Trad Gang
Topic Archives => Memorable Hunts => Topic started by: KPaul on February 16, 2009, 11:47:00 AM
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For me,the only way to describe "The Paradise" is to use William Faulkner's southern hunting tale "The Big Woods".The Paradise is filled with the same mystery and traditions:having places like the cemetery,trashcan woods,the garden and the convicts' camp.When you drive through the gate,it's as if you've gone back in time to that era when the land and hunting were an essential part of society.The faded photographs on the camp kitchen wall give silent testimony to the great hunts and hunters that have passed in time before you.I felt humbled and and pressured to continue that tradition on my first ever hog hunt. - to be continued.
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(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f206/ayakub/HOGS/paradise1.jpg)
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YEEEHAAAA I've been waiting for this one :thumbsup: :campfire: :coffee:
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I'll be jumping in on this with a story and more pics too. Had the absolute time of my life.
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That pic looks like a really neat landscape
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I've never seen such a diverse habitat, but The Paradise is 4000 acres. If you ever go, better bring your walking shoes, and maybe your bathing suit, if you follow Matt :D
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(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f206/ayakub/HOGS/paradise-palms.jpg)
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Less than an hour after Andy and I arrived in camp,Terry Green had me stalking 7 hogs at the far end of a field.As I worked my way along the edge of the field,I could see the sun radiating of the back of a good size red hog.These pigs were too busy tearing up the ground to notice this big old northern boy edging towards them.I decided to move from the edge of the field out towards the main group.The wind was in my face and the pigs were facing away from me.The big sow in the group started to turn towards me and I froze in my tracks.It's hard for a 240 pound man to hide behind a longbow.She stared at me for what seemed liked an eternity but then went back to churning the earth.Now all the hogs were facing me.My heart was pounding and momma pig was starting to stare me down.With 40 yards left to go things were headed south.Any thoughts I had of closing the distance evaporated when the sow led the group into the thicket leaving me with grunts and squeals as a goodbye.As I stood there shaking,Terry Green approached me smiling.Terry's only comment was "that sow was lookin at you liked you owed her money!"
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I don't know who was more excited that night around the fire. Terry was so tore up he hardly let Dr. Kev tell the story!
Great start to the weekend that's for sure!
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Man I love hog hunting stories!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :campfire:
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This is shaping up to be a great story...can not wait read more.
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At least Terry didn't tell you "It's time for you to make your move" like he did me, later. I was ready to fix bayonets and go runnin' after 'em
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/whoffman1955/Friends/StJudes2009paradise.jpg)
Americas Most Wanted
Andy, Dr Kevin, Jerry Brumm, Biggie, Matt, Terry
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Yeah...I get exited at times....and I hope I never lose it!!!
I picked up a souvenir on this trip as well...will post a pic later...
Fun trip...wish it lasted another day of course.
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It is a suspicious looking group.Most likely to be searched by TSA at the airport.Montana looks like she wants nothing to do with this bunch.
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We met up with Terry Green after the drive in from Ohio on Wednesday afternoon. Biggie Hoffman, Jerry Brumm from Great Northern Archery and Matt Schuster were already there and ready when we got there.
Since I couldn't see any fresh blood stains on Biggie's special 'pruning' shears,
(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f206/ayakub/HOGS/doubleyikes.jpg)
this city boy put his snake boots on and hit the road with Matt.
Starting out, I made a severe tactical error in letting Matt know I oughta be in decent enough shape to walk awhile since I'd been running the treadmill at 6% incline for the past couple months, and this place seemed flat, relative to Ohio. Pretty sure he took that as a challenge and off we went....and went...and went...and went some more.
Matt told me when he saw the snake boots to just not notice them (the snakes) and I'd (probably) be allright. I looked down and noticed he was wearing NB hiking tennis shoes so he must not worry about them a whole lot. Then I thought in his tennis shoes, he really only has to just outrun me, not the snake. So to start (and I guess to cure me), he took me out thru a pretty good swamp behind the camp which is known as the 'Clear Cut'. This walk/swim would eventually bring us up on the back side of a food plot at the end of the day, where Jerry was working...
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Rough looking group, but whose Drahthaar? Looks just like my Jude.
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/whoffman1955/IMG_0084.jpg)
This one is to get Guru fired up...these 3 gobblers were in the cemetary food plots.
