Kentuck
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2001
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Well it was a great hunt this weekend. I went hoping I would get at least one good shot since I have not shot an animal with my bow since 1992 (I didn’t hunt for a few years). I arrived at Chopper’s place Thursday night and ran into Chopper on top of the ridge on the way to the cabin. He had Richw with him and asked if I would take Richw to the cabin with me as Archer32 had one hit and needed help finding it. Found out on the way to the cabin that about 100 hogs had been seen that day and three had been shot. Richw had hit two and he and Chopper and the dogs trailed one for a long time with the dogs and it didn’t work out. Bighorn arrived later that night and we found out Orso was sick and may be coming up Friday night. So it was me, Sully, Bighorn, Archer32 and Richw. We had a great dinner prepared by Richw which was yellowtail tuna and past salad. Good stuff. Thanks Richw! Later everyone decided where to hunt and since I was the fresh blood Chopper told me about an area that hadn’t been hunted but they had seen hogs there Thursday afternoon.
Friday started off early with high expectations. We all left at blue-light and I arrived at my spot right at good light. I hiked the canyon Chopper told me about and came upon a pond. I could see ripples in the water and new something was in the water where I couldn’t see. I sneak past the pond and come up dam from below. I am hyped as I just know there is a hog at the pond. Well, it turned out to be three drake mallards! Bummer. I continue up the ridge and see a flock of turkeys. I continue on down the canyon and to the area Pigig’s tree stand is located. Nice stand. I don’t sit in it though. I turn and go back up the canyon.
As I come to this little side road I turn and there is a coyote looking at me from about 40 yards away. I think because the sun was behind me, my camo, including face paint and the right wind direction he didn’t spook. He started walking right towards me. I nock and arrow and he keeps coming just sniffing around for something to eat. He gets 10 steps from me and stops. I really didn’t want to shoot him especially knowing my luck pigs would show up right when I dealing with this coyote. He starts to leave and I kiss the back of my hand and he does a 180. But he turns to start circling me. Man, when he hit my scent stream he was off to the races. So much for that. I continued around the canyon and found a shallow pond that was being used for a wallow but nothing was around. Got back to the truck and ran into Sully so I gave him a ride to the cabin.
Every one showed up and nobody had any shots but all had seen pigs except me. We eat and take a little break and head back out. I’ following Sully down towards the swamp and we stop to go through a gate. He tells me something is wrong with his tranny. I look and he is not leaking anything but it is stuck in 3rd gear. I see that the shifter is acting like nothing is attached to it. Thinking it may be electronic shift, I suggest he turn it off and restart it. Mistake on my part. Now we can’t start it.
So we leave his truck there and go hunting. Just as we park by the swamp Sully gets out and I look up and there are about half a dozen pigs walking across the hill 50 yards in front of us. This is at 3 pm. We sneak after them but they are gone. We get to this draw and Sully goes to go up and I look and see three of the pigs up the hill feeding on acorns. We split up and Sully sees the pigs but couldn’t get close than about 50 yards and they head out. We hunt there awhile longer and then head to another area. We don’t see anything else and decide to hunt the swamp in the evening. Sully has some pigs come but I will let him tell that story. I had four pigs come by me right before dark but they had some place to go and went on by. It was cool though because at least I’m seeing pigs now. Get back to the cabin and find out Richw had to go home on an emergency (found out later everything was not great but ok). Sorry you had to leave Richw. I was looking forward to those carne asadas. Eat dinner and call it a night.
Sat. morning I decide to hunt a water trough chopper had gotten a pick of a huge pig on his game camera and it was taken at 6:50 am Friday morning! We all must have driven right by it! I sit there about 45 minutes but the wind was wrong so I head down the canyon. I end near where I hunted Friday and decide to take a road I went by Friday. I get to this saddle in the ridge and there is a water trough there. I’m looking around when I hear a pig squeal down the hill from me. I look that way and see a pig come around a bush feeding about 100 yards away. I start on down the road and end up seeing 15 hogs feeding in the poison oak. Great I think, I and poison oak don’t get along at all and there the pigs are eating it like it was the best candy in the world. I get about 50 yards away and the road turns away from the pigs so I need to stalk through the grass at this point. I take a few steps and see one hog raise its nose and sniff. I’m about 40 yards away now and still too far to shoot for me.
