PIG GIG--Week 1 ---***SNAKE PICS ADDED***

[gregg dudley]

hammerhead and four fletch---Did I win?

[Guru]

That was easy!   Pretty cool pix aren't they? I know I wouldn't want to get hit with one of those!

[Larry Surtees]

This has been one of the best topic posts I've yet to see.  Keep it comin'!!!

[Horner]

Originally posted by Larry Surtees:
This has been one of the best topic posts I've yet to see.  Keep it comin'!!!

X2---- This is an awesome thread!!!!!  

[Whip]

For those of you who are reading this thread and thinking how great it all sounds - you are absolutely right!  If you ever have an opportunity to take part in one of these group hunts with other Trad Gangers - DO IT!  

I went on my first group hunt 5 years ago.  Didn't know a soul, save for reading posts here.  From that one trip have blossomed more trips and more great friendships than I could have ever though possible.  

This trip is a perfect example.  The weather was downright lousy.  The hunting was tough.  But I think each and every participant had the time of their lives.  

Make it a goal of your own to get on a list to participate in one of these hunts.  Texas Sweat, Pig Gig, Bear Quest, Solana, and on and on.  All are wonderful ways to meet people who think and feel and live the way that you do.  And THAT is what makes for a great hunting trip!

[hormoan]

First day hunting, and not 20 minutes into it. Smiley and myself are still hunting separate but parallel to the river. And I spy a nice hog out front of me. It is busy rooting around and working towards me. It is so busy, it was no issue to sneak right up to it. I mean embarrassingly close, a man with no respect could have spit on it. Oh this is so easy        Yup shot right under it                how could it be. That pig had enough of that and was outta there. I run forward, snag my arrow out of the dirt. All the time keeping my eye on the ham running away. The hog moved out towards Smiley's position. At least I thought it did as I had lost site of it. Not wanting to interfere with his area. I kept my course, and worked down river better part of a mile. Wow what a trip that was, as the bank narrowed. And I was on a muddy hog trail, dangerously close to the waters edge. I worked up a heck of a sweat not getting wet        I made a hook back around towards Smiley. And had made it almost back to where the poor shooting took place. And see Smiley trying to get my attention. I sneak over to him and find out he is bird dogging the one I missed. Well that hog gave us the slip. Smiley says to me, you shoot a hog. And I tell him I had shot under that very hog. He says he is leaving a light blood trail. I say no way there is no evidence on my arrow. As I put my glasses on and look at it, wups with those on. There is a trace of blood on the shaft and I mean a trace. But absolutely no evidence on the fletching or broadhead of a pass thru. It must have just grazed the hair hide line.

I forgot who was telling in camp about some else that said. If your arrow falls short you didn't miss as it didn't get there. But if you shot over that is a miss    :D

[Shinken]

EXCELLENT photography and story-tellin' all around!

Thank you for sharin' with the Trad Gang!

Shoot straight, Shinken

[PV]

"This trip is a perfect example. The weather was downright lousy. The hunting was tough. But I think each and every participant had the time of their lives. "
 
 
 

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Congratulations on the pigs, gents, and also on your tough perserverence in trying conditions.

[rabbitman]

I guess my story is real similar to the rest of the guys.  Left Ohio following a 13" snowstorm making a long drive even longer. My hunting partner of many years, Denny Castle, was traveling with me and we were smart enough to be pulling the travel trailer, which turned out to be a big plus with all the rain, snow and mud. We hunted the southeast portion of the ranch and found good sign near the river. This is where we concentrated our efforts during the week and on Wednesday morning, Denny connected on a 75lb. black and white boar.  The drag was over one mile back to the truck...just couldn't park any closer due to all the mud...and the little boar was almost bald on one side by the time we loaded him up for the drive back to camp. At camp we went ahead and skinned, butchered and loaded him into a cooler. Gene and Barry then pulled into camp and invited me to hunt their area that evening. They had numerous hog pics from the trail cam at this spot so it was a no brainer to take then up on this generous offer. Long story short...I sat there for three hours that evening but nothing came into the bait...guess that's why they call it hunting. The snow started that night and continued into the day on Thursday. We walked 5 or 6 miles of the river bottom and found nothing moving.  That evening we went back to our baited spots after dinner and sat in the dark until 10PM hoping for some feeding activity but no luck. I didn't take a shot all week but did a couple of stalks getting within 50-60 yds. of pigs then running out of cover or losing out to a swirling wind.
The company and food was first rate, just like last year, and that saved the trip IMHO. I guess good friends can make nasty weather and conditions seem a little better than they actually are. It was great seeing everyone again and meeting the few new guys.  Dry conditions and a big dust storm last year....wet, muddy, snowy, nasty conditions this year.  I wonder what mother nature and the twins have in store for us next year......

