2022 Laredo Tusk Roundup Hunt 2 has BEGUN

[pdk25]

I have been lucky at taking game on my birthday more than once, and was a little disappointed at not feeling well enough to hunt that day this year, so when I got notice that a hog was at a feeder, I decided to suck it up and go after it. It looked to be a nice boar.

When I originally evaluated the two adjacent points, I discarded one of them because there were cattle all over the only area suitable for an approach. The pond I elected to setup in seemed very promising during daylight, but there was a complication noticed only only after dark.  A power station nearby was incredibly bright, and illuminated the approach roads, which was on high ground.  It was so bright that I needed a brimmed hat to walk in the direction of the pond on this stalk.  Crazy bright.

Anyway, When I arrived, the hog wasn’t there so I walked around a half mile back to the truck and waited a half hour and the hog returned, so I made my way back to the pond.  When I descended to the pond, the hog busted out of there into the brush to the south. It was very quiet, but I was in my socks only(still have thorns for that) and I was confident that he didn’t hear or smell me, so I snuck closer and waited.  After a half hour, I heard him shake his ears and make his way slowly back toward the corn. He stayed on the far end facing me for the longest time, but I was confident that he would offer a shot eventually.

I don’t like shooting long distances at night, so I was patient, and he started making his way close and was under 10 yards away slightly quartering towards me when I felt the wind hit the back of my neck. I knew it was now or never and took what felt like a good shot.  My string tracker line peeled out,  briefly stopped, then trickled out for a second then stopped.  I had no desire to track him through prickly pear after dark, and it was cold at night, so I backed out and returned at first light.

Terry accompanied me to the scene of the crime. No bloody nearby at the shot, and although I strapped my string tracker to a mesquite it was no help because other hogs came in and pulled all of the line out and broke it off from the hog and dragged it back to the corn.  Fortunately I found good blood around 30’yards in the brush and it was a fairly straightforward track to the boar.  He made it around 80 yards or so.  Another birthday pig for me.

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[pdk25]

After processing the boar with Terry, I was again too fatigued to hunt javelina and didn’t really feel up to chasing hogs but dropped Terry off for his stalks on Tuesday night, which he already described. After going with Terry to recover his sow and helping him process it, I was again to tired to chase javelina on Wednesday
Until mid afternoon.  I went out and made a natural blind and mostly sat watching roads.  I did go for a couple short walks and came up on a group of 2 that busted me after I tried to circle around to get the wind in my favor.  That would end up being the last of my javi hunting, around 7 total hours.  Just bad luck getting sick, which was likely from getting run down from chasing hogs in frigid temps the week before.

[pdk25]

So just to go back a little bit, regarding the hogs that pulled my string tracker line out.  It was 2 nice sows and a piglet that worked my pig bomb for hours.  On Tuesday night they showed up again, and I accompanied another hunter on a stalk for them.  While I waited on my hands and knees halfway along the road, and the hunter made his approach, they spooked out of there. One of them ended up in the brush 15 yards from me, and I just laid down on the road for what seemed like forever, then we snuck out of there.  The sows returned to the feeder an hour later, but I had some good intel that I would use later.

[pdk25]

I was confident the sows would return on Wednesday night, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I knew the wind would be in my favor and I would need to be patient and mostly crawl to avoid the light and shadows.

I was on my hands and knees for 150 yards or so, when 50 yards ahead a group of 3 deer came on the road and spotted me. 2 snorted and blew out of there, but the third kept snorting at me for a few minutes before leaving which was enough to scatter the hogs.  Dang it.

Once again, though, at least one ended up close to me along the road, and I laid on the road for 30 minutes, and then very slowly belly crawled the rest of the way to the pig bomb.

2 raccoons busted me on the way down to the feeder, so I angled off into the brush to the south,  knowing that the sows would likely return, but would bust me if I was in the better shooting position.

[pdk25]

I moved enough brush that I felt that I had a shooting lane, albeit a little longer of a shot than I wanted, and cleared a space that I could lay down and wait, but still get to my knees for a shot quietly if I took my time.

As anticipated, in 15-30 minutes, the hogs returned with the wind in my favor.  I slowly and quietly got to my knees and grabbed the only arrow with an illuminated nock that was in my quiver, nocked it, and when I had a sow slightly quartering away in the pig bomb I drew and released.  To my surprise, the nock didn’t light up, but I heard a solid thud and the hogs busted out of there into thick brush to the south.  It turns out that I grabbed an arrow with a standard nock and as a result couldn’t see the impact.  It felt like I might be a touch far back, but sounded good.  Once again I backed out until morning and returned with Terry hoping to find a blood trail.

