wtpops

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Hello all im back from the first day of scouting for the JHO new years hunt. I left the house about 5:30, that would put me at the check in station about 6:30 to 6:45, which is late but not in a hurry after all im just scouting things out tring to see where the hog sign might be if any. Get checked in its about 7:00 and i head out to the unit, get parked and there is not any trucks around which i found strange because the guy at the checkin station told my there was a lot of people in the training area i chose. I get out get geared up, pull the bow back a couple of times to loosen up the shoulders and head out. Well ill tell ya right off the bat, didn't get a hole lot of scouting done. I wasn't 50 yards out of the truck, well maybe 100, looked up on top of a knoll and saw about 12 to 15 hogs single file, i could see them pass in the clearings between trees and oak brush.
Off i went up the hill to try and cut them off, got there and no sign off them sat still for a few and let the ears do the work for a while, as im standing there listining i put my binocs up to my eyes and see this

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They are about 300 to 400 yards off i drop off the knoll im on and head there way, wind is good and plenty of cover. Im humpin it fairly quick, drop off the last hill and bam hit the boundery fence, they are out of bounds
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Well i know i left some pigs back about 400 yards so i start back and run into a JHO'er (hntboar) we shoot the bull for awhile, its nice to put a face to the handles, and then let each other know which way we are going. I make a big counter clockwise loop back to where i saw the hogs and hntboar makes a clockwise loop. About 15 min into my loop i hear a BANG, lot of people out there so im not sure if it was hntboar or not. I make it to the back side of the knoll where i saw the hogs and there is a big patch of poison oak and I can hear the hogs in there. Im on the down wind side so i park it and just wait. With all the hunters out here some one is bound to walk on the up wind side and spook some hogs to me. Well i was right some one walked by and the hogs were on the move i could hear them all over the place and see a patch of hog hide here and there as they are moving through the poison oak. After about 3 or 4 min everything calms down so i start the wait again about 5 min later i hear a noise right behind me, i turn and im face to face at 15 yards with a 200lb to 225lb boar, we are both froze just staring at each other. The only chance i got it to try and get my bow up for a shot, he was on the move for the poison oak and once he started to move again i knew he was not going to stop. He cought my movement and was gone in a flash. My heart is just starting to calm down and i see a hunter start to come over the knoll i stop him and motion him to go around the other side on the oak patch, he does and a moment or two later i hear a BANG. Hogs start to move again still no shot. Another 3 to 4 min and things calm down again then i see and hear two hunters at he top of the knoll talking about which way to drag the hogs that they have down. Come to find out its hntboar and one of the two others in his party. I make my way down off the hill and hook up with them to get some pics

This is hntboar with his 125# sow, very nice hog
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This is another 125# sow the hunter on the left took. this is the rest of hntboars party. the young man in the pic helped drag and gut this hog and knows how to take a pic, when i said i wanted to take a picture he ran to the jeep and grabed the rifle to pose with it. His dad is training him right.

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Here is one with them loaded up on the jeep

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Well its back to scouting, here are some pics of some other sign i found

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O just so you know this recurve is 62" tip to tip that mud is way up on this tree
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Looks like the makings of a very good New Years hunt. Ill be back tomorrow with an update
 

map

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That was a good write-up. Thanks
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Huntr Pat

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As far as I know Ft hunter leggitt does not have grass groomed like thos pics, But nice pig pics.

Stef,
Did you get on them. good for a you
 

huntingbret

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That is so awesome. I better get my application in as soon as possible.
 

THE ROMAN ARCHER

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awesome wtpops! thanks for sharing your story and photos....................tra
 

boarbuster

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If you would read his post he states that the pic of the heard of hogs is out of bounds. that he hit a boundry fence.
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spectr17

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Way to go hntboar and Wtpops.
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I've seen a few guys stalk them same pigs in the pic on the other side of the boundary fence only to find they are on private property once they hit the boundary line.

Wtpops, you staying in the campground next week?
 

wtpops

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Ya i stalked them untill i hit the boundry fence. When i first saw them in the binocs it was far enough away that i did not see the groumed field. but it was a good stalk
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the pics were taken from the fence.