[tippit]

Brent's plan to cross the river in a boat worked fine until the snow storm arrived.  The river bank was steep and like grease to begin with.  After the snow...well I'll let Smiley tell how slippery it was.  Brent, Smiley, and I were kinda like these three crossing the river    

The sign along the river bottom was every where.  Here's a power line pole rub...Doc

 

[tippit]

Dick,
I got next year figured out.  I'm borrowing my son-in-laws fire fighting gear for Pig Gig 2011    :eek:  Doc

this is good stuff.

[tradtusker]

Awesome Guys Keep the pics coming

[JC]

After months of preparation, packing, repacking, culling, adding and generally totally absorbed in getting ready for this hunt, the day had arrived. Rob and Grant rolled into BentBow Farms Saturday morning to find Chase and I jittery with anticipation and eagerness to get on the road. Hugs and a few warm coffee mugs later we were reliving old hunts and planning the new one. Chris, Don and Skyler showed shortly thereafter and we then spent the next hour trying to figure out how to get all the stuff Don and Sky brought into the camper    

I should have taken a picture of the gear...we looked like a cross between Cabela's , 3 rivers, and the rack of 5 different custom bowyers. Pulling out, I had a brief period of panic as I realized the stuff in the camper was worth more than the camper itself...and I had 2000 miles to haul it around without incident.

We rolled through the  rest of the day and well into the night; Alabama, Mississippi, and eventually Louisiana. I got a call from Rob who was tailing us with Grant...."Can we stop soon?" I'm notorious for a camel bladder so stopping on a long drive is something I forget other people need to do. "Gotta pee? We are planning on a waffle house as soon as we seen one to grab a hot bite too."  "Well, no...you see I've lost a tire." "Oh, we'll pull in right up ahead and fix it." "Well, no....you don't seem to understand...I'VE LOST A TIRE!"

Thankfully the next exit had a super Walmart that just so happened to have a bolt pattern that fit. Of course, it wasn't the same size as the one good wheel so Rob had to buy two. I know someone took a pic so I'll wait for them to post that....but I hadn't seen anyone grind the shoulders off a wheel using the interstate before.

The rest of the trip went uneventful, we showed up at Dallas around 2am, found the walmart that was closest to the airport and piled into the trailer for a nap. Rob stayed in the truck because he wanted to read...apparently he doesn't nap well (at least he doesn't think he naps well, but we know different. Long about 9, I realized we had no heat; I checked all the normal stuff and it sunk in that we might be without heat, with temps into the 20's and wet...why the heck did I pull this thing all the way here? Miss Kim miraculously found via the internet from home a mobile RV repair service who would come out and look at it after his church services (it was sunday in the bible belt after all). So we passed the time with license purchase, a few last minute grocery items and picking up Curt at the airport.

Always good to see Curt, I value the time we've spent together and eagerly looked forward to this trip with him and the rest of our team.

Back at the RV, we had to wait until the guy showed, only to tell me he didn't have the part...but could have it tuesday...and I'd have to drive back to Dallas to get it put in. So, plan B...I went into wallyworld and bought another small electric space heater, just in case. Barry said we would have power hook up and I thought it would be better than freezing. Obviously, it worked...cause Curt thought the heat was fixed.    :D

[JC]

The delays had us behind schedule headed to the ranch. It was someone's bright idea to volunteer for the first night's dinner (the same guy who delayed things trying to get his trailer fixed) so we arrived into camp greeted by 20 starving hunters whose bellies did their best impression of boar grunts and growls. We did a quick round of warm greetings with friends old and new,  set up the trailer in record time, fired up the monster burner grill and got the oil hot....southern fried catfish and gator, cole slaw, potato salad...everyone flew into action to get the crew fed. It seemed to have been worth the wait...we couldn't keep the fish bowl full as guys came back for 2nds....and 3rds....and    

Weather was already nasty but as Gene and Barry pointed out our territory, we had high hopes and big plans for the week. It was going to be something else! The first night we drifted off, exhausted but comforted by the anticipation that only comes at the beginning of a hunt...

[DW]

[JC]

The days seem to run together some...I always bring my journal but have yet found time to sit and write everything down during a hunt. Just to little time to hunt and socialize already so I always skip it, and am always sorry.

