sfhoghunter
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- Oct 23, 2007
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I recently made the switch from rifle to bow hunting. I purchased my bow in November, and after a couple months of practice, I finally shot my first arrow at a hog Saturday morning! Although an incredible experience, it didn't turn out quite like I had hoped, but I think it is worth relating to all of you. Here is what happened.
I got up at about 6:15 on Saturday morning, and headed out just as it was starting to get light. Did my usual route on the property, down through the cow pasture, towards the water tank, and onto the airstrip. I was moving slow past a flock of turkeys about 150 yards distant, hoping they wouldn't spook and alert any hogs in the area. I heard a snort or two, and scanned 'Squirrel Hill'. Sure enough, a group of hogs was rooting under some pine trees. I froze, and waited for them to crest the hill before pursuing. As I got up to the top of the hill, I could hear them in the small bay formed by squirrel hill and the larger ridge. I decided my best chance was to haul a$$ up the ridge and try to ambush them when they moved up from the bay.
I got on top of the ridge and moved slowly and quietly, with an arrow nocked. I knew generally where the hogs would come up from, but not their exact path. Finally I heard them moving up about 75 yards away. I got as close as I could, until I saw the first hog come into view. I froze, and when it turned away I ranged a pine tree just behind that hog: 38 yards. Too far for me - during my practice sessions I decided I would shoot out to a max of 30 yards if conditions were favorable. Still, I put my rangefinder away and pulled out my release and waited. Soon a couple of smallish hogs, one black and one cardboard brown, came out of the small copse of pine trees just below the crest of the hill. They looked to be at least 5 yards closer than that first hog, which (in my mind) put them just at 30 yards. Perfect! I watched them carefully, and waited till they were fully exposed on the hill top and facing away. I drew and held, tried to steady my hand and heartbeat. The hogs turned broadside to me, and I put the red 30 yard pin right behind the elbow of the black hog. I squeezed the release and heard the bow twang. The two small hogs, and the first hog (still half obscured by pines) bolted - and one of them grunted when they took off! I sat their wondering: did I hit it? I'll be darned, but I think I did! At that moment a huge black boar moved up onto the open hill top. It turned towards me and looked at me. The monster hog started walked towards me, and it occurred to me that things were about to get really interesting. It then seemed to realize just what it was looking at, and it started and then turned and sprinted off. All the other hogs below the ridge took off as well.
I waited a few minutes, and still not sure if I had hit that hog or not, I decided to go have a look for the arrow. I looked and looked but couldn't find it. No matter, I'd just creep after the hogs in the direction they headed. I snuck along as quiet as I could, and after about 150 yards I saw a black shape lying in the needles below a pine about 45 yards away. Could it be? I pulled out my rangefinder and crept up just enough to confirm that yes, indeed, that is a smallish black hog. I watched and saw it move a little, so I decided to back off. It occurred to me to put another arrow in it, but I didn't want to risk moving up close enough to get a good shot on it. Also, I didn't think a coup de grace was necessary, based on the way it was breathing and squirming. So I backed off, hiked back to the house, and roused my brother in law for some help.
I was on top of the world - I had accomplished what I had set out for myself to do. An archery hog - unbelieveable! Here I was on my second bow trip and I had dropped one. I accomplished in two weeks what I had thought would take a year. We ate a quick bite, then packed a gambrell, rope, knives, etc. into his truck and drove out as close as we could get. By this time, about an hour had passed since I had taken the shot.
We approached the pine tree it was lying under - no hog! Hmmm, I guess it wasn't as injured as I thought. I walked over to the pine tree, and could clearly see a big pile of pine needles it had lain down in. I checked the pine needles - no blood! What the heck? Maybe the arrow hadn't passed through, and all the blood had been absorbed by the hog's hair, and thus hadn't stained the pine needles? I couldn't figure it out.
After scratching my head a bit my brother in law and I decided to begin at the beginning, and so we headed back to where the hog had been standing. I started searching the ground, looking for the arrow or some blood, and then I found it: the arrow, as clean and blood free as you could ever ask, buried nicely in the soft dirt just beneath where that hog had been standing. My shot had been a perfect miss.
As crazy as it sounds, the only possibility of what happened is this: after I missed, the spooked hogs had taken off, run about 150 yards or so, then calmed down enough to decide to have a little nap. I then calmly walked up, saw the 'wounded' hog lying on the ground, and was convinced I had scored a fatal hit! When we came back with the truck, the hogs got up and took off before we arrived.
Each time I hunt I learn something; here is what I learned from this archery hunt:
Use the rangefinder on the animal you are going to shoot. Being even a couple yards off in your distance estimate while bowhunting can mean the difference between a kill and a miss, or even worse a kill and a wound.
Have an escape route, or a sidearm. I was crouching behind a scraggly bush on an otherwise open hilltop, and the closest tree was a good 20 yards away. If that big boar had charged, I'd probably be typing this from a hospital bed.
