Here's the story. Not that you really care.
I was stalking the hogs I had seen on a grassy knoll from below.
The grass was still moist enough to reduce any crunching sounds.
I was still moving forward one slow step at a time and when I placed my right foot down
CRASH! An explosion from the brush not more than ten feet away startled me to look over.
A big, black boar just busted me, and may have ended my chances.
It was day 1 of a three day JHO trip to Birdsandboars.com, a place often referred to as "Chopper's place." It was still early, yet by early mid afternoon I would learn a lot about humility, and making decisions, some good, some not so good.
The JHO group met on Thursday at the cabin on Chopper's to go over ground rules, meet, greet and talk about stratgey. Chopper and Pigig showed some people around the ranch and offered suggestions, hints, etc. I had been there in December 2004 and had and idea of where I wanted to hunt. I decided to familiarize myself w/the route there. When I got there Franklin and Six or 2 where w/Chopper. They had seen a big bodied boar on the first scouting trip out. Things were looking good. The trio would later see another big bodied boar not long after we seperated.
That night Franklin made a great dinner and we had some drinks and great conversations.
Back to where I started. I was solo, parked my car and just started walking to get a better feel for the lay of the land. In December I had hunted the other side of the big meadow. We had the "good" fortune of a full moon, so we were all hoping to get out while it was still dark and hope to get on hogs before they headed to the thick cover (Sierra Explorer described the cover as giant-sized ramen). The recent rains left the ground soft, moist,.. and full of food. There was water running down any place it could run down. So we kinda had three for three against us. I decided to go high and look over clearings to see if I could see anything headed to cover and maybe get on them in the afternoon or next morning.
I spotted the hogs from not far away as they were milling around on the clear knoll.
That's were I started. I decided for a stalk that would take me out of visual contact.Then that boar busted! I didn't know what to de except to shoot at it if it came back into view because if it went up and around it would go straight the group I was stalking. The boar didn't reappear so I decided there might still be a chance those hogs would be there. Little by little I crept up and could make out their backs. They weren't nervous, but they were starting to move. The biggest one, a black sow was broadside. Cool! Get ready. The sow turned to look at me, but I was alredy getting ready to shoot.
Pick a pin, pick a spot, blur the pin, feel the wall...FFFTHUMWhee.
The pig turned and ran out of sight w/my hot pink fletchhing hanging out of the front.
I rushed to the seen and started to look for blood. Then decided to slow down.
I got on the radio to tell someone, anyone of the news. I sat on a log, put a pinch of wintergreen between my cheek and gums and relaxed a bit.
I got on my knees, looked down and started seeing blood. Little bits at first. I would mark it w/ Toilet tissue on a branch. I found the back part of my arrow and the blood sign really increased. The knoll was a peninsula of clear that fell into a steep sea of brush, and that's were the sow headed. The sign went through a thick patch of brush that I decided to go around to check for more sign. Wouldn't you know it, that sow had to die in that thick patch of brush w/in the brush. Facing downhill. I tried dressing the animal there, but the brush and angle made things interesting. I wasn't going to get that hog up tha hill by myself whole.
I wasn't getting any radio contact in the canyon.
I left the hog and proceeded downhill to confirm my location. There was a creek at the bottom. I would just get that pig to the bottom, dress it, drag it through a couple hundred yard of light brush and get my car.
After a bit of tustling, dragging, and rolling I got the boar down. I decided to re check my way out and guess what. I was in the wrong place.
NO No No!
Oh FU** me!
I walked back up the creek, slipping a few times and decided to think things over.
I stripped off my vest and sweatshirt and cooled my head w/creek water. It felt good. This was it. I'm gonna take that hog apart and pack it up that hill.
The trip back up wasn't so bad except for the brush that wanted to pull my pack off my back, pull my hat off every two steps, and kept tugging at my bow.
I actually lost an arrow w/a brand new broadhed on it.
The ground was till moist so footing got trick at times also.
I had no choice, so I just choo-chooed up.
The log I sat on to relax wasn't there when I got to the top.
Somehow this dummy took a wrong turn somewhere down below.
Rather than wander around aimlessly I decided to stay put.
I had good landmarks and was able to raise Chopper on the radio. After some radio communications he found me. "Alright, I see you. Don't move."That Safari wagon w/Pigig and Copperjohn in it sure looked about like a RollsRoyce.
I was so embarrassed I could hardly look at them to say thanks.
Those guys didn't give me a bit of a hard time. Talk about quality individuals.
It was more like "Dave, let me get your pack,","throw that bow in here," "Hey want a cold drink?"
Still gets me choked up.
That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
Sorry for being so long.
I was stalking the hogs I had seen on a grassy knoll from below.
The grass was still moist enough to reduce any crunching sounds.
I was still moving forward one slow step at a time and when I placed my right foot down
CRASH! An explosion from the brush not more than ten feet away startled me to look over.
A big, black boar just busted me, and may have ended my chances.
It was day 1 of a three day JHO trip to Birdsandboars.com, a place often referred to as "Chopper's place." It was still early, yet by early mid afternoon I would learn a lot about humility, and making decisions, some good, some not so good.
The JHO group met on Thursday at the cabin on Chopper's to go over ground rules, meet, greet and talk about stratgey. Chopper and Pigig showed some people around the ranch and offered suggestions, hints, etc. I had been there in December 2004 and had and idea of where I wanted to hunt. I decided to familiarize myself w/the route there. When I got there Franklin and Six or 2 where w/Chopper. They had seen a big bodied boar on the first scouting trip out. Things were looking good. The trio would later see another big bodied boar not long after we seperated.
That night Franklin made a great dinner and we had some drinks and great conversations.
