. For that niche, it is awesome. Such was the case with my son in law. I am partly disabled so it worked well for me too. Our seasoned hunter got a big kick out of seeing us enjoy ourselves and mentoring. The ranch is teeming with game, but it has a lot of rules. As in "Top Gun" -- "these rules are here for your safety" 2) They offer two ways of hunting. Blind hunts, and an area where stalking in a line of 2 or 3 hunters (normally) is allowed on a section of land. We did both. 3) Safety- If you are one of these people who have been hunting a while and never had to be limited to shooting lanes or staying in your blind when shooting from a blind and think - "the rules are only for the novices", you may not enjoy yourself. Because they are strict. They err to the side of safety. There is absolutely no reason to do something that violates the rules. If the pig is out of bounds- wait five minutes- either that pig or an equal will appears. There are no "epic-once in a life time shots" to be had. However there are endless opportunities to get a nice pig of whatever size you prefer from - 40 lbs to 175lbs- which is the basic range of weights we observed (and killed). Obeying the rules will STILL result in a freezer full of meat and a nice set of tusks or two. So If you already know it all and are such a great hunter, go to Montana and climb mountains with a guide. 4) Staff- Outstanding!! The food was great, our guide Steve was absolutely perfect and hilarious with a cynical but light hearted sense of humor. He has seen it all. Wild Bill seemed fun too. Lots of laughing and jokes. (Unless you violate rules) it is full service. You just shoot it. You watch as they pick it up and take it to camp where they have a nice set up to field dress it and butcher it--- or send it for sausage. Everybody works hard. The Ranch Boss, Paul, has gotten some bad reviews. He was just fine with us, completely reasonable. It is true that their multiple packages can get confusing, and sometimes they make small errors- their first priority is getting everyone into the field to maximize their time in the blinds so they don't always wrangle the contracts until its time to pay up- so it is sort of your responsibility to make sure your hunt includes what you paid for. You CAN shoot pretty much anything you want- just get your wallet out at the end. If there is an error, be nice. How would you expect people who sell you a boost of testosterone for a living to act when you come in telling them they are all screwed up? Frankly, after the reviews, we thought Paul was going to be difficult when we went to him with a couple of issues at the end of the hunt. We were reasonable, he was reasonable-everybody walked away happy. 5) Accommodations- Rustic, but serviceable. It isn't the Ritz nor is it a USMC barracks. We got the private rooms- unless you have your wife or young kids, the bunk house is fine. As best I can tell, the rooms are identical in both. The extra money is just to detach you from the other rooms that are all under the same roof in the bunkhouse- and parking is a little closer. If you are looking to cut a few corners on price. Just stay in the bunkhouse. 6) Finally- Processing- Our consensus- we recommend 100% sausage. They process the game expertly, but they don't wrap the parts it in butcher paper and label so you end up with a big cube of frozen miscellaneous meat in your ice chest. You must later thaw the meat slowly, separate it and label it. That is a lot of work. This is the only part of the hunt that is bit at odds with the complete "full service" aspect. But in their defense, they process a lot of pigs, many late at night and wrapping and labeling would really take a lot more time. That same guy you keep up until midnight may taking you out at 630a. So I think that is the issue. Conclusion: My group had a lot of fun- The only reason I did not give 5 stars was that there was indeed some confusion on packages including the difference in accommodations-- and the "big cube of meat" issue. Had we opted to stay in the bunkhouse and went there only wanting sausage, it would have easily been a 5. Still a great and memorable time of my son in law's first hunt, and perhaps, my last. read more

This is a well run establishment, our group of 7 first time hunters had a great experience. Our guide Steve was incredibly knowledgeable and had an impeccable sense of humor. All of the staff was friendly. Accommodations were super basic but that's exactly what we were expecting, after all it was a hunting trip not a vacation at the Ritz. The most important part was the hogs, we had ample opportunities to bag a hog. Everyone in our group his coming home with meat. I would recommend this place especially for first time hunters. read more

Did not feel safe here, no one checked the hunters ed. requirement before the hunt. I was under the impression that this would be a "guided" hunt. I am a novice hunter and no one guided you to anything, left on your own to do everything yourself. I am really at a loss what the $100 "guide Fee" actually went to, seems like an unnecessary upcharge. Also, paying for 100 pounds of feed so I can feed your exotic animals is BS. Everything about this place reeks of a business model that only wants to milk the customer for every last dollar possible. Would love to hear what the $399.00 2-day hunting package actually gets you besides a shitty mattress and 5 decent meals. Everything, and i mean everything, was a cash only upcharge. I highly doubt this place is up to date with their taxes. Luckily I was with a bunch of buddies, some of who know what they were going and were able to help me out on my first hunt because no help was provided by the ranch. At the end of day, I did have a fun time here but that was thanks to the great company I was with. The reality is, it's a huge rip-off for a small ranch with zero fair chase hunting policies in place and would recommend somewhere else. read more

