I'm home getting stuff ready for a weekend at Rays place chasin hogs and turkeys. I've only killed one wild hog and 5 warthogs which are different. I've never killed a turkey. All in all, I don't know crap about either species.....but I do know something about having fun! Leaving in the AM. Can't wait!
31 years old, broke and getting broker! Fiance says the days of spending all of my pittiful paychecks on hunting are coming to an end! We'll see about that! HA!
Thats the sprit. Showing her who's the boss while your out shooting hogs and turkey and she sits at home on the couch eating Bon Bons.
I wish you Good Luck at the hunt my friend. I envy you for going.
Best of luck to you! We are going in July. Post lots of pics upon your return.
You'll have a great time at Ray's, Jon. Just get your fiance hunting. That way you'll both be spending your money on the same thing.
QuoteOriginally posted by jonsimoneau:
31 years old, broke and getting broker! Fiance says the days of spending all of my pittiful paychecks on hunting are coming to an end! We'll see about that! HA!
Before I married my first wife I told her she knew I liked to hunt and fish long before I met her and if she didn't like it she would still know I liked to hunt and fish long after she was gone.
My next and last wife understands there are far worse things I could be doing. She even gave hunting a try but it wasn't her cup of tea but she doesn't try to stop me from going. Going 16 years strong now.
Have a good time Jon and make sure to take plenty of pictures you can share with us when you get back!!! :thumbsup:
Guys, I'm just poking fun. My fiance is totally understanding. She comes from a big hunting family and she goes deer hunting with me. I just bought her a new bow last winter! She's cool, but we like to rib each other now and then! She likes to remind me of how "most girls are" and how lucky I am. I could not agree more!
She have a sister?
Im headed down in january..save a piggy for me..
Jon I was over last weekend "scouting" for you guys. Didn't loose an arrow cause I knew you were coming and din't want blood and broken arrows all over the woods.
Ray has honed in on the turkeys. Stay late and you'll see 'em. I'd try to hang in there till 11am or so. Wait until you hear the gobbles ringing thru the old SC swamps!!
Good luck to ya!
You'll find the meaning of "broke" when you have kids :thumbsup:
Good luck Jon
Good luck Jon! You hunting the turkeys with a bow also? i hope the mosquitos aren't as bad over there as they are here! It is supposed to warm back up by the weekend.
:)
Biggie, you're not just a mentor, but a true pal. And I've never even met you in person! It must have been hard for you to keep your arrows in your quiver, but I thank you, and I'm sure the hogs do too! Like I said, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to either species so I'm going to get your phone number from Ray. That way I can call and send text messages every 5 minutes or so for advice! HA! What time do you go to bed anyway?
rastaman, yea trying 'em out the turkeys with the bow. I got enough 100% deet bug killer to choke a horse, so hopefully, I can fend them off!
Overbo, sent you a PM!
Jon,
T H E R M A C E L L
No deet allowed in camp.
Any Wal-dash- Mart carries them and the butane cylinder and bug repellent strip refills.
Questions? Call me.
Hey Ray, I picked up a thermacell. I'll leave the deet at home. Is it bad stuff?
HEY JONSIMONEAU,
LOTS OF PICS, PLEASE. I'M HEADED DOWN THERE IN SEPT. WITH THE SURTEES AND THE WILSONS! CAN'T WAIT.
HAVE A GREAT TIME!
JED
DEET will mess you up, gangsta.
It'll make you like bald eagles in the 60's- you can't procreate with that stuff in your system!
Then your girlfriend won't be so nice, fo' sho'!
Plus, if hogs smell DEET they are gone in a flash.
Woa, ok. Yep, can't have that. I 'aint too bright but I get what your saying. Can't be good in a wetland area either if it's that bad. You would think as a guy who studied wildlife biology would know that. But I'm sure we don't have mosquitos like you guys have, so I've never messed much with either one. By the way...what's a gangsta? Are they in season down there?
Jon,
Here's another tip: Shy away from Ray's fumunda cheese!
Don't ask.
Save some piggies for me, I'll be back in Oct!
Jon, I'll see you there! Your enthusiasm is getting me pumped up like the Governator. I got a cooler of California's finest packed and ready to go...
