2017 Hog Hunt Day 6 and 7

After early morning coffee, Rob, Jim and I joined Rick to drop Will off at school, then breakfast at Hardee's.  About the only time I ever eat fast food is when I'm in pig camp...
And for a final morning, we head out to feed up the stands.  Most of the stands had been hit, with only a few that looked like they weren't touched.  With temperatures forecast to be a bit cooler than the previous day, it was hopeful that activity would be good for a final day of hunting.

Back at the lodge, we talked outside, enjoying the nice weather.  Some napping, a walk down to the river for some physical activity to break up the lollygagging.  Then it was off for the final hunt of the week.

I was put on the back stand by Kyle's house.  I almost always see tons of deer in this area, and have seen hogs several times.  I'd have to think about it quite a bit to remember how many hogs I may have taken from the stands by Kyle's house; the hog activity looked good though.
It takes me a few minutes to get everything situated.  The blind has a very comfortable chair that is very easy to sit in quietly.

Having hunted hogs with Rick for over 10 years now, every year is fun, but different.  This year has probably been more fun than most, but I couldn't say why.  Rob, Jessie and Cody may not be coming back next year - I'll miss hanging out with such good company.
And as I'm looking at the hunt winding down, I know what may come next.  Despite the crazy hot South Carolina temperatures, winter is still likely to rear its ugly head.  I'll head home to the potential for the monotonous, feral ugliness of late winter and early spring.  Hunting seasons will be in the rear view mirror, but with spring and summer motorcycle adventures seemingly off forever on the horizon.  It may not be that bad, yet mentally preparing for it can be prudent just the same.  But maybe not, maybe being morose is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I put these thoughts out of my mind.  I still have an evening to hunt.  I have a drive home to (hopefully) enjoy - and other adventures are always being planned.

The afternoon is still.  The box blind I am in is tucked away from it all making it serene, especially compared to the stands nearer roads where people are driving by.  But with basically no wind, it is almost deafeningly quiet.
Quiet describes the afternoon.  No wind.  No deer.  Sadly, no hogs.
As things start to get dark, I bring my gun up in case things happen quickly.  This puts my phone out of reach and I can hear it vibrate telling me text messages are coming in.  I wonder if this means someone has gotten one, but with the phone out of immediate reach, I stay concentrated on what is outside my blind.

Darkness falls with nothing in the area.  Sadly, nobody else got a hog either.  This has likely been one of the toughest years of hog hunting.  I'm lucky to be going home with one.

We all get picked up and eat leftovers for dinner.  I sign up again for next year; I'm not quite sure how winter would proceed without a trip to South Carolina.  We BS for a while before turning in.
Everyone in camp has quite a drive ahead of them.
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I'm out the door near 4:00 to head home.  The temperature is cool with a little bit of fog.
The drive passes quickly as I'm listening to the rest of A Voyage Long and Strange.
Rain spits at me a few times throughout the first half of the drive, with brief periods of moderate rain.
Traffic remains tolerable throughout most of the day.  Interstate 26 comes to a standstill near Asheville.  I'm able to squeak off an exit, and take some smaller roads for a few miles before reentering the freeway.  Breaking up the interstate this way actually helps the drive to some extent.

A Voyage Long and Strange is really good.  It falls into the camp of books I really like:  non-fiction, but where the book is about the author as much as the subject.  It is a bit frightening how much mis/under-information exists about the early European exploration of North America.  Mr. Horwitz paints a picture of the Spanish explorers of the South and West so much more interestingly than history teachers did in school.
As happens too often, I get gas in exactly the wrong spot, paying $2.40 a gallon between areas where I see it for around $0.30 cheaper.
I finish the drive listening to a few RadioLab podcasts, before slogging through the radio for the final leg of the drive home.  Trump's inauguration was on NPR.  One of the things I like being on these adventures is that I totally ignore the moronity of the news while I'm gone.  A presidential inauguration is a harsh way to start to come back to reality.

