Danny - that is a baby copperhead. It wasn't very happy that I momentarily hindered it's freedom. The colors on both were stunning and maybe one day they'll be big enough to grace the back of a bow. The large one was only about 24" and wouldn't have yielded a whole bow limb. The little one obviously needs a few years. It doesn't show up well in the photo but the little one's tail tip was bright neon yellow. This is the first baby copperhead I've seen, so that may be normal.
Randy pretty well summed up our day but I'll add my impressions. Most of my boat time over the years has been in a canoe, so I was a bit apprehensive when Randy said we could launch the boat without backing the truck down the muddy ramp. I'm no stranger to to redneck ingenuity but always appreciate learning a new skill form others.
I really enjoyed our boat ride on the river. It was muddy, filled with critters and scenery and took me back to my youth when we would walk/float down creeks and drainage ditches to handfish for carp and catfish. Turtles and snakes were always a part of the equation, but we never ran into any gators in IL. I know it is old hat for many, but sharing the same hunting space as gators is just plain cool. East Texas isn't overrun with them, but knowing you can see one will add an extra element of adventure to our outings from now on. It will also make me think a little harder about which holes to jump in to cool off as the weather heats up!
The hog we saw was my first wild hog sighting ever. I've hunted them in GA with Gregg Dudley and Chris Surtees on a St. Jude Hunt and have been on several hunts with Randy and a couple of my own at Old Sabine. I've seen plenty of sign, but just no hogs. I have to tell you that when this guy grunted and snorted at us last night, it was more exciting than playing peek-a-boo with the gator or trying to get the baby copperhead to let me make friends. It was really cool that we didn't bust him out and that he worked at trying to wind us. We grunted, snorted and even squealed just a little bit at him to try to get him within bow range. We're sure it was a boar because at his closest (20-25 yds), I could see the silhouette of the parts that make a hog a boar. He was fairly large and solid black. I raised hogs as a young guy and I'd guess him definitely over 150 and shy of 200. The brush he was in was just too thick to get an arrow through and he wasn't coming any closer to verify what we were. I guess that's how the big ones get that way.
All in all it was a great day! We saw a hog, a gator, a coyote, gar out the wazoo, a swamp rabbit, a couple of copperheads, all kinds of birds and a bazillion mosquitoes. When I told my wife about the day she laughed and said I'd spent the day at the East Texas Zoo. I'm really looking forward to getting together with the guys coming on this hunt and hope we get into some good action. We do need some diligent preparation, however.
MOSQUITOES - were and will be miserable. I am planning on having 2 Thermacells with me and that is NOT to give someone my "spare". I've been going out to the WMA when it was cold and this is my first trip in over a month. Both Randy and I forgot to bring anything to repel those bloodthirsty creatures and they did their best to drain us dry. I am also going to look for a couple of camp solutions as well.
WATER - as Randy said earlier, we will get wet. Plenty of dry spots to hunt, but a lot of wet places to gain access.
POISON IVY - We noticed yesterday that it was really hitting it's stride in a few areas. It doesn't seem to be everywhere though, so probably isn't any worse than anywhere else.
FIRE ANTS - If you haven't been around them, they can be a little intense. Again, not a huge issue if you look where you stop to stand and where you put your tarp or tent. They defend their mounds in a very painful way.
SNAKES - honestly a non-issue. Just like any other locale that has them, just don't blindly stick your hands into unseen places and you'll be fine. We traveled quite a ways yesterday and the only two we saw were the ones in the pictures above.
Can't wait guys and thanks again Randy for getting this hunt organized!
Topic: Anyone want to hog hunt east tx? (4/22-4/26) already making plans for next year! (Read 4141 times)
