Hope goes to Ray Hammond's -- Story

[Marvin M.]

Now for a shameless plug.  

While I was there I lost a knife that I made.  It's one of my first ones and I liked it and would like to have it back.  If you go to Ray's and find my knife, I'll pay postage to get it back.  I lost it between the second feeder on my road and the corn wagon.

It was in a small sheath hanging on my quiver and came up missing when we got back that night.  Small blade about an inch long and three quarters wide.  Bone handle from a dead cow in the spot that I deer hunt here in Kentucky.  Here is a picture wiht a highlighter to give size perspective.  I'd love to have it back.

 

I'll try to post more story later today.  Stick around, it's going to get better.

[Bill Turner]

Can't get much better than this. Your doing a great job. I expect "Hope" will do her part when the time comes. Thanks for sharing.  

[Red Boar]

Hey Marvin...still enjoying your story. Thanks.  With regard to the ThermaCell, there is no doubt that game can smell it.  It has been my experience, however, that the scent does not spook them.  I've had hogs and deer directly under my stand and they pay no attention to it.  As was previously mentioned, I think it actually acts as  a cover scent.  

Hope there is a big hog at the end of this story.    

[Russ Clagett]

I've never seen armadillos chest thump, but I do know if you sneak up and whack one with a stick, he'll jump straight up in the air about 3 feet.

So will you, can't help it, even when you expect it.

Try it. You'll see.

[oneshot-onekill]

Great story...keep it coming.

[Hogtamer]

You learned a lot, and quickly!  1)It's dark in the swamp...gap shooters take note.  Things look further away than they really are in low light. 2) Thermacells work great.  3) Wind swirls unpredictably in and around the swamp.  Most often the air currents are OPPOSITE the prevailing wind (don't ask me why).  4)Those pigs didn't smell your Thermacell or you would have heard them crashing away for 300 yds.  They are just nervous around that feeder.  And for a few freebies:  Your GPS won't track under that canopy so don't count on it.  And if Ray didn't fix ya'll some grits one morning you ought to get a free trip back!

[Ray Hammond]

RC and Hogtamer are right-

They smelled the Thermacell...they ran from YOUR smell!

That's why the rule is- see em, get in fast, take the first good shot, and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER say to yourself, " I can get five yards closer"!!!!

[Marvin M.]

Russ, I'll have to try that next time I'm around 'dilla's.  Interesting little varmints!!

Ray,

Welcome to the thread.  Is Carlton going to chime in?  I didn't get his handle so I couldn't contact him to let him know it was here.

[Marvin M.]

Just got an e-mail from Roger.  He's kind of shy and doesn't want to post anything.    But he wanted me to make sure I mentioned the heat down there, so here goes.

IT WAS HOT!!!!!

I easily drank a gallon of water every day.  Under the canopy it was better, but still hot.  I made it pretty good for a desk jockey, but Roger had some trouble with the heat.  Dress appropriately, drink lots of fluids, and don't rush.  You'll be OK.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

Armadillos aren't really territorial, but a single dilla will inhabit anywhere from 4 to 10 burrows.  

What you probably saw was 2 male dillas jocking for position on a receptive female.  One will usually stay close to the female waiting for her to become ready for mating.  If another male comes courting the female, the first one will resort to fisticuffs to defend his sweetie.

Dilla Love.

[Marvin M.]

Two more pictures I forgot to put up.  

Back to talking about the swamp.  There were scattered clumps of Palmetto around the area.  Here is a picture of one that was on the side of the road and I had good light to take a picture.

 

The thing that I noticed with them is that I wound up glassing them a lot.  The testure of those fronds is different from the surrounding vegetation and when you are looking for hogs, they just kind of jump out at you.  I found myself looking at a lot of palmetto's with my binoculars because of it.  As I said, the texture of the fronds makes them stand out somewhat.  Throw them back in the shadows and they have you taking second looks on a regular basis.