Most important: if you see your 'wounded' animal on the ground, put another arrow in it - it could just be taking a nap!
Apologies for the length of the post, but I like to give (and hear) full accounts of hunting experiences.
I got up at about 6:15 on Saturday morning, and headed out just as it was starting to get light. Did my usual route on the property, down through the cow pasture, towards the water tank, and onto the airstrip. I was moving slow past a flock of turkeys about 150 yards distant, hoping they wouldn't spook and alert any hogs in the area. I heard a snort or two, and scanned 'Squirrel Hill'. Sure enough, a group of hogs was rooting under some pine trees. I froze, and waited for them to crest the hill before pursuing. As I got up to the top of the hill, I could hear them in the small bay formed by squirrel hill and the larger ridge. I decided my best chance was to haul a$$ up the ridge and try to ambush them when they moved up from the bay.
I got on top of the ridge and moved slowly and quietly, with an arrow nocked. I knew generally where the hogs would come up from, but not their exact path. Finally I heard them moving up about 75 yards away. I got as close as I could, until I saw the first hog come into view. I froze, and when it turned away I ranged a pine tree just behind that hog: 38 yards. Too far for me - during my practice sessions I decided I would shoot out to a max of 30 yards if conditions were favorable. Still, I put my rangefinder away and pulled out my release and waited. Soon a couple of smallish hogs, one black and one cardboard brown, came out of the small copse of pine trees just below the crest of the hill. They looked to be at least 5 yards closer than that first hog, which (in my mind) put them just at 30 yards. Perfect! I watched them carefully, and waited till they were fully exposed on the hill top and facing away. I drew and held, tried to steady my hand and heartbeat. The hogs turned broadside to me, and I put the red 30 yard pin right behind the elbow of the black hog. I squeezed the release and heard the bow twang. The two small hogs, and the first hog (still half obscured by pines) bolted - and one of them grunted when they took off! I sat their wondering: did I hit it? I'll be darned, but I think I did! At that moment a huge black boar moved up onto the open hill top. It turned towards me and looked at me. The monster hog started walked towards me, and it occurred to me that things were about to get really interesting. It then seemed to realize just what it was looking at, and it started and then turned and sprinted off. All the other hogs below the ridge took off as well.
I waited a few minutes, and still not sure if I had hit that hog or not, I decided to go have a look for the arrow. I looked and looked but couldn't find it. No matter, I'd just creep after the hogs in the direction they headed. I snuck along as quiet as I could, and after about 150 yards I saw a black shape lying in the needles below a pine about 45 yards away. Could it be? I pulled out my rangefinder and crept up just enough to confirm that yes, indeed, that is a smallish black hog. I watched and saw it move a little, so I decided to back off. It occurred to me to put another arrow in it, but I didn't want to risk moving up close enough to get a good shot on it. Also, I didn't think a coup de grace was necessary, based on the way it was breathing and squirming. So I backed off, hiked back to the house, and roused my brother in law for some help.
I was on top of the world - I had accomplished what I had set out for myself to do. An archery hog - unbelieveable! Here I was on my second bow trip and I had dropped one. I accomplished in two weeks what I had thought would take a year. We ate a quick bite, then packed a gambrell, rope, knives, etc. into his truck and drove out as close as we could get. By this time, about an hour had passed since I had taken the shot.
We approached the pine tree it was lying under - no hog! Hmmm, I guess it wasn't as injured as I thought. I walked over to the pine tree, and could clearly see a big pile of pine needles it had lain down in. I checked the pine needles - no blood! What the heck? Maybe the arrow hadn't passed through, and all the blood had been absorbed by the hog's hair, and thus hadn't stained the pine needles? I couldn't figure it out.
After scratching my head a bit my brother in law and I decided to begin at the beginning, and so we headed back to where the hog had been standing. I started searching the ground, looking for the arrow or some blood, and then I found it: the arrow, as clean and blood free as you could ever ask, buried nicely in the soft dirt just beneath where that hog had been standing. My shot had been a perfect miss.
As crazy as it sounds, the only possibility of what happened is this: after I missed, the spooked hogs had taken off, run about 150 yards or so, then calmed down enough to decide to have a little nap. I then calmly walked up, saw the 'wounded' hog lying on the ground, and was convinced I had scored a fatal hit! When we came back with the truck, the hogs got up and took off before we arrived.
Each time I hunt I learn something; here is what I learned from this archery hunt:
Use the rangefinder on the animal you are going to shoot. Being even a couple yards off in your distance estimate while bowhunting can mean the difference between a kill and a miss, or even worse a kill and a wound.
Have an escape route, or a sidearm. I was crouching behind a scraggly bush on an otherwise open hilltop, and the closest tree was a good 20 yards away. If that big boar had charged, I'd probably be typing this from a hospital bed.
Most important: if you see your 'wounded' animal on the ground, put another arrow in it - it could just be taking a nap!
Apologies for the length of the post, but I like to give (and hear) full accounts of hunting experiences.
