After breakfast Rick, Claude, Dennis and fed some of the stands near the lodge. While driving up to the stand where Claude was the previous night we saw a very large sow with some too-old piglets in tow. She was a near monster and probably at least in the 250 pound range. After she crossed the 2-track a second sow came across - not as large but still a very respectable pig. It is a little unusual to see them running around near the middle of the day.
After feeding stands and heading back to the lodge for a few minutes to rest, we all loaded up gear and put on camo for the night's hunt. I ended up driving out to the plantation with Will while all the rest of the crew went in Rick's truck.
We fed a few stands near the Georgetown plantation before Rick dropped us off. I ended up sitting near the south point in a ladder stand. It was close enough to the road that there was a constant din of traffic and I could occasionally catch a glimpse of cars through the trees.
Between myself and the corn pile were the remnants of an old wooden tree stand. Even when it was new I don't think it looked very safe. It serves as a lesson why homemade tree stands are not always the best option. Or, at least how they need to be vigilantly checked, and constantly fixed or abandoned at some point.
After being on the stand for a couple hours, several pigs came out. Rick had said there were a couple 50 pounders showing up regularly, but larger ones as well. I pondered taking one of the pigs as they looked to be closer to 75 pounds (great eating size), possibly a bit more. I've always wanted a black and white spotted pig, and while there was one in the group, it was by far the smallest.
After some time, the pigs left and all was quiet again for some time. I was started to second-guess the decision to not shoot and decided if they came back I would.
After 15 minutes to ponder this, I heard crashing and stomping to the right. This was followed shortly by a bigger group of much bigger pigs along with some smaller ones.
The pigs were in constant motion and with the large group of them it was hard to single one out for a good head shot without having other pigs very nearby and/or behind. This was probably the longest I've had shooters in front of me without being able to actually shoot. It was a little nerve-wracking.
Finally, as it was getting darker, one of the larger pigs was off to the right by itself. Settling the crosshairs on his head, the gunshot overshadowed the noise from the road for a brief instant. Pigs scattered but my pig dropped at the shot.
I kept the scope on the pig for several minutes to ensure it was over. After several minutes without any motion, I knew the day's hunt was successful. Even with the shot, only several minutes later a few more pigs came out.
I waited in the darkness to be picked up. While waiting, I could hear more scurrying in the bush. Sitting quietly, it was evident that there were still pigs running around the area. After a while on the stand, I was the last person Rick picked up. We got my pig on the truck but somehow I lost my flashlight - probably while getting out of the tree stand.
Both Dennis and Claude had connected on very respectable porkers. Jerry and Jack had both shot but failed to hit. It happens, so do cut shirt tails. Claude had shot the largest - a sow nearing 200 pounds. My pig ended up being about 150 pound boar. He will be tasty.
Rick skinning and cleaning a hog is a work of art and all three were in the hanger cooler before long. Having three clean head shots helps. If the other two had been killed, it would have been quite a night's operation.
Will had school the next day so after hanging, we high-tailed it back to the lodge, then Claude, Dennis and I headed to Subway for dinner. This followed very shortly by turning in for the night; a good night.
No comments:
Post a Comment