I left around 11:15 yesterday afternoon and headed to Horse Creek WMA. Alot of strong storms have been moving through the area and, best I could figure by looking at the weather channel, the rain would be clearing around noon. I got over there around 12:15, and it was raining hard, so I decided to just sit and wait it out. Well, two hours later, I was still sitting in the truck. Even rode out a couple of bad thunderstorms. But I knew it would eventually clear, and the hunting should be good right after the rain. I finally got out of the truck at about 2:25 and headed for the swamp.
The mosquitos were fierce. I had my Thermacell running but I really couldn't tell. The bug juice I had rubbed on my hands and face didn't last long since the water was still falling off the trees and washing it away.
I needed to get the wind right, so I cut across an old clearcut and headed towards the back corner of the area I was hunting. By the time I got to the corner, I was soaked. Guess it's better to be soaked from rain than sweat.
I started zig-zagging back and forth, first up one slough, then down another. I was hunting fast, trusting my eyes, since I knew I wouldn't be able to hear them. I had checked 4 or 5 different sloughs and hadn't seen anything, and started to get into a thicker area with lots of palmettos. I passed about 30 yards from the end of a short slough, and stopped for just a few seconds to look things over. Not seeing anything, I started to take a step when suddenly some movement caught my eye. It was a pig!
I had almost gotten by them, and from the position I was in, I now had a cross-wind. I figured it would have to do, so I pulled an arrow from my quiver and started toward them. There was a very large overcup tree just at the edge of the slough, so I put it between me and the closest pig I could see and closed the distance. Just as I got behind the tree, which put me about 18-20 yards from the pig, I noticed a big sow start to head to my right. When she did, the other pigs followed her lead which, because I was in the thick stuff, took them out of my view. I didn't like the direction they were headed, because it was taking them more downwind of me. I backed out, made a loop around them, and came at them again, this time from dead downwind. I knew about where they were, but couldn't see them. Since it was so thick, and I'm talking palmettos everywhere and head high, I kept moving forward.
Suddenly I glimpsed legs moving not 15 yards ahead. This pig was rooting right up tight to the edge of the palmetto thicket. Now I had another problem. Trying to get a shot through all this thick stuff. There was a big water oak just a few yards ahead, so I decided to slip up to it and see what I could see. There happened to be an open area at the base of the oak which would give me plenty of room to draw my bow. When I got there, I saw several more pigs, plus the big sow, and they were all within 15 yards now. I was about as close as I could get, and really didn't have any shots. While I was trying to figure out what to do, a small boar, about 7 yards away, started moving to my right. I happened to notice a small hole through the palmettos, about the size of a softball. Just as he hit the hole, I drew, bore down on the spot I wanted to hit, and shot, all in less time than it takes to tell about it. He squealed and ran, and almost instantly I couldn't see him anymore. I thought I heard him go down, but wasn't sure. The other pigs in the group really didn't know what happened, but after several seconds, decided to head somewhere's else.
After they had gotten out of sight, I eased forward and found this...
This is where he was standing. The blood spray is from the exiting arrow. Note the palmetto stalk cut by the broadhead. My arrow was a few feet behind this palmetto.
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/hookedn21/Hogs/03f06362.jpg)
The ground was wet (I'm colorblind), but a few yards away I was able to see this...
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/hookedn21/Hogs/48edffd0.jpg)
Exactly 20 yards away I found this...
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/hookedn21/Hogs/904cd1f0.jpg)
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/hookedn21/Hogs/917ebb42.jpg)
Cut 2 ribs going in, and 2 coming out. I love Tree Sharks.
(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/hookedn21/Hogs/4bb77d2f.jpg)
I've been keeping up with it and, since my last opportunity I have walked a conservative 16.5 miles. The sweetest walk was that last mile back to the truck. Thank you Lord! :)
:bigsmyl: :thumbsup:
Nice shooting and an excellent story. Thanks for sharing!
Way to go :thumbsup: :clapper:
Wow those Sharks have a serious bite.Good Job Sir. :thumbsup:
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Great story and pics!!
Love the hole! Congrats should be good eating! :thumbsup:
Congrads!
Wicked hole! Good shot and congrats! I wish we had pigs around here...
