OneCam
Well-Known Member
Here's a recap to our 2003 Live Hog hunt journal on Iowawhitetail - enjoy
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We arrived in camp at approximately 1pm after a restless 12 hour drive and a quick shower at our hotel room. For those you that followed last years hunt, this year there were no trailer light delays.
This is home for the next 3 days & Wayne in his underwear
Our Pre-Hunt Game Plan was to do a quick scouting trip and strategize our stand selection during the next three days.
Day 1
Temp 55 and overcast sky’s and showers were forcasted into the evening.
I elected to sit with Wayne the first evening to try and get some video.
We sat in a thick swampy area approximately 100 yards from one of the many feeders on the ranch. Steve Foulke actually found this location and set up the stand last year, which was very productive. Now we just refer to the stand site as “Steve’s Standâ€.
We had one close encounter with a lone boar toward the end of shooting light but were unable to position both the shooter and cameraman for a shot even though he came within 20 yards.
Shane elected to hunt another of our stand sites selected last year by Wayne. We call this stand site the “broken bowâ€, based on Wayne’s luck/misfortune in the stand last year. The stand is basically in a terrain funnel between bedding and feeding areas.
Shane played cat and mouse with a lone hog for most of the evening. Once in range, the hog fed behind brush for about ten minutes within 12 yards of Shane. Finally, the hog took about six steps straight away from Shane and gave him the shot he had been waiting for. The shot was right where he wanted it but it did not produce an exit wound. At dark a sudden down pour washed away all signs of the blood. We are going to have to wait until morning.
Greg was sitting in a new location that William prepared for our hunt. The area was very swampy but contained an extremely large amount of hog sign. We decided to name the spot “the swampâ€, because of the amount standing waiter in the vicinity. After erecting a blind Greg didn’t have to wait long for action!
He had in excess of 30 hogs come in all at once. To make a long story short he managed to take two shots as they moved through. After the second shot hogs went wild and ran in every direction one even bumped into the the blind. I sure hope he brought an extra pair of shorts. But as in Shane’s case the sudden rain washed away the blood trails and after a fruitless search we elected to wait until daybreak.
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Day 2
Temp 60
At sunrise we headed out in search of the Shane & Greg’s hogs, and once again we were greeted with torrential rains. To make another long story short unfortunately we were not able to locate any of the pigs even though we searched till around noon.
Even with our bad luck the afternoon looked promising because the weather cleared and were able to go to town to dry our clothes and grab a bite to eat. We decided to pair up and try our luck in the ground blinds for the afternoon hunt.
Greg and I decided a new spot located at a remote feeder. We set up and brushed in the ground blind on the down wind side of the feeder.
view of the blind
view from inside the blind
Right at sundown we had a huge boar come in and circle the feeder. We had no trouble seeing his tusks or ‘cutters’ as he came as close as 15 yards. His shear size reminded me of a buffalo! He was absolutely HUGE!. Unfortunately he seemed to catch our scent at the last minute and I was left only to watch him turn and leave in a hurry while I was a full draw. Just a short while later about 15 hogs came into the bait. We had a few intense moments as the hogs were in a true feeding frenzy at only 15 yards. I came to full draw and let down 4 times before the hog I wanted presented a shot. Finally I was given a clear 15 yard broadside shot after at least 5 minutes of waiting for the right shot and Greg pleading, “shoot, shoot …shootâ€. At the shot all hell broke loose, pigs scattered and left the scene in a flash. The arrow struck its mark and sizzled through the hogs chest. After a short wait we recovered the large sow just 40 yards from the shot.
My first HOG! The Sow tipped the scales at 200lb field dressed.
Shane and Wayne decided to sit at the swamp blind where Greg had so much luck the night before. After the all night rains they found the ground blind had 4-6 inches of water under it. After moving the blind to dry ground they sat the afternoon . The hunt produced only 2 raccoons and one opossum sighting. No hogs!
Stay tuned for our best day yet . . .
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Final Day of the Hunt – Part 1
Temp 40 / Windy
Its the final day and we are down to crunch time . . . thus far we have only one harvest. We all drew for stand locations for our final hunt and Wayne chose first because he had yet to get a shot.
