The way I heard of the Johnston Community College Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center was through a magazine advertisement in 2000. The ad mentioned a donation of $10 for a lottery hunt for feral pigs. Since a hunter could send as many $10 donations as he wished, I sent in several and received several acceptance permit hunts. It was easy to receive permits back then. But the program has become so popular it's not as easy now.

Bill Barrett's nice feral hog and Luke Van De Guchte's big buck were taken on the same hunt at Howell Woods. During deer hunts here, hogs can also be taken by hunters. Photo by Mike Marsh.

In recent seasons, deer hunts have been added to the Howell Woods hunt menu. With a corresponding increase in the quality of the deer hunts conducted on the property has come an increase in the quality of the facilities dedicated to hunters.

At the time I participated in my first feral pig hunt at the 2,800-acre property, Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center was just beginning to take shape. The property was donated to the college by Rudolph Howell and had a longer name than today, which was shortened from Rudolph Howell and Sons Environmental Learning Center. It is located on Devils Racetrack Road, which twists and winds parallel to the Neuse River bottomlands. The Neuse River forms one boundary of Howell Woods.

The tract was donated for a wetlands mitigation project and the community college hit the ground running with the gift, viewing it as a major asset that had to pay for itself. The first public hunts targeted feral pigs, both as a control method and to provide a monetary return for managing the property. But hunts are also geared toward educational aspects of the animals and hunting.

Howell Woods is staffed by wildlife biologist James Sasser, operations technician Mike Rose and wildlife technician Jason Parker. Zoology students from N.C. State University also help staff the facility during hunts and for the purpose of conducting population censuses. The hard facilities consist of an office and educational center, heavy equipment and storage facilities for equipment, maintained walkways, paths, roads, campsites and primitive boat ramps. Several ponds are also on the property.

Based on success with the feral pig hunts, hunts for wild turkeys were held, followed by hunts for waterfowl and small game. Other uses of the property include horseback riding, dog field trials and hunt tests, fishing, hiking, bird banding and bird watching. The hunts are tightly controlled to provide maximum benefits to the center, the wildlife resources and the public. However, it wasn't until three years ago that Howell Woods began hosting hunts for white-tailed deer.

Johnston County is an agricultural county and has rich soils along the Neuse River. It is a top producer of Pope and Young bowhunting record bucks because of the soils and vegetative cover. Therefore, the potential for bucks of 130 points and more is certainly established. Sasser said a goal of the program was to provide the management required to help antlered bucks achieve their best potential.