Back at home, I unpack and clean up.  I'm too tired to take care of the hog meat, but it will sit contentedly on ice for another few hours.
Pig camp always goes by fast, but at the same time, the hotel stay a week previous seems very far in the rear view mirror.

2017 Hog Hunt Day 5

It was hot, but more on that in a bit.

After another early morning, we headed out to drop Will off at school and feed stands.  Will had some kind of a reaction to something - not poison ivy, but similar, so we detoured back to the lodge and Rick took will to the Doctor.

Benadryl and Claritin to the rescue, Will was back in fine form in no time.

Rick, Rob, Jim and I headed out to feed stands.  Many of the stands had not been hit well overnight, but not as bad as two days previous.  As we fed stands, the day began to warm considerably.  The early clouds dissipated and the sun baked South Carolina.

After baiting stands, Rick, Jim and I went to a gun store so Rick could drop off a Thompson Center rifle that was having firing pin issues.  As we headed back to the lodge, the outside temperature topped 80F - this is crazy hot for January, even for the South!  The heat is far from ideal for lots of early hog movement.

We had a little while to rest at the lodge before getting ready to head out.

I was at the newly (and humorously, if incorrectly named) Fish Snatch stand.  As I sat down and got situated, I realized that the corn pile being behind the deer fence (used to keep hogs out of the corn during deer season) would mean that I'd have to shoot through the fencing - which was not good.  Or I would have to shoot through weeds.  Neither of these are the best options.

I texted Rick and we talked it back and forth.  Ultimately, I said I would just make it work.

The first hour passed rather quickly.  I had just looked down to check to see if any messages had come through on my phone when I saw movement on the corn pile.  I got my gun ready, only to see that it was three deer.

The deer milled around eating corn for quite a while.  I thought I heard pigs off to the left a few times, but there was a lot of unusual noises and quite a bit of wind which made it hard to hear anything outside the enclosed blind.  Some jack-wad on the road kept driving past with the music blaring as well.

After the deer kept me company for a while, they looked off to the left and bolted to the right.  I figured this meant hogs were coming in, so I got my gun ready.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes, a good sized black hog walked out.  I didn't take long to think about it.  I wanted to take him (although I thought he was a sow at first) while he was behind the weeds.  Shooting through the fencing would have been a much higher risk.

I put the crosshairs at the base of the head and squeezed the trigger.  The gun report in the enclosed blind was deafeningly loud.

Looking through the scope, the hog was on the ground.  He kicked a few times and was still.  I watched him just in case for several more minutes.

I sent a few text messages, letting Rick and everyone else know.  Rick said he was heading in to get me.  Before Rick got there, another boar hog came out.  He walked over to the dead pig, then past him and starting eating corn.  He stayed in the area until Rick came to pick me up, and even stayed until we were nearly down at the corn pile.

Rick and I quickly and quietly got my hog into the truck.  Rick placated the rest of them that might be in the area by putting out more corn, and we were off.

Nobody else had seen any; it was actually surprising I had with the extreme heat of the afternoon.  Back at the lodge, Rick and Rob cleaned my hog while Jim and I went in to buy ice, other supplies in town at the grocery store.  He was a good sized eating boar somewhere in the 175 pound range.

Once back, the very recently deceased pig was put on ice as there was another day of hunting.  

Dinner that night was chicken and rice. 

With the extreme weather, I knew hunting was going to be tough and I know I was fortunate to be able to take another great hog.  The meat will be great once I get back home.

2017 Hog Hunt Day 4

Lizards and Skeeters...

I was up early and finished Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie, starting on Brief Encounters edited by Judith Kitchen.  Walleye got a little better, we'll see about Encounters.

Temperatures were cool, with quite a bit of fog.  This looked good for the afternoon if it continued.  It wasn't forecast to, however.
We left earlier than the previous mornings so that Will could be dropped off at school, then Rick, Rob and I went and fed stands.  In contrast to the previous day, most of the stands had been hammered hard overnight.  I guess after a night without eating, the hogs were now ready to eat.