I can't remember if it rained that first night or not...but the roads were muddy and slick none the less. I've never hunted this part of Texas before; typically I've hunted San Antonio area and south, where heavy rains bring flash floods but the sandy soil poses no real serious problems...the worse you may need 4wheel drive for is to get over the rocks and through holes...but no mud. Well, this reminded me of fantasies I had back in college when I had an old '74 FJ40 Landcruiser when all I wanted was the thickest nastiest mud I could find. Well...it's in Texas son. Miss Kim's 8000# Excursion and relatively mild tires were no match for the mud even with 750+hp from the hot diesel. We could go some places, but I just couldn't get to where our hunting area really started. That, and I purposefully erred on the side of caution; I did not want to explain to her how I had torn up our truck and honestly didn't have a dime to spare to pay someone to pull us out or repair whatever damage I might do. Just the way it is...but we needed it to pull the trailer and ride 6 in relative comfort for 2000miles. I felt like I held us back the whole week but my friends did their best to diminish my self inflicted chastising with great understanding and sympathy. Not the best mudder, but we made due the first day.

We did some scouting  in the morning...thankfully, Rob let us use the four wheeler for that afternoon and the remainder of the week while he and Grant took his truck (with much more capable tires). We owe ya bro!

The boys were with Chris and me to start out with, we poked around and found a hilltop to get a better view. Finding places that would have been surrounded with hogs during drier seasons wasn't hard. It was really beautiful country once you got away from the mud of the main roads.

 

Chris split off to check out a feeder round the other side of the hill while Skyler, Chase and I decided to see if the area had any pigs we could blunder into. Two fine young men, I was honored to spend my afternoon glassing, slipping (both figuratively and literally), and stumping with them.

 

 

We worked our way down to one of the ponds, and then another, finding numerous pig sign but the majority had been prior to the recent monsoons the area had been hammered with.

 

[JC]

Making our way back out to the road, we worked our way back to where the truck was parked and we would eventually meet back up with Chris and then later Don and Curt who were out scouting on the 4wheeler.

One thing, we could make a bundle marketing that mud as a supreme bowhunter's tool. After a few seconds on the road, we could walk through the brush with impunity using our "New and Improved!" stalking shoes.

 

Back near the truck Chase noticed a peculiar hole in the ground near the sight of an old barn.

 

Evidently, it was a cistern of some sort in years past, with a pipe entering high and another exiting low...cattle water for dry times maybe? Having had my experience with old farm wells in the past (don't ask), we approached cautiously. "Look at that huge dead snake!" Chase said, carefully peering over the edge. Sure enough, a big rattlesnake lay belly up in view of the bottom of the hole. Chase found a branch and with a bit of effort, fished him out of the bottom of the hole.

 

 

Sadly, the snake was a bit "juicy" and had been dead for too long to make any use of it. While the boys examined it, I took a step or two around the other side of the hole to see if there was anything else of interest in there...

 

What...is...that...OH MY....MY GOODNESS!

 

 

Immediately my stomach sank as I recalled Chase precariously perched over the rusty hole just a few moments before...and Sky and I looking on in innocent oblivion. God's grace is sufficient for me and mine....that is for certain!

It was cold so the snakes were inactive, but the soulless gaze of a pit viper is enough to tickle that portion in your brain that says "I don't care how cold it is, that thang ain't gonna suffer no foolish behavior!"

[JC]

Chris joined us shortly thereafter and we showed him our inadvertent discovery. I've heard of them before, but never really seen a snake den...and never expected one outside of a rocky mountain hillside deep within one of the countless holes there.

After the adrenaline of our find wore off, Chris told us of his crossed paths with a few hogs near the feeder we had seen. He showed us the general direction as he laid out his "plan b" if we couldn't get to our primary area down near the river.

 

We spent the remaining light just enjoying the Texas brush, serenaded by the thump of a nearby pump jack...

 

Don and Curt arrived at dark, first to see the snake pit, then to recount their day of traps laid and corn trickled. If we could get to it, tomorrow may bode better for pig sightings.

We took the long slippery ride back to camp, arriving with only a minor 3" tall crease in my seat from the wheel work I had just done.    

Hot plate of spaghetti courtesy of Dick and Denny was a welcome sight. The pictures of the snake pit brought lots of questions...mainly posed in request for it's location to empty the contents after they heard Gene reiterate the ranchers desire to eliminate any such potential threats to their cattle.