Workin up a Texas Sweat Hog - PICS from Mitch pg 4

[Kevin Smith]

Great stuff, I caught the end or middle of alot of the hunts this past week in camp, good to sit down and read it all and relive it again from the beginning. Great pics, being that I didn't bring a camera, your pictures are being saved as they come.

[Whip]

One of the highlights of the week for me was being there to see Robert (Son of Texas) bring in his hog.  After hitting it the night before, and tracking and finding it the next day, he was back to camp with a smile on his face that just would not go away the rest of the week!  

To take a first ever traditional animal on a first ever Trad Gang group hunt - man, it just doesn't get any better than that!  We all shared his joy, and it was great to witness!

 

 

[hunt it]

That hog sure is tasty stuff. Just finished dinner, roast hog, my wife and kids enjoyed it as well. Great pictures guys, I'll get a bunch posted when I get to the office Tuesday. Just finished washing all my stuff and have about half of gear back where it belongs.

[tippit]

This was my best TX Sweat so far and I didn't even get to drop the string on any game!  It seemed as there were the Javie & Javie Nots depending on where you were hunting the ranch.  I did get to see 10 P&Y piglets but No Mommy or Daddy Hogs   :(   I decided to add them to my trophy room in picture rather than shoot em'.

If I can figure how to get a dvd clip into photobucket, I have a cute video of them trying to get water at the tank I was sitting.  Plus a dvd/audio of Kevin singing at our nightly campfire...this guy is a talent waiting to be discovered beyond Texas!

My goal going into my 3rd Sweat was to spend more time with my fellow trad gangers.  With the cold mornings and not much hunting til around four in the afternoon, that was accomplished.  Just a great gathering of new & old friends.

The one difference this year was trying to get everyone at one hunt.  That worked nicely except around dinner when the bunk house guys eat inside and the campers were outside.  Being a camper thanks to the gracious invite to share Whip's camp with Joe & Brent...what a camp it was! I got to be a camper with just my airline bags as Whip provided everything needed!

I can't speak for the the bunk house meals but the campers had planned out a menu each night...Moose steaks for everyone, Shrimp gumbo with sausage, Venison chops, Enchilada soup & burritos, Venison stroganoff, etc!  Plus plenty of Tecate, Red wine, Champagne...kinda the West Texas Ritz!

There's always time to tag some animals in the future but I'm very happy to have spent a week with some of the greatest hunting partners I could imagine...Doc

 

Whip (tent mate & hunting partner) in front of the ever present oil rigs.

 

Bowyer Supreme...Mr Sunbear!

 

Vance in back of his truck with 4 good tires!

[Whip]

After my crash and burn the previous evening, day three found me back at the same spot, this time with Tippit for backup.  He took the spot next to the water tank while I set up near the area the hogs spent so much time rooting around the night before.  If ol' stone head had gotten over his headache we planned to tag team him this time.

Nice camo Jeff!
 

We hadn't been set up for long when 10 little piggies came to drink.  I think Jeff has video if he can get it posted.  They were back and forth between the water tank and the corn on the road a number of times, and then eventually worked their way close to my set up.

 

They kept me entertained right up until dark, but the bigger hogs from the night before never showed.
 

[tippit]

As to the West Texas landscape, it is stark country but it has a beauty of it's own.  It's been over 30 years since I've been back to the Odessa/Pecos area.  My Dad was president of the BF Goodrich tire test track the last time I saw the area.  It sure brought back some fond memories being that he is now 95 years old!  Doc

 

Last night hunting with Whip.

 

P&Y piglet water hole!

[Steve O]

Looks like lots of fun with a great group.  I'm really enjoying the pictures and jealous of the weather!

[Whip]

Can't remember a Sweat that didn't require medical expertise of some sort.  Comes in handy to have a vet on staff!
 

The last night of the hunt was decision time.  Where to put all of our chips on one final effort to cash in.  Once again, Tippit and I teamed up to surround a small pond and a water tank.  We had corned the area the day before, and the sign left over night looked very promissing - everything from javi tracks to a huge set of hog prints.  Our confidence in this new set up were high.  

 

Action came quickly as a group of four pigs came to the pond.  
Think quick Jeff!

 

They had gotten between us, and with no shots offered, were gone as quickly as they had come.  It ws still early, but that was the end of the activity, except for the never ending parade of birds to the water.  

We sat until we just couldn't see anymore, and with the moon not scheduled to show for a while, we called the hunt complete.  Neither of us had taken an animal, but as we walked down the road we both agreed that the trip was a complete success.  

That evening had some great endings for others in camp though.  Woody has already told of the success he and Mel had.  As a truck would pull up and stop in front of the shed hunters flocked like moths to a flame to hear the stories that were sure to follow.  

Mel giving the play by play, with color commentary by Woody:

   

[robtattoo]

Photo montage time!
Woody doing his thang...
 

Kevin, doing his...
 

Jeff Strubberg, threatening everyone with his magic cowboy gun...
 

Andy, lost...
 

My view for the week...
 

AAAAARGH!!!    
 

Welcome to West Texas...
 

[robtattoo]

Misty, moisty mornings...
 

The Proud Hunter...
 
 

The REALLY proud hunter...
 

Photo duelling...
 

