atcfisherman

Well, the last week of bow season, I was hunting a stand when two nice eating hogs came out. One was a bore and the other was a sow. I wanted the sow, but the bore gave me the best shot. Both were about 100 lbs. I shot the bore at 22 yards and he ran into the thick underbrush woods about 10 yards away. I went back to the truck and called my friend. It was getting dark to the point I needed a flash light and the temperature was in the upper 70's. I decided to give him about 10 minutes, which wasa huge mistake b/c I hit him right behind the shoulder at a slight angle. I went into the extremely thick woods for about 50 yards when all of a sudden to my left I heard something. When I looked, it was the hog and he started charging me through the underbrush. I didn't have anything on me other than my spot light and a skinning knife. I jumped behind a pine tree just as he hit my leg with his head. Then he took off in the opposide direction and I noticed the arrow was sticking out of him. After cleaning my drawers out...lol...and getting my composure, I saw blood on the leaves of the ground. I started to track him when my 1million candlewatt spot light went out. Now I am in this thicket woods and had a key chain light only to find my way out, not to mention try to track the hog. Well, let me tell you when you are in the woods that has extreme underbrush and it is night and all you have is a key chain light, it is very very very hard to know which way is north, south, east or west. After about 40 minutes of going nowhere, I remember that the moon was full and it was a clear night. I remembered the position of the moon in relation to my truck and my bow blind while talking to my friend on my cell phone back at the truck (no, I didn't even have my phone). I formed a mental triangle in the sky and said to myself that if I walked to my right no matter what, that I would come out on the dirt road that goes by my truck. So I headed off in that direction and lo and behold, I was only about 30 yards away from the road the entire time.

Well, the next day I went back to track the hog and the underbrush was so thick and the blood trail hard to see in the fall colored leaves, that I could not find him.....ugh.

Now what I have learned is the following:

1. Carry a side arm or something for protection.
2. Carry a regular flash light as a back up.
3. Carry my hand held compass.
4. Wait longer before tracking a wonded hog.

FL_ Hunter

Wow, what a night; glad you are OK.

Red Hawk

Yeah i'm glad you were okay as well. Lesson learned the hard and painful way

paka

Atcfisherman,
I hate that feeling , I did almost the exact same thing about 2 months ago. Broadside behind shoulder blade and only wated 30 minutes. We followed hands and knee's for about 70 yards then lost the blood. The worst is always thinking about it before sleep[:@]Live and learn

burniegoeasily

Welcome to hog hunting.

atcfisherman

Yes, that feeling is still too fresh in my mind. We are actually going to bait my hog feeder area this Friday evening with about 55 gallons of old vetables and other foods from a local grocery store. They let us have it instead of just throwing it away and when we bait an area with it, all it takes is about a day and they get ready for a hog convention. I actually saved some of my fish cooking grease a few weeks ago and poured it on a stump and the next day the stump was gone!!!! Amazing to say the least, but this time I won't make the same mistake AND I won't be alone.

huntnma

thats what i was thinking, lol.......i was at work yesterday and had hogs all around me, i tried running the one about 60 lbs down, but i cant seem to fly through the air very well and he got away,lol... i wouldnt of been able to keep him, but it would of been fun, lol.......