"The Paradise " St. Judes Hog Hunt - Now with VIDEO!

[Jaz]

Curt,
I actually didin't get many pics, 'cause I was too busy hunting.  The pics I do have I can't post unless I want to spend a week on our dial-up internet. Sorry.

[Guru]

Jaz, I certainly understand that...tough to do both,but I always try my best to make time to take as many as possible for the future.......great thread guys...

[JC]

More comin....hold on....

[JC]

Friday mornin dawned early with Terry and I startin coffee and Kim's breakfast casserole while the rest tried their best to shake the cobwebs. A belly full of hot grub and we headed to our spots.

Terry and Eric were going on "the milk run"...you hear his story bout who things went.

Clay and I, under previous consultation from Ray "The Hogumalator" Hammond, headed through "The Convict Woods" toward the river. (They call it the convict woods because they found a spot where some escaped convicts had built a camp while on the run). Less than 30 minutes into the woods, Clay and I busted 4 deer out of their beds. It was cold for south Ga, but at least we didn't have bugs....we kept moving as much to keep warm as to find hog sign (at least I did). Hog sign was everywhere the closer we got to the river.

 

The closer we got, the bigger the craters were...

 

We got to the river uneventfully, but it was good to be in the woods. "Walking with weapons" as Barry says, is sure a site better than being at work! The river was high and muddy and really rollin along but was a beautiful site in the early morning light. Clay thought so too as the sun warmed us on the river bank.

 

[Guru]

oh yeah...keep it coming!!

[BigRonHuntAlot]

   

[JC]

We cut west along the bank, across wind. Clay stayed just far enough from the bank to see what was happening while I was 35-50 yards south of him.....we slipped long until we came to a slough. Water was too deep to cross, specially with Clay in hiking boots so we picked our way around. Took some time but we eventually came up on the river again...then blocked by a big slough we couldn't cross until we got well away from the river. Just about that time we heard a hog squeal loudly. I thought Clay was gonna cut down a tree whipping that arra out of the quiver    They were on the other side of the slough so we quickly made our way around. It was a good walk and we moved as quickly and quietly as we could and still keep an eye out for hams on the hoof...

[JC]

Well, somehow they slipped past us...we tried our best to keep them between us and the river but they slipped the gap while we were getting around the deep slough.

We continued on our trek west along the river until we hit the faint road that marked the edge of the harwoods and planted pine area we were in. Sitting down for a breather, Clay whispered the fateful question "If a hog was within a 100 yards would we hear it?" Now, God as my witness, soon as I said "If it was a group of hogs, yep, sometimes you will..." we heard a squeal again.

Once more, Clay whipped an razor sharp arra out of his back quiver so fast it cut wind       This boy was ready for some "hogumalation", as Ray Hammond would say.

[Whip]

Now we're getting somewhere!    
(Yeah, I know telling JC to hurry up is like trying to push a rope, but hey, I got to try!)

[JC]

Gettin close....we slinked through the woods close to the river. The sound came literally from on the bank of the river....once again they slipped us! We worked our way 1/4er'ing across wind back near where we entered. We came out on the same road we came in on...leading back to the truck. There we saw Eric's sammich hog on Terry's truck. Needless to say, Clay had not seen a Range Rover with blood all over it...I thought it was a normal occurance for huntin with Terry. The boys were gone so I figgered they were still stalking. We took off for camp to regroup and wait for Terry and Eric.

I'll member that Whip....you tell the story of our upcoming Aussie hunt fast as ya wanna...but I figger, some things is worth savoring.    :p

[mmgrode]

[Biggie Hoffman]

Please expound on Miss Kim's breakfast casserole...........?????

[JC]

Originally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
Please expound on Miss Kim's breakfast casserole...........?????

Deer sausage, monterey jack cheese, eggs, hashbrowns all mixed together and baked into a casserole. It's true I've been asked on hunts just so I'd bring it. Too bad you weren't there for breakfast Biggie   :rolleyes:

[Terry Green]

Yep...the B'fast casserole is a great hunter's breakfast....not a lot of willy nilly to get a good belly full of carbs and protein and out the door....and YUM!!!

Thantks for sharing Joe....nice to hear more detail...I can vidualize you guys in the convict woods skirting round those deep sloughs.

Like I said earlier, I didn't get a lot of photos cause I was filming so much....but I'll come up with a few here in a bit.....

[IB]

BACK OFF BIGGIE   There ain't NOTHIN ya need ta worring knowin bout Miss Kim's Casserole. That's for us in the UPPER CRUST      

[JC]

Vance, Biggie's "Upper Crust"....just the burnt part...like us    

[IB]

Yea    :rolleyes:    ..... Joe I know, But....Do we gotta FEED him??.....Better yet we don't have ta tell him, just leave him in the PAN  

[clayk]

JC your doing better as a witness to this than I could relay but I'll give my two cents anyhow.  
Telling someone they will be hunting a place called the "trash can woods" doesn't inspire visions of grandure.  However when hog hunting one must quickly set aside these misconceptions. Had it not been for the misplaced barrel it would be known as hog heaven.
After getting some fresh air along the river we headed back out for the afternoon.  30 seconds after Terry dropped us off and walking back into the "TC woods" we where on hogs.  Heading after the noise I remembered why I love hunting so much  a new terrain and new game.  With my heart pounding in my ears and my words of "I'll shoot at the first one in range" still on my mind I came on my first pigs.
They seemed to be everywhere.  A large boar looked at me from 50yds did an about face and headed for the brush.  so much for dumb pigs. A few seconds later I was 10 yards from pigs.  A 20 pounder broadside but just two more steps and a nice plum red one!  Greed is a horrible thing. I heard a preacher say one time "he who hesitates is lost"  I now know he was talking about pig hunting...maybe
My first chance came and went, but the stalk was on!

[Terry Green]

Tell it Clay!

[Jaz]

I was starting' to fear that ol' Clay wasn't going to tell his tale!
Nice start Clay.

Miss Kim's breakfast casserole is great!