noway
01-17-2007, 19:29
what would you do?
I was out this weekend trying to bag me one more deer for the season with no luck. I was staged up early AM in my favorite spot for deer and saw nada for the first 5hours.
I mossey over to my hog area and setup in a chair trying to rest my aching feet. I had my boots off, socks off and resting my eyes when I heard a........grunt.
At first I thought it was my imagination. I was camp out under a skinny oak surrounded on both sides by sabal palms with marsh grass behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw 2 sows with about 20piglets that moved out of the cover into the marsh to graze. They where 17-30yards and spread out. I jumped off my chair and grabbed my revolver and aim at the biggest sow and shot. The hog was hit, I hear her squeal and grunt and then I had 20plus piglets trying to figure out what's going on and getting the heck out of dodge. Some ran right at me, some away and others collide into each other. The other sow took off, to who knows where and the hog I shot jumped into some deep grass and stopped. I fired again and again when she moved thru the grass ( not sure if any of the shot connected ) and then I saw her briefly stumbling thru the grass and waited out in the direction of her only escape route which leads back into the cover.
As soon as she moved out of the grass and had to clear the 17 years opening I shot again. And then she went nose first crashing into the woods. At this point I knew she was hit and new she was close by.
( I heard grunts/rumbles/moans and a few other calling signs. )
Now at this moment it was 12:43 at midday. I waited 30mins and then strapped up and went in. before I went in, I open my action and realize I had 5 spent 45colt cartridges. ( NOT GOOD ) I also retrace what I thought was the hog tracks and only found one solid drop of blood right at the spot that she stumble at the grass edge.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood01.jpg
So I decided after 30mins she was ready to be taken out. Off I went into the woods, pushing my way straight in. My visibility at this point was maybe 20ft. I track my way into the area and found no blood at first. Just hog prints, bent brushes,etc... After about 10mins looking hi-low I was getting worried. NO BLOOD and asoon as I was getting my hopes down, I widen my circle and walk in deeper and found these signs;
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood02.jpg
and
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood03.jpg
Now the fun begins as soon as I found these signs I move farther in now and see a black object in the brush move and walks in deeper. It ( sow ) was also grunting now and moaning and walkin slowly and then it stop. no more than 16-19 yards away. But in this thick brush with vines. palmettos at your feet and limbs of scatter trees at your waistline. 16-19yards was no better than 16-to-19 miles ;) I was no closer than and noway to queitly sneak on my victim ;)
So I waited another 30mins. Yes 30 long mins, the time at this point was now 13:43. So I took the oppurtunity to look over her first signs of blood that where at my feet. I just knew that it would be only a few mins before that piece of bacon would be drag out by noway.
WRONG !
After this extended delay I pressed in deeeper. At first I heard/saw nothing and then once again this game of a black object ( sow )picking up and moved in ever deeper. I caught a glimps of a tail and one foot in the cover 15-18 yards away. So I stop waited/looking and listening. I also found more blood
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood04.jpg
After another extended waited for about 40mins I figure she got to be down by now.
Wrong again.
As soon as I picked up my feet I hear her moving deeper. Into the woods.So man I was getting disappointed. Now we been playing this game of track and seek for over 2 hours.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood05.jpg
So as I was waiting to figure out whats me or the hog next move was . The scarcy thing happen, All of sudden I heard what sounds like 5-7 little/big feets running right at me and this other hog. It was a whole bunch of hogs. Yes quite a few of them. All running at my 3 and 9 O'clock position. They just kinda split around me the sow in front of me and dashing thru the woods and thick palmetto cover. yes my heart nearly stopped. ( remember I had one bullet & no shotgun with buckshot ) I saw only one hog and it was head and tail and it was maybe 12ft away. I figure it was maybe 100lbs.
So I waited some more. During this close encounter I heard my wound sow moaning and moving slowly like in a circle. She was very close like on the other side of the palmetto close. Maybe 10yards. So I cleared a spot on the soil and sat and waited. A few rain drops appear and the sky got overcast and dark. Man I had todo something. So I waited some more. Now we where at 15:28 EST over 2 hours on my feet and maybe 160 yards into the thickest cover that Okeechoobee County FL has ;)
I finally heard no more sounds in the direction of the last moan that I heard like 18 mins ago. So I procceed slowly thru a wall of palmettos , my revolver at first was in my hand but soon I found out this palmetto wall was not going to let me thru standing, so I crawled hands and knees into te direction of the last sound of my sow. About 10ft thru and 10mins later I see a dark object maybe 15 fts ahead of me. It looked like hog lying on it's side dead or near death.