Wayne chose the “broken bow†stand for his last night on stand. He was hoping to change his luck . . . as many of you remember he also sat in this stand last year during the last evening of the hunt and had a big boar in range but bad luck once again prevailed and no shots were presented.
Immediately after climbing into his stand a lengthy screaming noise caught his attention. About 5 minutes later Wayne turned just in time to see a huge Bobcat cross the creek 35 yards away. Despite his pleads on a predator call, the cat only gave a short glance before walking away. (Bobcats are legal game with a general license)
A short time later an enormous boar with long tusks approached the stand. The boar was as cautious as any animal he has ever seen. The boar made 10-15 approaches to his bait pile but would repeatedly flee into the brush. He did not offer Wayne a high percentage shot and eventually left for good. Wayne is one of the most self-controlled and ethical bowhunters I know, he is very picky with his shot placement and refuses to take a marginal shot at any game animal. He estimated the weight of this hog at 350-400 lbs!
Wayne is in police officer in Newton, IA
A half hour later a feeding coon ran for cover, this clued Wayne to pre-pair for the possibility of an approaching hog. A few seconds later Wayne spotted a medium sized boar as it strolled toward his location. The boar slowly approached and fed at ten yards for a short time. FINALLY a slightly quartering away shot presented itself and Wayne made good on his opportunity. The shot was perfect! The arrow hit its mark and blew through the opposite shoulder on its way out. The hog ran only 35 yards before it expired. More hogs came later but no other shots were presented. Congrats Wayne on your first Hog, your luck at the broken bow stand has finally changed!!
Wayne’s first Hog! Estimated weight - 150 lbs
Greg’s hunt started out miserable, he and his 4-wheeler got stuck in a steadily rising creek crossing, which resulted in soaked equipment and clothes. A trip to camp and a change of clothes found Greg sitting in the blind at the same location that Shane shot his hog last year.
Greg is enjoying his time in the blind with the heater.
While he did see approximately 8 hogs, and one big boar, no shots were presented because they came in just after shooting light. Better luck next year.
Stay tuned for part 2 of the final day . . .
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Final Day of the Hunt – Part 2
Shane decided to go back to the area that Wayne and I sat the first night. After moving the stand to accommodate for the wind, his excitement started early.
Here’s Shane’s version of the hunt, â€Oh Mama! Saturday night I climbed into stand around 3:30. I was not too sure about this spot. It was a good spot last year but this year it seemed to have the least activity. I deferred the spot I was going to sit to Wayne since he not yet had a shot and his baby girl wants daddy to bring her home a piggy! The pigs had really been hitting the bait hard so I was confident that Wayne would get a shot. On our way to our stands Wayne laughed that since we had switched spots, I would probably stick a big ole boar.
I had only been on stand 20 minutes when I saw my first animal. A huge bobcat came walking by at 70 yards. The thing was huge! It went walking towards Wayne and I didn’t see it again. After 2 1/2 hours later I thought I heard something crunch about 80 yards off. Sure enough, here comes a black and peach colored hog making his way towards me. I noticed right away that it was a boar based on the generous package. He looked big and my heart started pumping. I got into position. I was set up about 18 yards from the bait and was sure that this was a done deal. He continued browsing and I realized that he was going to walk on by and not come into the bait at all. I decided to take a shot. After my incident without recovering my first pig this trip, I wanted to make sure I got a perfect broadside shot. Once the pig was about broadside I drew my bow back and waited for him to take one more step. When he finally did, I took the shot at about 30 yards. I hit him a few inches higher than anticipated. He let out a squeal as he stumbled sideways and took off running and fell again within 15 yards flopping and squealing. He got up again and went about five more yards still stumbling and finally went down flopping and squealing. Not wanting to risk him getting up and running off, I grabbed my pistol and quickly climbed down and made my way towards him to make sure he was dead. As I slowly approached, this pig was not quite dead and got a sudden burst of energy when he saw me! Although not real easily, he stood up about 10 yards from me. He seemed a bit upset. He tried to lunge at me and I jumped behind a nearby tree trying to keep either distance or an object between us. I did not feel all that much safer since the tree I was behind only about 4â€inches in diameter. My heart was pumping as I recalled an article I read on these things tearing people up with their tusks. I did have my pistol but did not want to shoot the thing in the head in case my wife wanted this one mounted
Keeping my distance, I circled around and fired three rounds into this boar. The first one didn’t really affect him, but the second one put him down and a third did the job. My heart was pounding much too fast to be healthy. At that moment, a small branch or something fell out of a tree and dropped what seemed to be a just a few yards from me. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I spun ready to empty me clip into the herd of hogs that had surely come to take me out. Realizing how foolish I must look and grateful nobody was watching, I made my way back to my stand. I was so excited to have something to bring back from the hunt. I really wanted a mount out of this trip and it looks as if I got one. I sat for a couple of more hours and did not see anything else – which was just a good - I was eager to get back to the cabin and change my underwear.â€
NOW THAT WAS EXCITING . . . WELL SAID SHANE!
