Gettin' Excited - Ray Hammond's Hog Heaven

[Mike Vines]

Originally posted by kbetts:
Just when I was considering passing on turkey hunting, it looks like I'm going to have to dig a little deeper into the kitty...

They literally were everywhere.  I have shot Fall turkey with a bow I built, but  I have always spent my springs fishing the great lakes and neverr got to experience spring tom's gobble in the wild.  Since i sold my boat, i can see spring turkey in my future.  If I had known you can take up to 5 turkey on a license, I would have bought one myself.  I just figured a license was only good for 1 turkey like here in Michigan.   It was neat to stalk the edge of the woods and come up on a Tom strutting for a hen.

[Bud B.]

If anyone is going down in two weeks I can tell you that one hen and gobbler were talkin' it up Sunday morning about 1/2 hour after sun up. It was near the spot were I spotted the elusive but multi-terrained Swamp Versa. I think the Versa winded Todd and scooted back the way it came. But as it spun and started hightailing it outta there it gave a high pitched chirp before disappearing. It must have been sounding the alarm if any others of its kind were nearby.


But, if you are going down in two weeks and haven't considered turkeys, you may want to. They are plentiful at Hog Heaven.

[sticksnstones]

Hmmm, I'll be down there April 13-15 will it still be season in SC and good hunting?
Thom

[Bud B.]

One odd finding at Hog Heaven was that I knew benny and I lived in the same county, maybe 15 miles from each other. But I also learned that we work about 200 yards from each other.

I'll be dropping by to say hey benny  

And before Mike V left we had him saying "y'all" in a convincing way. If we'd have had a few more days with him he'd have a good take on yonder and a few other words of Southern take.

[Mike Vines]

Bud, sorry to have missed you and Todd yesterday, but I had to hit the road.

The "Swamp" Versa was a pretty unique creature for sure.   I never thought I could get it that far back in there.  I feel sorry for the guy who had to clean it, and about the chirp, it was so small that when I turned around, my elbow nailed the horn.

I hope to once again share a camp with you guys.

I never found that cypress stump you got a picture of, but now wish I had after seeing your pictures of it.  Can't even imagine it's full size before it was cut down 100's of years ago.

I'll try to get my pictures downloaded and on here tonight, but I need to spend some time with my boys first.

[benny]

I have been hunting eastern turkeys off and on for over 25 years. I have been fortunate to kill a Merriams and a Rio Grande. The eastern has elluded me for a long time.

Friday morning Mike M. took me over to the tall pines NW of camp. Not a single bird gobbled. They were gobbling like crazy on the other side of one mile road...go figure.

Friday afternoon I poked around for hogs but no luck.
Friday night Ray told me he knowed were a nice gobbler hung around. A game plan was hatched.

Saturday morning was cool and crisp. We setup in some burnt pines on the edge of a clear cut. We could hear gobblers off in the distance. None would respond to Rays calling. We walked the road beds trying to find a responsive bird.
On the back side of triangle field nest to the swamp, a bird responded back.
We setup right on the edge over looking the swamp. Boy it was so beautiful with tall cyprus trees and tall green plants with yellow flowers.

Ray started calling and the brid would gobble back. The gobble got closer and we could two gobbles. All right this is good I thought. The birds just paced back and fourth...hung up. Ray felt like some hens got to them first. Then silence. Ray told me he was going to walk away and start callng sounded good to me.
Ray called one more time before moving and less than 150 yards out they both gobbled. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. Hearing there gobbles thunder out thru the swamp bottom is a sound I will never forget.
Then thru a opening I see a swelled up blue and white head, then another. Ray here they come left to right. They stop behind some cyprus tress and we coundn't see them. Ray said he could hear one drumming. All I could hear was my heart in my throat.

Customers be right back.

[benny]

Both gobblers started moving toward use. They were moving left to right. Funny thing was there was a hen following them. They stopped behind some cyprus trees and I could not see them. After a few seconds they new something was not right. The biggest of the two gobblers started moving back into the swamp, could not get a shot. The secong one started moving back also but stopped with just his head sticking out from behind a cyprus tree. I new it was now or never, at the sound of the shotgun blast the turkey disappered behind the cyprus tree.
I ran down and picked him up by his legs and carryed my trophy up to Ray. He hardly twitched.
I layed him down and started to get my tags out and Ray said "He's still alive", I said "Na it's just reflexes". Ray said "His eye just blinked". "WHAT"...I looked down and blink...blink. I told Ray I would brake his neck. Wrong. I had his neck and Ray had his legs. It looked like something off of UFC. Ray told me to use my knife. I thought ok he has sharp spurs and I have a sharp knife...fair fight.

