A week of nights w/ Littlefeather

[herb haines]

dang Curtis seems like you have a place even a wantabee hunter like me can get close .
following along and waitig for the next shoe to drop .----- herb

[HARL]

Great stuff Curtis!!!!!!!

[Shaun]

As we say in Iowa, "Sooooooooeeeeeee, here pig pig pig". Lets get that trade point back too.

[the Ferret]

Great read CK...keep it up!

[Huntrdfk]

Cool.  Great job Curtis, I'll read the next chapter tomorrow.  Time for that beauty sleep, 3:30 comes early.


David

[Timo]

Great stuff CK. After being on your place,these hunts take on a knew meaning.Kinda can "put myself over your shoulder".

Congrats again.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

comon, we's gotta have some pics.  we're leanin on our keyboards so hard ya gotta pacify us.

[Holm-Made]

Great reading.  Keep the entertainment coming.  Chad

[cjones]

Keep em coming Bro!

[Jock]

[Littlefeather]

With yesterday behind me and a full day ahead, I hastily hit the off button on my trusty alarm clock. 4:00am has come way too early but with two jobs waiting, I trudge ahead into my morning routine.

The day grew long quick. Being a Public Servant sometimes brings trying times. Seems I have a target painted on my back and everyone wants a shot at the bullseye. I shrug off the blows by thinking good thoughts, "Hogs". LOL! See, even made you smile didn't it?

My day would bring about 14 hours of torment today before I would once again find solice back at my slice of South Texas. A quick feed of the chickens and the goats and Im headed back in pursuit of pigs. Debbie just shrugs and wishes well as the screen door slams shut behind me. Darkness is fast approaching!

I grab my trusted Osage bow, a few arrows, and I hit the trail. It takes only minutes and I find that I am behind the pigs today. I can hear their heckels at one another through the underbrush. Somehow, I can't even find excitment at the sound of them this evening. Two jobs has me running on empty and I only continue on pressed by my addiction. As I round through an old, over-grown gate and over a rise, I see something strange and can't make out what I am looking at. It is a gray colored pigs back in the tall grass. Once I figure out it is a pig, I begin a crawl and peek hunting technique that I've developed into a science. Actually, I think Im starting to get calouses on my belly from implementing this technique so often. LOL!

As soon as I get crawling in the pigs direction, I realize that there are more pigs than I realize and slow my approach to a proverbial crawl. I ease up to get a peek and am now inside of thirty yards. The antics among the pigs are no different today than any other. The pushing, shoving, grunting and squeeling is almost constant. I can almost hear the little pigs saying, "Mom, he's touching me. stop touching me". You know, like your own kids do.

My heart starts picking up the pace now and I know Im only minutes away from the flight of the arrow. As I sit back onto my heals and watch my piggy friends, I decide that deep down my heart isn't into killing one of these guys today. I've killed plenty in the last couple of days. With 15-16 hours already behind me, the thought of trailing and cleaning another hog just doesn't appeal to me. Tonight I will watch and admire my sloppy little friends and count my blessing for having the health and opportunity to be where I am at.

I watch for about ten minutes as the tie-dyed team of rooters pushes and plows their way through the remnance of Rye grasses still left from the cooler months. It has been a good day. To close out the final minutes of daylight in this manner brings about a closure for the day that I couldn't find any other way. Im quite content as I raise up and start my journey back to the house. Tomorrow's another day. CK

[Shaun]

Now that's hunting! Hope you have a restful day today CK.

[herb haines]

Curtis sometimes it must be nice just to watch .hope your days get better , i know the nights will ---- herb

[Doug Campbell]

Dang buddy, thought you were going to cut that work load back to one job. Sounds like your managing it pretty well though. Enjoyed the story... any more for us up here in non-pig country?   :D

[trashwood]

One tine at the farm we brought some goats in to clean up the under brush.  the goats had a little different plan, thus would require some training.  we got a bunch of rubber blunts and went into training the goats with gusto.  they learned fast.  wasn't but a few days and our training was now out to 40 or 50 yds.  In a week our training was at 70 or 80 yds.  

never kilt nothing and got lots of shots.  it was a lot of fun......for us, not sure the goats had as much fun.

come to find out goats are not dumb at all.  they patterned us in about 2 weeks.  when we were around, not a goat in sight.  it was evident when we were not around the goats did what they wanted to  

don't let the pigs pattern ya.  they might develope a taste for wirey hunmans

rusty

[Guru]

CK,  I know how ya feel bro.Right now my life is busier than it's ever been.My little bits of time spent chasing turkeys is my drug that takes me away and keeps things "right".Nothing like a little "church time" in the woods.Some people just don't understand.