Nice :thumbsup:
What an awesome report with sweet pictures to match. Congrats. Colorblind? Seriously? Does the blood look black?
:archer:
Perfect little BBQ'er!
Congrats,
Bisch
All around excellent job!
Thanks a ton for sharing. :D
Well Done! :thumbsup:
GOOD JOB !!
Congratulations. That's awesome.
Great Story and a Great Stalk!!!! Congrats :clapper:
:thumbsup:
That's a big hole in that pig, congrats! :thumbsup:
Congrats Bud.Good shot. I`ll be after his brother tomorrow Lord Willing...really.
Chris and I hunt together and I gotta say he is the BEST shot with a recurve I`ve seen...now stay outa my swamp..lol.RC
Great Shot!
Good shooting and great story and pics. Congrats my friend.
Way to go!!
Chris, great story and shot. Scott Langley introduced you to me last year at the ibo. Got to love them pigs. Don Batten
Chris -- Great shot and great story. I also want to thank you for posting the video on how to sharpen the simmons heads. I am "sharpening challenged" but followed your directions and now I have my Simmons Interceptors RAZOR SHARP. It is unbelieveable how easy it is to get them sharp.
I have some treesharks but I am a little afraid to use them because I am not sure I have enough bow. I shoot 52# and use a 500 grain arrow. Is that enough bow and arrow for a treeshark on deer and pigs?
Skeeters this time of year? I don't know what I would do if I saw them before June.
Thanks for sharing the story.
NICE! :thumbsup:
:archer: Love the story! Great shot!
Congrats! Way to go :thumbsup:
Nice job. Makes me want to go however Ms. allows no pig hunting this time of year on public land.
thats a heckuva hole! congrats. :thumbsup:
Good shot Chris. Congratulations!
:thumbsup:
Excellent story, pictures and pig. Good job!
Well done! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Wow, that bh did a number on that littl porker.
Great story and good shooting!
Great job, Chris. Sometime I'm going to make it back down to hunt with you again. Good shot, nice pig.
Dan
Awesome job, perfect eating size
:thumbsup: Great job!
Way to go Chris.....good luck and hopefully the first of many :clapper:
I second what Guru said.
QuoteOriginally posted by TexasTrad:
I have some treesharks but I am a little afraid to use them because I am not sure I have enough bow. I shoot 52# and use a 500 grain arrow. Is that enough bow and arrow for a treeshark on deer and pigs?
If you're tuned properly, I'd say absolutely for deer and most hogs. If you get on a big boar, you'd probably be better off with an Interceptor or Tiger Shark. I keep a couple of Interceptors in my quiver just for that reason.
Way to go Chris! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good job!
Congrats that's a big hole.Going to have to check the Simmon boardheads out.
Nice!
Excellent! Any public land kill is a good kill. :thumbsup:
Thanks for sharin' your hunt with us Chris!
That is *AWESOME*!
WAY TO GO and enjoy the BBQ!!!
:campfire:
Shoot straight, Shinken
Sounds like a great hunt!! Congrats!
God Bless,
Nathan
Good stuff congrats
Good story---thanks for sharing. Time to set up the B-B-Q and get to grilling!
DB
Congrats :clapper:
Congrats on some fine upcoming BBQ
Awesome job, and awesome review of the shark series broadheads!
I may have to get me some of those and start using them? Are they hard to sharpen? I'm pretty good as sharpening Snuffers, but the curve design makes me nervous about sharpening them, just wondering how much more of a trick there is to sharpening that curve?
I wish I had someplace to hunt hogs, I wanna hunt hogs so bad I just can't stand it! Your all's stories and pictures don't make it any easier for me either, that's for sure! Keep em coming! :thumbsup: :clapper:
Awsome Simmons' hole!Congratulations. :clapper:
Congrats Chris. It is extra cool to see this after being there in RC's swamp. :-) It feels like I was hunting with you. Brought back great memories.
I do look forward to hunting with you in the future too as RC has invited me back. I will take the fool up on this :-)
And add me to the list of your video students. I use your youtube lesson to sharpen my tiger sharks.
Come to Texas. Wear your arms out, please. Nice piggie.
:thumbsup:
That's what I love about hunting. It's not the kill. It's everything leading up to it. Great story.