Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, Four Oaks, NC
This year is the first in ten that I haven’t travelled to eastern North Carolina to hunt feral pigs at Howell Woods. Over these years, I’ve hunted with Wounded Warriors and Mennonite pacifists. I’ve watched Duke-educated foresters conduct a controlled burn of Loblolly Pines, and hobby environmentalists birding. A Ford F-350 forded swollen creeks to drop me off at my tree stand, and a Gator retrieved me and my harvest after dark. I’ve carried Dad’s old deer rifle, a sub-MOA Ruger M77 and an ACOG-topped custom 6.8mm SPC carbine, while others hunted after dark using night vision and suppressors. On my most successful hunt, a half dozen hunters witnessed me kill three pigs with one round. Other years, I sat alone in a tree stand two miles from camp for the entire weekend, just listening to the sounds of Creation.
While I visited Howell Woods as a hunter, you need not hunt to appreciate the property. Part environmental laboratory, part hunting camp and part nature preserve, this tract of 2,800 acres along the Neuse River draws visitors as diverse as its wildlife. In addition to hunting, Howell Woods offers camping, fishing, trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, workshops and classes – even geocaching. (Rates & Fees)