Boy I was like now the funs is almost over. ( Wrong again )
As I slowly and cautiously approached this object and got at a better angle on it, it became a oak log that had fallen that had somewhat of a hog shape. And at that moment I looked past that oak and saw my sow looking right at me. She was reading my mind cause at the time I notice her noticing me, she was slowly turning and backing up and I was drawing my ruger to finalize what I was hoping for.....the last shot to end this chase. As I cleared my holster I fired on my hands and knees while trying to look thru the scope and guess what. I missed or if I did hit her she didn't fall over dead. The sow burst thru the rest of the woods crashing and tumbling and crashing and I stood up and crashed my way thru in hopes of the possibility that she would drop or I would she her last path.
Wrong again. Nope , nada, neigh nothing but the quiteness of the woods and the only sounds I heard was that of a mosquitoe and fly buzzing an a few yellow throated thrush dart on the limbs of the palmettos and trees. Afer my ears stop ringing. I slowly made my way thru tto the other side of the woods that I had entered. I later in before darkness fall upon my head, measure this section and it was over 2457yards by what my gps track points told me :shocked:
So I was left emtpy hand, no more bullets (only took 6 with me ) plus to add insults to inury, I was covered head totoe with sticky bugs, and leaves and sand. It was almost 16:47 and I spents the better half of the evening trying to track and almost running out of light.
the blood trail was there but finding and getting that hog nailed down was another story
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood07.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood08.jpg
But this hog was not meant to die by my hands. So if her wounds where mortal and she died later on, then some animal gets a free lunch.
Now let me squash a few myths and some advice for any hunters
> two holes don't bleed better than one all of the time
> hogs are tuff and not fragile like deer
> carry more bullets than what you think
> one shot don't kill or stop a hog
> tracking hogs by blood is hard
> hunting in Florida is hard
> hunting in SOuth Florida is even harder
> don't pressure your game unless you have no other choice or the condition is deterring quickly
> choose the right caliber and bullet and leave the sillyness of hunting with a 22LR or 223 as far as that goes at home .
> shot placement is crtical but it doesn't always means the game is going to drop right on the spot at that time and right now.
I'll be back ;)
I was out this weekend trying to bag me one more deer for the season with no luck. I was staged up early AM in my favorite spot for deer and saw nada for the first 5hours.
I mossey over to my hog area and setup in a chair trying to rest my aching feet. I had my boots off, socks off and resting my eyes when I heard a........grunt.
At first I thought it was my imagination. I was camp out under a skinny oak surrounded on both sides by sabal palms with marsh grass behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw 2 sows with about 20piglets that moved out of the cover into the marsh to graze. They where 17-30yards and spread out. I jumped off my chair and grabbed my revolver and aim at the biggest sow and shot. The hog was hit, I hear her squeal and grunt and then I had 20plus piglets trying to figure out what's going on and getting the heck out of dodge. Some ran right at me, some away and others collide into each other. The other sow took off, to who knows where and the hog I shot jumped into some deep grass and stopped. I fired again and again when she moved thru the grass ( not sure if any of the shot connected ) and then I saw her briefly stumbling thru the grass and waited out in the direction of her only escape route which leads back into the cover.
As soon as she moved out of the grass and had to clear the 17 years opening I shot again. And then she went nose first crashing into the woods. At this point I knew she was hit and new she was close by.
( I heard grunts/rumbles/moans and a few other calling signs. )
Now at this moment it was 12:43 at midday. I waited 30mins and then strapped up and went in. before I went in, I open my action and realize I had 5 spent 45colt cartridges. ( NOT GOOD ) I also retrace what I thought was the hog tracks and only found one solid drop of blood right at the spot that she stumble at the grass edge.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood01.jpg
So I decided after 30mins she was ready to be taken out. Off I went into the woods, pushing my way straight in. My visibility at this point was maybe 20ft. I track my way into the area and found no blood at first. Just hog prints, bent brushes,etc... After about 10mins looking hi-low I was getting worried. NO BLOOD and asoon as I was getting my hopes down, I widen my circle and walk in deeper and found these signs;
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood02.jpg
and
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood03.jpg
Now the fun begins as soon as I found these signs I move farther in now and see a black object in the brush move and walks in deeper. It ( sow ) was also grunting now and moaning and walkin slowly and then it stop. no more than 16-19 yards away. But in this thick brush with vines. palmettos at your feet and limbs of scatter trees at your waistline. 16-19yards was no better than 16-to-19 miles ;) I was no closer than and noway to queitly sneak on my victim ;)
So I waited another 30mins. Yes 30 long mins, the time at this point was now 13:43. So I took the oppurtunity to look over her first signs of blood that where at my feet. I just knew that it would be only a few mins before that piece of bacon would be drag out by noway.