Woody pile...
 

[robtattoo]

Stone in motion (almost)...
 

My other view for the week...
 

The other Andy, copping zees...
 

End of day welcome...
 

Master & 'Grasshopper'...
 

Master...
 

Grasshopper...
 

[robtattoo]

Packin' up...
 

Just checkin'...
 

11 vacant minds   :D  ...
 

Getting together...
 

Swami Curtis...
 

Them Kellar Boys...
 

[Guru]

great stuff guys!!!

[tradtusker]

Gathering around the meat hooks, where Shaun and Curtis showed me a few tricks about butchering hogs and havi's

Another highlight for the trip for me was hearing about Mel and Woodys last hunt, Mel had hunted realy hard all week and was out at every opertunity, he sure had a big smile of his face when he got back with a nice pig.

Woody proved his stone points by killing 2 pigs in the same day with the same stone point! one of the coolest things iv seen and i was realy happy for him.
 
Mel and Woody telling everyone about there adventure.  

[Littlefeather]

Well, I got home last night with the second load of camp gear. There was certainly a Beverly Hillbilly look to things. Now I have two giant loads of gear in the drive and I've got to find room in one of the barns for it all.

Great pics guys! I fell asleep downloading video into my computer last night. I've got some great vid. Now all I need to do is learn how to get it back off the computer and posted. Lots to do before the next hunt. I'll try and download some tonight. Carry-on! CK

[tradtusker]

Day 4 proved to be another successful day,
i was hunting alone today and decided to go back to the same place i had shot the first Havi, this time i set up a bit of a brush hide closer to where i had seen them comming out, after getting set up and touching up my snuffers i looked down the road to see 3 havi's zigzaging up and down the road feeding, i checked all my gear and set of for a stalk.

it took me a while to find a place where i thought i could get in quietly, i had one havi within 6m but he was behind some brush and never fed out into a clearing, he turned around and walk 40m back the the other 2. so i had to start again.
By the time i got into shooting range again 2 of the 3 had gone into the bush to bed down so i knew i had to be quike i was about 15m from the last havi when he turned and start to walk into the brush i stood up and squeeked as i put some bend into the limbs hopeing to stop him, he never heard me, i hit full draw and hit him with a solid quatering shot at about 17m.
when the arrow struck he roared and started spining in circles trying to bite the arrow then he dropped in the grass dead.
 

He had a good head on him and i decided to clean out the skull and left it with Curtis to clean it up for me.  

[Charlie Lamb]

Well guys, looks like everyone has been busy with stories and pictures. Well done!
   

My own list of stories and pics is rather short this year. Seems like I spent more time trailing hunters than trailing game... and that's just fine with me.

[Charlie Lamb]

I just love Texas!  Can't say I've ever been anywhere that is as diverse in terrain or that harbors as much game in what often seems "barren" country.

It was a little different this year what with the hunt happening in February and all. March usually shows a little color as Texas springtime sweeps across the wide open expanses.

Not February! Or at least not February in west Texas.

There wasn't a whole lot of difference in the grays and browns of winter I'd left at home in Missouri and muted grass and brush I found near Odessa.

The only difference I could tell was that Missouri trees are taller and growing closer together. Other than that, gray is gray and brown is brown.

I was happy to be in new and warmer climes with the prospect of up close and personal encounters with the local wildlife. I surely wouldn't be dissappointed in that department.

[Charlie Lamb]

The Texas Sweat is a very special hunt to me and I've always counted the days between these special gatherings.

For a variety of reasons the list of hunters has changed from year to year and that's not a bad thing.

I look forward to making new friends and had developed special friendships with several guys that seemed to be returning year after year.

With out a doubt the "Sweat" has drawn what I consider to be the best of the best. The  cream of traditional bowhunting.

You may find more successful hunters (if you are into the numbers thing), but you won't find any that are nicer... and this ain't some kind of show. These guys are genuinely nice people.

You may find better shots with traditional equiptment... but you'll look long and hard to come up with only a couple that are slightly better.

You'll defineatley have fits trying to assemble a group with as much talent as this bunch. From the tips of our arrows to the bows in our hands and the knife in the finely crafted sheath at our hips.
We had it all right there.

[hormoan]

On of the highlights of the week was watching Woody do his workmanship on stone. I was so intrigued by how he took a chunk of stone, and made a work of art so pleasing to the eye. You can think of stone points as primitive, but to behold and see them in the light. IS WOW!!!
I’m glad Rob’s photo’s came out so good, mine had too much light on them. I cannot thank Woody enough for the point he made for me. I will use it this fall on one of our whitetails lord willing. The pictures Rob posted is the point Woody made for me. One afternoon after knapping a few hours Woody rose from his work spot and offered it to me. Along with the use of his tools!

I sure hope I did them no harm   :eek:  
I picked up a piece of his waste material, just had to see what kind of mess I could make of it.

The top white point was my first attempt at knapping a stone point, its not large but it was from waste chips.
Then the black one is my second attempt; I had picked up another piece of waste material, larger in size. I still came up a little small in the size department. As one of my hits went   :(  
But I continued on, I think I my have the bug to make more. And have plans to make some tools to make more.

A big thank you to Woody for sharing your knowledge, and generosity with us Cave Men.