Jesse, Yes i will be at the camp ground late afternoon the 31st in site #10, i reseverd it today.
 

hntboar

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wtpops-
How did you do today? Did you end up going up to the same spot?
I may see you next week as well. I may hunt on Friday and Saturday!
 

kelly106

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Nice post Pops,youre always gettin into them,hope alls well,Happy holidays,Mike!
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wtpops

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Well here is the scouting update for Sunday.

I had planed on going stright to area 29 after all this is a scouting weekend for the new years hunt but I just could not stop myself from hitting area 7 again with all the action i had yesterday. There was a lot of hunters just like yesterday but no one was moving everybody was sitting, so the hogs brushed up and just bedded down no reason for them to move. Lot of sign every where but no sightings, did not even hear a shot. I did however get some more pics of some out of bounds hogs again. These are on the privet side but i like taking pics of hogs when ever i get the chance.

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Got back to the check out station and switched to area 29. Got parked and hit the boots about 10:15. This is the west side of the area. I walked the entire perimeter of area 29 it took 6 hours my feet hurt and legs are tired and did not even see a bit of sign. All i saw was cow prints and an old yote turd, bleached white. Everything was dry nothing moving not even squirls. The area is missing the main thing that hogs need WATER there was none to be had anywhere here is some pics of the lake.

you can see the water line, this is about 3/4 the way to the south boundry fence
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Here is one of the south boundry fence, the lake is about 1/2 mile south of this
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Any way guys dont waste your time here. Now i did not check the east side but the only chance of hogs there is if some of the privet land owners over there have some ponds with water or somthing like that but thats a lot of boot leather on a hope and a payer.

Talking with some other hunters during the weekend i think the best areas are going to be 24, 6, 7, 8, 10/13, and 13E the old 30. Well there ya go guys hope this saves some of you that have not been there in a while some boot leather. See ya there this weekend and good luck all.
 

wtpops

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (hntboar @ Dec 28 2008, 06:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
wtpops-
How did you do today? Did you end up going up to the same spot?
I may see you next week as well. I may hunt on Friday and Saturday![/b]

Ya went back to the same spot but like i said in my last post, nobody was moving so the hogs stayed put.
 

wtpops

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (kelly106 @ Dec 28 2008, 06:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Nice post Pops,youre always gettin into them,hope alls well,Happy holidays,Mike!
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[/b]

Hello nice to hear from ya hope the family is doing fine, happy holidays
 

rgeisler

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My buddy and I went up this weekend. It was our first time and it was a learning experience. All of the areas that we were told to try were closed, so the guy at the checkin said to go to area 6. We hiked our butts off and found some fresh sign on Friday and Saturday. We never saw a hog, but saw lots of deer and a few turkeys. We did see a hog at the skinning shed. The guy said it was from 7. Seeing the elk hanging was pretty cool. We saw a herd of 30 cows and a nice bull off the main street and and two herds today on our way out. It was a frustrating trip, but had a blast and can't wait to get back and learn more!
 

Live2hunt

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Man I was there on Friday in high hope to get into the area that bordered the boundary fence of that group of hogs in the barely field. Apparently that training area was x off the list of open areas to hunt. I guessed they opened it on the weekend. I guess it's just not my luck.

Congrats to hntboar! and thanks for the scouting updates wtpops.



L2H
 

hntboar

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L2L-
Ya same here. I wanted to go to 7 on Friday and they said it was closed.
Then I came back about 2ish and found out they had opened 7 after registered in the am.

I just got lucky and changed areas on Friday so I got in for a Friday night hunt
and Saturday am. Sorry you missed the action. Maybe next time.

Hntboar
 

CaliJeephuntr

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Just got back from FHL myself. Went into 7 Friday evening looking for quail/pigs and saw those same pigs you saw. Only I knew they were already on the otherside of the fence. Walked up to it and took a few photo's myself. There was some type of goat mixed in with the pigs, so all the animals you see in those pictures are not all pigs.

For those of you going up to FHL for the new years hunt... this weekend was COOOOOLD! 25 on Sat morning and 26 Sunday morning. All the puddles in the road were iced over.
 

Frenimy

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I am going to FHL this weekend for the first time and was wondering what areas yo guys hunt in. I was told that you can only hunt in certain areas once you choose your zone so any info would be great
 
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