Best hunt with friends.
11-09-2008, 07:33 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Florida
Posts: 466
Best hunt with friends.
Well, well, well, here we go again. It is the gun opener down in sunny Florida and I had a few guys I wanted to take for some combo hog/deer escapades. As is my usual trip we went up on a Friday for an evening hunt and would stay till Saturday for the morning hunt then zip back down to St. Pete to take the wife and kid to the carnival. I invited 3 guys and only have three stands set up because my road has died and gone to plant heaven. But for those of you that want to bring in TONS of doves try planting brown top millet 45 days before dove season. DAMN!! The first night I put Dr. Dre in the ground blind at the end of the road. Dave (the bear guide) in the oaks, and Todd (TBare) on my favourite road with 5 gallons of my favourite corn pig brew. I took the swamp stand because the feeder in there has been acting funny and I was not sure if it was even working. We all settled in to whack a hog.
I sat there watching the cardinals and mice when out of the corner of my eye I see the flick. Yep it is the light brown and he has five points on his little head. I have no/none/nada pics of this guy in the swamp but it is his lucky day. Deer season opens tomorrow. He gets a free pass and I wonder if I will get to see the resident 14 point big boy. Alas it was not to be and it got dark. Since we were hunting hogs I had both my bow and my rifle in the stand with me. I love two man ladder stands…plenty of room to take a bunch of stuff and still get a nap. It is pretty dark but I have a Trijicon scope which is the neatest gadget in my arsenal. The sight is painted with Tritium and glows in the dark. You can shoot hogs by starlight if you want. So Mr. BLACK hog comes out on the BLACK night and starts feeding on the BLACK swamp ground. I line up the good ole Tikka and send a 30-06 round straight into the heart of a stump. Well crap it looked like the hog. Oh well lets go see what others got. Feeder is working.
I got the truck and Andre had missed a hog by trying for the now infamous throat punch and his arrow stuck in the ground just under the chin of the little porker. Dave in the oaks saw several deer but no pork and Todd saw zip. We ran into town to get Daves truck and head back in to camp and rest. Ummmm…but it is only 7:30 and no one is tired. BACK TO THE STANDS!!!! I went with Andre to his ground blind and we sat there listening to hogs go crazy everywhere around us. I mean they were grunting and squealing constantly and I figured it would be soon before some ham showed up. It took about an hour and a half before our first contestant made a showing and it looked like a boar going about 165 to 180. I gave Dre my Tikka and he lined up. It was cold so sound was travelling well and the funny thing was you could hear his breathing getting heavier and heavier as he was getting ready to shoot. Adrenaline is awesome. POP goes the Tikka and MRS. Pig hits the dirt. I go out to grab a very nice 165 poundish (I have got to get a scale) hog. We wait a bit longer and begin the half mile drag back to the truck. When we cleaned her the fat is no longer yellow from the pig weed but a nice fat white and she was covered. GOOD EATS. Every one heard lots but we were the only ones that connected. Went to bed.
We rose to FREEZING 43 degree temps (yea I am from Florida) and made our way to the stands. I put Todd in the swamp (feeders are working) and every one else went the same spots. This left me to wander the roads on my lease and I did it with a vengeance. I think I hiked 10 to 15 miles constantly making return trips back to the corn pile on the road. On the third trip I saw a BIG hog and began the creeping. I was trying to sneak as close as I could until I realized WAIT A MINUTE…… I AM HOLDING A GUN! I have been so used to bow hunting that I was trying to close the gap to 20 yards. So I sat back at around 40 yards and waited for him to turn. His back was facing me and he had no legs? He was very shiny and his hair would turn a deep russet colour when he shifted and he was the prettiest hog in the woods till he turned to his left. Then he turned into a BEAR! HOLY SCMOLLY I am seeing my first bear in the wild. Way cool. He swings side to side and wakes a kind of woof exhale noise and ambles off into the woods. I was so amped I did not see the 6 point buck looking at me from 30 yards away till it was too late. He mad a cough that sounded like DUMB ASS and jumped into the trees. So what it was still cool. I strolled off and could not wait to tell the other guys.
