President's Day, Snowboards & True South Adventures

[CRS]

First I want to thank Jim & Irv for a great trip.  Our initial plan was to head on down to Florida, get a few days hog hunting, then off to Cocoa beach for a serious week of R&R.

The weekend before we left, the high was -7       degrees in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  Florida was looking better and better all the time.

Last spring Cade and I went to True South to hunt Osceola's.  We had a great time and Cade went nuts over the bowfishing and earned this.

 

My youngest son Ian was all cranked up to hunt hogs and do some serious bowfishing.

Well, President's Day, a couple snowboarders, and two trips to the emergency room.

To make a very long story short, Yes, both Cade & Ian broke their arms on the same day.

Cade was out as it was his left arm/bow arm.  Could not come up with any way to rig up a trad bow for him.

Ian's break was a basically a cracked bone and his right arm.  So I rigged up a strap that held a release and wrapped around his elbow. The upper arm took all the weight. All he had to do was squeeze a trigger of the release.

 After a few trips to the local archery range with his Sarrel's S/R Blueridge longbow that we got off last year's St Judes auction, he was shooting very well at 15 yards.  Good enough that I was comfortable with letting him hunt.

He was good enough to do this on fish.
   
and a nice tilapia which we ate for lunch.
   

We got into some hogs, but the opportunities did not pan out.  We scared the daylights out of some squirrels, even managed to get a couple.  Ian put himself squarely on the good side of Jim & Irv by ridding the area of one corn robbing raccoon.  We all experienced south Florida at it's finest and had a great time.

For those of you that have watched Jim's red hog video, you were introduced to Cade who was his usual blood trailing master. So he was able to get out into the woods also.

I was to do a couple of sits by myself and this was my most peaceful.  Right in the middle of some of Florida's old growth.
   

Our return trip ended in a canceled flight and a fresh 11" of snow upon return home.

Already plotting, scheming, and planning a return trip.

[T-Bowhunter]

Looks like everyone had a great trip!

[CRS]

Here is a pic of the frying tilapia and corn robbing coon.
 

 

[killinstuff]

Coons at TSA are like Hydras,  kill one and two take it's place.

[tarponnut]

That was a fun time! It sure is encouraging to see that parents are still introducing kids to the outdoors and traditional archery, in particular. Cade and Ian, although young, are both experienced bowhunters.
Ian made a great shot on a raccoon, mom Laura was in the stand with him and filmed it. Great job Ian!
I get a lot of practice bloodtrailing, year round, for hogs and consider myself above average, Cade's eye for blood is on a whole other level!
On the hog I shot*, he found the first drops of blood 75 yards into the trail, in a field of grass no less! Twenty yards later he found my hog piled up. Thanks again Cade.
Looking forward to hunting with you guys again.
*we typically don't hunt with people in camp but this property was having a real problem with the hogs so I helped out when a three came in. Gotta keep the ranchers happy:)

[beaunaro]

Wouldnt you just know it....
the two of us are the only ones to see a hog that afternoon...even after my best efforts to afford the best seats to Chad and Cade

We would not have even hunted had it not been that it was our last opportunity before turkey season and the rancher wanted all hogs exterminated.

My two black specimens didnt stick around long behind that tree but yours gave you a good shot.

Congratulations, Jim.

It was a pleasure to have the Scholten family in camp again...and many good memories were made.

The boys are at home in the outdoors, that's for sure.

Nice job of parenting.

Looking forward to a beer on your deck in Spearfish during the Rally this year, Chad.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

This story is great on many levels,  congrats to all.

[bill langer]

Great work bringing up those boys!!
Congrats on a great family hunt!

[tarponnut]

Bill,
You should check out the video of Ian making the shot on the raccoon!