Trad Gang

As I sit here typing this story, I'm reliving one of the coolest hunts I have ever been on and I am still smiling ear to ear. I have a stand that is in a oak flat near a grape vine thicket that has a spring running out of it causing water to always be in this area. Years ago I would always see at least one but usually several nice bucks in this stand but as the pig population has grown the stand has become a pig magnet. I have shot two nice boars from this stand this year both dying in the grape vine thicket and both in a spot unaccessible by atv so the boars had to stay put. My father has been after me about killing him a pig but with work I told him there was no way I could get in the woods during the week to hunt one so I have just stayed away from the stand with my long bow and have been trying to bust me a nice deer to break her in with, but have had no luck... This afternoon I had the perfect wind for the stand and honestly I was ready to see some red on the end of my chartreuse feathers. So around noon today I shot a few arrows at the target and ran my heads through the bench grinder. By 330 I was thirty foot above the forest floor in my lock on with fresh pig sign all around me. At 345 I had a small boar work his way through the grape vine past me at about 75 yards, texted my dad that I was already seeing pigs to have his cooler ready... By 4pm I was on my feet with two sows feeding around 40 yards behind me with a half dozen piglets nipping at their tits. I watched as they worked their way away from me and thought that was it when a group of 5 young sows and boars ranging form 50 to 80lbs came walking right in to my set up...I watched the pigs at 25 and 30 yards for nearly an hour and was waiting for one to give me the right shot angle. At 530 a nice brown sow stepped in an opening at 18 yards broadside she was rooting and walking as I came to fully draw focusing on her front elbow...I let out a small grunt as I released the arrow...Now I don't know if she was turning to continue feeding or my grunt spooked her but I saw my arrow hit her just in front of the back ham HIGH as she was turning away from me :wacko: it was a pass through with the fletching still in her as she squealed and ran away from me...I heard her run 50 yards before I could only hear splashing in the creek then.... silence.  :pardon:  I shrugged and looked back at the other pigs and to my surprise they hadn't moved in fact they were still feeding in the same spots as before the shot...All but one of the sows who was running right to my stand... I quickly knocked another arrow and picked a spot on the sow as she came charging in she stopped between a pair of sapling and I drew and shot. Those traditional shooters should know what I forgot to do "Pick a Spot" Arrow whizzed high right over her back she runs right under me as I attach another arrow and draw as she is walking quartering away right back towards the grape vine thicket. I drew and shot leading her slightly, she stopped as I shot and I hit just under her jaw...She took off and was never seen again...Well by now I know I have one pig to look for and two arrows to clean so I start gathering my gear when I look up and see pigs still feeding at 60 yards from me on the edge of some broom grass...I figure what the hell lets try a stalk, it could get interesting. I lower by bow put my catquiver on and ease down...I retrieve one of my arrows as I stalk towards the 2 brown sows feeding... I run out of cover at 40 yards and decide to just ease towards them since they had their heads down rooting the fresh black dirt... 30 yards they pay me no mind, 25 yards they are both butt to me...20 yards they are quartering away with logs blocking vitals, 15 yards I step on on log and wait for my angle... Then I hear something I didn't want to hear, a loud grunt right beside me...I turn my head to my 10 O'Clock and out steps a black broadside boar maybe 150lbs at less than 3 yards looking right at me. To be honest I don't really remember what happened next it was a blur of my turning drawing and releasing without ever even hitting anchor and my arrow cutting the top of the boar's back...I stood there as I regained reality and watched the pigs walk off shaking more than I have in years...I laugh at how I had just missed an animal at a distance I could have jumped to as I retrieve my mud covered arrow on the edge of the creek. I'm still shaking as I'm washing the broad head off in the creek reliving what had just happened when I hear teeth popping to my right and look up to see a waist high boar at 10 steps popping his teeth looking at me like I owed him money.  :blink: No knowing what to do and not having an arrow nocked or a tree to climp close by I did the only thing I could think of I said (Oh $#it) at a voice he could hear followed by a series of Loud HEY HEY HEY!!! He turned and walked off offering no shot not that I could have stopped shaking long enough to keep my arrow on the shelf to shoot...

