For Love of the Game 2009…… Texas
It’s hard to start a story like this. I never know where or when to begin. At what point do you have to draw the line on how far back a story starts? I would say this story would have to start in the fall of 1999 (I know, ten years ago and it doesn’t seem like it…). I was a senior in high school and was in my second year of my professional guiding career. It’s a whole other story on how that started, but out of all of my guiding experience I formed a friendship with a person that I will always call my best friend.
Anybody who has read stories of my past hunts has probably herd me speak of Matt. Matt is the friend I met guiding that year, and together we have experienced and shared our miss spent youth, our early years of man-hood, our trying times as adults, and some of my best hunting memories that will stick with me even through the worst case of “old-timers” (or however you spell that disease that makes you forget everything).
Every year Matt and I get together for hunts as often as possible. Usually our hunts consist of him sharing his stomping grounds with me and me sharing my stomping grounds with him once per year. Matt is an East-Texan through and through. Being born and raised in the Lufkin area, he is sometimes hard to understand on the phone (or anywhere for that matter), but I have become quite fluent in the “East-Texas drawl” language and I find myself speaking East-Texan for a few weeks after returning home. What can I say? When in Rome do as the Roman’s, right?
Anyhow, February 19 found me on the road from Rangely, Colorado to the destination of Hudson, Texas. With my gear and Gauge in the truck we set out, and holy crap what a long drive. Miles upon miles upon miles. I drove as long as could and made it to Vernon, Texas before I had to give up for the day. Now I must warn you here. Every hunt has its hazards. Be it weather, animals, treacherous terrain, or whatever. The hazard I ran into on this hunt was a motel I stayed at in Vernon called the Greentree Inn. I hope the Mods don’t mind me taking a few moments to warn you all to go a head and stay elsewhere while in this town. There is a perfectly good Holiday Inn just up the street. At first appearance the Greentree is an alright place with semi-clean rooms and such. They’re also pet friendly. But after me having to put up with a real life Jerry Springer episode in the room right next to me, me calling the police who don’t show up for 2 hours, calling the front desk telling them of the situation, them telling me to call the police, the police finally show, they arrest the wife who was beating her husband, I give a statement, police leave, husband gets mad at me after the police leave because I got his “Big Momma” (and I quote) “Throwed in the pokie”, I finally have enough and leave at pretty close to midnight. I didn’t get much rest, but I was wide awake after the “episode”. I get to Hudson at 6:00 am on the 20th.
Matt and I get gathered up, I shoot a few times to loosen up, and we hit the woods. Matt sat me in a ladder stand that was being hit by a good boar he’d seen the few weeks previous. He spread a little corn as he left and all that showed up was a very young sow and her pigs. Matt LOVES pig hunting and asked me not to shoot any sows with chotes (baby pigs). That’s all that showed up this morning, and I couldn’t tell if the chotes were wheened yet or not, so I let them walk. What a great morning regardless.
I pretty much rested the rest of the day and we got caught up with the happenings of East-Texas. The next morning would find us off to the same stand.
For reasons unknown, we got a pretty late start this morning. It was light enough to see good as we were making our way to the stand. This piece of property has very little pressure and Matt assured me we should still see some hogs, but he also added that getting a late start is a habit we should not get into.
As we were passing an oat patch on the way to the ladder stand, I noticed movement in the middle of the patch and instantly stopped the truck. I looked through the binos and sized up the beast that was rooting the oat patch. Matt told me, “Man, don’t waste your time on that! We can do much better.” I told him I was very interested in trying a stalk. I told him it would mean a lot to me. I finally won the argument. With my trusty Sunbear in hand, I set out. I no more got out of the truck and an arrow knocked before the great pre-historic beast retreated to the sanction of the thick piney woods.
Matt was happy not much time was wasted on that stalk and off to the ladder stand we went.
Matt dropped me off, told me he would pick me up in 3 hours, spread a little corn, and was on his way to do some chores. I climbed the stand and sat for a while with no excitement. The patch this stand is located on is about 5 acres of oats. To the north of the stand is a feeder about 15 yards away. To the north of the feeder is a finger of brush that comes out and kind of creates a dog leg to another section of oats you can’t see from the ladder stand. To the east of the ladder stand is a traditional box blind that has a full view of the entire oat patch that rifle hunters use.
At about 8:00 I catch movement over by the box blind. A quick inspection revealed it was Matt. I guess he finished his chores, parked the truck and snuck through the woods to the box blind. He quietly made his way up the stairs to the blind.
The wind was coming out of the north and was perfect in my face.
At about 8:30, movement to the north of the feeder caught my eye. I sized the hog up and determined him to be a good boar. He was about 70 yards away and wasn’t interested in the corn at all. He spent a few minutes grazing and rooting the edge of the oat patch on my side of the finger of brush. As soon as he had his fill, he cut through the finger. I figured he was on the other side feeding on that side of the finger of brush. I looked at Matt through my binos. Through hand signals he told me this was the good boar that we were after and that he was indeed on the other side of the patch. Matt and I have hunted long enough together; we both kind of know what the other is thinking.
I very quietly climbed out of the stand and eased my way to the finger of brush. I knocked a 31.5” Gold Tip with a razor sharp WW head and 235 grains of up front weight. The whisper quiet 62# @ 30” Sunbear was ready. I slowly eased to the point of the finger. I no more then poked an eyeball around the corner when the boar locked on to me. I thought the gig was up, but out of instinct I froze and looked to the ground to avoid eye contact. I also knew the hog was on the outer reaches of my comfort zone. I also knew if he would stick around, I could make the shot.
The hog did and instant 180 degree turn and too my amazement, went back to rooting.
The hog was slightly quartering away. I came to full draw, picked my spot, had a real good discussion with myself to make sure my release fingers were in tune with my brain, and released.
The arrow buried fletch deep in nothing but absolute pump house. A perfect shot.
I was pretty calm through the whole ordeal, I guess because I hadn’t quite realized what all had just transpired. I stepped off the yardage to the spot the hog was standing. A full 27 yards. I had forgotten all about Matt until he slapped me on the back while I was looking for blood.
“Man you got him! I watched it all through my binos! That was awesome! Good shot man! That hog has cutters as big as they get! What a great job! You did it! He’ll be down in short order!”
I was still soaking up the whole of it. Then the fever set in. I was shaking like a dog passing walnut shells.
It didn’t take long to find first blood. This is where the hog entered the woods.
The hog made it about 100 yards and was done. Profuse blood the entire trail. I found my new favorite head. Great blood and great penetration through about 1.5” of shield.
I was absolutely blown away at the size of his cutters. I couldn’t believe it. Needless to say, my smile lasted for a while. I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day.
The hog only weight 200-225#, but in my mind is as big as they get. I’m super happy and think if this is a sign of things, me and the Sunbear are going to have a wonderful life together.
The Sunbear in the sun.
More to come....
Thanks for reading,
Todd
Topic: For love of the game 2009... Utah, Here we came.. (Pg. 6) (Read 3321 times)
