Here is my story, and I'm sticking to it!
Myself, Al, and Martin left the boat dock at 0730 with high hopes. We stopped and checked all the marsh flats that I know hold hogs. Martin said that he has never seen as much feeding sign, and he kills a lot of hogs! Unfortunately, I think the hogs are transitioning to the high ground where everyone else was hunting. Maybe there is a transitional area that I haven't discovered yet?
Later in the morning we decide to do some marsh boggin. We picked a flat that looked to have good sign, tied up the boat, and commenced to boggin. Martin said that he was used to walking in the marsh mudd, and then later commented that what he was used to was not this bad!
We started off in three different directions. We could all see each other across this flat which was probably 10 acres. Martin chose to make his way across the flat before following the far edge. Al was going to follow the edge to the North from the boat, and me the south.
After watching the two of them for a few minutes, I struck off along my high grass edge. It's hard to be sneaky in this mud, but I was doing my best. After about 150 yards I spy a bedded hog in the tall grass only 12 yards away. The hogs like to bed right on the edge of a canal like this one was. It was a big red one, and quartering away. I had to make a few more steps to get the vitals clear. It's a miracle he didn't blow out of there, but I was being vewy qwiet! I didn't know it at the time, but Martin was watching my stalk from 100 or so yards away. I came to full draw and made an awesome shot right in the boiler room!
The monster red boar didn't bat an eyelash at the shot!!! I immediately knew that I had done kilt a dead pig!
I decide to have a little fun with Martin though. I gave some excited hand signals, and got to watch him struggle across that rooted up mud flat again. I wish I had my camera. After taking four rest breaks, Martin had made it to my side of the 100 yard wide flat!
I told him the story of my stalk, which he had witnessed. He said, "I saw you come to full draw and shoot" with a little excitement in his voice. I was trying really hard to keep a straight face. I led him over to where I was standing at the shot, and showed him where the hog ran off. I said that he ran that way, and I doubt he went far. Martin looked in the direction and saw the hog.
He looked alive if you weren't directly down wind! The gig was up! We took some photos anyway.
Al was excited for me when he made it back to the boat! I then told him that I was gonna let this one lay, and not recover the meat. That's when he knew something was up.
We had a great time! I want to thank Martin and Al for a great hunt! I will be telling that tale for a while!