Norb
I finaly have everything packed.Now I still have to back out to the shop and cut some riser lams for Tracy to glue up while Im HUNTING with you guys.God I love that women!!If I could get 2 more like her I could hunt all the time.For some reason she just isent into the herem idea.Go figure. :biglaugh: You dont know until you ask though.
Bill
If you asked her that, I have a bad idea I know where your bow got packed! :p
No she is use to me,and my B.S.Besides I can out run her.
Yeah but she can shoot.
you are a verry lucky man in so many things.. good luck,please have fun :bigsmyl:
Gangsta's are always in season...except they shoot back. Plus it's hard to shoot a bow out the window of a moving vehicle..
You'll have a blast!
we don't allow no drive-by's neitha, sucka, YO!
Ray, one of these days I'm going to have to come down there and experience this first-hand. It sounds like you've been listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn singing about Willie the Wimp's Cadillac Coffin a couple of times too many. I like it!
o i wish i was going. i want to live there.that place is great when you want to get away from everything.even if you don't shoot anything(not much chance at that)you will have the time of your life
About six hours and a wake up!
beachbowhunter, you're my kind of guy. Are you talkin about wine? In that case I'll buy the first round.....out of your cooler!! HA!!!
I'm headed down myself in a couple hours. Gonna be great to meet everyone. Fell asleep last night thinking about those 20 oz. ribeyes!
Here piggy piggy... :D
Safe trip to all,
Ron
hope this isn't a double post cause I don't know what happended to the other one.
but can't wait to hear how it goes this weekend for you, we are going down next weekend to Rays and """"we still need one more"""" for the turkey/hog combo.
another guy from Maine who was recently down there told me to Get some "Permanone" bug spray because of the chiggers??? is that the stuff I cannot bring,, I am also bringing the thermacell too and a cheap camo bug suit (for wearing shorts in hot weather)
anyway I'm a first timer hunting hogs, at rays and even hunting the south so any info or advice will be very helpfull.
also directions down (Im coming down from Boston),,, I can get some but if anyone has any favorite directions to Rays from the north east that would be great, any recommended eaterys on the way,, or places not to stay at?
good luck to the group this weekend!
Jon, Sharpy, Norbert....please,please,please take lots of pix!!!!!
Best of luck to all :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good for you!!!
Ya'll have fun.... :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper:
tajue
there's only two ways-
come all the way down on 95...to the Yemassee, SC exit and follow mapquest to Estill...or come down through the Shenandoah Valley of VA to 77 through Charlotte to Columbia, then 321 south to Estill.
The only other ways I know are transcendental meditation or flying a charter- the former might take too long, the latter would get you there quick but cost you a bunch.
My dad always said"there's no quick way to somewhere thats a long ways away" and estill is a long ways from anywhere. Hope you don't come through there during rush hour. Don
Thanks Ray..
Rush hr? I wait 1.5 hrs in traffic every day to drive 18 miles,,, Rush hour means kick back and turn up the radio and relax...
Good hunting guys and in case you don`t know Turkeys got no where to be...patience is the key.For me that`ll last till I hear a hog squeel.
Tajue17, Rush hour around here is when you pass three or four cars on the way to work.RC
any updates?
Yeah. Let us know how it went, please.
Come on fellas... It's story time!
Hey Pat we're down to about three weeks now! Hog Heaven II... The RRREEETTTVENGE!!!!!!!
Yeah....would love to hear the stories and see some pics. :readit: ;)
20 inches of rain in 10 days, high wind, a cold front, a full moon, a lot of turkey eggs under water- last week we had snow and 28 degree weather..this weekend rained all night Friday night with lightning and tornadoes, then Saturday was windy as all get out, Sunday a little better.
I'll leave the story telling to the boys...but I think Beachie just got home, and I know Jon drove all night to get home this morning...I think Bill and his buddy Sam stopped along the way, and I believe Ron Sharpster went to visit Ed Ashby...so it might be tomorrow before anyone gets on here.
Man, that's too bad about the weather. I know I keep telling people to save some for me, but that's ridiculous.
Oh man whats the weather outlook for this weekend coming up,, I did pack a rainsuit. can you hunt those hogs & turkeys in the rain down there?
also Ray I will call you later, wondering if you heard from the NH guy because I can't get in touch with him?
weather is going to be perfect this weekend with sunny skies and temps in the 70's. Haven't heard from anyone, bud.