It was getting later on in the morning and I knew my trail cams told me the bucks were walking at 9 to 11 a.m. I was just sauntering down various roads/trails on my lease when I look ahead and there stands a 6 point who looks as surprised as me. They look really cool when they stare straight at ya and crane their necks. Anyone remember all my latest posts about getting busted by deer before they were in range? Well I said on general gun day I would carry my rifle and when I saw them they were going to hit the dirt. I take aim and squeeze one off. The deer flew 3 feet in the air and donkey kicked and landed on its side. I knew I hit him hard but he got up and ran and jumped over a fence and right beside him was the no trespassing sign. I ran up to the fence and figured he would be on the other side but he was gone. I happen to be one of those hunters that will not cross property without permission so I started by calling my lease manager to see if we had permission. And then the fun begins.
I got a hold of my leases wife who told me “Buddy “ Williams” would not let me on his property now way. I tried to reason that out but was very distraught. I tried to get him by calling information but no listing so I did what any person does in very small towns. I went to the feed store to ask who knew where he lived or a phone number. I love small towns because everybody knows everybody and after four stops I found someone that told me where he was. I was also told that his mom would rather shoot me than let me go in, and, that he would rather let my deer rot before he would let me get it. With that in mind I walked into his tire store and took off my hat. Here is a lesson in humility. I really wanted that deer and said to hi and I quote “We do not know each other but I am here with cap in hand to ask a big favour of you”. I did this in front of all his employees and truly prostrated myself before him and after reading me a 15 minute riot act he said “go get your damn deer”. WOOHOO I drove back, gathered the masses, and began the search.
We entered where I saw the deer jump the fence and started to look for blood. Nothing. I thought I saw him break right which was down hill and seemed the logical way to go and Dr. Dre and Dave started in that direction. I went straight forward and Todd broke to my left. I was starting to doubt my shot but that deer would not have hit the dirt if I had missed…could it? I mean no blood. After about 10 minutes of searching Todd yells “found it”. Yippee my 6 point grew two more points and now equals eight. It is my personal best to date but I am waiting for that 14 pointer. We shoot the photos and start to clean the deer. David said that my bullet did not go into the deer but exploded in the brisket. How else could it have run 150+ yards? When we cleaned it the heart was blown to chunks, the lungs were sliced all over and one in half, the liver was just flat out missing and it blew his stomach and internals to paste. YUCK!!! That bullet was like a hand grenade in there and it still ran 150 yards?
Deer are pretty damn tough. We filled feeders and went home. I got about 150 pounds of meat to process and reflect upon.
Todd put up some pics.
I sat there watching the cardinals and mice when out of the corner of my eye I see the flick. Yep it is the light brown and he has five points on his little head. I have no/none/nada pics of this guy in the swamp but it is his lucky day. Deer season opens tomorrow. He gets a free pass and I wonder if I will get to see the resident 14 point big boy. Alas it was not to be and it got dark. Since we were hunting hogs I had both my bow and my rifle in the stand with me. I love two man ladder stands…plenty of room to take a bunch of stuff and still get a nap. It is pretty dark but I have a Trijicon scope which is the neatest gadget in my arsenal. The sight is painted with Tritium and glows in the dark. You can shoot hogs by starlight if you want. So Mr. BLACK hog comes out on the BLACK night and starts feeding on the BLACK swamp ground. I line up the good ole Tikka and send a 30-06 round straight into the heart of a stump. Well crap it looked like the hog. Oh well lets go see what others got. Feeder is working.
I got the truck and Andre had missed a hog by trying for the now infamous throat punch and his arrow stuck in the ground just under the chin of the little porker. Dave in the oaks saw several deer but no pork and Todd saw zip. We ran into town to get Daves truck and head back in to camp and rest. Ummmm…but it is only 7:30 and no one is tired. BACK TO THE STANDS!!!! I went with Andre to his ground blind and we sat there listening to hogs go crazy everywhere around us. I mean they were grunting and squealing constantly and I figured it would be soon before some ham showed up. It took about an hour and a half before our first contestant made a showing and it looked like a boar going about 165 to 180. I gave Dre my Tikka and he lined up. It was cold so sound was travelling well and the funny thing was you could hear his breathing getting heavier and heavier as he was getting ready to shoot. Adrenaline is awesome. POP goes the Tikka and MRS. Pig hits the dirt. I go out to grab a very nice 165 poundish (I have got to get a scale) hog. We wait a bit longer and begin the half mile drag back to the truck. When we cleaned her the fat is no longer yellow from the pig weed but a nice fat white and she was covered. GOOD EATS. Every one heard lots but we were the only ones that connected. Went to bed.