By starting early, we were back at the lodge early for some serious lollygagging.  I just don't do sitting around and relaxing well.  Through the early afternoon the fog burned off, clouds mostly dissipated and temperatures rose to the mid-70's.  Normally warm temperatures are nice on vacation, but not so much on hog hunts.

Soon enough it was time to get ready and head out.  I was dropped off at the Sandy Bottom stand - which I was totally geeked about since it consistently looked good and the box blind it had would be very easy to stay comfortable.

It took a few minutes to get comfortable, but once situated I settled down to watch the corn pile.  Time passed relatively quickly, but there was little activity.  The box blind was quite warm and the only thing moving appeared to be the lizards.  They scampered around the inside of the blind and I could hear them at times running around on the outside as well.

I had high hopes as it started to get dark.  But nothing showed.  The mosquitoes took over the inside of the box blind, which made the waning minutes of the evening a bit painful.

I walked out to the road and was picked up a short time later.  Nobody had seen any pigs, just a few deer, turkeys and one bunny.  It was a quiet night all around.

We headed back to the lodge and sat down to eat lasagna, before turning in for the night - hopeful that the warm weather forecasts change, or the pigs start moving earlier anyway.

2017 Hog Hunt Day 3

After another atypically good sleep, I woke up early for coffee and read for a while until everyone else starting stirring.

Rick, Rob and I headed out a little earlier than normal to feed stands.  Most of the stands looked terrible.  It isn't unusual to have a couple pig stands not be touched, but most of the stands had no visible activity.  In addition to being unusual, it was somewhat alarming and even frustrating.
We checked all the stands and put corn out to the few that had been hit.

Back at the lodge, we had a bit too much time to lollygag around.  I took a walk down to the river and back.  The lack of activity through the day in pig camp can be a bit much.

Another hunter, Jim, came into camp later in the afternoon.  He wasn't hunting, but was getting ready for the next three days.

We headed out again for the afternoon hunt.  I was dropped off first on the stand by the Great Pee Dee River.  It was cloudy with extremely pleasant temperatures - much cooler than the previous day.
After a little over an hour, I finally had movement.  It wasn't pigs, but seeing deer at least gave me something to watch.

They hung around the corn pile for about 20 minutes before moving off.
About another hour passed before a coyote came out onto the 2-track.  I watched it, trying to decide if I should shoot it.  But I wasn't going to eat it - I really don't want a coyote mount.  Indecision made the decision as he disappeared into the small pine trees.

As it started to get dark, the phone started to buzz as we discussed by text what everyone was seeing (or not), including commentary by Joe.
This was followed by a quiet period, then a text from Rob that a pig was down!  At least someone got one.

At dark, I quietly got out of the stand and walked back to the rendezvous point.  As I waited in the darkness, I heard a pig squeal from the direction of my corn pile.  Too often, just a bit too late.
I was picked up, and we headed back to the lodge.  Cody's pig was a big fat red and black spotted sow.

Cody lost his bag somewhere along the way, Rob and Cody went to look for it and didn't find it anywhere obvious.  He must have been too excited about the pig...

After the pig was gutted, we all sat down to Will's Axis Deer steaks.  With Jim in camp, there were more lies to be told (and he is even originally from Michigan!).

2017 Hog Hunt Day 2

After a fantastic night of sleep, I was up early, drinking coffee and reading Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie (Peggy Wolff).  There just are not enough good books about the Midwest, and Fried Walleye is just a little too Chicago-centric.

After a sunrise showing a bright clear day - very un-Midwest-winter-like, we had a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and grits, with emphasis on the bacon.

Rick, Rob and I went out to feed stands.  Many of them had been hit well overnight, including the Hansel and Gretel line of corn.
The day warmed nicely, with little in the way of wind or clouds.

Fish-Snatch.

