CHOPPA'S - March 16-18, report

[Lurediver]

 

[GUNNER5569]

hog found but still alive after 3 charges in small tunels dog was great story to follow

 

[DEERSLAM]

 

[wyemjohnson]

 

[Orso]

I hunted hard this weekend. I got one shot off but hit it too forward. This dog, that you guys are joking about, is awesome. It trailed blood better than any humane could have. I don't believe my hit was a lethal shot (of course it could have been) but the dog trailed very little blood, like tiny droplets, up and down hills. A very cool dog.

I just read an email about the hog from yesterday afternoon that gunner references.

Pigs were everywhere.

Thank you Chopper for having us at the ranch.

 

[Lurediver]

Sorry to hear Orso, let's post some stories.

 

[Franklin3]

 

[wtpops]

Hello all, well I had a great time at Choppers, thanks Chopper and thanks to Mrs Chopper for the lunch it hit the spot.

Met some new friends, got to hunt with Orso again that was good and thanks Mike you saved me some major boot leather with the rides back to my truck. Great food, great people which seems to be the norm at Choppers. O and one more normal thing at Choppers again was PIGS, PIGS and more PIGS.

So hang on here we go, I will try to make this short and sweet, well sweet anyway.

Thursday afternoon: Im walking some dozer cuts not seeing or hearing much but enjoying it none the less, its starting to turn dusk and i can suddenly hear the tell tail sound of acorns being crushed, as soon as you hear that your heart starts to do the thump thump thing, I make my way into this clearing and see a 200+ lb boar, flash back to two weeks ago, just munching away. I stalk up to about 20 yards or so keeping some bushes between myself and the boar. I get set and he does the peek-a-boo thing, sticks his head out and back then his a#$ and so on, this went on for what seemed like forever. Then he walks out broadside, I hit anchor and release upon release he makes his move and the arrow hits him quatring away and it looks like a good shot. I go to look for some sigh of the hit, all i can find is tracks. I start to track him but run out of light.

Friday morring: Back to looking for the pig i hit. I pick up the track where i left off and it leads me in the brush so i strip off all the gear and start the belly crawl through the pig tunnel, I go for about 30 yards, no sigh of a hit just tracks, out into a dozer cut back into the next pig tunnel and just tracks again and then about half way in i find sign of a not so good hit, then out into the next dozer cut and look up and see acers of brush, Im bumbed, I hate losing an animal this is only the third one in my life, he's gone for good.

Saterday morrning: Start to doing some sidehilling on a part of the ranch i havent been before and get about 45 min in, come up onto this flat platoe and right into 3 boars all in the 175lb or better range. All three had there noses in the grass just tearing it up. Two were black and one was almost all white but for a small patch of black on his left leg and ham. I stalked two with in 30 yards or so and parked behind a small pine sapling, not much cover but to much to shoot through, and crossed my fingers that they would feed my way. That is just what the two black ones did. They fed right to me, one right behind the other. The first one came to within 6 yards right behind the pine tree, he was at a walk and was going to pass right by me in the open. I started my draw and he caught me at about half way, I froze he started to walk again and at about 18" from my shooting lane he got a big wiff of me and blew up and charged down hill, the second one right behind him ,about 5 yards, did not spook we just proseded to do an instant replay of the first hog. Full draw, 18" to shooting lane, big wiff, bullozer down hill. By now you can follow the vains in my neck from my forehead to my armpits. I get my breath look up and the white one is still there just feeding away, so i start for him get to withen 30 yards and he starts to feed away from me, I follow him for about 100 yards never closing the distance, he gets tried of the noise im making and trots away down hill. One heck of a morrning if you ask me.

Sunday morring: I start out and do the same walk as the Saterday heart pumper. I didnt even get as far in and i hear a hog feedind in the bottom of a steep revean. I start down after him, or her I havent seen it at this point, get to about 30 yards out and step on a slipery something and zip, i must have looked like a 49 year old man stepping on a roller skate, was air born for a good 2 seconds before i hit the ground, of course the noise did not help and i looked up to see the big white boar from yesterday go trotting up the hill. Just sat there and smiled. I get up, brush off and start again. About 100 yards in I look up hill and see six boars, (I dont think i saw a sow all weekend it was amazing) five feeding together and one by himself about 30 yards from the others. It takes me about 30 min to close within about 30 yards of the single boar, an oreo. By now my hearts is going good and i forget about the group of five. I take a few more steps to get closer to the oreo and think o no, i look to my left to see the group looking at me i freeze and to my amazement they go back to feeding. I get to about 18 yards from the oreo and thay all get that feeling something is there, they start to trot off. I hit anchor (I pratice a lot with moving targets and this was a chip shot for me not trying to toot my own horn but just that my confadence was there to make the shot) and release, at the sound the boar stops dead in his tracks, the arrow zips right in front of his chest, i mean it was so close i could swear the fletch made contact but it was a clean miss.