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After stretching my legs a good bit with Matt, toward the end of the day, we spotted several hogs working their way toward us down a road perpendicular to the one we were on as we walked by its opening. We ducked over the side quickly and into the woods when at one point it looked they might be headed away all of sudden they began coming our way again. This went on for awhile until we eventually had them run off for good.
The next day Terry, me, and some low cut camp shoes (my feet were killing me from the snakeboots I shouldn't have worn) went out to check some foodplots and working our way back toward the camp we snuck up on a good size sow with BUNCHES of piglets and a few other bigger ones mixed in. The sow was out in front of the group and she hopped up on the road 30 yards away and gave me a quick look, then turned facing me, stopped, and took a few steps toward me and stopped and stared....
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:coffee: thanks for the wakeup!
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Thanx Biggie :clapper: :pray:
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Biggie, if it was'nt for the sun shining ,I swear those were Ohio turkeys!
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/whoffman1955/IMG_0085.jpg)
Andy (left) and Matt slinkin around the Paradise.
I don't know what Matt has against Bob Dillon
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I do Bob can't sing, an should have remained a writer only. :campfire: YEEE HAAAA
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how many bows can Biggie skin with that snake?!? :scared:
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Really eating my heart out with this story. If I remember right Tippit and I were one mouse clik away from telling this story ourselves. :thumbsup:
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Keep it coming fella's...I will be checking this one first thing in the morning.
Chris
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.... Terry later said "she was challenging ya, ya know". Well after the sow looked me over, she decided I wasn't worth the trouble so she decided to leave, and took the whole bunch along with her. Fortunately, that's far from the end of this story.
I looked back behind me at Terry with one of these palms up in the air oh-well motions and all I got back from him was a look I'll never forget that was like "you're not dead til I say you're dead, maggot. And you're NOT DEAD'. He waved me back to him and we started to see if we could get out on the flank and jump back into it. Well I eventually inserted myself back into the run of pigs, probably a bit too deep and they were just slippin' on by around me and I was frozen. A tiny little oinker came up next to my 14EEE camp shoes and decided not to 'challenge me'--kinda made me feel big. Then a small to medium sized chestnut-colored pig came came by at about 20 yards, gave a broadside shot, and ...
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Here's a little hint to a little trophy I came home with......
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/gurufind3.jpg)
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If you tell where specifically you found it that probably gives it away, eh?
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If you tell where specifically you found it that probably gives it away, eh?
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Man ya'll are killing me! Biggie what a snake! and "Bob" looks vaguely of Hispanic origin on Matt's t-shirt! L.O.L.
Can't wait to "hear" the rest of the story... :)
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that's not Bob. Can you say Che' ?
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Che' :biglaugh:
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.....WHACK, I hit that 4" tree I had "picked a spot" on absolutely dead square :mad: . By the way, it was good I had those really comfortable camp shoes on (instead of muck-boots) because I was in the 'thin-cut' swamp sloshing around in the water. I had decided to keep not looking for snakes, just like Matt said to, and made up my mind to back out and try again to flank 'em, since there had only been a little disturbance with the shot, and they had gone back to moving around here and there in that same general direction...
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:archer:
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Ah... the wonderful memories of stalking those elusive and arrow jumping trees at the Paradise. I too have done a stalk on hogs at Paradise and done the same. I made a beautiful stalk on a group of hogs and was finally able to get between the group and a nice 200# boar. I slowly slipped up to within twenty yds and made my shot as the hog was buried neck deep in a hole. After the shot I heard congrats coming from Squirrel bait who witness the whole episode. Well I be dang if I didn't almost put my eye out when I turned back to the scene of the shot with my arrow sticking in a 2" tree just three foot from my face. Dang those trees are quick down there!
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I got backed out and tried to go a little further beyond the lead because there was another black 35# little (dry) sow up there with the big sow that had camp dinner written all over her. I really didn't think I would get the opportunity but that small sow came right by me at 20 yards quartering away a bit and I let another arrow fly... :pray:
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Guys n Gals....I gave Andy some guidance...and left him to his own devices as he took my motion to hook around to the right. He did perfect in all aspects of moving when he was suppose to, and not moving when he needed to be still. He didn't sideline, nor did he rush in.....he executed perfectly!!!!
It was fun to watch to say the least....and I was silently cheering him on!!!
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Cool hunt guys, thanks for takin us along.