At this time I was reminded that any time you stay still on this hunt about 100 little black flies will try and enter your body through your eyes, nose and ears. Kind of hard to stalk an animal when you’re being violated like that! At this point the wind must have swirled because they got nervous and started trotting off. Bummer. There was a real nice looking boar in the bunch too. So I decide to head back to the trough and go up the hill to the top of the ridge that goes to the cabin.
As I’m starting to walk up the hill I hear leaves crunching and look and see another group of hogs feeding up the hill from me. I start stalking a large patch of poison oak and as I get about 20 yards away the hogs decide to start feeding away. I try and keep up but it evident that won’t happen. I watch where they are going and realize there are heading right to where the other pigs had been so I back out and go back to the road. I drop my pack and binoculars at the trough and head down the road all the while watching the pigs up the hill feed toward where I wanted to go.
I get to where I was earlier and sneak to the edge of the gully the pigs are headed to. There turns out to be 5 pigs about 60 pounds or so. Not big but I had decided that morning I was taking any good shot I was presented with. I’m watching the pigs feed and two turn and start feeding right towards me. One stops about 20 yards away and starts feeding. I come to full draw but it is not a good angle so I hold still. The pig turns and continues right towards me. Then the second one walks by that one and turns broadside to me at 15 yards. I aim and shoot! Only to be dismayed at the sight of my arrow going right under it’s chest! Lesson one here: Never, ever make fun of someone missing a shot up to 20 yards again. I had done this during a deer hunt earlier. I look up and the first pig is just looking at me from about 10 yards away. I nock another arrow and draw but it is looking at me while facing me. I pray it turns slow enough to get a shot but that wasn’t the case.
All the pigs take off up the hill and I’m standing there feeling like an idiot from missing such a gimme shot. Get back to the cabin and Bighorn and Sully get in and they saw some hogs but no shots. I decide to walk down and get my truck. When I get to my truck I decide to drive down the canyon behind the cabin. I come around this curve and look up the hill thinking man, that’ a good looking spot when I hear something on the downhill side of the road. I look and all I see is pig butts going away. Crud! I get and go down the road and take a look but they are gone. I drive a little further and see a road that cut down the hill.
Thinking that taking this road might put me ahead of the pigs I just saw I park and start down the road. I did not know then that there was a water trough down this road a little ways so I was just walking down the hill like I was on a Sunday walk when I look down the hill and see four pigs looking at me. Dang, busted again and I should have hunting a little more serious. They take off and I go down the road and see the trough. I see the pigs had been wallowing around the trough and the surrounding hillside was covered with sign. Man, I have found the honey hole. I head back to the cabin and get something to eat. It’s about noon now and we decide to get Sully’s truck going. Chopper brought a mechanic friend out and it turned out his shift cable had come loose at the tranny. Get it hooked up and started then go to Choppers. Took a little longer and Sully was good to go.
We head back to the cabin. It’s almost two now and I’m thinking the pigs are probably coming to that trough all day long so I go down with the intent of staying there the rest of the day. I get out of the truck and take an extra t-shirt with me to put around my head so while I’m sitting there the flies won’t try and invade my head again. Note to self at this point: Bring head net next time hunting here!!!! I walk down the road to the trough and as I’m walking across an opening I look across the meadow and here comes 5 pigs. Great, I’m in the wide open, in the sun and here come some pigs. I have no choice but to stand there. There were three piglets, one medium sow and one big sow. I wanted to take the bigger pig, which was last.
About 50 yards out the medium pig looks right at me. I don’t even look at her. She decides I’m ok and they continue to come towards me. I’ trying to figure which way the wind was blowing and it seemed ok as long as the three lead piglets didn’t get uphill from me before the bigger pigs got close because they would have winded me and that would have that. The pigs go past a pine tree and I come to full draw. As the come from behind a pine tree they stop and the medium sow looks right at me from about 20 yards away. The big sow stops behind her. The little sow decides I’m not a good sight and the two adults do 180’s but stand there.