Well thats all folks. Back to the cabin to pack, clean up and say good buys.

You got to say Choppers is some of the best hunting around. My summer is full but I will be back in the fall you can count on that.

P.S. There are some other good stories out there so chime in guys tell your tales.

 

[One Track]

That's a great story Pops. Felt like I was right there sneaking through the oak leaves.

 

[Kentuck]

Right on Pops. Thanks for sharing. Sorry about the first hog.

 

[wyemjohnson]

Wow, Pops the hunts of yours at Chop's just keep getting better and better..
Oh so close. I still get that sinking feeling when I remember looking up and seeing those acres and acres of chemise my hog ran into... Hope to hunt with you next year.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Great story, Pops..

I'm lookin' to go back as soon as I can..

 

[DEERSLAM]

Sounds like a very good hunt...sorry to hear about loosing that hog.

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

Wtpops thanks for sharing your wild hog adventure it made me feel like I was there again, you were very close to sealing the deal

I really enjoyed sharing our last hunt at Chopper's with you and look forward to hunting there again on mothers day weekend. if I have to sleep in the woods at night and wake up the next day with pigs all around me to score, then thats what ill do!.............................tra

 

[ozstriker22]

Sorry for the delay, MJB

Here's my "Hog Report" - well over due!


I arrived Friday morning. Chopper provided Norb and I with a wonderful tour of the ranch, complete with turkey's strutting. While driving around we get a radio hit that there are 3 hogs headed our way. We back track to the creek, break out the bow and wait. They must've gone over the hill because they didn't show in our location.

It should be noted that the great majority of the hunters on this trip were using "Traditional" bows. And my hat goes off to these gentlemen. Wtpops made some INCREDIBLE shots at the target we had set up, and is a dedicated Archer. Norb and Orso also impressed me both with knowledge and their cool bows - hehehehe.

Upon arrival I realized that I didn't have my shooting release. This is a bad thing. Chopper let me borrow one, thankfully, although the experience was almost enough to "convert" me to the addictive Traditional style of shooting. Almost.

Friday evening I hunted some fresh sign by the creek. I was coming down with some type of illness, a wicked sore throat, and possibly a mild fever. I couldn't cover much ground, headed back to the truck before the hunt was over and waited for Norb. I was happy to see some nice struttin turkey and some giant quail the size of Crows!!! But no hogs.

Saturday morning was a very difficult hunt. Not only was I still sick, but I chose to hunt side-hill in some steep terrain. I heard branches cracking some ways ahead of me and put on my sneak. I checked wind direction and got into position behind a clump of poison oak. I saw a little set of black feet emerging and a shoulder at about 40 yards and readied my bow. As I was prepared to draw and shoot, the dopey head of a little calf protruded from the brush. I almost laughed at myself. A 15 minute stalk on a dumb cow. Who's dumb now??? The black calf and it's read headed step child continued to graze towards me. At 10 yards I said: "Good morning ladies" to which the red calf crapped itself, spun a 180 and ran off at full speed. The little black calf just stared at me with those big brown dopey eyes. On my morning hunt I found steaming hog crap, VERY fresh rooting, and beds, but no hogs. There is more "rooting" on this ranch than any I’ve EVER seen anywhere in my life. BTW - I killed over 15 tics that morning, including 1 deer tick. None were attached to me... yet.

After sleeping all day, and with chopper's guidance, Mike (thanks Buddy) put me in a cherry-picked spot. I wasn't on my "A-game" but couldn't pass up a hunt. He said he'd never killed a hog there but it's his buddy's favorite spot. I'd work from high to low and he'd pick me up at the bottom by the creek and pond after dark. The view was incredible. The sunset breathtaking. The grass green, and a wide variety of blossoms filled the air with their sweet scent. Even without hogs, this would be a memorable evening.

I began my slow, methodical descent. There were a series of 10 ft wide Dozer Cuts going down hill about 80 yards apart through VERY thick Chemise. As I worked down these cuts towards the grass and oaks on the slope below, i realized that there was a "pig tunnel" every 5 or 6 feet going into the thick stuff. Those bad boys were definitely in the area! I'm walking three or four steps and glassing. If a hog pops out of this brush I’ll have mere seconds to shoot - not good for a compound bow But I was ready. 45 minutes into the hunt I'm at the first terrace of oaks and grass. God I’m amazed at how beautiful it is. I cover all of the thick brushy edges. Glass the opposite hill sides and the valley below. Nothing. There is fresh rooting everywhere.