Dont let our experience last weekend worry you.The pigs and turkeys are there.We had a tough hunt,but I still had a GREAT time and will be back.There was hog sign all over the place.The pigs were in the thickest stuff you could find, where it was very tough to see them let alone get a shot.I know I said it before,but I realy enjoyed meeting everyone!Thanks for a great hunt!
Bill
Yeah...I hope you all go back...what a bummer weekend weather wise for sure. We got trees down all over town...and I lucked out this time.
I had a guy booked for this coming weekend have to bail....there's two slots left...they're calling for sunny conditions in the low and mid 70's all weekend...hens should be on the nest..the two guys who are booked are gonna kill the snot out of 'em!!!
The best time I've had in years!!!!
Bad weather...? I didn't think it was all that bad. I was able to hunt with a fairly steady crosswind most of friday afternoon. The leaves and ground were a bit crunchy in the area I was hunting though. I did see one hog come running into the woods from the road but he was a couple hundred yards out and never slowed down as he blew passed me.
After the overnight rain, I had perfect stalking conditions Saturday AM with damp, quiet ground, sun at my back and a steady wind in my face...just didn't cross paths with the piggies.
Sunday the wind was bad. It blew every possible direction and didn't blow the same direction for more than a few seconds at a time.
There was sign all over the place and though I didn't get a shot, I think I heard that both Norb and John may have had some close encounters...? :goldtooth:
Thank you very much Ray. Can't wait to get back down there. You say there's an opening or two this weekend huh...?
Ron
I had a great time with Y'all!
Hey Guys, sorry I took so long, but I had ALOT of work to do when I got home. We had a situation that made things a bit tough. After all of the rain they had down there, the hogs began to feed on a bright green grass. I'm not positive, but I'm fairly certain it was some type of a bullrush relative. I'm going to look it up. Anyway, this stuff was growing in some of the nastiest thickest stuff around, and all of the hogs were in there. The only cover I have ever seen that was as thick as this was in Texas. Luckily, I had some pruners, so I was able to get in there, and hunt, but the blackberry thorns made for tough stalking. I kept getting near to hogs, but mostly jumping them, since I could not see too far in the thick cover they were holding in. I jumped a bunch. On Saturday, I finally got within range of a BIG sow. I mean at first I thought it was Rosie O'Donnell. She turned broadside at just under 20 yards. I was just about to draw when out stepped a bunch of football sized piglets! I had to decline the opportunity. As I mentioned before, I don't know much about hog hunting, but I have been on 3 hunts. I have NEVER been anywhere that had more sign that Rays place. This place just gets no pressure and it's ALOT of land. There are tons of them there, but we just had a little tough luck. Camp was full of great guys. No crybabys or anything! Ray is an awesome guy. He's not just a bowhunter. He's a naturalist. He's smart. He knows alot about the plants and fauna of the area, and I learned some pretty interesting things. He can also cook a steak that would make a vegetarian salivate. Damn, that steak was good! I'm going back for sure. I MIGHT even take a little break from the whitetails in early October to try the hogs again down there, when they are out feeding in more open areas where you can get a stalk on them. Lisa is pretty much in on that, so as long as we can swing it, we'll be back. Bill Dugan is a really cool guy. For whatever reason, I was preoccupied, and never even tried out his bows, but man they are pretty and the quivers he makes are unreal. He offered to let me stay at his house on the way home to break up the drive, which was very nice. Guess he did not realize I was a bow theif, and that I would most likely make out with the goods! Just kidding Bill! We had lots of laughs, drank some cold beers, and just had a great time. Beachbowhunter brought down some fine California wine, but I'm more of a busch light kinda guy. He's a great guy to be around with great conversation. The critters did not cooperate, but on a 3 day hunt you could not ask for more. I'm tellin ya they are there in staggering numbers. I really like the country down there, but I gotta tell you southerners, I don't have the slightest idea how I would go about hunting deer down there. I think that anyone who can kill an old buck routinely in the south really knows his stuff! I found a shed antler which was cool. Ray said it was from a 3.5 year old. If it were an Illinois buck it would be a 1.5 year old. But an old buck is an old buck no matter how big he is, and