At this point I realize I have a good 20 yard shot and put my pin on the big sow’s shoulder and shoot! It’s a hit! Oh, no! It’s forward at the front of the shoulder but a little high. I instantly think that is not good and the pig takes off but she is stumbling. I watch her run about 60-70 yards across the meadow and she is stumbling the whole way. She stops behind a log and it looks like she is wobbly and might bed down there. She doesn’t and goes on down the hill. I mark where I was standing and back out and go back to the cabin. I call Chopper and tell him but he is at the fair with his son to sell his son’s hogs and can’t make it out. He tells me to wait a half hour and go back. Archer32 was just leaving and wished me luck and Sully came out and said he would go with me to hunt it up.
We left about 35 minutes later and go down the hill. We get to where I shot my hog and I find my arrow several feet away with about 7 inches broke off and blood about another 6 inches up the shaft. I’m still not thrilled with the location though. We track for 40 yards or so and don’t see any blood at all. I’m starting to get discouraged now and think maybe this wasn’t going to work out. We get to the log I last saw her by and low and behold I see some blood on the grass. We go a little further and more blood and things are looking good! We look about 25 yards away and see my hog lying in the grass. I start to it and Sully reminds me to nock up. As I get about 10 feet from her she gets up but can’t get all the way up because one should was broke.
She stumbles a little ways and I try and shoot her again, four more times to be exact. I shoot over her three straight times and finally tell Sully shoot her! He shoots her and she goes about another ten feet and lays down but is very much trying to get up. I shoot my last arrow in her but she is still kicking but eventually goes down. Man are these critters tough! We get her loaded up and I drop Sully back at the cabin and so he could continue his hunt. I get to Choppers and is does have a great setup for skinning hogs. An electric winch to hoist it up and a walk-in cooler to hang it in afterwards! Cool. I weigh her before I start and without guts she weighed 145 pounds. Nice hog. Find out later Sat. that Bighorn had an interesting evening but I will let him tell that story.
I planned on having a relaxing Sunday morning when Bighorn and Sully show up about 8:30 with the announcement they have each hit a hog. I change and Chopper goes to get the dogs. I’ll let the others tell the rest.
Overall it was a great weekend. Got to me some really nice fellow JHO’ers and have a great hunt. Oh, and by the way THANKS Richw for the JHO hats and stickers that was great and I appreciate them!
Here are some pics.
Friday started off early with high expectations. We all left at blue-light and I arrived at my spot right at good light. I hiked the canyon Chopper told me about and came upon a pond. I could see ripples in the water and new something was in the water where I couldn’t see. I sneak past the pond and come up dam from below. I am hyped as I just know there is a hog at the pond. Well, it turned out to be three drake mallards! Bummer. I continue up the ridge and see a flock of turkeys. I continue on down the canyon and to the area Pigig’s tree stand is located. Nice stand. I don’t sit in it though. I turn and go back up the canyon.
As I come to this little side road I turn and there is a coyote looking at me from about 40 yards away. I think because the sun was behind me, my camo, including face paint and the right wind direction he didn’t spook. He started walking right towards me. I nock and arrow and he keeps coming just sniffing around for something to eat. He gets 10 steps from me and stops. I really didn’t want to shoot him especially knowing my luck pigs would show up right when I dealing with this coyote. He starts to leave and I kiss the back of my hand and he does a 180. But he turns to start circling me. Man, when he hit my scent stream he was off to the races. So much for that. I continued around the canyon and found a shallow pond that was being used for a wallow but nothing was around. Got back to the truck and ran into Sully so I gave him a ride to the cabin.
Every one showed up and nobody had any shots but all had seen pigs except me. We eat and take a little break and head back out. I’ following Sully down towards the swamp and we stop to go through a gate. He tells me something is wrong with his tranny. I look and he is not leaking anything but it is stuck in 3rd gear. I see that the shifter is acting like nothing is attached to it. Thinking it may be electronic shift, I suggest he turn it off and restart it. Mistake on my part. Now we can’t start it.
