A couple friends and I hunted Deedy's place this past weekend for an archery hunt (check out bowhunting forum for that report), but we also got a guided dog hunt in on the last evening. Cole (bayedsolid) took us out and we started around noon. We've never done this before and it was just incredible!
Those dogs worked hard and it was great watching them do their thing. After charging up and down the highest, steepest, thickest mountains we could find, our mountain-goat guide Cole got us on this ridge where the dogs opened up on a pig just about 40 yards away from us. All heck broke loose and this pig amazingly managed to bolt down a dense section all the way to the bottom and broke away from the dogs. All the dogs come back after a few minutes except one, who is running miles to follow this pig. 30 minutes later the dog has gone up and down several ridges and eventually Cole has to go down and get the dog. So he takes a quick jog all the way down and up and down across a ridge to a bowl section over a mile away, gets his dog, and strolls back up the mountain to meet us and go find another pig.
So we charge back down and go through a few more areas that don't work out. Sunset getting close, we decide to head back to the other side of the area that earlier pig seemed to head into. Sure enough the dogs bust all the way up to the top and we hear them open up on a bayed pig. Death march straight to the top, through eye-poking, skin-tearing thickets, and at the ridge the dogs have this nice fat sow held up against a brush pile. My buddy Jim takes the shot and just like that it's over. Those dogs are proud and they give the pig a little nibble then lay down for a rest! They've worked real hard especially Ranger who trekked miles to get this pig! Job done, he lays down and takes a nap!
We get the work done in short order and Cole straps that 170lb dressed sow onto his back and charges straight down to the truck in just a few minutes. He beats us all down to the truck and he's the one packing the pig! Amazing!
This was the most intense, hard core hunting I've experienced and it was an awesome finish to a great trip at Bryson. Thanks Cole for a great hunt! And thanks to Deedy and Karin at Bryson Resort. We're all looking forward to going back!
Those dogs worked hard and it was great watching them do their thing. After charging up and down the highest, steepest, thickest mountains we could find, our mountain-goat guide Cole got us on this ridge where the dogs opened up on a pig just about 40 yards away from us. All heck broke loose and this pig amazingly managed to bolt down a dense section all the way to the bottom and broke away from the dogs. All the dogs come back after a few minutes except one, who is running miles to follow this pig. 30 minutes later the dog has gone up and down several ridges and eventually Cole has to go down and get the dog. So he takes a quick jog all the way down and up and down across a ridge to a bowl section over a mile away, gets his dog, and strolls back up the mountain to meet us and go find another pig.
So we charge back down and go through a few more areas that don't work out. Sunset getting close, we decide to head back to the other side of the area that earlier pig seemed to head into. Sure enough the dogs bust all the way up to the top and we hear them open up on a bayed pig. Death march straight to the top, through eye-poking, skin-tearing thickets, and at the ridge the dogs have this nice fat sow held up against a brush pile. My buddy Jim takes the shot and just like that it's over. Those dogs are proud and they give the pig a little nibble then lay down for a rest! They've worked real hard especially Ranger who trekked miles to get this pig! Job done, he lays down and takes a nap!
We get the work done in short order and Cole straps that 170lb dressed sow onto his back and charges straight down to the truck in just a few minutes. He beats us all down to the truck and he's the one packing the pig! Amazing!
This was the most intense, hard core hunting I've experienced and it was an awesome finish to a great trip at Bryson. Thanks Cole for a great hunt! And thanks to Deedy and Karin at Bryson Resort. We're all looking forward to going back!