That brings me to another point -- binoculars.  Ray sent and e-mail that I should bring some glasses to check back in the shadows.  I don't have high-dollar glasses, have never owned (or even looked through) any and don't need them for the kind of hunting I normally do.  I carried two pair with me.  A pair of 12X25's to use from the road looking in the open for the better magnification, and a pair of 7X35's to use in the swamps.  The bigger objective lense on the 7X35's allowed me to gather more light and I could see with them when I couldn't with my eyes.  They were a good choice.  I've also got a pair of constant focus that stayed home.  Being able to focus through the brush was definitely a positive thing.

My cheap binoculars worked great on this hunt.  If you come down, get something with large objective lenses to catch more light.

[Marvin M.]

Final pictue and a couple of comments before I resume the story.

 

I've got to say that Tradgang is a great place to hang out.  Great people and lots of knowledge shared here for people still learning.  I got into trad back in 2000 and this site has really helped me develop my knowledge and skills.  I'm to the point now that I can start to share with others.  Heck, I even found something that I could teach Ray while I was down there and we never got around to doing it.  Maybe I'll do a teach-along on it later so that everyone can benefit.

Now, a few more comments, then I swear I'll get back to the hunt.  I haven't said much about the wildlife down there yet.

I know that Ray is now offering turkey hunts in the spring.  We saw turkeys every time we were out.  And these aren't little scrawny, wimpy birds either.  Some of them looked big enough to whip the hogs.

Raccoons were everywhere.  You'll hear more about them when I get on with the hunt story, but I saw many of them.

I've already talked about the 'dilla's.  I don't know if my area had more than the other guys or not, but I saw lots of them, and killed two.

There was an owl in my area that sounded off every time I was down there.  Roger and Carlton both heard him during their hunts.  It was pretty cool having another predator in my area.

Egrets were a problem early on for me.  There were lots of them around the water, and it took me a while to distinguish their sqauking from hog grunts.  I found myself stalking birds on at least two occaisions.

Ray said there were gators down there.  I was hoping to see one of them while I was there but wasn't that fortunate.  Ray saw one Saturday morning but I wasn't with him at the time.

And finally, the squirrels.  They were numerous.  It was rare when I couldn't look around somewhere and see one, and I've already mentioned the one that knocked over a cypress.  

That place was great.  There is no excuse for not seeing game at Ray's place.

I'll re-start the story when I come back -- have to get a little work done, you know.

[Marvin M.]

Ok, so back to the hunt.

It's Saturday afternoon and we head back in Ray is taking Roger to a new spot to try to get him on some hogs.  Carlton and I head back into the swamp.

I carried a stool with me this time to do some sitting.  This is also when I wore the cotton shirt and had more skeeter problems that ever.

I go in and take the right fork.  Haven't seen anything on the left fork, so I'm bypassing it today.  For those of you that have been there, Ray calls the left fork the Mulberry Feeder and it is supposed to be directly behind the infamous White House.

Anyway, I head to the second feeder that I described as being at the "T" to start my hunt.  As I'm approaching I can see movement under the feeder.  Pull up the binoculars and check and it's a turkey -- big sucker with about a six or eight inch beard.  I'm watching from more than a hundred yards away and in the shadows, but he can tell that something isn't right and he eases on off into the brush.  Those rascals can really pick you out.

I set up my stool in the shadow of the elevated stand and sit for a while.  The wind is from the feeder to me slightly from the right -- conditions are perfect.  Eventually I see and hear movement on the right side of the road leading to the feeder and I can make out shapes in the brush over there.  Pulling up the binoculars I can make out two does browsing through the area.  I lose track of one of them but the other one beds down next to a brush pile.  I watch that one off and on for the next forty five minutes with no activity at the feeder, so I decide to go check the other feeder.  I left my stool there and headed down the leg of the "T".