WRONG !
After this extended delay I pressed in deeeper. At first I heard/saw nothing and then once again this game of a black object ( sow )picking up and moved in ever deeper. I caught a glimps of a tail and one foot in the cover 15-18 yards away. So I stop waited/looking and listening. I also found more blood
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood04.jpg
After another extended waited for about 40mins I figure she got to be down by now.
Wrong again.
As soon as I picked up my feet I hear her moving deeper. Into the woods.So man I was getting disappointed. Now we been playing this game of track and seek for over 2 hours.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood05.jpg
So as I was waiting to figure out whats me or the hog next move was . The scarcy thing happen, All of sudden I heard what sounds like 5-7 little/big feets running right at me and this other hog. It was a whole bunch of hogs. Yes quite a few of them. All running at my 3 and 9 O'clock position. They just kinda split around me the sow in front of me and dashing thru the woods and thick palmetto cover. yes my heart nearly stopped. ( remember I had one bullet & no shotgun with buckshot ) I saw only one hog and it was head and tail and it was maybe 12ft away. I figure it was maybe 100lbs.
So I waited some more. During this close encounter I heard my wound sow moaning and moving slowly like in a circle. She was very close like on the other side of the palmetto close. Maybe 10yards. So I cleared a spot on the soil and sat and waited. A few rain drops appear and the sky got overcast and dark. Man I had todo something. So I waited some more. Now we where at 15:28 EST over 2 hours on my feet and maybe 160 yards into the thickest cover that Okeechoobee County FL has ;)
I finally heard no more sounds in the direction of the last moan that I heard like 18 mins ago. So I procceed slowly thru a wall of palmettos , my revolver at first was in my hand but soon I found out this palmetto wall was not going to let me thru standing, so I crawled hands and knees into te direction of the last sound of my sow. About 10ft thru and 10mins later I see a dark object maybe 15 fts ahead of me. It looked like hog lying on it's side dead or near death.
Boy I was like now the funs is almost over. ( Wrong again )
As I slowly and cautiously approached this object and got at a better angle on it, it became a oak log that had fallen that had somewhat of a hog shape. And at that moment I looked past that oak and saw my sow looking right at me. She was reading my mind cause at the time I notice her noticing me, she was slowly turning and backing up and I was drawing my ruger to finalize what I was hoping for.....the last shot to end this chase. As I cleared my holster I fired on my hands and knees while trying to look thru the scope and guess what. I missed or if I did hit her she didn't fall over dead. The sow burst thru the rest of the woods crashing and tumbling and crashing and I stood up and crashed my way thru in hopes of the possibility that she would drop or I would she her last path.
Wrong again. Nope , nada, neigh nothing but the quiteness of the woods and the only sounds I heard was that of a mosquitoe and fly buzzing an a few yellow throated thrush dart on the limbs of the palmettos and trees. Afer my ears stop ringing. I slowly made my way thru tto the other side of the woods that I had entered. I later in before darkness fall upon my head, measure this section and it was over 2457yards by what my gps track points told me :shocked:
So I was left emtpy hand, no more bullets (only took 6 with me ) plus to add insults to inury, I was covered head totoe with sticky bugs, and leaves and sand. It was almost 16:47 and I spents the better half of the evening trying to track and almost running out of light.
the blood trail was there but finding and getting that hog nailed down was another story
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood07.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d200/kenfelix/blood08.jpg
But this hog was not meant to die by my hands. So if her wounds where mortal and she died later on, then some animal gets a free lunch.
Now let me squash a few myths and some advice for any hunters
> two holes don't bleed better than one all of the time
> hogs are tuff and not fragile like deer
> carry more bullets than what you think
> one shot don't kill or stop a hog
> tracking hogs by blood is hard
> hunting in Florida is hard
> hunting in SOuth Florida is even harder
> don't pressure your game unless you have no other choice or the condition is deterring quickly
> choose the right caliber and bullet and leave the sillyness of hunting with a 22LR or 223 as far as that goes at home .
> shot placement is crtical but it doesn't always means the game is going to drop right on the spot at that time and right now.
I'll be back ;)