judging from the lack of pressure on the property, I'd wager there are a number of old bucks hanging out in there. I've got some pretty good pics that I will post later on, including a big snake that I saw in the swamps. Ron, from KME sharpeners was there, and he GAVE us all a knife sharpener for no reason other than he's just a nice guy! We have some good dudes in our ranks. Turkey hunting. There is another thing I don't know too much about. My county in Illinois was the last to get re-stocked, and our season has only been open for 5 or 6 year. Ray decided to go with me. Probably he wanted to laugh at my lack of turkey hunting ability, but I was more than willing to have someone call for me. My calling sounds like a blackbird getting hit by a lawnmower. So we get out there and set up my blind and decoys. Birds are gobbling on the way out. In fact, that was more birds than I have ever heard in a season here. Anyway, Ray sets up over to my right. He's got a shotgun, and I've got an arrow with one of those new bullhead broadheads that magnus makes. Like I could hit a turkey in the head! Ray stars calling. He's a Damn good caller. A gobbler from like 250 yards away starts coming right to us. He gets out about 20 yards in front of Ray. He has not seen my decoys yet, but is looking, and coming. I can just barely see him from time to time. I'm ready. I'm holding my mouth right and everything. All of a sudden, his wife comes up from behind and yelps loud one time. Ray told me that's turkey for "get your ass over here!" And he did! He turned on a dime, folded up and went right to her! At this point, I had no chance, and he was moving. Ray took a shot at him but did not connect because he was pourin' it on trying to make his wife happy. Good times were had by all! You guys that are going next...bring your earplugs....Ray "Got's the sleep apnea!"
Jon,
I enjoyed your recap, but please, never and I mean NEVER, use that "woman" as hyperbole in your hunting story :goldtooth:
That had to be one big, fat, ugly, loud mouthed, filthy hog :eek:
Great read..
"I thought it was Rosie O'Donnell"... :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
and John left out the big ole boar in water up to his neck that he nearly got a shot at!
QuoteOriginally posted by jonsimoneau:
Ray is an awesome guy. He's not just a bowhunter. He's a naturalist. He's smart. He knows alot about the plants and fauna of the area, and I learned some pretty interesting things. He can also cook a steak that would make a vegetarian salivate.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything you wrote, but especially this statement. Proud to have Ray as a mentor, honored to call him friend...those who are considering a hunt with him will realize the man you meet will mean far more to you than the hogs you may kill. :readit:
QuoteOriginally posted by jonsimoneau:
I finally got within range of a BIG sow. I mean at first I thought it was Rosie O'Donnell.
:biglaugh:
ROTFLMAO That was great.
Jack
QuoteOriginally posted by Jack Denbow:
QuoteOriginally posted by jonsimoneau:
I finally got within range of a BIG sow. I mean at first I thought it was Rosie O'Donnell.
:biglaugh:
ROTFLMAO That was great.
Jack [/b]
Only the hog smelled better!
JC- YER MAKIN' ME BLUSH!!!
Awww, I'm just lookin fer lunch :biglaugh:
Kiddin aside, what I said was the God's honest truth; hunt with Ray, you'll be richer for the experience.
And yes, Hawg Haven does have more pigs than a feller could kill in a lifetime. If the conditions cooperate it is a target rich environment.
quote:
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Originally posted by jonsimoneau:
I finally got within range of a BIG sow. I mean at first I thought it was Rosie O'Donnell.
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Jon,
That's the best line of a great story. They say a picture's worth a thousand words - you painted a perfect picture in 19 words.
QuoteI think that anyone who can kill an old buck routinely in the south really knows his stuff! [/QB]
I can't quite take that as a compliment since I don't routinely kill one but I still appreciate the fact that you realize that truth. Having hunted west of the MD, I'm telling you it is much harder accomplish in these woods.
Never met Ray but glad he's bringing Tradganger's to SC!
Dang Ray, I cant believe I forgot that part. This actually happened before I met Rosie. Yea, I was making my way through a marsh where the sh*t was thicker than at an Obama support rally. I was sloging my way through it when I heard something splashing in the water. I looked across and saw a big old boar standing in water right up to his neck. He was doing a dive bomb routine eating that green grass. I moved in on him, but he moved off before I could get a crack at him. I dont think I spooked him. He just moved off on his own. He got lucky. HA!