RE: Pork chops anyone?
I started looking for a hog hunt several months back.... Basically just looking to get the experience of killing something with a trad bow...... Experience is the best teacher, right? Anyway, I found this place in east Texas that caters to bowhunters..... I asked a friend if he wanted to go and it was on...... It's a spot and stalk style hunt.... The hogs have been hunted hard and were very spooky.... My compound buddy got the first kill at about 10:30 that morning..... After getting his pig out, we went back at it to try and get me a shot.... The only way you could get into bow range was to catch them in a brush top or mud hole..... The dang things can see as good or better than a deer and had no trouble picking you off in full camo out to 100yds...... I was impressed with their eyesight..... Anyway, my first opportunity came when I spotted a group sleeping in a big blow down..... I positioned myself behind a tree and crept forward to within about 20yds....... I peaked around the tree and was dissappointed to find that they wereall facing away from me, giving me no real shot opportunity..... There was one hog that was quartering away and I began to try and pick a hole to shoot through.. He was jammed in between some big logs and I had just a small window to lob the arrow over a log and into the vitals.... I guessed the shot at 22yds.... Tookaim and loosed..... I watched the arrow sail right towards the little porker..... BUT, instead of dropping right into the kill zone, it sailed high, right over his back.... The tree top exploded with hogs and they were gone...... I cursed a few times and went to retrieve my arrow.... Actual distance was 18yds...I was pretty discouraged!! After 6hrs of stalking around, I had blown my only opportunity! We broke for lunch and then got back at it..... About 4hrs into the afternoon hunt, my buddy got his second hog and he was tagged out..... It was about 10 minutes before we had to head back to camp...... I was really bummed about not getting a shot... I only had 1/2 a day left and it wasn't looking good.. Getting into stickbow range was just plain tough! Anyway, we had seen some hogs in a mud hole at the back of an open pasture.... We hadn't fooled with them earlier b/c of the lack of any thing to hide behind or climb if need be.... As we headed back to camp we decided to try a little push.. I would hide at the tree line as my friend circled around and got them moving..... As he approached, I saw 6 of them get up and start heading my way..... They were running, not wide open, but still moving pretty good.... As they came by me, they cut the distance to about 12yds..... I let the first 5 go by as I was getting the timing down.... As the 6th pig ran by, I just instinctively drew, led and loosed..... It was a thing of beauty as that arrow blew through the hog with a double lung shot...... I couldn't contain myself!! I was jumping around and hollaring.. What a rush and what a shot...... When my buddy got back we congradulated each other etc.... Then he said, you want to shoot another one? I said, sure... He said, there is still one hog in that mud hole..... He never got up, thinks he hidden and is facing away from you!! So the stalk was on!! I eased into bow range..... I slipped right up behind him to about 15yds and started easing around to get the angles right..... At this point I am sweating like a whore in church, b/c there is nothing to climb if he decides to charge! I draw, aim and twack! He exploded out of the mud hole..... But the shot was not great, it went in the shoulder and I could tell I got about 6 inches of penetration... Lucky for me, he decided to not charge and headed out into the pasture at a good clip... He was hurt, but not dead..... I ran full speed to try and cut him off.... I had a good idea where he was going..... I got in postion just in time for him to come running by at ten yds...... At this point I'm painting from all the running... I drop the string and make a bad shot.... Hit him in the hams and it went all the way through with arrow hanging out both sides..... That shot did him in.... He could no longer run...... He just stood there, bleeding and dieing..... Problem was, I was out of arrows!! I called my buddy over and got one his compound arrows..... Shot and missed!! He was down to his last arrow as well and I asked him to finish him off....... He didn't want to and handed me a knife.... I declined, considering the tusks and the 2 broadheads in the hog..... So, he drew and finished him off at 10yds..... After skinning, my first shoulder shot did enter the cavity and probably would have done him in...... The ham shot hit the femoral artery and definitely would have done him in......What a hunt!! After 11hrs and 5-6 miles of non-stop hunting and being totally discouraged, I ended up killing two hogs within 5 minutes of each other..... It's never over until the fat lady sings!! So true!!
Got home last night and put some loins on the stove...... Best dang pork I've ever eaten!!!
Setup:
52lb Adcock Pre-ACS
2016 Easton Legacy with 2 blade 125gr Magnus heads....
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" If he smells you its over. If he gets in your wind stream its over, If he smells where you walked, he probably aint coming back... Your talking about an animal that can smell a fingerprint. Any amount over 0% is to much." Dan Infalt
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