Best Friends, HOGS, and the story of 3s...some vid's added pg.19

[Arrowest]

X4 on the 'just catching up', what an awesome story guys.          Thanks for sharing.  I gotta do that pig huntin' some day.

Patiently waiting for the rest.    

[Lowcountry Archer]

Yup,the place is awesome.          

[leatherneck]

quote:Originally posted by Lowcountry Archer:
Yup,the place is awesome.              

I love the names you all have given the stands and locations.

T/Curt, were you guys by Robs stand when your nightly encounter happened?

I'm loving it! Keep it coming guys.

[Chromebuck]

Great read so far.  You guys are really peaking us northern boys interest in some midwinter pig hunts.  Heck they're cheap!

Pretty interesting how in the last decade these critters are begining to challenge the coveted alligator as the south's most dangerous game.  

Thanks for the adventure.  

 

[Lowcountry Archer]

Thanks Leatherneck.

[stujay]

I'm enjoying the story and the pics. Never been hog hunting but it's something I looking forwrd to doing. Will be waiting to read more.      

[Terry Green]

When we arrived, Curt gave be two gifts....two hats.  Not just any hats, but two salad hats.  Now, those 2 plus the 1 he gave me at Solana equals THREE.  I now had 3 hats given to my by Curt.

The 1st was what I immediately called, the 'Caesar Lite'.  It was made from a light weight ball cap type had with light weight nylon strips, he said this one was for warmer weather.

The next he hauled out a cold weather model.  The basis for this hat was one of our Sponsor Plenty Coup, and it was chocked full of fleece, both old and textured and new.  This one was so full, it almost looks like an a full dread-lock Afro....so, I deemed it 'The Salad Bar'.  This thing is a HOOT...but no doubt the animals will never know I'm there, or, they will be dazed and confuses, and I'll be able to point blank them while they roll in laughter.

Pics will be along shorty as more stories develop....

[Terry Green]

OK...back the the naming of 'Coffin Corner'.  This is the newest stand on the property, unless you counted the one I'm fixing to tell you about this evening which is still up but not in the same tree.  

Anyhow, as the sun came up and it was really good light I looked over my right shoulder and something caught my eye.  This particular log looked just like an open coffin just lying in the middle of the woods.  So, the stand was named...  

 

   

   

[graybark uk]

just to be able to go on a hunt like this would be a dream come true , thanks so much for takeing us all along  

[Jwilliam]

Great stuff !!! Keep it coming        


Bill

[Pat B.]

Great fun and companionship!

[Terry Green]

Alright...after we got Curt's photo shoot and all taken care of....it was time to eat....and back at it.

Back out we went, with a plan, to put up another stand at the Race Track to cut off some of the hogs that were working the area a little different, and I also had a plan.

See, the last two times I've been there I'd seen lots of tracks coming and going in a 100 yard stretch between Sunset and Wood's stand.  Pines n Palmettos on one side, and the bedroom on the other.  So, my gut told me to pick a pine and have a seat.  We put a lock on about 10 feet up  and 10 feet off the road at a 45% angle to the road making it just perfect for an easy right handed shot.  We also pruned out 3 shooting lanes.  Now back for a short break before the afternoon hunt.

Cept we had heard there was a little storm coming.  We set up a 12x24 tarp and moved everything under it and waited.  Not 2 minutes later the rain started and lasted from about 3 till 4:30 Once the storm passed the rain stopped completely and we were setting on ready and were off....Doug back to the Race Track and Curt back to Skylight....me, I'd bail off 1st at the little ambush site we'd just set up.....

[Terry Green]

I got up in my stand and watched Curt and Doug fade round the corner at the big mud hole and I checked the stand.  All was set so I drew my bow a few times and enjoyed the new scenery for a few minutes.

I knew the wind was still blowing, but being protected by the bedroom, I didn't realize how hard and just how cool it was.  I was noticing now and then I leaned back into the wet pine and got a chill.  I leaned forward and the wind whipping around made that wet spot feel like an ice pack, and I thought to myself.....my standard uniform cotton predator shirt just wasn't going to be enough after an hour in this wind, and I sure didn't want to get the shivers and try to pull off a shot.

At this point I remembered the gift I was given earlier in the week.  I'd started a post asking KentuckyTJ what type of pull over his hunting partner was wearing in his pull over, and it showed up at my door a few days later.  Yep, you bet I'd brought it, but the unseasonably warm weather we'd had so far left it folded in the back seat of my vehicle.  I knew I had time to go back since my walk was so short, and it would take me by Woods' stand there and back...so, I was technically still hunting as I could have stalked any hog or hogs that popped out on the road.  I also would get Chris' flashlight that was lying right beside it.

I returned to my stand wearing the new gift and a little more toasty feeling.  I was much more comfortable now, and hadn't missed a thing....

[Terry Green]

OK...now I was set.....  I had the Bow Rob gave me, the Knife from Doug Campbell Rob gave me, Chris Sutrees' glove on my bow hand, one of Chris' flashlights, and Mike Whelan's pullover on. I just needed for the hogs to do their thing like my gut was telling me.

