The 'SOLANA GAMES' have begun!!!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

 

Charlie I hope your insurance covers the stolen items.  The creeps will have their day!

[Charlie Lamb]

Thanks again for the encouragement guys. The stolen stuff was just "stuff" and the insurance will cover it.
Been dwelling on it too much. Now I'm suspecting that the guys who gave me a ride went back.
See what happens when you let it get under your skin.
I just realized today that they got my KME broadhead sharpening kit.
they also got a huge diamond hone (coarse) that I bought on the way down to the hunt. I never even took it out of it's package.

I just hope that the thief has a really nice knife and bears down real hard when he first uses it...Ok, got that out of my system.

On with the story.

[Charlie Lamb]

Supper on the first night is always special. I'm not sure there is anyway to keep conversations straight.
It seems that everyone has their own exciting tales to tell and the opportunity to retell them every 5 minutes.
The wealth of information and experience in that room is staggering not to mention the energy. If you could harness it you could power a small city.

Don and Larry discussing the day.
   

One thing for sure at Solana, you WILL eat well. A good camp cook can make or break a camp and Solana has one of the best.
There was always a pot of hot coffee ready and a jar of cookies nearby.
I have no idea what it takes to feed a crew like that and have everything ready at the right time... especially with hunters straggling in at different times. Hats off to the cook.

[Charlie Lamb]

After that first night the rest of the week was pretty anticlimactic. Each foray into the brush was too a different stand.
The guides are careful not to over hunt any one spot. Normal deer catch on quick if you come and go from a spot on a timetable or too many times. These Texas terrors not only catch on, I think they've got a spy in camp or read minds.
They always seem to know what's going on before the hunters do.
That's my story and I'm stickin to it.
     

I had a couple of uneventful sits. Oh there were visits from armadillos and herons and a host of really big doves but the deer weren't cooperating at all.

Then one afternoon I got a visit from a some two legged strangers. It was my first time in a tree on this ranch and the view was worth it... I don't have a problem with tree stands as long as I am the one who put them up and I know what their history is.
I ended up in a couple of "Strong Built" ladder stands during the hunt and I was comfortable and felt pretty secure in them.
   

While I have no real interest in grand slams for turkey, or anything else for that matter, but wouldn't mind taking a couple of species of them.
The Rio Grand flavor of bird is right there on that list.
But as mentioned earlier the turkey season had closed the weekend before our arrival. I just sat and watched.

Heck, I even moved around a little to see what I might get by with and was surprised that I could have taken a shot under different circumstances.

These birds didn't hang around long. As a matter of fact they just kind of fed their way through the stand area.

[Charlie Lamb]

On the same evening as the visit from the Rio's, I was sitting daydreaming about supper or something totally unrelated to hunting when a sharp grunt let me know that hogs were about.

Jeff had seen hogs near this stand a couple of nights before so I was kind of watching for them but not where they came from.
The last sighting had been off behind the stand in a little opening. That would put them in a dead downwind position and of course that's a lose/lose situation for most everything.

The yellow "X" was where they'd shown up before. Note the camo netting. That was a great idea. It provided much needed background cover for the area where deer were expected.
     

Tonight it would be different. After that first grunt the hogs hove into sight out in front of me.
   
The yellow "X" shows where they first came into sight and the dashes their route to my ambush.

In all there were 8 hogs and all were just about the same size. The exception both in size and color was a big spotted critter that could have been the sow and the rest her litter.
Of course that might not have been the situation at all, but it didn't look like it was a breeding thing.

I didn't really give a rats patoot about their lineage or mating habits. I wanted that big spotted pig and would take a shot on it if one was presented.

[Ric O'Shay]

Cool......  

[TaterHill Archer]

That top pic does bring back memories, Charlie.  Wish they would have picked a different route for me.  Love the story telling.

[Tater]

Back to the top for the morning.

   Great story telling and congrats to everyone..!

     Great read from start to finish...!  

[Charlie Lamb]

I knew I was running out of shooting light, but of course the hogs weren't on any kind of schedule. They took their sweet time.