Enjoying the ride bro!!

[Littlefeather]

Doug, I sumbitted my resignation. It got countered with an offer, "again".

Guru, Yea, Church time. Absolutely!

I'll do more tellin tomorrow. Im couch riding tonight. No more work and I aint goin in the woods either. See yall tomorrow. CK

[Kevin Breaux]

Curtis you are need'en an apprentice/hog drager for all the fun your hav'en. Of course with two jobs, I can understand the release you get from sneeking down on'um.

Power to ya Bro! Great stories

[Littlefeather]

The final installment:

Today I would again push my second job to the back burner. The weekend is approaching and I'll play catch-up on work on Saturday if the weather holds.

I hand the days final work details to my Foreman to pass along to all employees. I am headed out to retrieve another chapter from the chronicals of Pigville. Im having fun and I can't seem to get enough. Today I will let the pigs at the house rest. I have Jim Fisk comming on Friday and I dont want the hogs all spooked when he gets here. I'll return to the lease property and see if I can make another visit work in my favor. So far I've seen pigs on every trip to the lease. Would today be different?

As I ease the truck up to the gate I can already see what the evening holds. At somewhere around 3oo yards I can already see pigs pushing dirt. They seem to be right under a hang-on stand I have in a Live Oak tree. As I slowly ease the truck in their direction, I can tell that they are under the stand. Damn, Im late! There are two mud holes within 10-15 yards of the stand location created by the overflow from a small Bass pond. It's really pretty and the hogs find it a nice place to soothe themselves from the hot Texas Sun. I wont even attempt a stalk on these pigs. The grass is too short for stalking and there is no cover. They spook from the truck noise and I bid them fairwell.

I continue across the property to the place where I have killed two hogs already. Surely there could never be such a coencidence as to find them there again?  :D   You guessed it, Hogs everywhere!!!!! Im in disbelief as I can count at least 20 hogs rooting at the edge of the hay field. I'll not stalk them today but try and drive slowly past them to gain access to the back of the property. I get close and they all bust and run. No problem. As I drive slowly forward, I realize that the high winds has left one hog unable to hear the others leave him. He also never heard my Chevy truck approach. I am within 30 yards of him and he still has not heard the truck. As he lowers his head to feed, I turn off the truck and ease out the door with bow in hand. This is nuts!!!! I seperate his view of me by placing a Live Oak tree between us as I slowly approach the small hog. As I ease forward, I lean to see around the tree occasionally. Im gaining on him and it's about to all come together. About the time I get to 18 yards the pig raises his head and starts looking around franticly. He realizes that he stands alone in the Sea of prarie grass. He panics and starts to run in circles looking for his family members. He runs faster and more erraticly. Then he exits the field 200 yards in the opposite direction as the others. I think he will sleep alone tonight.

As I get back into my Chevy, I look down a long sendero in time to see a herd of deer easing across. at least 12 deer. Its good to see deer in numbers like I do here on this property. It is not so common to see 12-15 deer together on other places I hunt. The deer quality is always good but the population is not that great. Maybe this season will bring about more venison.

I ease back to the first stand location and take up space in the sweeping Oak. Maybe the hogs will return by nightfall. I pass the time sucking on lemon drops and thinking about the stories I'll tell on Tradgang. About 10 minutes before dark a couple of deer move through the tree line and directly under me. One deer was within five yards of my tree. It was good to see their health so good and their demeanor so relaxed. It should be a good deer season ahead.

As darkness falls, I hear a lone Gobbler bidding good-night from a tree top somewhere in the Ocean of Oaks. Its been a great week. I've paid my dues by spend as much time as possible in the hunting woods and this time it has paid off. I've taken a few pigs this week, I've washed away a few of lifes stresses, and most of all, I've spent time under a sky of blue in Gods creation. Who could possibly ask for anything more. Life is good! CK

[RayMO]

Thanks for the good read Curtis!