The two does detect me before I can make the first hundred yards and they bust out of there.  I take my time still hunting down the road checking likely spots and not getting in a hurry.  Eventually I get to the curve that shields the feeder.  As I creep up and look around the bush that was my shield this morning I can see a raccoon under the feeder.  I'm probably close to a hundred yards away and watch the coon for ten minutes or so.  Eventually a second coon comes out and the two seem to acknowledge each other then go on sucking up corn.  

I decide to move closer and see if I can get a better view of the coons and see what they are up to.  The wind is still in my favor, now moving left to right and kind of quartering toward me.

I take my time this time and keeping low and to the right using all the cover I can, I ease along and get behind the tree I was trying to get to this morning.  I make it, and get on my knees behind it.  When I peep out, both coons are still there -- my stalking is getting better.  I settle in for a while to see if anything will happen.  I'm now about twenty yards from the feeder and the coon's are unaware I am there.  They continue to suck up corn and occaisionally stop to scan the area.  Eventually, something spooks one of them and he crosses the road to the left and climbs a tree.  The other stays and keeps after the corn.

Eventually, I hear movement and then a branch snaps across the road from me.  I turn to look and there is a hog across the road -- a pretty big boar.  I'd have to cross the open road within sight of him to get anywhere near him so I sit tight hoping he will come to the feeder.  He goes past me and stops to look at the feeder, then turns and goes on past the feeder and comes into the road about twenty yards beyond the feeder.  He's now about forty yards from me and he is checking out the feeder.  Again, the wind is in my favor, but he decides that he really doesn't like corn that well and goes on across the road and into the bush and disappears.  I hang around for a while longer and then, since it is after eight, I start back the other way to check the other feeder one more time.

[Marvin M.]

I got back to the "T" and as I look down at the feeder I can see a hog there.  It's a boar and I'm estimating around a hundred pounds.  I check the wind again -- still good, and start easing down toward the hog.  

I remembered my lesson from this morning and I'm keeping low.  There are some weeds growing in the road that are helping screen me.  About halfway down the road and the pig goes off to the left into the brush.  I hunker down and try to figure out what happened, then I hear a stick break and he comes back out.  

It's getting darker under the canopy (where I am), but this black hog is standing in an open spot that gets more light and he is on the light colored sand.  I can see him good, but I'm in very low light -- a good situation for stalking.

He crosses the road and is in the edge of the brush on the other side of the feeder now and is rooting around for grains of corn.  If you've never been around one of those feeders, let me just say that they will sling that corn a long ways out.  I take the opportunity to get a little closer.  I'm within 25 yards when he comes back out -- I hunker down again.  He's facing me now but I still have the screen of weeds between us.  Now he turns and goes back to the feeder -- facing directly away from me.  I ease closer.  I'm now at eighteen yards -- I can hit what I aim at from this distance.

Did you catch Ray's post up above?  Something about not trying to get that last five yards -- taking the first shot you can.  I was listening to that and paying attention.

The hog takes a step to his left.  He is quarting away facing right to left and is in my range.  I raise up, draw, pick a spot about halfway up the leg and release.  There is a nice, satisfying "thunk", and the hog goes off into the brush.  He wasn't in an all out sprint or anything and he didn't grunt or squeal.  I didn't hear much either.  The area near the feeder is relatively clear.  I dropped to my knees right there and collected myself.  Once I got over the shakes, I checked my watch.  It's ten minutes to nine and getting dark fast.  All I have on me is my little Petzel head lamp that I use to get to and from stands and that isn't much light, especially for looking for blood.

Now, you need to understand something here.  I'm not one of those people who can see the shot.  I read posts where guys talk about watching the arrow arc toward the target and can see it spiraling to the mark.  I can't do that.  If I do it right, I don't see the arrow unless it is sticking out of the animal when it leaves.  I didn't see it.  I know where I aimed, but I didn't see the arrow at all in flight or hitting.

I nocked another arrow and sneaked up to the feeder to see if I can find any sign.  As I approach, I can see my arrow about five yards beyond where the pig was standing.  I ease over to it and there is blood on the fletching and the nock.  Hope did her part, did I do mine?