After he made his way off and I cleaned out my shorts and took up the trail on the hog I had shot before all the excitement... There was blood instantly from where I shot the pig so my hopes raised a little. after 20 yards of spot blood I find my arrow covered in blood but the fletching smelled of gut so my heart sank... Now it had been an hour since the shot and the blood looked better just past where my arrow laid...With hot temps and the splashing I had heard after the shot I opted to give it a little further to see if I saw her. I was Glad I did! The next 20 yards was a blood trail Stevie Wonder could have followed to my little sow. She had died right where I heard her in the creek not 50 yards from my stand. The arrow had cut the Aorta running down her back and taking out both kidneys. I've said it before and I'll say it again I'd rather be lucky than good!


\\   (http://www.teamnatural.com/forums/uploads/monthly_12_2011/post-247-1324093259.jpg)  


I shot her with my Costalbend Longbow 65lbs@28inches.... A 75/95 Goldtip Traditional with a hundred grain insert and 200 grain Tusker Aztec broad head...


Thanks, for reading Beau

Great story!   Sounds like a busy evening you had there.   :archer2:

"I have shot two nice boars from this stand this year both dying in the grape vine thicket and both in a spot unaccessible by atv so the boars had to stay put."

Upon reading the above, I quit reading this thread.  If you do not have the fortitude to retrieve an animal because you can't get an ATV to it, do not kill it.

Congrats!

Bisch

         I'm with Walt, and please tell me you at least attempted to track the one that you hit under the jaw.

The two boars were shot in September a little over two weeks apart. Both were 300lbs atleast and both died about 100 yards apart in the same Grape Vine Thicket...I had to belly crawl though water in the thicket to reach both pigs....I don't know if you have ever crawled though a grape vine thicket in water after a pig in dark but let me tell you it is no fun... My father was with me on the first pig and is too old to help with much dragging so we opted to come back in the morning to see if I could field dress the pig in the thicket and drag it out...By the time we made it back the pig was lost due to South Ga heat... The second boar was bigger than the first and made it a great deal further into the thicket I called two friends to come help but neither would crawl in the water to help me in the dark... Nor would they come back and help me the next morning... I learned a lesson about the character of them that night... I have had other opportunities at pigs this year but have passed them due to shot angle or size from these lessons learned early this year...


I reread the post and I see where you could misunderstood my story...I didn't hit the pig under the jaw I missed just under her jaw...I did as I always do, track her though the thicket just to be sure there was no blood even though my arrow was clean...

30 feet is up there for a loc on to shoot pigs out of. I like 8 to 10 feet up for hogs .

Good job on that pig, I bet that one will be some good eatin'!  Sounds like you had quite the hunt.  Those things are a plague, more food for the deer and turkey with every one killed, go get em!!  That is a nice looking bow too!

Tell me about your bow I agree it a looker!  Now as for the pigs i've heard from both sides as for "Pig Ethic's" and to me it is a personal thing to not shoot unless I plan to utilize it for food, or some other means of functional use, but I have seen the damage that pigs cause and it is unreal!

There are those that would agree with shooting every last one of them and let them lay for the buzzards!  Just this past week I hunted and area with lots of pigs and came across 3 carcasses cast off the side of the road, not a pretty site but a reality   :saywhat:

That pig is going to make for some very tender eating. Congrats.

Some of us don't get that much excitement or action in a whole season! You might need to start carrying more arrows!    :bigsmyl:  

Nice pig, Ham for Christmas?

Danny,

One that small and tender would be a Ham-lette...

And that is of course a "play" on words!  :)

congrats, enjoyed your story.

I understand where Walt is coming from, but in alot of places feral hogs are a nuisance, to be shot on sight.  I've had landowners give me permission to hunt on the condition that I shoot every hog I see, or don't come back.