I headed out this weekend for my first hunt of the 2010 bow season. I do not recall seeing a deer all weekend. Lots of hogs around and lots of hogs fighting day and night. Saturday morning's hunt layed the groundwork for Sunday morning. I was hunting a ladder stand in the back corner of the property; probably 150yrds from both fencelines. Saturday morning I had a nice boar skirt around behind me. I thought maybe he would come into some hand thrown corn I had out, but no. He stayed in the tree line, got to the back fence, hung a right and went out of sight. He was not in a hurry, just on the move.
Fastforward to Sunday morning and I'm back on the same ladder. All my hand corn from Saturday is gone and I put more out before daylight. About 8:00am I have a group of 8-10hogs working behind as the boar had the morning prior. This group was moving and stopping to graze on our massive acorn crop. They got very close up behind me and I thought for sure they would come to the hand corn. Instead they fed away from just inside the treeline. I decided the only way I was going to get a shot was to get on the ground and go after them. I circled out into the field and I could see where they were maybe 80-90yrds away in the high grass. I couldn't see them, but I could see the movement of the grass. I knew there was no way I could close up on them, and even if I could there would be no shot. I thought about the boar the morning before and thought there was a good chance that they would follow the same route he had.
I backed out of the field and made my around to an opening in the brush line where I could see all the way to the fence. I positioned myself 20yrds from the fence and waited in a low drainage area. Maybe 5 minutes later I hear the hogs working their way through the trees. After hearing all the fighting I have heard over the last day, I have to say my heart rate was pretty pumped up as the group approached me in the trees. 5-10 seconds before they hit the little clearing I drew my bow. There were a couple of larger pigs in the group and my plan was to take one of them. Fortunately the first pig out was a target. It was walking at a pretty casual pace at 15yrds and with me already drawn, all I needed to do was settle the pin and touch the release. THWACK!!! I saw the orange nock just below the midline, tucked right in behind the shoulder. I knew it was a good shot. Hogs went everywhere, but fortunately not in my direction!
I walked back to camp, got my truck and headed back to start the track. I found about half the arrow in the brush at about 15yrds. I tracked the hog out of the thicket and across the field maybe 125yrds...pretty impressive for a double lung hit. I found her expired in a cedar thicket. With her size I was very pleased and suprised to find out she was a sow rather than a boar. She weighed in at 150lbs on the button. First time I have ever shot a pig that close on foot! Awesome!
One for D~Mo:
Fastforward to Sunday morning and I'm back on the same ladder. All my hand corn from Saturday is gone and I put more out before daylight. About 8:00am I have a group of 8-10hogs working behind as the boar had the morning prior. This group was moving and stopping to graze on our massive acorn crop. They got very close up behind me and I thought for sure they would come to the hand corn. Instead they fed away from just inside the treeline. I decided the only way I was going to get a shot was to get on the ground and go after them. I circled out into the field and I could see where they were maybe 80-90yrds away in the high grass. I couldn't see them, but I could see the movement of the grass. I knew there was no way I could close up on them, and even if I could there would be no shot. I thought about the boar the morning before and thought there was a good chance that they would follow the same route he had.
I backed out of the field and made my around to an opening in the brush line where I could see all the way to the fence. I positioned myself 20yrds from the fence and waited in a low drainage area. Maybe 5 minutes later I hear the hogs working their way through the trees. After hearing all the fighting I have heard over the last day, I have to say my heart rate was pretty pumped up as the group approached me in the trees. 5-10 seconds before they hit the little clearing I drew my bow. There were a couple of larger pigs in the group and my plan was to take one of them. Fortunately the first pig out was a target. It was walking at a pretty casual pace at 15yrds and with me already drawn, all I needed to do was settle the pin and touch the release. THWACK!!! I saw the orange nock just below the midline, tucked right in behind the shoulder. I knew it was a good shot. Hogs went everywhere, but fortunately not in my direction!
I walked back to camp, got my truck and headed back to start the track. I found about half the arrow in the brush at about 15yrds. I tracked the hog out of the thicket and across the field maybe 125yrds...pretty impressive for a double lung hit. I found her expired in a cedar thicket. With her size I was very pleased and suprised to find out she was a sow rather than a boar. She weighed in at 150lbs on the button. First time I have ever shot a pig that close on foot! Awesome!
One for D~Mo:
Comment