So we leave his truck there and go hunting. Just as we park by the swamp Sully gets out and I look up and there are about half a dozen pigs walking across the hill 50 yards in front of us. This is at 3 pm. We sneak after them but they are gone. We get to this draw and Sully goes to go up and I look and see three of the pigs up the hill feeding on acorns. We split up and Sully sees the pigs but couldn’t get close than about 50 yards and they head out. We hunt there awhile longer and then head to another area. We don’t see anything else and decide to hunt the swamp in the evening. Sully has some pigs come but I will let him tell that story. I had four pigs come by me right before dark but they had some place to go and went on by. It was cool though because at least I’m seeing pigs now. Get back to the cabin and find out Richw had to go home on an emergency (found out later everything was not great but ok). Sorry you had to leave Richw. I was looking forward to those carne asadas. Eat dinner and call it a night.
Sat. morning I decide to hunt a water trough chopper had gotten a pick of a huge pig on his game camera and it was taken at 6:50 am Friday morning! We all must have driven right by it! I sit there about 45 minutes but the wind was wrong so I head down the canyon. I end near where I hunted Friday and decide to take a road I went by Friday. I get to this saddle in the ridge and there is a water trough there. I’m looking around when I hear a pig squeal down the hill from me. I look that way and see a pig come around a bush feeding about 100 yards away. I start on down the road and end up seeing 15 hogs feeding in the poison oak. Great I think, I and poison oak don’t get along at all and there the pigs are eating it like it was the best candy in the world. I get about 50 yards away and the road turns away from the pigs so I need to stalk through the grass at this point. I take a few steps and see one hog raise its nose and sniff. I’m about 40 yards away now and still too far to shoot for me.
At this time I was reminded that any time you stay still on this hunt about 100 little black flies will try and enter your body through your eyes, nose and ears. Kind of hard to stalk an animal when you’re being violated like that! At this point the wind must have swirled because they got nervous and started trotting off. Bummer. There was a real nice looking boar in the bunch too. So I decide to head back to the trough and go up the hill to the top of the ridge that goes to the cabin.
As I’m starting to walk up the hill I hear leaves crunching and look and see another group of hogs feeding up the hill from me. I start stalking a large patch of poison oak and as I get about 20 yards away the hogs decide to start feeding away. I try and keep up but it evident that won’t happen. I watch where they are going and realize there are heading right to where the other pigs had been so I back out and go back to the road. I drop my pack and binoculars at the trough and head down the road all the while watching the pigs up the hill feed toward where I wanted to go.
I get to where I was earlier and sneak to the edge of the gully the pigs are headed to. There turns out to be 5 pigs about 60 pounds or so. Not big but I had decided that morning I was taking any good shot I was presented with. I’m watching the pigs feed and two turn and start feeding right towards me. One stops about 20 yards away and starts feeding. I come to full draw but it is not a good angle so I hold still. The pig turns and continues right towards me. Then the second one walks by that one and turns broadside to me at 15 yards. I aim and shoot! Only to be dismayed at the sight of my arrow going right under it’s chest! Lesson one here: Never, ever make fun of someone missing a shot up to 20 yards again. I had done this during a deer hunt earlier. I look up and the first pig is just looking at me from about 10 yards away. I nock another arrow and draw but it is looking at me while facing me. I pray it turns slow enough to get a shot but that wasn’t the case.
All the pigs take off up the hill and I’m standing there feeling like an idiot from missing such a gimme shot. Get back to the cabin and Bighorn and Sully get in and they saw some hogs but no shots. I decide to walk down and get my truck. When I get to my truck I decide to drive down the canyon behind the cabin. I come around this curve and look up the hill thinking man, that’ a good looking spot when I hear something on the downhill side of the road. I look and all I see is pig butts going away. Crud! I get and go down the road and take a look but they are gone. I drive a little further and see a road that cut down the hill.
