Hope goes to Ray Hammond's -- Story

[Marvin M.]

OK, I've got people here at work from HQ, so will only be able to get things started, but the story will unfold as I have time.

Drag up a chair!  It's a story of the lows and highs of hog hunting in the SC swamps.

[tmccall]

 

Coffee in hand, ready for the story...

[Marvin M.]

My friend Roger McCuiston and I left Lexington, KY around 2:00 Thursday afternoon for the drive down to meet Ray Hammond and chase hogs in the South Carolina heat.  We met up with Ray and the other hunter in camp (Carlton) at 10:00 on Friday morning.  

We picked up our licenses and were told that we needed a windicator to check breezes for stalking.  Now, I always keep a piece of dental floss tied to the end of my bow strings to show me wind direction, but being the intelligent individual I am, I didn't even hesitate in picking one up -- when the experts speak, I listen!  It was a good move.  The first lesson I learned when I hit the woods was that the "wind" under the tall canopy in the swamps isn't wind.  Any wind that is blowing is above the canopy and what you have underneath are shifting air currents that aren't strong enough to move my dental floss string.  We needed those little puffs of powder that the windicators provided.

One other starting note about this hunt -- IT WAS HOT!!!!!

[Marvin M.]

We unpacked at camp, shot some and had some time to get to know each other then headed off to corn the ditches.  This involved throwing corn into standing water in the ditches to attract hogs out of the thick stuff into the roadsides so that you can get to them.

Ray told us that even though we were doing this, he felt like we had a better chance of finding hogs back in the swamp because of the heat, and that was where he wanted us to start hunting, then if the hogs started hitting the corn, we would swithch back to the ditches.

Then it was back to camp for sandwiches and a change into hunting gear before heading off to the swamps and under the canopy where the pigs were presumably waiting for us to find them.

[joevan125]

[Red Boar]

We are headed there in 2 weeks...I am sure this will help us with what to expect.    

[tmccall]

[Blasterjdh]

 

I Love These Stories....

[Doc Nock]

he must've spotted a hawg...he got real quiet and is moving super slow...  

C'mon, hoss... I feel like I just got kissed by a pretty girl at the dance and she left with someone else!

Keep er coming...  

[bloodyarrow]

[Marvin M.]

Sorry guys, see the first post above.  Visitors from HQ are here today.

In addition to telling the story I'm going to try to add tips and techniques about what I learned down there, like the comments about the windicators.

Which brings me to another point -- Thermacells!!!  Mosquitos are thicker than fleas on a homeless hound.  One of the first things we did there is get a quick lesson on using our thermacells.  That thing was a lifesaver.        It was money well spent although there might be some drawbacks.  I'll get to that later.

As an illustration to the mosquito problem, I ran up on a small (half grown) armadillo on Saturday morning.  I took the opportunity to practice my stalking skills and got up close and personal with the miserable little thing.  There was literally a cloud of mosquitos buzzing around that little beast.  I don't know how much protection his armor afforded, but they were definitely all over him.

I also used some Permanone on my pants to prevent chiggers.  Don't know if that is a problem for anyone else or not, but the permanone kept them off me.  Spray it lightly on my pants and boots and no problem.

[Sharptop]

Marvin, I wish I had used that chigger medicine. I have about 20 wounds where those suckers are cannibalizing me. I will get some of that stuff.

[Marvin M.]

Red Boar,  

Take note of the above.  What worked best for me as far as clothing was military surplus (woodland camo) shirts.  Cotton T-shirt was not good -- they bit me right through.  Long sleeves may not be necessary but they help with the mosquitos and complete the camo for your arms.

Thermacells are wonderful!!!!  When you are moving, you walk out of your "cloud" of protection.  Moving keeps the little blood-suckers off you pretty good, and when you stop it takes a few seconds for the "cloud" to surround you again, so you will get some bites, but nothing compared to what you would get without it.  Don't go there without one.  You've been warned!!!

[Marvin M.]

Sharptop,

Permanone is good for summer hunting/scouting/gathering.  Discovered that at Land Between the Lakes in Western KY -- odorless and very effective.  Wal-Mart sometimes has it.  Put it on your clothes, not your skin.  I spray it on my boots, up the seams fo my pants and around the waistband.  Works great.

More to follow.  Stay tuned boys and girls.

[tmccall]

 Keep it coming...

[Marvin M.]

OK, we sat around camp for a while getting gear ready and shooting the breeze.  Here are a couple of pictures of Roger and Carlton hanging out around the fire pit and swapping stories.

 

 

Pretty soon it was time to head out.  We took my Jeep and drove back to the corn wagon as our jumping off point and headed out per Ray's instructions.

[Marvin M.]

So we go down this road per Ray's instructions and it splits into three.  Carlton goes right, Roger takes the center and I go left.  

I'm easing down the road, getting a feel for the place and learning what the normal sounds of the swamp are.  I'm in full stealth mode, checking the wind regularly and watching for movements.  I come to a fork in my road.  I check the wind and it's more favorable to go left, so I take the left fork.  About 75 yards down this road, I hear rustling in the brush on the left.  

A quick scan of the area reveals some movement and I freeze.  The wind is right and I ease closer until I can see what is making the noise.  An arrow comes out of the quiver and onto the string.  Three steps closer and the beast turns broadside.  I draw, anchor and the arrow is on it's way -- into the dirt under the creature's nose!!!  He takes two hops and looks around to see what happened (did I mention that Hope is quiet?).  

Almost automatically another arrows is out and as the beast starts quarting away, the arrow buries just in front of the left hip angling across the body into the boiler room.  Pandemonium sets in as the death run begins.

A short wait later and I find this.

 

I follow the trail about five yards and remove the arrow from the carcase then drag the beast out of it's burrow, and Hope has her first kill in the books.

 

OK, so it's not a hog, but Hope is now officially a killer and I'm barely into the swamp.

[Marvin M.]

More on the 'Dilla's later.

I head on down the road looking for the feeder that is supposed to be at the end.  I'm taking in everything and watching for hog sign as I go.

Ray had said the we would find where the hogs had been and where they were working along the edges.  It didn't take long.

 

The water had been up earlier in the year and where the water line had been I found this.  I've got no idea what they were looking for here, but his is the very edge of where the water line and been and they had torn it to pieces.

Notice that the camera used the flash for this picture.  I keep my camera on automatic since I'm not a very good photographer so if it thinks it needs a flash it uses it.  This shot was taken at approximatly 6:oo pm on a bright sunny day and it still needed flash!  As you can tell, it's dark under the canopy.  You have to go slow and look carefully.

I got to the end of the road and inspected the area around the feeder that was there.  Hogs were primarily moving left to right here judging by the tracks and the wind wasn't right to go left, so I backtracked to the fork in my road and headed down the new road.

[Red Boar]

Originally posted by Marvin M.:
Red Boar,  

Take note of the above.  What worked best for me as far as clothing was military surplus (woodland camo) shirts.  Cotton T-shirt was not good -- they bit me right through.  Long sleeves may not be necessary but they help with the mosquitos and complete the camo for your arms.

Thermacells are wonderful!!!!  When you are moving, you walk out of your "cloud" of protection.  Moving keeps the little blood-suckers off you pretty good, and when you stop it takes a few seconds for the "cloud" to surround you again, so you will get some bites, but nothing compared to what you would get without it.  Don't go there without one.  You've been warned!!!

Thanks Marvin!  As a Florida hunter I am very familiar with the use of a ThermaCell...one of the best products ever invented.  Keep the reports and tips coming.    

[Benny Nganabbarru]

 

Good story!