Sometimes I can be a real "head case". Fortunately, I have a stable wife to talk me through things. She's also a bowhunter and understands all the dynamics of the sport. So after a great discussion with her, my confidence was restored and I headed for the hills the very next day.
The morning was slow. I didn't see or hear a single thing. At about 2:30, I started to contemplate. Do I stay where I've been seeing the hogs, or do I take a chance and head to another area. On previous hunts, I came across an "intersection" that looked super promising. My gut feeling was head to that "intersection", so I did. For myself, I'd say 9 out of 10 times, making a hasty decision to move just doesn't pan out.
So after a short hike, I reached my destination. Even though the decision was hasty, I felt good about the move. Half an hour went by and nothing. At that point, I was beginning to question my decision. "Maybe all the pigs are now at the previous spot" I thought to myself. "I need to stick it out", I told myself. Just then, I heard some leaves rustling in the distance. The noise started to get louder and louder. I finally caught movement to the right of me. This hog was coming in cautious. Taking a few steps and stopping for a few seconds. "This is a smart one", I thought. I ever so slowly nocked my arrow while keeping my eyes fixed on the hog. It was crazy, my knees were shaking as if this was the first hog that I've ever shot at. The hog kept moving cautiously and it was just too thick to take a shot. There were times when I wanted to squeeze the shot through some small holes in the brush, but I needed to stay disciplined. If not my discussion with my wife would've been all for nothing. The hog finally reached a point were he could turn right, down the hill never to be seen again or turn left, presenting me a broadside shot. Amazingly, he turned left and stopped in the open. Filled with adrenaline, I drew my bow back ever so slowly, focused intently on the spot and released the string. The arrow flew clean but hit the hog with a "crack" and the hog took off. "UH OH!", I thought to myself. This was either going to be a really good shot, or a really bad one. I was sure that I smacked the leg bone, I was just really hoping that it was the "offside" leg bone.