I would say the current rating of 3.5 stars is certainly a reach. Found the staff to be incredibly unfriendly (understatement) and the actual 'hunting' to be extremely dangerous. You are simply placed on the edge of the property with multiple hunters to your left and right with no natural barriers. The hogs are released and run around the outer edge of the property. You are basically sitting in a lawn chair and shooting them as they run by. No hunting to it. read more

This was the best time that I have had Hunting in a Long Time. I met some really great people. However, I never met a person that I didn't like. The staff Wild Bill, Brian, and Steve as well as the Kitchen staff are great. I was struggling with getting a Hog mostly due to my own excitement and not taking my Time. Wild Bill helped me with that, and I was able to relax take my time with a shot. I would recommend this with Friends or Father and Child outings. read more

ATTENTION: BEWARE I'm gonna review my first and last stay at independence ranch. Before going to independence ranch, i talked to Paul ("ranch boss") on the phone several times and told him that we are bow hunters and that my girlfriend needs a good first archery experience before we go to Africa next year. I asked him about success rates, if he's had other archers, and from what he explained, i expected a realistic hunting scene. Some things were out of the ranch's control, like the weather. It rained for the first time in months so it wasn't ideal hunting weather; no fault to the ranch. Things that could have been more accommodating on their part: roofs on many of the blinds (there were no roofs on any of the blinds we were at so we were exposed to the rain from sun up till late afternoon), a better driveway or at least fair warning that we would get stuck several times in our normal sized sedan. We got stuck pulling out of the parking lot so we could go to Walmart for more supplies, i spent 30 mine alone with no help from staff (after asking for help), once it was 1:30 and i came to Paul for the second time, he then decided to grab a staff member to help. By the time we got the car out of the driveway, we were out of time for our Walmart trip otherwise we would've missed the 2 o'clock hunt. Time could've been made if i had been helped when i asked the first time. We purchased 1 bag per person of feed and when it's spread before the hunt, it looks like 2-3 cups of corn were thrown on the ground. Before the hogs get there, the (very tame) exotic deer have arrived and eaten the corn before we could even take a seat in the blind. Once some pigs finally showed up (on the third hunt of the second day) they had just arrived on the property. So for an archery Hunter, if you can't hit a pig while it's running in a group, this is not the place for you. It is near impossible to get them to stop and make an ethical, clean kill. I was so disappointed overall with what expectations I was given when I booked the trip, that we decided to leave early. The only upsides were that I met some really awesome hunters that are now friends and the chef always had a great meal prepared for us. I hope that this will help anyone that is ready to drop a thousand dollars or more on a hog hunt. Do your research. We failed to check the other Yelp reviews and it cost us valuable time and money for very little return. There's a reason this place has 3 stars. read more

Our trip included four hunters. My 2-star rating is largely due to Paul's demeanor and the unsafe hunting conditions. The rest of the staff was cordial, accommodating, and genuinely interested in ensuring we had a great experience. We arrived Fri at 2 and checked in with Paul. Paul was condescending, rude, and unapologetic. We had all paid $350 for the weekend trip. Paul requested an additional $100 guide fee and $30 fee for corn. He stated "you wouldn't go fishing without bait, would ya?" There are two issues here: 1) the exotics are very aware of feeding times and eat all the corn at each blind, and 2) this info is listed in the FAQs, #23! The guide fee buys you a YouTube video of how to get to your blind (filmed in a different season btw) and a guide stating "ok, go to your blind." Nothing else! There were 35 hunters on our trip. Shooting lanes are very narrow, and while I know Steve understands the terrain and has tried to establish safe shooting lanes, this is difficult to accomplish with the volume of hunters combined with the area of the ranch. For example, there is a range where hunters can site in their weapons. It is only available for 45min during the meal hour. Inconvenient, but likely established this way for safety. HOWEVER, while we were siting our weapons we observed 3 hunters ~125 yards out walking toward the range line of fire! We stopped shooting and I addressed the issue with Steve. He was initially defensive, IMO, and exclaimed his expertise. He reported that those hunters were supposed to be stationary. They weren't. Hunters are responsible for where each round lands, regardless of intent. Oh, and a "guide" was supposed to be present at the range during shooting times, but we never observed any. I fear somebody could be seriously hurt or killed with this set up. I must also report the stellar customer service of the chef, Michael. We had excellent meals and he frequently inquired as to our experience. Michael was by far the best during our weekend! I recommend the ranch limit the number of hunters/day. Perhaps the paths to each blind can be color-coated so hunters can find them more easily. Establish a range with a dedicated guide in an area where there is no chance of hunters crossing the shooting lane. Humans are innately fallible, and may wonder off(kids) unsuspectingly into the path of a bullet. One event like this is too many! It is best to analyze and mitigate BEFORE it occurs. Paul should attend a customer service course; there are many available on Linkedin learning. read more