Next morning, around 6am on Saturday, I walked from camp down the road to my quick-built blind - some brush stacked up in front of a large and small pine, angling toward the road. I settled down on a foam mat, Thermacell firing in the damp dewy air - felt like rain. I waited.
Around 8:15am or so, Terry and Curt slowly drove up the road - nothing seen or heard by them, either. Terry backed out down the road, headed towards the Southwest end where they'd work through another section of woods.
I settled back in, lay down on my side, head propped on my gear pack, thinking about hogs.
At about 8:30am I heard some grunts coming from the road and seven fat piggies of varying colors and hues come scootin' along on my right about 5 yards away but secluded by lotsa brush, doin' their little scuttle-stop-scuttle dance.
Soon as they cleared the brush I slowly got up, and using the big pine as cover I full drew the 55# Firefly on the first one that went broad side to me, and let fly the 29" 540 grain Beman at about 18 yards.
The shot felt and looked real good, behind the left elbow, but the penetration wasn't so good as the arrow was dangling - the pig ran off the road and squeeled real loud like a, well like a stuck pig, then it took off for the swamp.
I called Terry on the cell - he and Curt and I gave it about 25 minutes before tracking - lotta red blood splash on the road and into the bush, some good signs that gave us hope. But after about 50 yards in, the trail got smaller and harder to find.
After a hundred yards the blood trail was down to tiny spots as we entered the swamp. If that wasn't bad enuf, it started to rain. It was miracle that Terry found the arrow - busted twice and severed cleanly at the business end - the 200 grain Snuffer/adapter and 100 grain brass insert probably still in the hog.
Very frustrating and disappointing. Didn't see or hear hog for the rest of the hunt.
Topic: Northerner's Exposure.... (Read 15189 times)
