The road goes on-Moderator Meltdown

[Charlie Lamb]

Driving onto the ranch was instantly old times revisited. I felt like I had a real edge on this hunt, since I’d already spent six days there in March.

There was an advantage to it, but it was more in the department of finding my way around the ranch than any real game gathering edge and I‘d find that my memory wasn’t all it could be in the navigation department.

The Texas brush is consistent in that it’s comprised of all things sharp and pointy. That sure hadn’t changed! What was different was that it all appeared to be much thicker now. Weesatche and Whitebrush were in full foliage now where it had just been blooming during my previous trip.
Of course it didn’t hamper a guys vision when trying to pierce the cover with binoculars. It wasn’t really any thicker than before... South Texas brush is always impenetrable. The difference seemed to be the availability of succulent greens was far and away better than it had been.

This could mean it would be harder to find game in any concentrations like before. We also were looking at dealing with stifling heat. I for one was interested in how that would affect game movement and for that matter how it would affect MY movement.

It was still mostly spring time back home and the temps were in the forties at night and barely reaching eighty most days. I knew it was gonna be an adjustment.
As it turned out we got a break from the oppressive heat. A strong breeze and uniform cloud cover masked the affects of what I‘m sure would have been goat choakin heat and unmerciful sun.

[Ray Hammond]

goat- chokin'.... now that's hot when it'll choke a goat!          

[Bob Walker]

I guess I’ll chime in for a little while. Saturday afternoon had Joe Coots, Kevin Smith and me hunting together. We decided to hunt an area that we had looked at earlier in the day while riding around with Terry, Curt and Rob. The area looked promising as there was a nice sized pond and an abundance of hog sign. About 100 yards past the pond, the sendero came to an intersection where roads led off in 4 different directions. We parked the vehicle and each picked a direction. I headed toward my chosen destination and immediately began to see fresh tracks. From the intersection, the road ran another couple of hundred yards where it came to a fence line and then turned back toward the ranch’s main road a mile or two away. I slowly walked the road, looking and listening for signs of hogs and javies. The wind was pretty strong as it blew in gusts from time to time, due to the front that was moving in. As I looked down the sendero, I saw movement about 75 yards away. There were about 4 or 5 javelinas making their way towards me. I quickly found a hiding spot about 5 yards off of the road and waited. As the javies slowly made their way toward me, the wind was blowing right to left, between me and the javies. The closer that they got, the harder my heart pumped. When they got within 30 yards of my hiding spot, suddenly the wind shifted coming from my back and blowing directly at the javies. Immediately, they went on alert. All but one turned and began to move in the opposite direction. The one that didn’t turn stood still looking in my direction for less than a minute and then turned and moved toward the rest of the animals. Then, just as quickly as they had appeared earlier, they disappeared into the thick Texas countryside. I waited for about a half hour for the wind to change and the javies to reappear, but it never happened. As darkness was approaching, I moved out of hiding and back down the sendero to the truck to meet back up with my hunting partners. I was ready to get back to the bunkhouse where some of the best Mexican food you have ever eaten was waiting on

[beachbowhunter]

Bob, you're bringing back a lot of memories! I can still hear my heartbeat thumping in my ears waiting for those little critters to come into my shooting lane. I am still amazed at how exciting hunting javies was.  

Let's have some more!

[bow loving man]

Sounds like you guys had a blast...Did any of you shoot the St Jude bows Hope and Faith?  BLM

[Bob Walker]

Barry,
Yes, several of us hunted with the "twins". There is a seperate thread at the top of PowWow for those postings.

Norbert, If the writing brought back memories, wait till next post and I'll include a video clip that will really do it for you!

[bow loving man]

Thanks Bob, I found it right after I posted that message..BLM

[Spur]

this is great stuff!

[Bob Walker]

The next day it was Kevin and I paired up again and we went back to the same spot as the day before.  Just as I stepped out of the truck, I looked down and there was a shed from a small 8 pointer lying on the ground at my feet. I reached down and picked it up as Kevin commented that it was good luck. The wind was up again and the sky was overcast. It looked like rain for sure and in fact, we did get a few drops just as we arrived at our hunting grounds. Actually, I was glad to see the rain and clouds. The South Texas heat can be blistering and although I was born and raised in Alabama, before moving to Virginia I had spent the last 8 years living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where the temps are much milder. Anyway, Kevin decided he would head out towards the spot that JC had hunted the previous day as he had encountered a monster of a hog. I wanted to go back to the same spot as yesterday since I had seen javies there. The wind again was blowing across the sendero and immediately became concerned that I would be winded again. I decided to go all the way to the end of the sendero where it met the fence line and have a look. There were tracks all along my walk but no javies. I turned and went down the next road for a couple of hundred yards just looking and enjoying the cool breeze that had so graciously been sent our way. I decided to cross the fence line and make my way back up to where the road had turned. As I walked, I looked down at something that happened to catch my eye and to my amazement; another shed lay at my feet. This one was just about 3 inches of the main beam and 3 inches of the fork looking like the shape of a mini sling shot. Well, if one was good luck, two had to be better luck, right?  I finally made it back to the first sendero and as I looked down the 100 yards of clear road, I saw movement at the far end. As I closed the gap to about 50 yards, here is a video clip of what I was looking at:
   