Eventually they would feed around underneath me. I considered taking the longer shot to the feeder. It wasn't that far, but the hogs looked small to me and that's the only distance calculator I've ever used. I wasn't comfortable with the shot distance and wouldn't be shooting that shot tonight. (another time, better light, whatever and I'd take the shot. I'd made many, many shots at distances like this before, but today it just wasn't right) I'd wait.

Finally one of the black hogs wandered closer and in the approaching darkness moved into the opening under me. (see red "X" in last picture)
It was what I'd been waiting for and I'd not wait a minute longer for the big spotted hog. Time was not my friend. Go time!!

[Charlie Lamb]

I'd picked an arrow with a Magnus Stinger 4 blade for these hogs. I was confident of it's penetrating qualities and I wanted that extra insurance.

I drew the string of my heavy bow to anchor, held for an instant and the string slipped away from my fingers flawlessly.
The Autumn Orange shaft was immediately lost to sight in the gathering gloom, but a solid thump told me I'd hit solidly. The red dashes in the picture show the departure route of the pig.

[rastaman]

[Charlie Lamb]

Since a little distance separated the hog I'd shot and the others, the group went one way and my hog the other.
It was quite natural for the hog to race off in the direction he'd come from. That happens quite often with most animals.
At the moment of distress, the only thing they could count on was where they'd come from. Every other direction presents an unknown.

Now I stood listening, trying to sift any audible clue from the deafening silence. Nothing!
Of course the sound of crashing or squealing would have been reassuring, but it would have to have been pretty loud.
Somehow my hearing aids had made their way into the laundry a few weeks prior and of course water and electronics don't mix.
For all practical purposes, I was deaf as a post. Ah, the travails of getting old.

Shortly I had assembled my gear and descended the ladder. My wait for the others would be short.
I cast about for the arrow in case the shot had been a miss without luck.
Neither could I find any blood to indicate a hit.

When the guys rolled up we set about sorting out the problem. All along the hogs path of retreat we searched without finding arrow or blood.
Normally I'd have been upset, but we had options and knew that. If we didn't find confirmation soon we'd just return with a tracking dog.

As we walked along silently searching by flashlight (it was now totally dark), Greg heard something off in the brush. I heard nothing.
Soon John, Greg and Jeff all heard the sounds.

John had grabbed his rifle from the truck when he'd found out that we had a possible wounded hog situation.
He came to me and asked me if I wanted him to shoot the hog if we found it alive.
I replied in the negative. Only if he tried to eat me or was obviously getting away!! I'd kill him with my bow even if it came down to a hand to hand situation. I'm funny that way.

I took the lead into the live oaks where the last sounds had been heard

[maineac]

You sure are the master at building suspense!

[Terry Green]

Don uploaded 70 something pics on photo bucket and lost them all....him and Sky will have a TON of pics to post soon...

[TaterHill Archer]

Looking forward to hearing from those 2.

[Over&Under]

Charlie

Happy to hear you are ok from the accident.

Looks like you are about to take on a piggy...  :eek:    :D  

Gregg - Nice buck Sir, those pics say it all!  I love Charlies advice about getting in on other pics....I need to follow that advice to have any chance at having critters in the same pic with me!  

[gregg dudley]

I know better than that, Jake!   That is a fine looking shorthair you have in your avatar!

[kennym]

How you feelin bud? Usually hurts worse a couple days later for me!

No on wif the pork!  :D

Charlie, I know exactly what you are referring to on the deaf thing. I'm pretty much useless when it comes to hearing things without my hearing aids! I set mine on the countrer one night in my camper at the deer leaseand the next morning they were gone. I searched that trailer over and finally found them under the cooktop of the stove. I quit deer hunting that trip and went after the mice! I think I bagged 3 or 4 P&Y rodents that day.

Now on with the pig tale..........

Bisch

[smokin feathers]

Tazz is for sale as of right now if one of yall want him. now back to the story charlie!!