Terry found first blood around 20 yards from impact, and I trailed on hands and knees through heavy brush with a steady blood trail which led to the sow, which Terry saw a few yards ahead of me while I was crawling through nasty stuff. Another reason not to trail in these conditions in the dark.  She ended piled up less than 10 yards from a sendero that we could reach with the truck, and definitely less than 30’yards from where the other hog died. Still probably went around 80 yards.  Got her out of there and processed, and I was done hunting for the trip.

[rastaman]

Way to go Pat! Sounds like you guys had a blast! 

[rastaman]

And congrats to you Zeebob and all the rest of you guys!

[Terry Green]

Couple of pics o Patrick's boar...

3 blade VPA

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Shield

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[pdk25]

Thanks Terry.  I usually mention that I was using a Talltines Stickflinger and VPA 3 blades, but I forgot.

[trick00]

Good stuff guys!

[Terry Green]

I'll be catching up on my story in the morning...

Lots going on catching up at home....

[Wudstix]

Great hearing these stories again.
 

[Wudstix]

If there is anything like too many Javelina in front of you that may have been my experience.  Terry put me in "The Spot" as he called it.  It definitely was a spot where Javelina liked to congregate.  My method was to set up in a hide trimmed into the brush, or built with surrounding brush and corn in third directions, depending on the wind and which corner I was set up on.  All the errors were my own doing and not the result of equipment or wind.  Rookie mistakes from an old hat.  There was a Millennium seat left behind from hunt one that I put to use.  Being new to that type of seat was a challenge.  I finally coated the post and undercarriage with mineral oil and it was whisper quiet.  If I decide to get one of these seats it will become a familiar tool.  Having groups(Squadrons) of Javelina from 7 to 18 in front of me was exciting, but difficult to keep all eyes off me, so I could draw.  It was also interesting to get a shot at a Javelina who wasn't lined up with one or two others.  I had opportunities, but my form from the seat was not the best.  The last day I finally trimmed a very decent hide from a thorn bush.  Finally did get drawn successfully on a decent boar, at release he took a couple steps, which resulted in a hit too far back.  The Snuffer tipped footed Cedar did it's job.  I found it @20-25 feet past where the Javelina had been standing at impact.  He ran off with two Snuffer sized holes, but after crawling through thorn brush and cactus for about 50 yards finding no blood, he was not found.  I did find some Javelina beds, other sign and an old chewed up shed.  SteveM thanks for your help.  This is what my arrow looked like.  You'll note the colors.  This hunt is on my radar for next year and knowing what to expect will be a big advantage.  Ryan you were correct, penetration was very impressive.     

[Terry Green]

Ok, so, I told Patrick that it was odd that I saw my arrow impact EXACTLY where I was looking, but when Porky swirled, the lit nock looked lower.  We are talking a millagiga second in time, but thats what I saw, and with plenty of killing penetration. Odd, just odd... but plenty on that later.....

Anyhow, after a short bit Patrick and I started slipping into the area to the point of impact.  Blood almost immediately, lots, then a distinct trail for 20 yards to my bright red arrow shaft then 4 more to my broadheded end. Now the trail was really flowing....

Just a few more yards of a bleed-out trail and we hear a very distressed grunt ahead but no other sounds.... we froze.  At this point we decided to back out, in somewhat disbelief of what we were seeing, and come back at daylight....

[Terry Green]

Ok, so Patrick and I headed out a few hours later at daylight to complete the trail to its end, what ever that was.

We took up the trail from the beginning and here is the 7th yard from point of impact....

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Then after a few more ......

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And this,.....

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And about 12 yards beyond this, maybe 15 from where we heard the grunt hours before,  there the hog was lying.....

Not comfortable posting this pic out of respect for the animal.....

Anyhow, we were elated that all had come together as we expected, especially me as I had experienced it all first hand and what I assumed was true....except the initial tracking effort..... more on that later.....

[Terry Green]

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[Terry Green]

I would like to thank Patrick for his efforts on this hunt as well, and his enthusiasm in the hunt for the 'Trap Hog' from the beginning. I was so tickled for him and his success at the 'Double Tank', and now this was icing on the cake as this tank was a bit more personable for me due to the week before's events for Joe and I.  During our chasing to fill our Javie tags I was always dreaming of hog hunting this tank as hogs are my 1st love. I can't tell you how many times I glassed this area across the pond from the berm on the other side while 'directing traffic'.  Very special guys, hard to describe and I'm sure hard for some to grasp.  "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand" definitely applies here....

[Over&Under]

 

A couple of great hunts back to back!

[Terry Green]

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[Zeebob]

Terry, those are both great pictures! Patrick is a stone cold killer when it comes to hogs, no doubt about that.

I think I was the rookie of the crew.  Being around some many knowledgeable traditional archers was an added bonus for me! I know I picked up some valuable knowledge from everyone there. 

Can’t wait to get back down there again!