Not long, maybe 15 minutes later, I spot movement almost straight out from me, just a little left but it was a deer.  I watched it mill around in the bedroom for about 5 minutes or so and then it turned and started running toward me on a little trail leading right to the road.  I didn't know why this deer just took off, but soon did.  Here comes a decent sized black boar chasing the deer.  The deer turned to my left and paralleled the road out of there till I couldn't hear it any longer and the hog was standing broadside in her direction like 'and don't come back'!!!.

The boar turned toward me and started milling around.  Now I thought he was going to come out to the road, but then I heard the tell tale sounds of another hog coming from my right breaking all sorts of stuff and bulling over palmettos.  No mistaking if you've ever heard this before.  You know its not a deer.  The boar glances over every once and a while and continues to root its way toward me getting closer and closer...and the noise on the left was getting closer and closer...

[maineac]

I love your hog hunting adventures. Best read possible sitting in front of the fire waiting for a snowstorm.

[Guru]

Terry said earlier that was in the "Skylight Stand" again this evening...but I was really in "Rob's Stand"(tuff keeping track sometimes).

Although there wasn't a feeder there anymore, we'd chummed up the area. Pouring out a bunch of corn, with a mix of dry and liquid Kool-Aid mixed in.

I was confident that this would draw some hogs into the area, that's the reason I decided to hunt this stand. The question always seemed to be "when".  These hogs had been moving primarily right at dark and after.
 
I was dressed for the cold front that had started to settle in after the thunderstorm. I knew I'd be staying into the darkness, so I attacxhed my harness and settled in...

Wasn't 5 minutes and I had a deer feeding down the trail from me. She eventually worked her way into about 20yds. After being around me for over a half hour she eventually walked off to the west.

All was quiet and it was getting dark quickly. In the low light, right about 6:45 I picked up my bino's to look down the trail to my left and just happened to catch a hog pop out on the trail...oh yeah!

[Terry Green]

Sorry Curt....you are correct....it all runs together when all you are doing is running together.  I'd forgot about the Rob Bomb!!!  Heck, I was there when we set it.    

[Guru]

Within a minute there were about 10 hogs feeding my way carrying on and making a racket....but they were coming!

By the time they got with 50yds all I could see was sillouettes against the lighter colored grass in the trail....I'd have to use my bow light again!

My experience when using these lights is that every hog and every situation is different. Last night, it had worked like a charm as that ol' gal hardly paid any attention to it. That was encouraging, I hopped this situation that was unfolding in front of my would be the same.

They were all now with 20yds of me,most were within 15yds, and although I could hardly see them, there was no mistaking the crunching...it was time to try the light.

My usual routine is to turn the light on while pointing it up, then lowering it slowly on the hogs.....so that's what I did...

It was like they were struck by lightning!!!

No hesitation, no nothing....I was all alone within 3 seconds!!

So much for last nights results!

It was now after 7:00, and Doug was in past me at "The Racetrack". We'd agreed to stay till at least 8:30, and he'd come past me to get out, so I settled back to wait....hopefully more hogs would show.......

[Terry Green]

OK where was I....oh....the boar was still facing me rooting around and it jumped a little log and was now almost in range...about 5 yards from the ditch on the other side of the road.  The road is a wide dirt road with about a 3 foot shoulder, then a ditch and about another 3 feet to the vegetation line.

I thought to myself, my gut is going to pay off again.....

Then the deer that got ran off snorted and the hog looked in that direction, and in an instant there was a short bull rush burst of palmettos and a loud crack of a large stick from the right again and the boar spun toward the racket and flinched big time....then swapped ends and trotted off.  I thought....UH O!....

More traveling noise came from the right paralleling the road and then a MUCH larger black ruffed up hog appeared.  I wasn't sure if the jig was up or not...would it continue to parallel or would it turn on the trail?.....turn on the trail it did and I began to raise my bow.....

Then straight out barely to my right out of a dark mangle of palmettos, saplings, cane and briers comes SEVEN jet black hogs that looked like they all just came out of a car wash.  They were all wet from the rain and were slick as a minnow's ear.

They came rambling right into the road and all turned left and started shucking down the road.  I wanted a shot at the larger one still in the bush, but the biggest one in this cluster would have to do as you never know when your window of opportunity is up...

I started my draw trying to pick a spot on the largest in the group, but that was futile....they were all bumping and scooting like they all wanted to be 1st in line to pass by the largest loaner still in the edge of the bedroom.  I hit full draw, but just could not pick a spot, as I was very rushed to do so and the target kept scooting and getting covered up by one or more of the others in the group....

Then something spooked them and they all blasted back into the edge of the bedroom....all the while the largest just stood there facing to my right staring in their direction.  Was it over?...

[Guru]

Wasn't a half hour later when the silence was shattered by a pig squeal!!  Alright!!!!

A few minutes later I could hear them coming in, again from my left side.

Must have been a couple bullies in this bunch, I could hear squeal, and grunting like two of them were going at it as they cam in.

All I could see was a barely discernable black mass out in front of me as they scarfed up the sweetened corn.

This time I was in no hurry and thought I'd let them settle in for a few minutes...then try the light.....