Shane’s trophy boar!
I decided to hunt a feeder that had signs of a lot of hog activity for my last evening. After placing a blind on the downwind side of the feeder and brushing it in, I settled in for the afternoon hunt.
I after a long wait and a few catnaps I was pleasantly surprised when approximately 10 hogs came into the feeder. Once again the hogs began a feeding frenzy. As I studied the group it was fairly apparent these pigs were hungry yet very cautious at this location. They continually spooked each other and fled the scene only to reappear and begin the frenzy again. After watching the group for more than 5 minutes I was not terribly impressed with the size of these hog but I did decide to take the largest in the group which appeared to be a sow. After a few moments she finally gave me the clear broadside shot I had waited for. At the release the sow squealed and pigs went everywhere. Once again I made a clean shot and the arrow passed through the boiler room. The sow piled up less than 50 yards from the shot.
My second hog! We estimated it to weigh 125lbs.
Stay tuned for the hunt synopsis
------------------------------------------
The hunt produced 4 kills but several other opportunities could have produced more. The four wheelers were again lifesavers and we would not even attempt to hunt this area without them. It was warmer this year but there was a lot more water, making rubber boots mandatory. As we learned last year, these pigs are smart and their sense of smell is second to none. Staying scent free and concentrating on afternoon hunts were our keys to success. We also had a great refresher on the anatomy of a wild hog. The chest cavity sits lower that expected on these animals with the top of the rib cage just above the center of the body. Aim Low! All in all we had a blast and the vote is unanimous . . . we can’t wait to return to hunt here again next year. What a way to fill the gap between deer season and turkey season!
Three happy and successful hunters!
------------------------------------------
We arrived in camp at approximately 1pm after a restless 12 hour drive and a quick shower at our hotel room. For those you that followed last years hunt, this year there were no trailer light delays.
This is home for the next 3 days & Wayne in his underwear
Our Pre-Hunt Game Plan was to do a quick scouting trip and strategize our stand selection during the next three days.
Day 1
Temp 55 and overcast sky’s and showers were forcasted into the evening.
I elected to sit with Wayne the first evening to try and get some video.
We sat in a thick swampy area approximately 100 yards from one of the many feeders on the ranch. Steve Foulke actually found this location and set up the stand last year, which was very productive. Now we just refer to the stand site as “Steve’s Standâ€.
We had one close encounter with a lone boar toward the end of shooting light but were unable to position both the shooter and cameraman for a shot even though he came within 20 yards.
Shane elected to hunt another of our stand sites selected last year by Wayne. We call this stand site the “broken bowâ€, based on Wayne’s luck/misfortune in the stand last year. The stand is basically in a terrain funnel between bedding and feeding areas.
Shane played cat and mouse with a lone hog for most of the evening. Once in range, the hog fed behind brush for about ten minutes within 12 yards of Shane. Finally, the hog took about six steps straight away from Shane and gave him the shot he had been waiting for. The shot was right where he wanted it but it did not produce an exit wound. At dark a sudden down pour washed away all signs of the blood. We are going to have to wait until morning.
Greg was sitting in a new location that William prepared for our hunt. The area was very swampy but contained an extremely large amount of hog sign. We decided to name the spot “the swampâ€, because of the amount standing waiter in the vicinity. After erecting a blind Greg didn’t have to wait long for action!