Now this was a shot gun kill. I have permission to post this story and a picture, because it was a St Judes hunt.
 
Thanks again for your help Ray. It was a hunt I will never forget.

[BrushWolf]

Cant wait I'll be there in two weeks .You can bet I'll be sure to pack my turkey gear. Great stories guys.

[Mike Vines]

That story was awesome Benny.  Listening to you and Ray tell it together made us all smile.  That was a HUGE bird, with a pretty long beard too.  I will put both those wings to good use.  Thank you.

[benny]

Thanks Mike.
Mike made us all a very nice arrow.
Here are a few pics.
Nock
 
Water moccasin snake skin
 

Inscription
 

All together
 

Now the business end. I asked  Woody if he would knap me a head and haft it on the end.
 

Thanks Woody for your time and broadhead.

[T-D]

Well I am finally going to sit down and tell a story. Friday evening Bud and I decided to seperate and walk through the swamp and the pines. Around lunch time we all met back at camp. After a great lunch and a well deserved nap Bud and I decided to head out early. As we were driving in Bud spotted a armadillo. Well I got my bow and let one fly. I missed and he jumped straight up like he was on a pogo stick. I retreived my arrow and attempted to stalk this elusive creature. He stopped right at his hole and I let another one fly. It was close but... that only counts with grenades    He didn't even move! I grabbed another arrow and nocked it. I came back to anchor and let another one fly agian right under him!    Anyway when I went to grab the 4th arrow he busted me and ran off. 3 Strikes I was OUT!    Bud paced off the shot. What I thought was 20 yards ended up being 33 yards still no excuse.

The next story to be told tomorrow.... Stay tuned it's about a weedeater and a horn blower!!!  

[Bud B.]

Glad you got to loose an arrow at a hog Todd.

I already want to go back.

[Ray Hammond]

can one of you fellas email me some pics of the group that we took?

Dennis and Larry both have good tales to tell...where are they?

[Bud B.]

And where's Squirrel Bait's two cents. He always had alot to say at camp!!  HAAA! He IS a hoot!

[Mike Vines]

Here are just a few of the pictures I took of the hunt...

Here is my hunting suitcase ready for the unvailing...

 

With the top down...Awesome way to travel

 

Anytime there is an AMERICAN FLAG, it is a good photo oportunity...

 

They sure do grow the moths big down there.  This was the "Small" version.  There were much bigger ones around at night.  The had some really cool looking eyes that looked like they were painted on their wings.

 

This was the bed the BIG hog was in that busted me at the last moment.  Remember (for sizing) my Ambush is 50".

 

Can you find the resident gator in this picture?  It was neat watching him, till I stepped off the trail to get a little closer (as if 50 yards wasn't close enough), and as soon as my foot came off the trail, he must have felt the vibrations, because he turned and looked right at me and sank in the water.  Probably the most eerie feeling I have ever had while hunting.  I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up as soon as I realized, this is reality, NOT TV.  He was the true predator in that swamp.

 

A meal made for 9 Kings...

 

And last but not least, a very special Thank You to Delaney for making the best Pound Cake hands down I have ever had.  It needed nothing on top.

 

[Bud B.]

Oh that pound cake!.....when's the next auction?  

[Ray Hammond]

I don't know what's happened to Dennis but here's a pic of the man who made the weekend happen- Larry and his sidekick Koa- a kindred spirit if I ever had one

We both love bacon!!!!!!! Koa loves it so much he'd dance for it- now that's a smart puppy!

[Dennis Allman]

Guys,

I only have a few minutes tonight, I have had two days of therapy on my knees and legs and it is not going well and the report is not what I wanted to hear.

What a great hunt, I am so glad I was able to get in on the hunt. Thanks Larry, and thanks to Andrew, Ray and Mike for hauling me around. It was great meeting the other NC guys, and I wish I had half the engery and talent of Mike Vines. Thanks for the arrow Mike.

I will be back down March 30,31 and April 1; remember, I have a $250.00 pair of glassess out on the Hwy-gate road, somewhere.

Putting turkey parts in the crockpot, for wild-turkey salad tomorrow. I will do my best, to get on tomorrow and tell the turkey hunt story.

Dennis

[Bud B.]

Heal up Dennis. Glad to have met you and everyone.

Have Ray or Mike drive you to the boat ramp and if they'll drive you in about 100 yards off to the left just in the swamp was a gobbler Sunday morning. Go get'im for me and Todd. If you sit on the high bank in your blind I think you can get him into your sweetspot range of your Winny with a decoy placed just below you.  

[Steve O]

Mike, aka Energizer bunny...

Did you have to put all the seat of the "hog machine" down to fit your suitcase in?