It's good already!  Thanks Curt and looking forward to more!

   

   

Could I get a drum roll please?.....

When the hogs first came in, the one with the white spot on it's head was 12yds., head down, quartering away....this was happening almost too quick!

I wanted to shoot the sow without the little one's. Even though they were eating corn, so probably big enough. I wanted to try to shoot the one that the little one's didn't belong too.

So I watched them for a while and took pix and some video clips. I was in no hurry, didn't think they were going anywhere too quick. About the time I had figured out which sow the little ones belonged to, I was about to reach for my bow, when something totally unexpected happened....My watched beeped it's hourly chime!  They were gone in an instant!!  

I'd attached the watched to my pack to have it around camp, and had forgotten to take it off my pack in my haste to get ready...what a rookie!!

Some other  first evening visitors....
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More hogs came and went at a distance as the sun set. But no dead hogs brought to camp the first night....
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What a place!!

"My Biggie" and Marty had seen some hogs and collected two cameras. So after an outstanding dinner(man we ate good), we checked them out....

Curt,

I could see in the pic of your bow that you had the cattail canister on it, like always.  Did you use it or just watch that hanging moss?  Great idea that you shared, by the way.

Man, I miss all that.  Haven't been lived in FL since '92.  I do remember those big yeller spiders though.  Glad you had a great hunt and I am looking forward to the rest of your yarn!

Ray

Gosh, those squirrels are almost as big as the piglets. Glad you didn't shoot a little piggy. Although "pork on a stick" ain't all bad. Looking forward to the rest of the story.  

Sounds like a great start!

Sounds like a great trip.  Looking forward to more of teh story.  I was getting some bits riding in the truck with Terry at Solana.

Guru- You're killin me and I was there!!!!

Great story! Congratulations!

....One of the trail cams, that was set at #3 that there was a group of 4 hogs coming into the feeder religiously just after it went off in the morning, and evening. #3 has quite a history, lot's of critters have died there!

Marty decided that if the wind held, that's where I'd be going in the morning.....

After some great stories by the camp fire, we were off to bed.

Before I knew it, we were all up sitting by the campfire again. That's the ritual at Marty's. Up early, grab a cup of coffee(if you drink coffee,I don't), and sit and enjoy each others company before jumping on the buggy to head off to the stands.....

We all wished each other good luck, I grabbed my Kwyk Styk, and my Sitka pack, and I stepped off the buggy within steps of the bottom of the ladder, and with the aid of my red lensed headlamp,climbed up and settled in. The hogs and deer tolerate the scent of the buggy, more than the smell of human odor around the stands. So it's much better to drive right to the bottom of the ladders if possible. Kind of bizarre to a N.E. whitetail hunter, but over the course of the next few days it was proven over and over thru observation.

It was very warm, and humid this morning. Also quickly apparent that I'd need my Thermacell! The mosquito's were quite active in the pre-dawn darkness!

As it got lighter and I could see I was getting quite anxious. After checking out the trail cam pix, I was hoping the hogs would keep their pattern and be close by. I soon saw the silhouette of a dark hog circling around the right side of my. It quickly moved off out of sight though, seemingly just cruising.

 Then came the always startling sound of the feeder going off! Dang it, just when ya think you're ready for it, it still makes ya jump!

But then, within seconds I heard a hog grunt off to my right in the palmettos. They'd heard the breakfast bell, and almost instantly I could hear, and then see them trotting in!

I was going to have to be patient as they fed around. Hogs are always moving when feeding. There was three boar hogs, and one sow. It was quickly apparent that the biggest boar, wasn't the boss. There was a slightly smaller one in the bunch that was very aggressive with the others.

After watching them for about 15 minutes, the smaller aggressive boar was broadside at about 12yds.....the 3 blade VPA Terminator disappeared thru him. In a second I was all alone and my arrow was stuck in the sand....
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I knew from where the arrow had gone thru him that it wasn't at all perfect, but too far back, about mid body, left-right...up-down.....

I sent Marty a text and explained what had just happened. He let me know that he'd just shot a doe. Both would need some time as Marty's doe was hit a little too far forward. But Marty said the penetration looked to be sufficient.

There was no rush to look for either of these. I just sat tight and enjoyed the rest of the morning.....

Man there was a lot of these things around....quite cool looking....
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View from the stand....
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Sitka Ascent 14 pack, with a hot weather hunters best friend....Thermacell!!
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The mystical Spanish Moss, I luv that stuff....
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Another resident on the other side of my stand...
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I got another text from Marty that Biggie had texted him that he was going to head shoot a coon that was by his stand. When Marty pulled up to get him...there was a coon with an arrow thru it's head!  But the question is....what came first...the text, or the shot....only Biggie knows.....

When they got to me, I climbed down and we looked at the arrow, and quickly checked for any sign of blood. The arrow was "paunchy", and a quick search revealed no blood close by. It was decided to leave the arrow right where it was so Peanut could smell it when we came back, and go look for Marty's doe first.....

On the way to Marty's stand....
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When we got to Marty's stand, Marty got Peanut started where the doe stood when he shot and she was quickly off with Marty...

Long, not much blood at first, but as Peanut followed, further along the trail, the blood became very easy to follow. But that wasn't even necessary,Peanut was all over the trail and about 100yds later Biggie and I heard Marty yell that he had her! We got to Marty,Peanut, and the doe and he went for the buggy....
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Giving Peanut some well deserved water....
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On the way back to #3, we passed Hogdancer's "punishment stand"....
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We got back to my stand, Marty let Peanut smell my arrow in the ground, and Peanut was off!

At first we weren't even sure she was on the right hog, but we soon found a smear of blood. The palmettos were thick after about 80yds. marty noticed Peanut stop for a while like she was smelling something, then she turned around and came back to us. At first we didn't think anything of it, but as marty was trying to get her going again we found another smear of blood. So Marty had ge check out the spot she'd stopped at. I busted my way in and at first didn't notice anything. But then I looked about 5 yds to my left....and there was my hog! You wanna talk about relief!!!  I couldn't thank Peanut enough!!

No way we'd have found that hog without her!!

Peanut had found it, and by time we saw her, had lost interest and left it. Marty also said that she'd been "hit" before by a hog that wasn't quite dead yet. So she didn't get to excited when she found them...  
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Me and hog "guide"(that's just for Biggie)supreme, Marty "The Man" McMahon...
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Stand "Number 3"....
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So there ya have it...we'd gone 3 for 3 on the morning of day 1.....
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Now after looking at that last pic, is there any doubt how Wayne got the nickname "Biggie"????

CONGRATS GUYS  

Great Photos and  there Guru and very nice story telling.

good story so far, but !
That's not the punishment stand !
and, I can't tell you how much I am  looking forward to hunting with you again , BUT, I am not sure I want you to be around me with sharp broadheads  and a bow when you don't know how to operate a baseball cap !  the bill goes in front !    :eek:

Cool pics and story tellin keep on typin & loadin pics !!!

Thanks so much for taking us along! I've never hunted hogs... but would like to now!!

     

You call that "unloading groceries"??? Thats not much more than a snack!
Did you get any pics of Biggie's favorite cooler in the bed of his truck? Its bigger than a coffin....

Gene, don't tell us it's lined with silk and has six brass handles...