He had in excess of 30 hogs come in all at once. To make a long story short he managed to take two shots as they moved through. After the second shot hogs went wild and ran in every direction one even bumped into the the blind. I sure hope he brought an extra pair of shorts. But as in Shane’s case the sudden rain washed away the blood trails and after a fruitless search we elected to wait until daybreak.
------------------------------------------
Day 2
Temp 60
At sunrise we headed out in search of the Shane & Greg’s hogs, and once again we were greeted with torrential rains. To make another long story short unfortunately we were not able to locate any of the pigs even though we searched till around noon.
Even with our bad luck the afternoon looked promising because the weather cleared and were able to go to town to dry our clothes and grab a bite to eat. We decided to pair up and try our luck in the ground blinds for the afternoon hunt.
Greg and I decided a new spot located at a remote feeder. We set up and brushed in the ground blind on the down wind side of the feeder.
view from inside the blind
Right at sundown we had a huge boar come in and circle the feeder. We had no trouble seeing his tusks or ‘cutters’ as he came as close as 15 yards. His shear size reminded me of a buffalo! He was absolutely HUGE!. Unfortunately he seemed to catch our scent at the last minute and I was left only to watch him turn and leave in a hurry while I was a full draw. Just a short while later about 15 hogs came into the bait. We had a few intense moments as the hogs were in a true feeding frenzy at only 15 yards. I came to full draw and let down 4 times before the hog I wanted presented a shot. Finally I was given a clear 15 yard broadside shot after at least 5 minutes of waiting for the right shot and Greg pleading, “shoot, shoot …shootâ€. At the shot all hell broke loose, pigs scattered and left the scene in a flash. The arrow struck its mark and sizzled through the hogs chest. After a short wait we recovered the large sow just 40 yards from the shot.
My first HOG! The Sow tipped the scales at 200lb field dressed.
Shane and Wayne decided to sit at the swamp blind where Greg had so much luck the night before. After the all night rains they found the ground blind had 4-6 inches of water under it. After moving the blind to dry ground they sat the afternoon . The hunt produced only 2 raccoons and one opossum sighting. No hogs!
Stay tuned for our best day yet . . .
------------------------------------------
Final Day of the Hunt – Part 1
Temp 40 / Windy
Its the final day and we are down to crunch time . . . thus far we have only one harvest. We all drew for stand locations for our final hunt and Wayne chose first because he had yet to get a shot.
Wayne chose the “broken bow†stand for his last night on stand. He was hoping to change his luck . . . as many of you remember he also sat in this stand last year during the last evening of the hunt and had a big boar in range but bad luck once again prevailed and no shots were presented.
Immediately after climbing into his stand a lengthy screaming noise caught his attention. About 5 minutes later Wayne turned just in time to see a huge Bobcat cross the creek 35 yards away. Despite his pleads on a predator call, the cat only gave a short glance before walking away. (Bobcats are legal game with a general license)
A short time later an enormous boar with long tusks approached the stand. The boar was as cautious as any animal he has ever seen. The boar made 10-15 approaches to his bait pile but would repeatedly flee into the brush. He did not offer Wayne a high percentage shot and eventually left for good. Wayne is one of the most self-controlled and ethical bowhunters I know, he is very picky with his shot placement and refuses to take a marginal shot at any game animal. He estimated the weight of this hog at 350-400 lbs!
Wayne is in police officer in Newton, IA
A half hour later a feeding coon ran for cover, this clued Wayne to pre-pair for the possibility of an approaching hog. A few seconds later Wayne spotted a medium sized boar as it strolled toward his location. The boar slowly approached and fed at ten yards for a short time. FINALLY a slightly quartering away shot presented itself and Wayne made good on his opportunity. The shot was perfect! The arrow hit its mark and blew through the opposite shoulder on its way out. The hog ran only 35 yards before it expired. More hogs came later but no other shots were presented. Congrats Wayne on your first Hog, your luck at the broken bow stand has finally changed!!
Wayne’s first Hog! Estimated weight - 150 lbs
Greg’s hunt started out miserable, he and his 4-wheeler got stuck in a steadily rising creek crossing, which resulted in soaked equipment and clothes. A trip to camp and a change of clothes found Greg sitting in the blind at the same location that Shane shot his hog last year.