Terry, they grow any Maduros at the Paradise?
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Yeah....I had a couple....once around the fire downwind of the gang....and once after they all went beddy bye.
As usuall, beeing the wired individual I am, I was the last man to leave the fire each night.
I had to stalk my camper to get past Matt's so Montana wouldn't start barking....so I had the last stalk of the day as well. ;)
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Don't tell me you found my arrow I lost when we were stumpin'?
You were hinting at something the other day when we spoke...
Could it be...A Vapor 3000 with a Sitka wrap and two orange barred,one white barred.....
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(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/gurufind1.jpg)
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Yep...who would have thunk it....lost in early spring last year when you and Rob were in camp. It was right there in plain site at the base of the tree Mitch Walker hunted at the St Judes deer hunt 2007 where the 10 pointer was breathing mist over his head.
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I was just gonna say it was where you showed me Mitch hunted...too cool! What are the chances???
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...Well I hit pig this time, not the best shot (my father-in-law would have cried at the sight of the hit ham) but because it was quartering away pretty good, it exited high on the back side, about just behind the shoulder, getting at least some lung. I wondered if 'Montana' (my new best friend and Matt's German Wire Haired Pointer) was gonna get called into duty :help: ...
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/whoffman1955/Friends/IMG_0083.jpg)
Jerry Brumm from Michigan checking out some rootin's.
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Jerry sure makes about the best breakdown design I've seen for these longbows that knuckle-draggers using 68-70" GOTTA have :thumbsup:
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...but the hog ran about 20 yards and just flopped down right there in front of me. The rest of the pigs just kinda wandered off but stayed in the area. Terry moved in towards me and said 'now we don't want to go trailing too quickly because these other pigs are still around and this is kind of a sanctuary". I told him well the pig is just layin' right over there, so I guess I was pretty lucky to get to see it go down in the swamp. Terry got that Range Rover muddy and bloody again and we took her back to camp where he strip-skinned it (that was a cool way to do it), quartered it, and Matt stuck a ham, backstrap, and shoulder in the Dutch oven for later.
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The Paradise sure looks diff. from when I was there late April....a little easier to spot the critters I bet without the foliage....
More pix fellas..... :pray:
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Love it! Thanks for sharing this hunt with us all!
The Paradise looks about the same to me, Fred and I were in camp about the same time of year. Didn't see as many critters though... but the company was just as good!
Keep it coming, and I agree with Curt, more pics please! ;)
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In honor of Friday the 13th:
(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f206/ayakub/HOGS/with_pig5.jpg)
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Man what a Bill Graves look on your face!
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Friday the 13th AND a full moon!!! :thumbsup:
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Enjoying the story and the pics, all!
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This is especially cool cause lots of you guys have been there!
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That's my bro!
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(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f206/ayakub/HOGS/paradise2.jpg)
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I don't care if you've never hunted hogs before, or only shoot at big boars, but if you want to try this, and at the same time, help St.Judes help the kids, this is the only way I know to have the best time of your life, make new friends (Biggie, Jerry, Matt, & Terry) and spend some quality time at "The Paradise".
Kevin, Couldn't have done it without you bro :clapper:
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That river or swamp picture is very cool!!!We need more pictures.Im sure enjoying this thread.
Bill
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Andy...you gonna tell them about that miss-matched two dozen hogs we almost got a shot at later that after noon or do you want me to? That is too cool of a hunt to leave out.
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Terry, I'm sure you could really put a good story to that, especially the part when you told me "time to make your move". I wish I had pics of the Joe's Road MOB...
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OK...gimme a bit. Its a good story for those that have hog hunted a bit....and a little learning for those that haven't.
Andy learned a lot with me as we did a lot of walking...and when I gave him the lead he went on point a lot. By the end, he'd learned not to point squirrels. :D But anyone new to hog hunting gets a little bit gun shy after several experiences with the critters. Both guys came away with better stalking skills for sure. And I'm sure they can apply them to the whitetails back home a little.
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That's for dang sure (picking up better stalking skills). If only I could get those deer to sound like busted chainsaws going thru the woods
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Dad gum you guys know how to make a feller wait! Patience is a virtue and all that stuff...
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go ahead Terry tell them about that group of hogs that you and Andy ran into!
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I am surprised that nobody has mentioned chef biggie's banana cornbread creation that we had the opportunity to sample.Southern nouvelle cuisine.