Hog Hunt 2014 Day -1 and 1

I was determined not to leave early this year for hog hunting.
But, as the day got closer, the weather forecast deteriorated to the point that I decided it was more prudent to leave early.  The combination of the NWS Winter Weather Advisory, the several inches of snow and predicted wind causing drifting made me change my mind.  Two other factors played in as well, the direction of the storm would have meant that I would be in the snow for at least half of the day's drive, plus the ability to reserve an inexpensive hotel room.

After a full day of work on Friday, I headed south.  I was tired but made it to near Knoxville in good time with little traffic.  I was listening to the book The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko which is about how many people who are wealthy do no live like they are wealthy, which is why they are wealthy.  And, many people who do live like they are wealthy, are not.
It was a good book - full of lots of numbers.  I love it!
The basis to becoming rich for most of us mere mortals?

• Own your own business
• Be frugal
• Invest money wisely
• Have a spouse who is even cheaper and don't get divorced.

I did feel a little guilty listening to this sage advice while going on a guided (expensive) hunt and knowing there may be a new motorcycle in my future.  After finishing the book, I did wonder if the goal really is to almost never spend.  I'm a pretty cheap guy overall, but I wouldn't want to be rich if it meant sitting in a cold dark house all the time.  Being boring is much worse than not being rich.  Food for thought either way.

In contrast to the coming weather, the sunset was very nice in mid-Kentucky.  The Knoxville Econolodge was surprisingly nice for the price, probably one of the better niceness:price ratio hotels I've ever stayed at.

I woke up early on Saturday and checked the radar on my phone.  Snow was covering the area from north of home to south of the Tennessee/Kentucky border.  Time to hit the road after a to-go coffee from IHOP (the only place open when I left).
Going through the mountains on the Tennessee North Carolina border wasn't much fun or very pretty in the dark, but traffic was minimal.  The payoff from this was no bad weather and a beautiful sunrise shortly after entering South Carolina.

I don't know if leaving early was the right decision, but it wasn't the wrong one in that there were roads completely drifted over near home.

The Millionaire Next Door ended with a vignette about a rich guy, his investment condos, and his dog.  I really am not sure why the book ended on such a weak note, but only after reflecting could I see a tangential tie to the focus of the book.

I got to the lodge before noon and played junior plumber for a bit.  Rick was out feeding stands and with the very unusual (by SC standards) cold, several pipes had frozen, burst and caused the water pump to lose its prime.  Rick called a neighbor who after a few rounds of work had water resupplied to the lodge.

Already in camp was Dennis and Claude from Quebec who I hunted with last year and later that evening, Jerry and Jack from Maryland.

Since I was in camp early I hunted that night.  I was in a ground blind made from a scaffolding section on the "club land."  It wasn't cold but very windy.  After sitting on the stand for around a half hour, a group of very small piglets, still with stripes came out followed by mom.  It would have been an easy shot, but the piglets were very small and through the scope I could see it was likely that mom was still nursing.  No shot.

Several deer came out later but that was it for the night.  Sitting in the pitch black waiting to be picked up, a few deer came within a couple feet of the stand before snorting and taking off.

Back at the lodge that night, we all talked for a bit but as the talk got to politics (Canadian and US), I was very tired from the drive and turned in early.