Well I am bit sad after a trip I just took up to my property in north Florida. It all started out as usual with the routine of going up and getting some bacon with a gent that tracked me down from Bowsite. Three weeks earlier I took another person and put him in my swamp stand and he said he had pigs all around him. I wanted Todd to get him a piggie so I put him in there and I went to my oaks stand. I no sooner sat down and it sounded like a stampede.
It was still dark but the moon was showing nicely so I watched anywhere from 50 to 100 hogs mill around under my feeder. I have never seen a herd this size before. 10, 15, maybe 20 hogs at a time but this was incredible. They blacked out the ground everywhere I looked and were doing there best to scratch on my treestand to knock it down. Pretty cool to watch. 5 minutes later they haul butt. 5 minutes later they haul butt back. 5 minutes later they haul butt. 5 minutes later"¦..you get the idea. These pigs must have REALLY wanted some corn. I watched till it got light enough to shoot and chose my bacon. A round little porker going around 35ish pounds. Pull back the string and WHAP goes the broadhead and the little guy squeals. Pandomonium ensues with pigs flying left and right and trying to get the hell out of dodge. I smile and sit back to wait. 5 minutes later"¦..yep, they are back. Oh my look at the 80ish pound female. WHAP"¦squeal"¦.sit and smile. I could have shot more but I had 2 already and really did not want to track 3 and clean them. I also figured that Todd was probably cleaning up on some bacon himself. I wait 20 minutes and go down to look at my arrows.
CRAP!!!! Literally. Somehow I have managed to GUT SHOOT both hogs. I think real hard and in my mind they were toast. The arrow had gut material all over them so no need to lie to myself that this wasn"™t bad. I decided to give them at least a couple of hours and went to my truck. I got out my rifle and strolled down the roads playing the count the deer game.
I meet up with Todd who tells me he did not see a thing and I sya to him lets go find my hogs. Long story short there was no blood trail, poo trail, and kicked up dirt stopped very quickly. I just had my first bow hunting losses ever. It really made me feel bad because I hate wounding anything and do not want anything to suffer.
I got home, went to bed and rested. When I got up I unpacked my bow and made sure it was put in the case correctly. Just to assuage my hurt ego I went outside and put up my 3D pig. 20 yards, draw string, whap, ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? I GUT SHOT IT. I then put three more in a nice tight circle right in its guts. My drop away rest had budged over about ½ an inch. I adjusted it back and killed the 3D hog a few more times.
Lesson: Check your gear before you go and in your stand if you are able. I called my buddy to tell him the story and to make me feel better. I had even shot 3D 2 days before so it was not my fault. In his esteemd way he explained it very well.
bow hunting is tough, I have wounded a few for several reasons too. But you learn from your mistakes. When bow hunting if something can go wrong you can bet your ass it will.
some good advice I always tell people is when you get in your stand knock an arrow and draw your bow, if a limb is in the way you'll find out, or noises your bow makes, or even a jacket that makes noise.
souns like you know about piggies but I have to ask, you do know the vitals on a pig are way forward ? Like inside the shoulder forward. a quartering away pig is the best shot for a bow.
Sobering thought, too bad the results were lost animals[&o]. An excellent reminder on how vigilant bowhunters need to be on checking and rechecking their equipment.
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Bowtech 82nd, 26.5"draw, 54lbs
HHA Optimizer Lite
QAD Hunter
Maxima 250's
300fps, 59lbs KE
A bit sad from hunting. Learn from me.
