Day 4
I woke up on day 4 thankful that day 3 was 100% DONE!
We all got up early again and headed to the lodge. Andrew had doubled down on the breakfast pork with bacon and sausage, and the coffee was good and strong. Maybe I should note for folks that haven't been to the new camp that there is one pot for guys like me, and there is a pot of "normal" coffee, not that I ever care to know what's in it. With our gathered intelligence from the day before we decide we need to be on the feeders at magic hour, and then relocate to the chestnut acorns as soon as general rooting time begins. Joe headed for White Oak to be up there prior to the sun cresting, he would then cut into a small group of oaks that were bringing in the hogs. In the meantime Terry would work some exceptional country towards Joe. I would take Keith in as far as the stands at Hog Lake. He would sit there the first hour and then work the winds through the bedding area to the East while keeping an ear to the oaks to his side. I would break out to the hardwood flat at the very tip of the peninsula. There was no doubt there were hogs there, the question was if I could make something happen or not.
Strange how the swamps look so different every time I go back in there off the roads and trails. Sometimes leaves are out, sometimes they are down. Sometimes there is grass and grapes, other times there are none. I tried to keep to the path I knew but it looked so different I quickly lost it. I went to the river and put my left shoulder to it as I traveled with the wind on my right cheek. I was going super slow as I knew I was going right into the heart of some hogs bedroom and it was probably going to come down to who-sees-who-first. Since I was in super sneaky mode, I was lured by a very nice looking log overlooking the Savannah River. It was pretty much a perfect place to sit and relax for a few minutes and catch up on my field notes from the day before. I like to turn short hand into loose paragraphs while still in the field, and this was a beautiful place to do it! I sat typing with my bow on the ground...
Ever get that feeling like you're being watched? I look over my shoulder and there is a good looking whitetail staring straight at me. He's close, seems he'd still be in range of my longbow if he was twice as far. His ears are up and he's on alert, no reason to try to make something happen. I glare at him for a second like he's bothering me and I return to typing on my phone. Now he stomps for my attention. I raise my eyes as if to say "yeah I see you, and I don't care. Please leave" and I return to typing. His rack a very tall and fairly wide for a 6 point, it also had great symmetry and was nearly white. I continued play acting my disgust with his stomping for a few more seconds before he thinks it better to double back the way he came. I paced it out at 13 steps to his prints, but he was uphill so he seemed closer. I considered for a few minutes how I knew he was there. I hadn't consciously heard him, or saw any peripheral movement. I wonder quite a bit if it was a feeling like this that brought that huge boar to his feet two days prior?
I worked the perimeter or the hardwoods for the next couple hours. It was a thick briar overlooking an open (and heavily rooted) white oak flat. I found tons of fresh beds, but I didn't catch any movement or sound of them. Some of the scat was extremely fresh. Invigorated I worked a long circle back to Stiles Field and met up with Keith there. He had worked from Hog Lake back to their on the opposite side of the logging road without seeing a hog. I asked him if he'd mind riding along with me to do a few chores. He didn't seem to be in a big rush to get back to camp so we picked up some memory cards and went back to the old camp. I told Keith it was time to suit up, we were going to go change our luck! I ran the plan past him quickly and I showed him a trail head and we took off down it towards the grass island I'd been resting since day 1. As we approached we could see the grass shaking. We knew this was a nursery so we'd need to be careful of those wet sows. We were praying for a satellite boar, or a small group of young meat pigs.
The first pig came out at 10 yards and was a great looking shiny black hog. We sat and watched. We slipped closer a step at a time. I hoped Keith would have a shot, but it looked like it would be mine. I had a good window and couldn't see a litter in tow. As I started to lift to shoot I saw Keith out of the corner of my eye. He was giving me the thumbs down. They weren't right behind her heels, but she was a young mother too. Three piglets were with her.
Keith points over his shoulder and there is another group. This time at least we see the piglets first and don't get our hopes up. I snapped a picture while Keith scanned the grasses for any more movement. Without detecting any we snuck back to camp for some burgers at least being able to say we'd seen hogs! Lunch was good and the guys came up with afternoon hunting plans.
I watched the guys depart to their afternoon hunt and I pulled out a tripod seat and went to the practice range to shoot some 3D from a seated position. I was shooting dead on, so I prepared my gear for the first night sit and laid down for an hour nap. Waking up rested I did an extra shower and some extra descenting procedures before loading up and heading to Dave's Field.
I settled in and everything looked great. I even took my big camera and set it up on the tripod in video mode just in case they came back in tonight. I sat and waited, and darkness came without anything happening. I saw my LED light turn on as the photo sensor realized it was night. Just a little after 6pm. About 45 minutes later I heard a deer blow and take off, not a good sign!
I waited and waited for the distant sound of rooting and squeals, but they did not come. I had told Andrew I'd only stay until 9pm on my first night out as I didn't want anyone staying up late to confirm my safe return. As it was drawing close to time to pack up I heard a big SNORT!!! The pack of hogs that was just a few feet from my blind trampled through the darkness back to a safe distance. I listened as they discussed things among themselves in hog speak and decided it would be really cool to flip on my video camera to record the sounds of them carrying on! When I pressed the power button on the camera the display on the back of the camera light up like the sun! OK, maybe not the sun but it did turn my popup blind into a Chinese lantern and sent the hogs running! Dang, several lessons learned. Hopefully those lessons aren't going to be the difference between back straps and tag soup!
Back in camp the guys were just finishing their spaghetti and dessert. Stories were traded and I caught up on all the one's I'd missed earlier in the evening. Most guys were ready to crash but there were a few big logs still on the fire down by the lake so Terry and I decided to watch them burn down for a little bit. Now it's a little after 10pm and we are just sitting there like hunters do; watching the fire, and talking about where the game might be hiding. Then Terry gets all sort of serious and says in a loud whisper "Did you hear that????"....
From across the pond there is some noise coming in, lots of it, and it starts getting LOUD! Shortly thereafter some really ugly sounds start off the bushes and we've got some hog fighting in camp!!! I gotta tell you that was a beautiful racket!!! You can't quite make out the two of us over by the porch light in the picture. Too awesome!
Hogs seen, lessons learned, and we got front row seats for the main event. It was a good day!!! I thought to myself, maybe tomorrow....
Thom
Topic: Trad Gang at Wild Things 2014 (Read 2210 times)
