Preparation and haste pays off with a sow

[pdk25]

I have been schooled by the local hogs pretty regularly this year, but I try to learn from mistakes.  These hogs are exceedingly wary, and sitting near a feeder is mostly a waste of time with how paranoid they are, and they are still pretty nocturnal, making spot and stalk mostly a waste of time on my property.  I shot a decent boar the other night with the help of my recently acquired wireless trail cam that lets me know that there are hogs that have already made it to the feeder.  I had good conditions that night, and just a couple days later, I had a nice boar coming in, and thought I would give it a shot.

[pdk25]

That was last night, and the wind was supposed to be 4-5 mph out of the NE, but by the time evening came, it was 2 mph out of the east.  Bad swirling conditions.  I got a pic of the boar and headed out, not knowing the forecast had changed.  I wanted to give him some time to get comfortable, so I first went to see if the feeder light was on in another field along the way.  I heard hogs squealing there, but discretion was the better part of valor, and I knew the wind wouldn't hold up for a stalk this day, so I started heading toward the plum thicket where the boar was.  I started to get concerned that I wasn't getting any more pics, so I sent a command for the camera to take a pic, and there was no boar to be seen.  Crap.

I decided to sit on the gas line, halfway to the feeder, and wait and see if he came back.  After a half hour or so, he showed up eating under the feeder light, so I headed out.  By this time the wind was practically dead, and it was very quiet.  The grass and brush had dried out since the rain a couple days ago, and it was noisy going, but I knee that so couldn't take too much time ore the wind would swirl on my approach.  Whem I was around 50 yards away, I think he heard me, and he squealed for some reason, and took off into the woods.  I am not sure, but I don't think he could have winded me, with how quickly I was moving and the still wind.  That is just how on edge they are here.  Anyway, he never came back, wven though I sat in a tripod in the woods to the east until 2am.  He may have come around and silently winded.me and not come in, but they usually at least growl at me if that happens.

 

That is a pic of him.  Hope to get another crack at him, but there are bigger guys out there too.

[pdk25]

So I had to work today, but I wanted to take care of a few things before I headed in to work.  I had pulled wireless trail cam from the plum thicket last night, and repositioned it in the field I call"
 "SW of the CF pond" (Pretty original, I know).

I knee that the wind would be light out of the SE for the next couple nights, so if I hunted, I would have to close the gap quickly, and use the edge of the woods as cover.  I brought a garden rake, and removed all of the sticks along the approach and made sure there was no brush that would be in my shooting lanes.  I also put a little extra corn directly under the feeder.  This was bases on another night where I failed.  I had put extra corn around the feeder in a better location for a shot, and it was in the circle of light, but not close enough for the motion sensor to pick it up.  The light momentarily was on that night, but turned off when I was halfway into my stalk.  The hog went to the pile.out of the light, the light timed out, he ate his fill, and disappeared into the drainage and didn't return.

I grabbed the camera card from the feeder and went to work and checked the contents during some down time.  The hogs were coming in early and every day, just before or just after dark.  Even though the wind was light, I planned on trying for one if I got home from work in time.

In for the rest!

Bisch

[pdk25]

I got home from work around 7pm, and quickly got out my stickflinger for some practice shots, touched up the broadhead, and that took me right to dusk.

I got this pic, and I knew it was Showtime


 

[pdk25]

I grabbed my bow and a green led flashlight and quickly made my way to the field, which a little under 1/2 mile from the house.  I knee exactly where they were, and knee they couldn't see my light or hear me until I was almost in the field, so I walked up the driveway, past the fenced orchard, turned left and headed through the cattle guard that leads to the back part of the property, walked along the road for a couple hundred yards, them turned right all along the brush hog trail leading to the field, another couple hundred yards, turn off the light, cross a small ditch, hug the SW edge of the field, and makeu way to the feeder that is deep in the SE corner of the field, right next to the woods and the drainage.

I see the green feeder light is on through the trees, and I close the gap to 15 yards at a rapid walk, using the trail that I had raked earlier this morning.  There is a very faint wind which could change at any minute.  I hear hogs in the drainage past the feeder, and also in a feeder branch in the woods to my right, but I know they can't wind me, andy focus is on the sow and piglets under the feeder.  The sow is quartering away to the left, O draw back and release.  The arrow hit's home, and the piglets scatter and the sow crashes through the brush toward the drainage to the east, while hogs growl all around me, some strong there way out of there, and others running, while I stand stock still.

I hear crashing in the drainage, but I don't know if it isy sow, or the hogs that were originally there, but I k ow the piglets took off to the north without mom.  

I quickly walk back to the house, get a better light, out the cargo hauler onu Xterra, and head back to the feeder.  I easily follow the blood trail and find the sow laying text to the water, having goneaybe 60 yards into thick brush.  Somewhere in the brush, the cutthroat tipped arrow pulled out, but I will find that on the morning. I grab a leg, and drag her up out of the drainage to get ready to field dress her.  I would guess she weighed 125-150#.


 

[pdk25]

Putting the cargo hauler to use.  Sure beats dragging.  Threw a bag of ice in the chest cavity and another between the legs, and parked in the barn to keep the coyotes away.  I will process the sow in the morning before going in to work.

 

[pdk25]

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats Pat!

[Jayrod]

Your on a roll brother way to go!!way to christen the stickflinger  

[Blueridge]

Good going Pat! Do you ever sleep?

[Possum Head]

Enjoyed the hunt Congrats

[katman]

Congrats, good for you hogs reproduce fast or you would have shot them out already.

[highlow]

Forget the sleep. I've always wondered if he ever works.    Way to go Pat.

Way to go Pat!

Congrats!

Bisch

[pdk25]

Double post

[pdk25]

Originally posted by highlow:
Forget the sleep. I've always wondered if he ever works.       Way to go Pat.

Ha!  I have been to work for 2 hours already after cutting up meat and putting it in salted ice water to soak.  I have to work Labor day and the rest of the week, bit if hogs show up at night, I will chase them.  Just being a responsible landowner, lol.

[Doc Nock]

Might be just me, but I enjoy reading such tales waaay better'n those in the slick rags about far away places...Course, OK seems far to me!    

Ada is where my friends Cheryl and Matt Napper have Shiloh...or did. When they got so busy, I lost touch with them.

Pretty country there abouts.  Enjoyed the read and way to persevere.  Sleep is over rated they say, but I sure enjoy mine as I get older...

[Steve O]

quote:Originally posted by highlow:
Forget the sleep. I've always wondered if he ever works.    

[awbowman]

Nice job Pat