To talk about my hunt I guess I first need to list all the firsts of the hunt.
First time hunting with a longbow (only had bow 2 days before hunt week. Its great to trust your bowyer)
First time using bowhush product. Terry I love em.
First time building a ground blind for Florida Hogs
First time hunting a ground blind in Florida.
First time using a Hunt-more Seat. Thanks for the loan Marty. Very comfortable seat.
First time getting complete pass through on hog.
First time being confident there was a blood trail Peanut could follow even while breaking in Pete.
First time my brother and I have taken hogs on same night.
First time having my picture taken with a hog on the meat Pole instead of taking the pictures.
Anyway a lot of firsts.
That afternoon while chatting with Pete I decided I would head to a stand I call slew and try out the ground blind setup we put together. I was trying to figure out if I would be sitting on a bucket or small canvas stool when Marty offered up his Huntmore seat. I went with the Huntmore since I would only need to carry it in 40 yards. The seat is a bit bulky but comfortable as all get out.
It seems like it is going to be a nice warm night so instead of changing into my camo top I decided to stick with my tee shirt and put on the leafy bug tamer top. I figured being on the ground instead of 15 feet in the air there could be a real skeeter problem.. Turned the thermocell on early too. Never was bothered by a skeeter during the entire hunt.
I am on the ground for about an hour or so. During the hour I got strong whiffs of HOG wafting on breeze out of the slew but never heard or saw any of them. Finally the palmettos rustle and in comes a sow. Pete and I had named her Patches having seen her at a stand we call Pine a mile away. Pete took the boar that was with her a couple of days earlier.
She comes in and proceeds to eat the morning corn that is underwater for 20 min staying just to the left of my opening or facing me head on and disappears back into the palmettos. The piglet with her was not with her in our prior encounter and Patches would not allow it to suckle. The piglet munched on the dry corn.
All I can do is wait for the feeder to go off and hope some other hogs will make there presence know. I look down at my watch and the feeder won't be going off for another half hour. I stand loosen up the kinks and draw the bow a few times and settle back in. Not sure where the time went but next thing I see is Patches coming in for a second round. Same routine but not so far left and keeping her head pointed directly at me. This is going to be a waiting game. I don't know if you have ever had the opportunity to watch a hog eat corn underwater it is entertaining and a lot of strange noises are involved. Glub glub chew chew and then the feeder explodes over her showering her and the surrounding area with golden nuggets. She hardly reacts. Instead she moves slightly right and turns giving me the perfect broadside slightly eighting away.
A couple of deep breaths and I am rising from my seat drawing the bow. As I reach my full height the arrow is anchored and away and so is the hog. The only sound THUNK and the sound of rustling palmettos as Patches heads off towards the surrounding slew then silence. My longbow is very quiet with bow hush silencers and my bowyer makes very quiet bows. I know the shot was spot on I had picked a spot within her spots and that is where the arrow went Im sure. Turning back to the shot I saw this,
my broadhead imbedded in a tree root right behind where Patches was standing only moments ago.
Fletching a bright reddish pink. Well it should be I was using pink fletching. Closer inspection shows blood lots of blood along the entire shaft.
Over there 5 feet blood and by the palmettos more. Think I'll take the easy way round and see if I can pick up the trail on the other side. Not so good not much but there, and there and wow definite lung blood and a nice pool. Now by the slew 30 yards from the shot another pool but no indication of which way she went. It's time to text Pete and the Peanut master I am going to need help. Pete is just putting his hog in the buggy and on the way to camp to help Marty with a broken buggy but will be here shortly. I back off the trail don't want to mess it up for Peanut go and get my truck and wait.
Shorty we have a traffic jam, my truck, my swamp truck and Marty's buggy all stacked up 10 feet from the blind. Peanut hits the ground and is ready to do her thing. We decide to go into the Palmettos and pick up the trail from the last of the blood. Marty hands the leash to Pete since he is the only one with rubber boots and off they go.
20 yards later Peanut is whining and Pete gives a shout. Instead of dragging the hog out the way she went Pete pulled her to the side of the slew and we dragged her out easy as pie. If not for Peanut I might never have found Patches. Yes it is that thick.
We are loosing daylight so a couple of quick photos
Oops reached the 8 photo limit.
Topic: 2 bows, 2 bros, 2 dead hogs and Marty too . (Read 1098 times)