We rose to FREEZING 43 degree temps (yea I am from Florida) and made our way to the stands. I put Todd in the swamp (feeders are working) and every one else went the same spots. This left me to wander the roads on my lease and I did it with a vengeance. I think I hiked 10 to 15 miles constantly making return trips back to the corn pile on the road. On the third trip I saw a BIG hog and began the creeping. I was trying to sneak as close as I could until I realized WAIT A MINUTE…… I AM HOLDING A GUN! I have been so used to bow hunting that I was trying to close the gap to 20 yards. So I sat back at around 40 yards and waited for him to turn. His back was facing me and he had no legs? He was very shiny and his hair would turn a deep russet colour when he shifted and he was the prettiest hog in the woods till he turned to his left. Then he turned into a BEAR! HOLY SCMOLLY I am seeing my first bear in the wild. Way cool. He swings side to side and wakes a kind of woof exhale noise and ambles off into the woods. I was so amped I did not see the 6 point buck looking at me from 30 yards away till it was too late. He mad a cough that sounded like DUMB ASS and jumped into the trees. So what it was still cool. I strolled off and could not wait to tell the other guys.
It was getting later on in the morning and I knew my trail cams told me the bucks were walking at 9 to 11 a.m. I was just sauntering down various roads/trails on my lease when I look ahead and there stands a 6 point who looks as surprised as me. They look really cool when they stare straight at ya and crane their necks. Anyone remember all my latest posts about getting busted by deer before they were in range? Well I said on general gun day I would carry my rifle and when I saw them they were going to hit the dirt. I take aim and squeeze one off. The deer flew 3 feet in the air and donkey kicked and landed on its side. I knew I hit him hard but he got up and ran and jumped over a fence and right beside him was the no trespassing sign. I ran up to the fence and figured he would be on the other side but he was gone. I happen to be one of those hunters that will not cross property without permission so I started by calling my lease manager to see if we had permission. And then the fun begins.
I got a hold of my leases wife who told me “Buddy “ Williams” would not let me on his property now way. I tried to reason that out but was very distraught. I tried to get him by calling information but no listing so I did what any person does in very small towns. I went to the feed store to ask who knew where he lived or a phone number. I love small towns because everybody knows everybody and after four stops I found someone that told me where he was. I was also told that his mom would rather shoot me than let me go in, and, that he would rather let my deer rot before he would let me get it. With that in mind I walked into his tire store and took off my hat. Here is a lesson in humility. I really wanted that deer and said to hi and I quote “We do not know each other but I am here with cap in hand to ask a big favour of you”. I did this in front of all his employees and truly prostrated myself before him and after reading me a 15 minute riot act he said “go get your damn deer”. WOOHOO I drove back, gathered the masses, and began the search.
We entered where I saw the deer jump the fence and started to look for blood. Nothing. I thought I saw him break right which was down hill and seemed the logical way to go and Dr. Dre and Dave started in that direction. I went straight forward and Todd broke to my left. I was starting to doubt my shot but that deer would not have hit the dirt if I had missed…could it? I mean no blood. After about 10 minutes of searching Todd yells “found it”. Yippee my 6 point grew two more points and now equals eight. It is my personal best to date but I am waiting for that 14 pointer. We shoot the photos and start to clean the deer. David said that my bullet did not go into the deer but exploded in the brisket. How else could it have run 150+ yards? When we cleaned it the heart was blown to chunks, the lungs were sliced all over and one in half, the liver was just flat out missing and it blew his stomach and internals to paste. YUCK!!! That bullet was like a hand grenade in there and it still ran 150 yards?
Deer are pretty damn tough. We filled feeders and went home. I got about 150 pounds of meat to process and reflect upon.
Todd put up some pics.