Greg is enjoying his time in the blind with the heater.
While he did see approximately 8 hogs, and one big boar, no shots were presented because they came in just after shooting light. Better luck next year.
Stay tuned for part 2 of the final day . . .
------------------------------------------
Final Day of the Hunt – Part 2
Shane decided to go back to the area that Wayne and I sat the first night. After moving the stand to accommodate for the wind, his excitement started early.
Here’s Shane’s version of the hunt, â€Oh Mama! Saturday night I climbed into stand around 3:30. I was not too sure about this spot. It was a good spot last year but this year it seemed to have the least activity. I deferred the spot I was going to sit to Wayne since he not yet had a shot and his baby girl wants daddy to bring her home a piggy! The pigs had really been hitting the bait hard so I was confident that Wayne would get a shot. On our way to our stands Wayne laughed that since we had switched spots, I would probably stick a big ole boar.
I had only been on stand 20 minutes when I saw my first animal. A huge bobcat came walking by at 70 yards. The thing was huge! It went walking towards Wayne and I didn’t see it again. After 2 1/2 hours later I thought I heard something crunch about 80 yards off. Sure enough, here comes a black and peach colored hog making his way towards me. I noticed right away that it was a boar based on the generous package. He looked big and my heart started pumping. I got into position. I was set up about 18 yards from the bait and was sure that this was a done deal. He continued browsing and I realized that he was going to walk on by and not come into the bait at all. I decided to take a shot. After my incident without recovering my first pig this trip, I wanted to make sure I got a perfect broadside shot. Once the pig was about broadside I drew my bow back and waited for him to take one more step. When he finally did, I took the shot at about 30 yards. I hit him a few inches higher than anticipated. He let out a squeal as he stumbled sideways and took off running and fell again within 15 yards flopping and squealing. He got up again and went about five more yards still stumbling and finally went down flopping and squealing. Not wanting to risk him getting up and running off, I grabbed my pistol and quickly climbed down and made my way towards him to make sure he was dead. As I slowly approached, this pig was not quite dead and got a sudden burst of energy when he saw me! Although not real easily, he stood up about 10 yards from me. He seemed a bit upset. He tried to lunge at me and I jumped behind a nearby tree trying to keep either distance or an object between us. I did not feel all that much safer since the tree I was behind only about 4â€inches in diameter. My heart was pumping as I recalled an article I read on these things tearing people up with their tusks. I did have my pistol but did not want to shoot the thing in the head in case my wife wanted this one mounted
NOW THAT WAS EXCITING . . . WELL SAID SHANE!
I decided to hunt a feeder that had signs of a lot of hog activity for my last evening. After placing a blind on the downwind side of the feeder and brushing it in, I settled in for the afternoon hunt.
I after a long wait and a few catnaps I was pleasantly surprised when approximately 10 hogs came into the feeder. Once again the hogs began a feeding frenzy. As I studied the group it was fairly apparent these pigs were hungry yet very cautious at this location. They continually spooked each other and fled the scene only to reappear and begin the frenzy again. After watching the group for more than 5 minutes I was not terribly impressed with the size of these hog but I did decide to take the largest in the group which appeared to be a sow. After a few moments she finally gave me the clear broadside shot I had waited for. At the release the sow squealed and pigs went everywhere. Once again I made a clean shot and the arrow passed through the boiler room. The sow piled up less than 50 yards from the shot.
My second hog! We estimated it to weigh 125lbs.
Stay tuned for the hunt synopsis
------------------------------------------
The hunt produced 4 kills but several other opportunities could have produced more. The four wheelers were again lifesavers and we would not even attempt to hunt this area without them. It was warmer this year but there was a lot more water, making rubber boots mandatory. As we learned last year, these pigs are smart and their sense of smell is second to none. Staying scent free and concentrating on afternoon hunts were our keys to success. We also had a great refresher on the anatomy of a wild hog. The chest cavity sits lower that expected on these animals with the top of the rib cage just above the center of the body. Aim Low! All in all we had a blast and the vote is unanimous . . . we can’t wait to return to hunt here again next year. What a way to fill the gap between deer season and turkey season!
Three happy and successful hunters!