[Bob Walker]

The javies were moving toward me again, only this time I could smell them instead of them smelling me as the wind was in my face. Problem was, though, I needed to get behind some cover fast and I needed to close the gap on them stink pigs before the wind changed and put the odds back in their favor. If you have never hunted in South Texas terrain, let me tell you that it is some of the thickest stuff I have ever hunted, not to mention that about 95% of plant life has something that will stick into you. I looked around to try and find a way to get closer. There, about 20 feet to the right of the sendero was a trail wide enough for me to move quietly toward the javies. I don’t know whether it was an old sendero or a game trail, but I’m glad it was there. I moved as quickly as I could while walking as softly as my 275# frame could. I was able to get to within about 20 yards or so of my prey when I saw what would be the perfect ambush spot. There to my left was a large prickly pear just adjacent to a 3 foot open area in the brush. I snuggled down into the natural blind and backed up as far as I could without contacting anything that would stick me. Backing up as far as I could only put me about 5 feet from the sendero. I knocked an arrow on my Dakota limbed Shawnee and got the bow up into position. I watched and waited as the javies made their way closer and closer. I had been on my knees for what seemed like forever and my right knee was beginning to really hurt. I shifted the best that I could to try to relieve some of the pain and just as I did, there was a javie walking right past me. I glanced over my left shoulder and there were two more following and then two more after them. All in all, seven javelinas walked right past me as my heart almost jumped out of my body and the adrenalin rushed around inside of me. As the last javie stepped into my shooting lane, I slowly drew the arrow to anchor, hesitated for a moment while the javie turned just enough to give me a quartering away shot, and let the 200 grain Razorcap fly. As I watched the arrow disappear into the right side of the javelina just behind the ribcage, it was all I could do to keep from jumping out onto the sendero right then. The javie disappeared into the foliage across the sendero from where I was kneeling. It looked like a good shot, but you never know…..I watched the top of the brush move violently as the javie made its way through and then total silence. I waited for about ten to fifteen minutes, which as you can imagine seemed like an eternity, before I stepped out. I looked down hoping to find blood and saw my arrow lying on the ground right where I had shot. It was covered in blood from broadhead to nock. I looked quickly in the brush for any signs of a blood trail or a javie and saw nothing. I walked back to the truck to get a drink and give the javie time bleed out. As I arrived at the truck I saw Kevin and immediately told him the story while drinking some water. We walked back to the spot that the arrow had entered and looking relentlessly, spotted a drop of blood in the sand. I moved over to where the javie had entered the brush and there on a half dollar sized rock was another drop. I took out my old Bowie and chopped an entry hole in the prickly pear and then stepped in. As I looked around, my eyes focused on a small brown shape under a bush about 20 feet in and it was my javelina. I pulled it out of the brush and asked Kevin to take a few pictures.
 

[the Ferret]

Ya just got to love it when you're five steps from one of those strange looking little things with the oversized head, your heart is a hammering and knowing all you have to do is let the string slip from your fingers. What a rush! Congrats Bob.  

[beachbowhunter]

Way to go Big Man! I know you had some hard luck finding 'em the last time and I'm sure you're feeling great about this one!

[Bob Walker]

Thanks, Mickey.

Norbert, You ain't kidding about the feeling. Just wait till I tell you about the afternoon hunt.........

[Tom]

Glad you got the Javie,sure beats the squirrels, huh?

[Joe D]

Way to go Bob!  

[Guru]

Morning couldn't come quick enough for me...I was up(all by myself)pacing the floor at 4:30!!!!!

 After a quick "breakfast",we all said our "Good Lucks" to each other,and charlie and I were off.

We went out behind camp first.Within minutes we had a big black hog spotted quite a ways away up the road.Charlie being the gentleman he is asked, "do you want to go after him?"...no way,I wanted the big man to have at this hog!!!

 He pretty much dissappeared before he got to do anything with him.

We were off again to a tank(pond) Charlie wanted to check out........

I'll be back with stories,pix,and video clips of Charlie!!!!!

[IB]

I'm right there with ya man......

HURRY UP  Man...... This is gonna be a goodun

[bayoulongbowman]

Bob , ya done good man!! cool story...the smile says it all     Marco#78

[Whip]

Now we're rolling!  Way to go guys, and thanks for the stories.    These read alongs are the next best thing to being there.  I'm waiting for more!

[Charlie Lamb]

Steve... I'm pretty sure you meant "Mole Asses"  :D