Thinking that taking this road might put me ahead of the pigs I just saw I park and start down the road. I did not know then that there was a water trough down this road a little ways so I was just walking down the hill like I was on a Sunday walk when I look down the hill and see four pigs looking at me. Dang, busted again and I should have hunting a little more serious. They take off and I go down the road and see the trough. I see the pigs had been wallowing around the trough and the surrounding hillside was covered with sign. Man, I have found the honey hole. I head back to the cabin and get something to eat. It’s about noon now and we decide to get Sully’s truck going. Chopper brought a mechanic friend out and it turned out his shift cable had come loose at the tranny. Get it hooked up and started then go to Choppers. Took a little longer and Sully was good to go.
We head back to the cabin. It’s almost two now and I’m thinking the pigs are probably coming to that trough all day long so I go down with the intent of staying there the rest of the day. I get out of the truck and take an extra t-shirt with me to put around my head so while I’m sitting there the flies won’t try and invade my head again. Note to self at this point: Bring head net next time hunting here!!!! I walk down the road to the trough and as I’m walking across an opening I look across the meadow and here comes 5 pigs. Great, I’m in the wide open, in the sun and here come some pigs. I have no choice but to stand there. There were three piglets, one medium sow and one big sow. I wanted to take the bigger pig, which was last.
About 50 yards out the medium pig looks right at me. I don’t even look at her. She decides I’m ok and they continue to come towards me. I’ trying to figure which way the wind was blowing and it seemed ok as long as the three lead piglets didn’t get uphill from me before the bigger pigs got close because they would have winded me and that would have that. The pigs go past a pine tree and I come to full draw. As the come from behind a pine tree they stop and the medium sow looks right at me from about 20 yards away. The big sow stops behind her. The little sow decides I’m not a good sight and the two adults do 180’s but stand there.
At this point I realize I have a good 20 yard shot and put my pin on the big sow’s shoulder and shoot! It’s a hit! Oh, no! It’s forward at the front of the shoulder but a little high. I instantly think that is not good and the pig takes off but she is stumbling. I watch her run about 60-70 yards across the meadow and she is stumbling the whole way. She stops behind a log and it looks like she is wobbly and might bed down there. She doesn’t and goes on down the hill. I mark where I was standing and back out and go back to the cabin. I call Chopper and tell him but he is at the fair with his son to sell his son’s hogs and can’t make it out. He tells me to wait a half hour and go back. Archer32 was just leaving and wished me luck and Sully came out and said he would go with me to hunt it up.
We left about 35 minutes later and go down the hill. We get to where I shot my hog and I find my arrow several feet away with about 7 inches broke off and blood about another 6 inches up the shaft. I’m still not thrilled with the location though. We track for 40 yards or so and don’t see any blood at all. I’m starting to get discouraged now and think maybe this wasn’t going to work out. We get to the log I last saw her by and low and behold I see some blood on the grass. We go a little further and more blood and things are looking good! We look about 25 yards away and see my hog lying in the grass. I start to it and Sully reminds me to nock up. As I get about 10 feet from her she gets up but can’t get all the way up because one should was broke.
She stumbles a little ways and I try and shoot her again, four more times to be exact. I shoot over her three straight times and finally tell Sully shoot her! He shoots her and she goes about another ten feet and lays down but is very much trying to get up. I shoot my last arrow in her but she is still kicking but eventually goes down. Man are these critters tough! We get her loaded up and I drop Sully back at the cabin and so he could continue his hunt. I get to Choppers and is does have a great setup for skinning hogs. An electric winch to hoist it up and a walk-in cooler to hang it in afterwards! Cool. I weigh her before I start and without guts she weighed 145 pounds. Nice hog. Find out later Sat. that Bighorn had an interesting evening but I will let him tell that story.
I planned on having a relaxing Sunday morning when Bighorn and Sully show up about 8:30 with the announcement they have each hit a hog. I change and Chopper goes to get the dogs. I’ll let the others tell the rest.
Overall it was a great weekend. Got to me some really nice fellow JHO’ers and have a great hunt. Oh, and by the way THANKS Richw for the JHO hats and stickers that was great and I appreciate them!
Here are some pics.
