bigbendmarine
5 year old buck +
Only could find time for a single stand sit this past weekend.
Started out promising enough with a group of 3 does and a fawn entering my primary plot with about an hour of daylight remaining.
A few minutes later a group of about 4 more does sprinted across the plot. I was hopeful a big mature buck might be chasing them but instead it was a junior buck with a spike giving him what looked to be somewhat unwelcome company. Quick note on the blue tree tube, for those that might remember I pulled two complete swamp chestnut white oak acorns from the belly of a 10 point buck two falls ago... I planted them in two different plots and both are pushing leaves above the tree tubes now.
The bigger buck of the two fed just a bit then started randomly chasing does trying to check them out. Made for fun watching them run around but amidst the play I noticed ALL of the does NOT being chased go on full-alert and just as my hopes grew that it might be a mature buck coming in, I heard it... SQUEAL... SQUEAL!!!
All the deer ran out of the plot. With dark approaching I almost welcomed the chance to slip down undetected, figuring the pigs while nearby wouldn't likely cross the plot. But indeed they did, with live oaks dropping acorns behind the plot their destination. Actually got this game camera hit of them crossing (my stand is just out of the picture to the upper left hand corner).
Soon as the biggest sow stopped under the live oak, I sent a round downrange. Couldn't see her after the shot, but did watch as the other one sprinted away unaccompanied. Waited to full dark to get down and walked over to the spot I shot. Didn't see anything at first / she'd obviously moved from the spot of the shot, but after a minute or two checking the area I found GOOD blood and tracked it straight to her. As luck would have it she ran downhill about 50 yards into a ravine. Not going to lie, gave me a REAL workout pulling her back uphill. As picture shows she was no skinny-minnie... and glad I got her when I did as when cleaning her I found she was just days away from dropping seven more.
Stuffed her in a marine ice chest with the goal of taking her to be processed into sausage the next morning.
Wake up the next a.m., look out the window and lo and behold... HOGS running around in my FRONT yard scrounging up live oak acorns and hickory nuts. Grab my rifle, head out the front door staying completely downwind of them... and manage to get two before the rest in the sounder can escape. Two more sows!
Just to show how close to the house they were...
So versus taking just one, got to carry 3 nice ones to the processor. Close friends and relatives going to have some great smoked sausage for Christmas this year!
And end with photo of really cool setup the processor has dedicated for hog hunts... thermal camera at the front top that feeds to a screen he watches as he drives, and the Marine in me just loves the elevated chair gun mount in the back.
Started out promising enough with a group of 3 does and a fawn entering my primary plot with about an hour of daylight remaining.
A few minutes later a group of about 4 more does sprinted across the plot. I was hopeful a big mature buck might be chasing them but instead it was a junior buck with a spike giving him what looked to be somewhat unwelcome company. Quick note on the blue tree tube, for those that might remember I pulled two complete swamp chestnut white oak acorns from the belly of a 10 point buck two falls ago... I planted them in two different plots and both are pushing leaves above the tree tubes now.
The bigger buck of the two fed just a bit then started randomly chasing does trying to check them out. Made for fun watching them run around but amidst the play I noticed ALL of the does NOT being chased go on full-alert and just as my hopes grew that it might be a mature buck coming in, I heard it... SQUEAL... SQUEAL!!!
All the deer ran out of the plot. With dark approaching I almost welcomed the chance to slip down undetected, figuring the pigs while nearby wouldn't likely cross the plot. But indeed they did, with live oaks dropping acorns behind the plot their destination. Actually got this game camera hit of them crossing (my stand is just out of the picture to the upper left hand corner).
Soon as the biggest sow stopped under the live oak, I sent a round downrange. Couldn't see her after the shot, but did watch as the other one sprinted away unaccompanied. Waited to full dark to get down and walked over to the spot I shot. Didn't see anything at first / she'd obviously moved from the spot of the shot, but after a minute or two checking the area I found GOOD blood and tracked it straight to her. As luck would have it she ran downhill about 50 yards into a ravine. Not going to lie, gave me a REAL workout pulling her back uphill. As picture shows she was no skinny-minnie... and glad I got her when I did as when cleaning her I found she was just days away from dropping seven more.
Stuffed her in a marine ice chest with the goal of taking her to be processed into sausage the next morning.
Wake up the next a.m., look out the window and lo and behold... HOGS running around in my FRONT yard scrounging up live oak acorns and hickory nuts. Grab my rifle, head out the front door staying completely downwind of them... and manage to get two before the rest in the sounder can escape. Two more sows!
Just to show how close to the house they were...
So versus taking just one, got to carry 3 nice ones to the processor. Close friends and relatives going to have some great smoked sausage for Christmas this year!
And end with photo of really cool setup the processor has dedicated for hog hunts... thermal camera at the front top that feeds to a screen he watches as he drives, and the Marine in me just loves the elevated chair gun mount in the back.
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