The tribe just returned from a fantastic week in the SC sun! Our group of eight from SW PA plus Thom Jorgenson from Michigan had a wonderful time hunting, laughing, eating, relaxing, and then some more laughing!
Half our guys hunted 5 days, the other half went for 3. Thom had everything ready by the time we got there. He had input from his trail cameras and observations, and soon had everyone heading out to the active stands and blinds. The action was immediate with several sightings and even some shots, usually at the first sit.
We did plenty of exploring and still hunting during the day then usually ended with an evening sit at a hot spot. I was fortunate to stalk a group of 11 hogs first morning and was almost in range when they sensed me and took off. Man, what a thrill!
I got my second chance in a treestand the next evening. A really nice boar completely circled me to get the wind. Then he almost left but came back again to test the wind and stare me down. This went on for 25 minutes before I was able to get a shot. I was a basket case by then and blew it with a non-lethal shot too low behind the front leg.
The others in camp had multiple sightings and opportunities, we even had a few misses. Our only success came from our new guy. Blaine had never hunted with us before and was a late entry to the group. Thom really looked after him and helped pick out good spots to hunt. Blaine used his climber at a feeder on his first evening and shot a really nice sow. We all joined in the morning search but it was Harry the wonderdog who found the hog in the thick cane. We all shared in Blaine's excitement. Great job!
We had great weather. Sun and mid 80's early, rain in the middle, then more sun and 70's at the end. The high ground was pretty wet, as well as the swamp. The footing was nice and quiet after the rain. Overall it was really good weather.
Of course our host and very good friend Andrew really took care of us and fed us way too much! I think we gain weight during our hunt. He's such a cool guy too and fits in with our gang like we have known him forever. It was also good to see our good friend Charlie. We always enjoy his company during our stay. I am always impressed by his ability to follow a faint blood trail.
Thom was a welcome addition to our camp. We have been emailing for quite awhile and he always expressed a desire to hunt with us. I am so glad the chance finally came. We all now have one more person we can truely call a friend. Thom, it was a pleasure!
All told we saw 150 hogs during our hunt. Many of those were really close with shot opportunities. We saw alligators (a 9 footer in the camp pond), deer, turkeys, swamp birds of all types, ending with a nighttime chorus of owls and frogs. This is a direct result of Andrew's continued hard work and desire to make Wild Things an experience, not just a hog hunt.
I'm sure pics will follow as others join in.
Thank you Andrew!
Dave
Topic: Spring Break at Wild Things (Read 493 times)