Back to where I started. I was solo, parked my car and just started walking to get a better feel for the lay of the land. In December I had hunted the other side of the big meadow. We had the "good" fortune of a full moon, so we were all hoping to get out while it was still dark and hope to get on hogs before they headed to the thick cover (Sierra Explorer described the cover as giant-sized ramen). The recent rains left the ground soft, moist,.. and full of food. There was water running down any place it could run down. So we kinda had three for three against us. I decided to go high and look over clearings to see if I could see anything headed to cover and maybe get on them in the afternoon or next morning.
I spotted the hogs from not far away as they were milling around on the clear knoll.
That's were I started. I decided for a stalk that would take me out of visual contact.Then that boar busted! I didn't know what to de except to shoot at it if it came back into view because if it went up and around it would go straight the group I was stalking. The boar didn't reappear so I decided there might still be a chance those hogs would be there. Little by little I crept up and could make out their backs. They weren't nervous, but they were starting to move. The biggest one, a black sow was broadside. Cool! Get ready. The sow turned to look at me, but I was alredy getting ready to shoot.
Pick a pin, pick a spot, blur the pin, feel the wall...FFFTHUMWhee.
The pig turned and ran out of sight w/my hot pink fletchhing hanging out of the front.
I rushed to the seen and started to look for blood. Then decided to slow down.
I got on the radio to tell someone, anyone of the news. I sat on a log, put a pinch of wintergreen between my cheek and gums and relaxed a bit.
I got on my knees, looked down and started seeing blood. Little bits at first. I would mark it w/ Toilet tissue on a branch. I found the back part of my arrow and the blood sign really increased. The knoll was a peninsula of clear that fell into a steep sea of brush, and that's were the sow headed. The sign went through a thick patch of brush that I decided to go around to check for more sign. Wouldn't you know it, that sow had to die in that thick patch of brush w/in the brush. Facing downhill. I tried dressing the animal there, but the brush and angle made things interesting. I wasn't going to get that hog up tha hill by myself whole.
I wasn't getting any radio contact in the canyon.
I left the hog and proceeded downhill to confirm my location. There was a creek at the bottom. I would just get that pig to the bottom, dress it, drag it through a couple hundred yard of light brush and get my car.
After a bit of tustling, dragging, and rolling I got the boar down. I decided to re check my way out and guess what. I was in the wrong place.
NO No No!
Oh FU** me!
I walked back up the creek, slipping a few times and decided to think things over.
I stripped off my vest and sweatshirt and cooled my head w/creek water. It felt good. This was it. I'm gonna take that hog apart and pack it up that hill.
The trip back up wasn't so bad except for the brush that wanted to pull my pack off my back, pull my hat off every two steps, and kept tugging at my bow.
I actually lost an arrow w/a brand new broadhed on it.
The ground was till moist so footing got trick at times also.
I had no choice, so I just choo-chooed up.
The log I sat on to relax wasn't there when I got to the top.
Somehow this dummy took a wrong turn somewhere down below.
Rather than wander around aimlessly I decided to stay put.
I had good landmarks and was able to raise Chopper on the radio. After some radio communications he found me. "Alright, I see you. Don't move."That Safari wagon w/Pigig and Copperjohn in it sure looked about like a RollsRoyce.
I was so embarrassed I could hardly look at them to say thanks.
Those guys didn't give me a bit of a hard time. Talk about quality individuals.
It was more like "Dave, let me get your pack,","throw that bow in here," "Hey want a cold drink?"
Still gets me choked up.
That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
Sorry for being so long.
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,007
Great pics and tale Gyopo.
We had a term for fellers that like to wander and get lost in the military. We just add the words "Wrong Way" to the front of their names. You'd be "Wrong Way Gyopo" now.
Good pig too.
We had a term for fellers that like to wander and get lost in the military. We just add the words "Wrong Way" to the front of their names. You'd be "Wrong Way Gyopo" now.
Good pig too.
Speckmisser
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2001
- Messages
- 12,900
- Reaction score
- 27
Great tale, Gyopo!
I remember wandering around in that fog last fall and coming out a LONG way from where I thought I was. I had the GPS locked in on the truck, but it was a lot easier to raise Chopper on the radio and bum a ride. Those headlights sure are a welcome sight!
Hope to add a success story of my own after 05/13!
I remember wandering around in that fog last fall and coming out a LONG way from where I thought I was. I had the GPS locked in on the truck, but it was a lot easier to raise Chopper on the radio and bum a ride. Those headlights sure are a welcome sight!
Hope to add a success story of my own after 05/13!
SierraExplorer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2002
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Awesome Gyopo !!
I hope to spend some time with you again soon and even better- help you haul out your game.
Dan
I hope to spend some time with you again soon and even better- help you haul out your game.
Dan
HOGHUNTER714
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 20, 2002
- Messages
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Gyopo,
Great tale...Glad you connected to put meat in the freezer..Have you had any of your hog yet?
Great tale...Glad you connected to put meat in the freezer..Have you had any of your hog yet?
The story takes me back.
Well done Dave and well said,
regardless of what direction you went everyone has to agree on one thing.
You did it right Dave!
you brought home the bacon!
I enjoyed your company and your wifes short ribs were awesome.
Best three days I spent in a long time.
Good people.
Good times.
No better place to be.
I can't wait until my next wild hog adventure.
Well done Dave and well said,
regardless of what direction you went everyone has to agree on one thing.
You did it right Dave!
you brought home the bacon!
I enjoyed your company and your wifes short ribs were awesome.
Best three days I spent in a long time.
Good people.
Good times.
No better place to be.
I can't wait until my next wild hog adventure.