After feeding stands, we had a little bit of time at the lodge before heading out to hunt hogs.  Jessie and I went off to some muddy stands, while Rob and Cody headed out to another spot off the dirt road.

Getting settled in the stands, it was probably the warmest weather I've sat in a tree stand since bear hunting in 2014, and it was likely warmer than was even experienced then.  Low 70's and so little wind that I almost didn't dare even breathe.

It was quiet and pleasant until around 45 minutes before dark.  Then the wind picked up and started to swirl, spending too much time blowing from behind me toward the corn pile.
There was one shot that I thought was from Jessie, but it was from somewhere beyond her.
While pleasant, it was also too quiet.  No hogs, no deer, almost no movement of any kind.  The most interesting mammal seen was a bat.
Nobody saw anything which meant heading back to the lodge for oven spaghetti and more BSing before turning in for the night.

2017 Hog Hunt Day 1 (Drive Day)

Around 2:00 AM someone outside the hotel room was making more noise than was appreciated.  Once awake, I fitfully tried to sleep but couldn't.  Free breakfast started at 6:00.  Being wide awake, I decided it wasn't worth the wait; I got up, putzed around a bit before checking out and hitting the road around 4:15.

It was dark and foggy, but I nearly had the road to myself.  Instead of taking the interstate, I jumped on to US25E.  I like this road a lot better than going to/around Knoxville, but with it being so dark and so foggy, it wasn't the scenic drive it usually is.
At one foggy point, there was a doe in the high-speed lane as I zoomed past in the right lane.  Way too close in an almost new vehicle with hundreds of more miles to go.

Time and miles past quickly.  Without free breakfast, I bought some Pop Tarts and cookies at a gas station.  They were good, but almost too much sweet...

Once in Southern South Carolina, the weather started to improve.  Fog lifted, and it got much sunnier and warmer.  Pulling into Rick's, it was almost warm enough for short!

At the lodge, I unpacked and sat around for a bit.  Rick was selling a shotgun to someone he knew who lost his while duck hunting - the situation didn't sound very good.  Then we went out to feed hog stands and grab game cameras.
At one stand, Will and I sat in the back of the Truck playing Hansel and Gretel, leaving a trail of corn to hopefully draw some pigs to a new pile that was destined for a world famous ground blind.

Back at the lodge, Rob, Jessie and Cody were there.  We all told lies for a while.
We looked at the game camera, all showed several hogs, most of the pictures being after dark.  The exception was one stand which showed many hogs starting late evening.
With the early morning and long drive, I was exhausted.  After a great meal of cubed venison and rich/mushrooms, I was done, turning in early for one of the best sleeps I've had in a while.

2017 Hog Hunt Day 0

I was being cautious.  Probably overly cautious.  But weather has chased me down to hunt hogs several times, so this isn't unusual.
Freezing rain was predicted, likely only to impact the first hundred miles or so of travel.  But with hotel points that were going to expire anyway, there were less reasons not to head out early - the only remaining reason being a bit of hassle that a night in a hotel costs.

So I scooted out of work early after a relatively productive 8 hours and packed up the truck, ready to head out.  I always forget something, but I'm not sure what it will be this time.

I drove a couple hundred miles south, putting me into the area of Kentucky with rain, but well away from the freezing rain.  The drive was relatively uneventful.  A little traffic here and there.  A few pellets of sleet in Northern Kentucky.

I was listening to A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz.  I had read/listened to his book Blue Latitudes several times before going to Hawaii and I really like his writing.  Voyage was starting out well.

Once into Kentucky, the rain picked up, with temperatures well above any worry point.  But the rain did make driving a bit tougher.  This is the maiden trip for the Ridgeline, not a long enough day to really get a feel for it; Saturday will be though.

I got to the hotel in London and fueled up for an early departure.  The Old Town Grill smelled really good, but I didn't want to deal with all the traffic around there.  So I just stopped at Subway for a to-go meatball sub and a soda from the gas station.  It was still early, but it had also been a long day.

Cookies and cream ice cream ended my evening.