What? No replies yet? I won't let the cat out on who killed what at the table top mountain, but... Thank you to CongoMan for setting up another great hog hunt! It was great to meet some new faces, recount past hunts with the group and drink to our traditional ways.
Now for the land...cat-briar is not your friend! The woods are littered with this viney, thorn bearing, can't hop over it, can't climb under it, can't chop through it plant! Spot and stalk hunting was nearly impossible, though I think we all tried at least once. Not to mention the snow/ice that was left over made it that much more difficult to remain quiet. There are quite a few steep draws to hunt if you are willing to fight the cat-briar, but even with the snow on the ground the hog sign was slim away from the feeders. I only saw one group of hogs, maybe 25, nearly all shooters, but they winded me as the southern winds swirled at the top of the plateau and down the road where the hogs were rooting under the oaks. After that, I had a shot at a coyote but blew it when I tried to stop him with a little 'kiss' noise with my lips. He turned on his hind legs, turned and looked right at me in the stand, and in the same move bolted away from me. :rolleyes: Oh well, it was my first close encounter with a coyote and I've learned my lesson.
A couple of things I would change if it were my property to lease.. First, the corn feeders only ran for about 3-5 seconds. This only put out enough corn to feed the masses of cardinals and blue jays in the area. Second, it seemed that a southern breeze would severly limit any set-up on the feeders, and renders at least two of the ladder stands useless. Third, the quarters we stayed in were actually in Elmore City and required a 20 minute drive to get to the property. This may not be too limiting for some hunters, but I personally prefer to be able to be within walking distance of breakfast after a morning stalk!
Until next time...