Great winter hog hunt, despite frigid weather

[Izzy]

Great hunt. Amazing what a 50 lb bow can do in the right hands. Really hated to cancel out Pat but I had too much going on.I'll get there with you some day.

[Mike Gerardi]

Rewind to Christamas for a min. Every year my Wife and I have a Christmas Eve party at the house. Family and friends stop by from 2pm on. This year I had a suprise gift for Dave and was looking forward to him opening it. Turns out Dave had a suprise of his own . Once Dave arrived he handed me a box and my Wife handed me a letter. They had both gone in and ordered me a Dale Dye and it was due to arrive in January. Wow!! How awesome is that??!! Hugs and hand shakes....it was time for the wait until the bow arrived! And no matter how long the wait... it always seems to be forever. Good friends are hard to find. Great friends are even harder.

[Mike Gerardi]

This is the bow that arrived around the second week of January. Dale Dye take down. 61@ 28. 60in long.

 

[T-Bowhunter]

       

[Bowmag]

Really pretty bow. Love the dark wood.

[Pat B.]

Sounds like a really fun hunt !

Congrats on your success and hope you continue to heal quickly..

[elkken]

Great hunt, story, and pics ... glad I'm on this hunt in my PJ's drinking hot coffee at home ... looks a bit chilly

Thanks for the pig bomb info, looks like the real deal

[Doug Campbell]

   

[Mike Gerardi]

Some pics of Frozen Texas..
   

[PaPaFrank]

Sounds like a great hunt despite the weather. WOW!  Beautiful bow Mike!

[Mike Gerardi]

[Mike Gerardi]

Thanks Frank and Bowmag. That cocobolo grain just pops.

[Mike Gerardi]

First day we all entered an area that holds alot of hogs and every year there are a bunch of opportunities. Fresh tracks went under a fence to the east of the access road. After a half mile walk in 6 inches of snow ,I decided to go in and see if I could get close or maybe even get a shot.  I was'nt 15 min in and had a large boar at 20 yards. He had just stood up in a bed under a small pine tree. I had a clear shot broad side but had to thread the needle through some branches. I came to anchor and let my first shot of the 2014 hog hunt slip from my fingers.

[Mike Gerardi]

As the bright chartruse fletch closed into my spot I watched as the fletch kicked to the left and hog take off from his bed. The arrow was sticking out of his hip and penetration looked minamal, less than two inches. The arrow broke off after he spun and I watched him run out of sight into the pines. The thoughts that ran through my head are not fit to type. I waited some time and started to walk to the area were he was bedded. There was a very limited amount of blood on the ground and the snow now seemed to be my friend not foe.

[Mike Gerardi]

After a replay in my head I wondered if it was possible to have cut an artery, maybe I could get lucky. I tracked him for 200 yards before finding him standing in a low area just behind some brush. I stood there for 15 min or so just watching the boar trying to get a stalk on him. I heard a sound behind me and turned to see Pat just off to my right. I got his attention and he tip toed over to me. I showed him the boar and he agreed go down wind to try and bump him my way. This never came to be as he ran off when Pat began to circle him. Inspection of the area where he stood had blood but nothing great. The next morning I tracked that hog all the next morning. I had blood for over 1.5 miles in the snow. He never bedded and kept moving.

[Mike Gerardi]

The next afternoon I did not have any more opportunities and only saw a few hogs at a distance.

Tuesday we decided to work an area that had high walls with deep canyons. I got on hogs early and worked my way infront of a group to a low area. I was looking for an area that was low enough to get close. Before I knew it Bryan, Scottie and Dave were standing to my left. Dave slid down on his side to try and get a shot. I slid down on my side and waited for a shot. A sow circled around towards me giving me a 15 yard shot. Once again it was one of those "Thread the needle" shots. Thinking there is no way I'm going to screw this up twice the same trip, I let it fly!!!

[Dirtybird]

WOW!!!!!  Is a good choice of words to describe this wonderful hunt with wonderful people that I enjoy being around and consider family.

[Dirtybird]

The FACT that this hunt even happened this year is testament to a great brother and great friends.  Last year was a very rough year for me, but this year has been off to one of the best in past memory.  

     Day one we were in to hogs and I was able to connect on a nice hog toward the evening.  Getting late I decided to wait till morning.  Next morning my brother and I took up the trail.  Not far into the trail we jumped a jack rabbit that ran off to around 30 paces away.  I watched my brother make a superb shot on the rabbit.  We gutted and skinned the bunny and stuffed it with snow and in my pack.  We later bumped into Mike who happen to find my hog, or should I say what was left from the coyotes.  The coyotes seemed even thicker this year than in years past and they made quick work of what I'd say was a 120-150lb piggie.

[Mike Gerardi]

BAM!!! Deflection, squeeling, hit the rear ham. WHAT!! nO!!   I can't tell how much penetration the arrow got and I watch her run to my left. The look on my face was like back in kindergarden when the teacher told me not to eat the paste!! What do you mean..This stuff is great...Duh. I could not believe I had done it again. Bryan walks over to me and we start following blood. Not too far ahead after navigating through some thick brush Brayn says he has some good blood up ahead.

[Dirtybird]

Day Three:

     We headed for an area where Mike, Bryan, Scottie and I spit up to head in to the wind.  Mike and Bryan headed one way and my brother and I another.  It wasn't long before we got into some piggies.  WE tried best we could to close the gap but the snow was extremely crunchy.  We got very close to around twenty yards but the wind shifted for a split second and that was that.  We ran after them and tried to get close again and got to within thirty and I let an arrow fly just missing.  They moved a bit and Scottie shot as well and had the same result as me, a miss.  We laughed and moved on as the hogs really scooted after those two close calls.  As we continued on we heard hogs in the distance and came to a big drainage.  As luck would have it Mike and Bryan were there closing the gap just like us.  We all waited and watched from high above the canyon walls.  I could tell Mike was getting itchy bow fingers as he was slowly making his way down.  I decided to circle out far and wide to drop down in the drainage with the wind in my favor to possibly bump the hogs towards the others or present a shot for myself.  A good half and hour later I was less than thirty yards away from a very large number of hogs.  I was near a big tree that I was contemplating which way to go around when I heard Mike shoot and a hog squeal.  Hogs scattered everywhere so I backtracked quickly to cut off and exit route.  At first some hogs just stood around and looked to see what just happened.  Mike and Bryan were talking and the hogs started to run out of the drainage.  I was lucky enough to be in position to make a shot on a nice sow running full go and hit her a bit forward.  My brother headed towards me and Mike and Bryan went the other direction.  At first the blood trail was just crazy.  Blood was sprayed out everywhere.   But as we kept on the trail I was getting more concerned.  After a very long track with assistance from my brother we able to catch up with my hog to put the final touches on her.  Once again, another great moment shared with my brother.  One of the prettier hogs I have ever shot.  Pat will post a pic shortly.