Figured I would try and put one more hog in the freezer before I got "serious" on deer in about 3 weeks.
Set up in a clump of palmettos close to a trail coming out of a swampy area heading up into higher drier ground. Just as it was getting light enough to see a very big pig came down the trail. I'm guessing 300# plus. A quick mental calculation told me that she would fill the freezer beyond capacity and I let her walk. I sat till about 8:30 am and saw no more pigs but I was covered up with deer. 5 does, 3 bucks including one really nice 8 point. All at less than 10 yards... Hope that holds for a few more weeks!
At any rate I packed up and headed back to the house thru a big oak hammock with a little creek running thru it. Just still hunting along. Heard palmettos rustling off to my left and thought it was an armadillo. Stopped and listened. Hmmm, armadillos don't grunt ? :-) I could just barely see black in the palmettos and didn't have any way of getting closer without spooking this hog. Figured I'd just sit still and see what developed. The wind was right and next thing I know I am surrounded by hogs. Must have been 10 or 12 in this bunch. All good eating sized. Had one little boar offer a shot but as I drew my shrew back I was spotted by another hog close by and one short grunt put them all back in the thick stuff. They all wandered off on down the trail/creek bank.
I figured I blew my shot for the day and was already planning the evening hunt. I continued to slip along the creek bank and pretty soon I was back in among pigs! Another little boar offered a shot at about 15 yards and I shot just over his back. He ran off 10 feet or so but all the rest were now looking straight at me. I froze and apparently they weren't spooked enough to leave as they soon went back to feeding. I could see bits and pieces of pig in the underbrush but no shot offered until a small sow stepped out from behind a big live oak at about 10 yards. But there was a big cabbage palm between me and her with fronds hanging just about to the ground. This is where it gets fun! I've been working on my "odd" shots in the last few weeks and felt pretty confident. Dropping to one knee and canting the bow a full 90 degrees to get under the palm fronds( try that wheelie guys!) I let fly and saw the lime green fletching bury in just behind the shoulder. The little sow ran into and across the creek but I heard her fall just the other side. Gave her a few minutes and followed up. Good blood trail that I followed "just in case" but she lay dead where I thought she was. Arrow hit just behind the left shoulder and took out the top of the heart and a lung before exiting the other side. A quick thanks to the creator and a short drag to the house and I am ready for deer season to get started!