Hog Heaven June 17-19 2011 is on!

[sticksnstones]

Got it Rick, I sent you my cell just in case. I can't believe that one week from now we'll be stringing up our bows and going for bacon!

[petertschantz]

under 96 hours

good thing I'm not too excited...

[petertschantz]

just over 48 hours til we meet at the hardware....

[Red Beastmaster]

Check the forcast, mid 90's and sun. Ray's gonna be making lots of fumunda cheese for your cat heads and sausage. Don't ask, you will find out soon enough.

A buddy and I looked REAL hard at those last two openings but figured we would melt in the heat. We will stick with our plans of going back next winter.

Have fun and good luck!

[bartcanoe]

I'm disappoionted to be missing this hunt.  You all have fun, and bring home the bacon.

[Rick Butler]

Everythings packed and broadheads are sharpened, we are good to go! David, wish you were able to join us.

[petertschantz]

Dave, sorry to hear that you won't make it. Hope to shoot with you in the future some time!

Spent last evening getting gear sorted out. Permethrin applied, my wife says the kitchen looks like 'Bass Pro exploded'...

Looking forward to meeting you guys in the morning, drive safely!

Pete

[Rick Butler]

Thom's here we're waiting on Sean and then we'll be on the road.  See ya in the am Pete.

[petertschantz]

I'm all packed up and ready to go. Now I just have to get some sleep....

[T Sunstone]

Good luck to you guys.  I talked to Ray and was trying to fill the last spot but my Lyme disease started acting up.

[Stone Knife]

Good luck  

[petertschantz]

we had a great hunt, details to follow

[Bel007]

[Mike Vines]

Originally posted by petertschantz:
we had a great hunt, details to follow

Well, come on.  Fill us in.  We are all patiently waiting to hear about this one.

[petertschantz]

Okay here are the details. I'm going to let the other guys recap their stories, but here is mine:

For those that just want the box score, I saw 8 hogs, missed one and didn't kill any. I had a great time!

Now for anyone who wants the details:

We met at the hardware store in Estill, SC at around 9am Friday so the out of state guys could get licenses. Ray showed up a little after we did and we headed out to the camp. We all got our gear unpacked, had a bite of lunch, then got the welcome briefing from Ray and settled up our balances. After shooting a bit to get loosened up from the drives we hit the woods.

We headed out for the first hunt about 12:30 Friday afternoon. It was hot (HOT) in the swamp, but I saw lots of hog sign right off the bat so I didn't mind the heat as much. I slipped through a section of woods without seeing anything, then stopped back at the Jeep for a Gatorade and a cool down.

Next I headed in a different direction in the swamp, and eventually found a nice wallow. I was glassing around from near the wallow when I saw movement through the brush about 50 yards out. Two piglets were moving so I headed that way as quietly as possible. After moving about 20 yards, I saw a good sized hog (sow I'm guessing) moving in the same direction the piglets had been going. I had to detour around a large blowdown, and by the time I cleared it the hog had moved out of sight. I moved in the direction the hogs had been going for a while more, but never spotted them again. So I headed back to camp for water and a serious cool down.

After leaving, I headed down another road to a small lake which has a feeder in a near by food plot. As I slipped in toward the plot, I could see a couple small pigs running around. By the time I got close they had left. I slipped on up to the edge of the tree line, and saw 3 50-60lb (guessing) hogs moving toward me. I got a broadside shot at one of them but focused on the hole in the brush I had to shoot through not the pig. Missed about 4 inches low and 3 inches back of where I wanted to put it, the arrow missed cleanly just under the pigs belly and right behind the front legs...

I moved on through the swamp, stopping and glassing but didn't see any more hogs.

I hunted hard Saturday until about 3:30pm, then I just ran out of steam and my knee was killing me. Hit it hard again this morning with no more luck.

In all I saw 8 pigs, 3 deer, 3 armadillos and 2 raccoons. It was a great hunt, and I'd love to go back some day but not in the summer!

Lessons learned: I still have work do on shooting of course. I need a shorter bow for hunting in stuff that thick - the 70" Hill was just too long. Two of the other guys had Two Tracks Ambush bows, and the 50" sure make a lot more sense to me now!

Pete

[Mike Vines]

great story.  You got to go hunting, that's better than I did this weekend.  I had to work to pay for my St. Judes hunt.  Glad you had a good time.

[bartcanoe]

Glad you had a good time, and your story just fuels my desire to get down there.  

Hopefully, I can make it in the fall.  Maybe, you can try again then when its a little cooler.

Dave

[petertschantz]

Dave, sure hope you can get down there. My next trip down will surely be in the Fall or spring!

[Rick Butler]

Well Doug made the comment this weekend this was the toughest hunt we've been on due to the heat, but it was also one of the best.
     Friday afternoon I started out in the swamp and found alot of sign but no pork.  I headed up into the pines cause on my last 2 trips to HH that's where I found hogs. The heat was worse than down in the swamp and I started to push it, going a little faster than I should have.

     At one point I stopped for a bit and heard something coming up behind me. Sure enough I had 3 hogs heading in my direction.  They were moving thru the cane and all I got were glimpses of them but 2 were jet black and the third was grey.  I got an arrow on the string and made ready, their direction of travel at that point would take them into an open area were I might be able to get a shot, they were all within 12-15 yards.
    I eased back a bit and waited for the first one but just as it came up to the open area it turned and stayed hidden in the cane, the other 2 followed suit and they started moving away from my position. As they did the wind shifted and I felt it hit the back of my neck.  That was all she wrote for day one.

[Rick Butler]

Saturday morning found my son Sean and I down in the swamp again where he had gotten into some pigs the night before, but I'll let him tell this part of the story...