As I prepare to descend to the next set of dozer cuts I hear chemise shaking and breaking. I know instantly it's a hog or hogs. The sound's location is hard to gauge but I figure it's about 130 yards BACK up the way I came. I haul some ass as quietly as I can through all of the fallen oak leaves, twigs and branches. Even as I work closer, this hog is constantly moving farther uphill. She's moving up one of the dozer cuts, noisily munching in and out of the brush. I "range" her at 96 yards. She's BIG. Has to be in the 250lb+ category! Round like a blimp and solid black. GREAT freaking hog. I have to drop down into her dozer cut and work uphill. QUICKLY. I do so, but can only close to a nasty 72 yards before she disappears. I hear her working her way all the way to the top, but she's invisible to me - and there's no way I'm hiking back up there in my condition.

I finish my hunt without incidence. After dark, as I sit waiting by the road, a branch cracks to my right. I turn to see a VERY large boar burst from the bushes not more than TWENTY feet away!!! I stumble to my feet, knock an arrow, and draw. The hog does not sense my presence and he's in a hurry to get to water. This guy was huge. Easily in the 250lb category maybe 300+, and stinky! He was bigger than a calf, I swear it! Honestly, it was a little bit unnerving and he really caught me off guard. Unfortunately I couldn't see my pins for the life of me, nor could I see my peep so I had to pass on the shot. But my adrenaline was PUMPING. As I sat in the dark I heard the sound of Hog after Hog heading towards the water.

I vowed to return in the morning.

Sunday morning found me at the BOTTOM of the hill by the pond. I would work my way uphill against the downdraft of cool air. I knew those hogs were out feeding all night in the flats, would be covered in mud and still be active on that hillside and in those dozer cuts until at least 8 or 9am. I was right.

I slowly worked the dozer cuts and first two terraces of grass on the left side by the thickest of brush with no results. I snapped a few pics of a beautiful sunrise, and began a right side decent. I stopped over a perfect oaky meadow. Where were the pigs???

I wait patiently, this is the spot. They will arrive... they just HAVE to! It's been more than an hour now with no sign of hogs. Literally seconds before my patience ends I see small dark form weaving it's away between trees and brush. A hog was heading RIGHT TOWARDS ME! Head down pressing forward, Here was a hog on a mission.... Find Bedding!

The first thing I noticed was that he had to be sick or something... it looked as if he had rabies! His mouth was all foamy. I might not want to shoot this guy! I wait for him to pass behind a bush at about 40 yards and go to the ready position. He see's me and freezes. As we lock eyes I realize that it's not rabies... IT'S TEETH. White all the way up!!! Oh gawd. I wasn't looking for a trophy... but I'd have no choice. His face had soooo much character!!! Big pointed, hairy ears, whiskers all the way to the snout, INTENSE beady little eyes, that long dark mo-hawk forming a high ridge on his shoulders, and those HUGE CHOPPERS. He was small - 125 to 135 pounds and would taste great. I was looking at a dead pig.

Unlike the decision I had made, he had evidently concluded I was not worth a second thought and continued his trot in earnest. I knew he'd turn broadside and cross ahead of me, it's just the way the land lent itself to the eye. I went to full draw with my 40 yard pin following his vitals. I'd aim 3 inches from the bottom of his chest and kill him when he was just a little closer... he closed the gap much quicker than I expected, and was broadside before I knew it. The time was now, and the time was right! Without even thinking, the arrow was released and my arrow's shaft, tipped with three, razor sharp cut-on-contact blades on a chisel pointed broadhead, hissed through the air at 305 feet per second.




The arrow bit the earth an inch above his back, high and WAAAY farther back than I had expected!!??? The little hairy beast looked at me, sh*t a brick, squealed like a pig, and tore full speed through every tree and bush on that hillside, making the loudest escape known to man. It was all over in a matter of seconds. The culmination of years of hunting, and three days of hiking... in seconds.

What had gone wrong? Where had I failed? As I replayed the events in my mind I knew. My first and most devastating mistake: I had spotted the hog at 60 yards, I pinned him at 40, and fired at less than 20... WITH MY 40 YARD PIN. I had failed to adjust for his lightning fast approach. I KNEW i was going to hold for 20 yards, but automatically pinned him where he was - at 40. This resulted in a solid foot of latitude I simply could not afford. The second mistake: I had not lead him at all. He was moving quickly... and I should have put that arrow on his shiny little black nose, or at least the front of his chest, before I released my arrow.

I won't make either of those mistakes again. A more experienced marksman would have easily closed his boar... but nonetheless, I’m hooked! And it was TOTALLY worth it!

Thanks again to Chopper and Mike for making this a memorable hunt.

Jesse

 

[bigtusker]

It's stories like that one that I enjoy the most. Oz, you are welcome.

 

[oneshothunter]

great story oz

 

[kelly106]

glad u had fun oz,look forward to huntin with you,ur welcome,that illness u thought u were coming down with?I get it everytime i go to Choppers,(its called hog fever)!Mike

 

[MJB]

Great stories, Pops and Oz........where's the other hunters with their tales too tell......especialy the tracking dog?

 

[Speckmisser]

Way to go, fellas.

Oz, you're a certified hog maniac now, amigo!

Chopper's place ROCKS!