Tribal Gathering at Wild Things!

[Red Beastmaster]

The Fa Kow Ee just returned from yet another fantastic time in the South Carolina sunshine!

Our group included some seasoned vets as well as one newbie. We are all friends from SW PA and regularly shoot stick bows together. I don't believe a finer bunch of characters can be found. Also in camp was our friend Thom Jorgensen from Michigan. Andrews friend, Don, flew in from South Africa for a birthday surprise and turned out to be a real hoot and very entertaining! An epic adventure was sure to come with such an assembly!

The tribe historically has not done well at the property in spite of all our efforts. This year we did have something besides memories to bring back in the coolers.

The weather was hot and sunny with daytime highs from low to high 80's. We about croaked after being used to our cold winter PA weather! We still hunted the swamp in the morning and sat stands in the hardwoods for the evening.

First night I sat the famous Gumbo stand. At dusk a herd of 16 hogs ran in. Man, they were LOUD! Fighting, squealing, and attempted breeding. It was wild! Two nice boars were pushing and shoving their way to the feeder, just tossing smaller hogs out of the way. I was losing it perched only 15 yds away, my gosh I never had the shakes that bad! When I drew the Abbott longbow back my leg finally stopped jumping.  I was somehow able to shoot two of the boars in the squealing, ever moving, mass of confusion!  It was a night of little sleep as I awaited the morning tracking. Andrew, Don, Thom, Charlie, Harry the Wonder Dog, and I found no sign of a lethal hit on my first hog. The second hog was found by Harry 200 yds away! It was a 95# boar and I couldn't have been happier!

I'll finish later, it's late and I have work in the morning.

Congrats on the hog!

In for the rest!

Bisch

[elkhunter-27]

Looking forward to "the rest of the story!"  

[Bud B.]

[Cyclic-Rivers]

   

[keng]

I made my first trip with the tribe to the swamp. I could hardly wait for our departure date, but anxiously passed the days shooting, making lists, shooting, buying lights, shooting at night with a bow light, shooting at night with a headlight, packing, shooting, unpacking, shooting, packing again. You get the picture. I have never been shooting so well. I was ready!
As the time was getting close, my daughter's basketball team kept winning games in the state tournament. They had a heck of a run, but lost in the western finals Tuesday, 2 days after the tribe departed, but that gave me more time to practice. I headed south Tuesday night after the game, and arrived early Wednesday at Andrew's. After unpacking, I shot a few arrows and we suited up and fanned out to kill the furry things. No sightings that night. Did I mention I have been shooting very well?
Wednesday morning, after a few more practice shots, we fanned out again, and went walking, hoping to spot and stalk. while walking along slowly, I shot a rubber blunt a few times to stay loose, and was hitting mud clumps at will. After about an hour, I was glassing a field in front of me when I heard a palmetto rustle beside me. I looked and there was a pig 30 yards out. Then, just as I dreamed, another stepped into an opening slightly quartering away at 12 yards. They had no idea I was there as I burned a hole in her with my eyes and drew. After what felt like a perfect release, I watched my arrow bury itself in the mud right behind her leg and under the chest. I mmmmmmissed

[hawkeye n pa]

Congratulations Dave!!!

[Roy from Pa]

Congrats Dave. Probably be better eating than the pork you  been eating at Sheetz..  

[hawkeye n pa]

Congratulations to Bob also!!!

Lol Roy

[Rick Butler]

          We left Wild Things 2 weeks ago and I'm still going thru withdrawals.  Congrats on the pork!!

[bruinman]

Congrats!! Glad the tribe got some bacon.

[Red Beastmaster]

I had two other close encounters while slowly walking the middle road of the turkey foot. The first was near Styles. I approached a turn and heard a grunt, and it was close! I attempted to leave the road but the bone dry leaves were too crunchy and a wall of briars and brush were in my way. A sow walked out of the briars and then right back in again. Then the brush right in front of me started to part, I raised my bow to shoot, then the worlds biggest armadillo lumbered up to four feet of me!    The ever changing breeze shifted and nine hogs of all sizes went flying out of the briars only 20yd away. They swam the swelled upper end of Hog Lake and were gone, way cool!

On another slow walk around Hog Lake I got between six hogs on one side and one on the other. All were within 15yd and the breeze was in my face. No chance for a shot as they were in the cane rooting. Another swirl on my neck and they blew out. I got ready for the single boar on my left to cross the road but he was hauling butt to catch up to the others.

While I was having a banner year several of my buds had yet to see a hog. Was the weather, pressure, or just plain bad luck the reason? Andrew and Thom were unsure what was going on as well.

Toward the end of the week things started to get some better. Three hunters got shots from stands after dark. Two clean misses and a perfect shot from Bob! He shot a 120# sow with his recurve on the last evening! As Bobby would say, "Oh Yea!"

[Bob Hildenbrand]

8:15 Saturday evening. Two sows and about 15-20 little ones stormed the feeder I was watching. Largest sow presented a quartering away shot at 12 yards. Shot went in about 1/2 back and 2/3s the way up on her right side and exited behind her left front leg. Took out both lungs. She dropped after about 40 yards.
53# Bear Tigercat, 35-55 GT, 175 gr. left bevel Grizzly.

Had the opportunity two watch a family of 5 or 6 otters down in the swamp, saw many turkeys, gators at camp and deer.

Spent another great weeks with some of my very best archery brothers and made a new friend in Don.

Thanks to Andrew, Thom, Charles, and Don for another exceptional experience at Wild Things.

[Roy from Pa]

Here is Red's hog.

 

Here is Bobbys 150# sow.

 

[CoachBGriff]

Way cool!!!!

A hog hunt is on my to-do list for sure!

Thanks for sharing!

[WESTBROOK]

Congrats on a successful hunt guys!

Thanks for not killin'em all as I'm headed that way the last week of April.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats on the Pork.  some nice ones there!

[Red Beastmaster]

Well, one thing I'm not is a butcher! LOL

The last two evenings my wife and I cut up my hog. Not a clue what we were doing but we got a whole lot of freezer bags full of good looking pork. And at Thom's urging I had Charlie pack the ribs. Can't wait to try them with Thom's recipe.

I have one shoulder saved for Ray Hammond's famous pulled pork. I've been making it for years with great results. Can't wait!

Now, to all you hog hunters, since wild pork is so lean, do I have to cook it differently than farm raised? Rays recipe calls for the shoulder to bake for 7 hours at 275 degrees. That seems long for the lean meat I just stuck in the freezer.

[keng]

if your going to pull it, cook until internal temp is 200 degrees. check inside, against the bone. It would be cooked at 175, but they pull a lot easier at 200

[Hackbow]

Way to go Dave & Bob! You've been telling us you've been going hog hunting for years, but I figured that was just a cover-up and the tribe was actually recruiting 'Sheetz-hogs' on spring break!

Congrats and glad y'all had another great trip. I'm taking the bow for a little walk tomorrow afternoon on a short hunting/scouting trip for our upcoming East TX Hog Hunt. Hope I can copy your success.