I was disappointed that Jason hadn't seen anything and pulled the camera to check the pictures.   Holy cow! or maybe I should say holy hogs!  Three days out of the previous five the camera had taken daylight pictures of hogs.  One picture had thirteen hogs in it!

At midday I moved the ladder stand that Jason had hunted in to cover the area that the camera had covered.  That night he hunted the stand and saw a doe, a spike, and a whole herd of hogs!  Unfortunately, all the game came in from downwind and spooked before he could get a shot.  

 

The variable wind direction also worked against Fred and I as we went without a deer sighting.

On Saturday morning, I put Jason in "The Persimmon Stand" and he had a close encounter with a doe and forkhorn.  The young buck was chasing the doe all over the adjacent hayfield and eventually the chase brought the doe within bow range.  Jason wanted a crack at the buck and passed on the doe.  You know how that turned out...the buck held up behind some brush and when the doe left he took off after her without giving Jason a chance to shoot.

Fred hunted a ladder stand that Darren and Ethan had helped me set up on last year's St Jude hunt.  The stand covers a creek crossing on the backside of an overgrown crp field.  Fred saw four does and (whisper) missed a shot at one from a pretty close distance.    

The stand I hunted had a deer under it when I got there and I saw a three other deer that never came into bow range.

At midday we scouted around and found an impressive rubline that led back into a thick drainage that made setting a treestand tough.  We decided to set a groundblind up and Fred decided he would hunt there in the evening.

We also scouted the CRP field and found a lot of sign there.  We jumped a huge black boar there that let Fred and I walk by before exploding out of the brush at Jason's feet.  We decided that "charged by a wild boar" would make a better story with the ladies back in Jersey so that's what I'm going with.

Here is a picture of the beast from a trail camera near by.  

 

Fred hunted the ground blind that evening and saw a young buck at 12-15 yards.  

Jason sat the pig stand again that night and did not see anything although he heard some animals in the overgrown crp field.

I hunted the stand that Fred had hunted ont he first morning where the gasline and creek meet.  I saw two does and the big black boar.  The y were all out of range, but the boar appeared to be heading towards Jason's stand.  

These wallows are visible from the stand:



This odd growth on a limb caught my eye:

We started off Sunday morning late.  I had been using my phone for an alarm clock and forgot that the time was changing.  It was much lighter than before when we headed for the woods an hour late! Jason and I dropped Fred off at the stand on the creek crossing and then headed out for our stands.  Four deer crossed the trail in front of the truck which made me even more antsy.  

I dropped Jason off at the stand on the gasline and creek and hurried through the woods to my own stand.  I blew a deer that I am certain was a buck out as I approached the stand. I also ended up seeing a lone doe later in the morning.

When I got down I decided to slip along the creek and see if I could push anything towards Jason.  



My one man deer drive was unsuccessful, but I did see this cool fungi:  



and this cool tree:

When I got to Jason I found out that he had seen a four point, but couldn't get a shot at it.  The young buck snuck up behind him walked to the foot of his ladder stand and stood there for a minute before moving to Jason's right and into the woods.  He then crossed the creek and stood out of range looking at him for a minute with his tongue out.     :p            

Fred saw five deer, but they were all out of range.

That evening was our last hunt.  Fred sat the blind again and had an owl nearly take him out when it flew on to the window ledge.  He had a deer blow at him from behind the blind where he had walked in, but didn;t see a deer.

Jason struck out on the pig stand with nothing seen or heard.  I went to the gasline stand on the creek and saw the big black boar for the third time that weekend.  Again he was heading towards Jason and again I thought Jason would get a shot, but it wasn't to be.

The hunt ended wthout any more game taken, but with great memries made.  The weather was beautiful.  The stars were magnificient.  The time outdoors was wonderful.  The company was outstanding.  If you ever get the chance to spend time with Fred or Jason take advantage of it.  They are great people.





And a good time was had by all.  

Fred will be home to Jersey on Thursday to make his report.

Congrats on the longbow kill Gregg and a great hunt for Fred and his Grandson.Thanks for the donation to St. Judes to all.RC

How cool!!  

QuoteOriginally posted by gregg dudley:
This odd growth on a limb caught my eye:

 

That looks like an early starting node of mistletoe.

Or a serious bee sting.

Great story and picks.  Thanks for sharing.