I head back to the Jeep, reliving the situation and trying to will myself to see an arrow in flight that I just didn't see.  I don't remember anything of the walk out.  Suddenly, I was at the Jeep telling my story.  Carlton and I went bakc to the camp to discuss what to do and come back or wait, depending on Ray's assessment of the situation.

Stay tuned, it may be tomorrow before I get back.

[Doc Nock]

Dom Da Dom, Dom DOM!

And the plot thickens... Great story tellin...

Hey, thankfully, Marvin isn't a Charlie Wanna be... he's going pretty quick here!

Thanks Marvin. Feel like I'm there... sweating sitting readin this if that helps!  

[Shaun]

He could still Charlie up on us, its been two days and he just shot the hog. May have to wait overnight to do the blood trail. Great story telling!

[Marvin M.]

OK, so I forgot to mention the food again.  We ate our big meal early today because Ray was going back to town to do whatever it was he had to do.

Early afternoon he threw some New York strips on the grill and some sweet corn.  We had the usual ceasar salad to go with it and there was still apple pie for desert.  Excellent!

[Sharptop]

This is too good story telling to interrupt. But I will say the advice about the chigger medicine and the Thermacells is spot on. I have about 30 chigger bites that are driving me nuts and a bunch of mosquito wounds that the Thermacell couldn't prevent but it would have been torture without it. I wore cotton camo tees and the mosquitos get you mostly on the off side from the Thermacells. I also was soaking wet much of the time, so wet that my knife got rusted in its thick leather sheath from so much sweating. It took me two days to recover from the hunt. It was 95-98 and high humidity in the swamp.

[Marvin M.]

We got back to camp and conferenced with Ray.  He looked at the arrow, asked a few questions and then made the decision that we should go check it out.  We loaded got our trailing lights, loaded up in the truck and headed back.

We drove in and parked at almost the same spot I shot from.  It's now been over an hour.  Ray left the truck running (a detail that is important to the story) and the lights on.  I showed them where the hog was, where I found the arrow and we started looking for blood.

We found the first drop of blood very quickly.  It was close to where the arrow was and was on the left side of a rock.  I shot that hog on the left side, so this blood means that my shot was in fact a pass through since it would have had to come from the right side of the hog.

I showed them where I thought the hog went and we eased in to look for more blood.  We found a few drops early, then it just stopped.  We fanned out to look for more but weren't having any success.  Carlton and Roger went out farther and were trying to cut a trail.  About that time, Ray called me back.  He'd found it again.  And it was good blood.  We had a good trail and it was easy to follow.  Instead of going straight left from the perspective of where I shot from he had cut back and was going directly away from where I was.  And then he started to cut around to the right, making kind of a fish hook pattern.  By this time, we had been here at least a half hour, trying to work out the trail and I'm really sweating it over this hog.  The area we were going into was high grass with a few saplings for variety.  The whole trail up to this point was less than forty yards.  

We are concentrating on the trail, trying to work it out in the tall grass and something gets up to our right (back toward the feeder) and goes directly away from the feeder.  I got my light up and Roger and I saw the hog go past us at about ten yards and head off into the swamp.  I had my bow but didn't have an arrow nocked, but probably wouldn't have had time to get off a shot anyway.  That hog trotted off into the dark very quietly and disapeared into the darkness.  We were all very surprised.

We had bumped that hog out of a bed right behind the feeder!!!  We continued to look in the grass and found the bed.  There was a small amount of blood there and the grass was mashed down where he had laid down.  He held there while the truck ran and shined lights into the area he was bedded and we were working out the trail right around him.  He had to have been hurt by the shot.

We backed out to wait for morning in the hope that he would lay down again and either stiffen up over night or expire.  We'd be back in the morning to try again.

It took me a while to get to sleep that night.  There were too many questions running through my head.  Was it a bad shot?  Why did the pig lay there like that?  He had to be hurt!  Did we go back too soon?  Where did I hit him?

Hopefully we would find out tomorrow.

[Over&Under]