After a quick shower and packing up the rest of my stuff I was out the door by 4:00 AM.
I headed north and west - I've done this trip so many times that it almost seems like it happens on autopilot. I got near Columbia just near the beginning of rush hour, but against most of the traffic, it was fairly easy to get through.
Temperatures hovered between the low 20's and near freezing with more changes than I would have expected. A beautiful sunrise came in the rear view mirror. This is a big difference from the trip to South Carolina.
Similarly, the amount of snow on the ground fluctuated between none and a noticeable amount - especially in the shadows.
I listened to I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This an autobiography by Bob Newhart. It was surprisingly and disappointingly bad. This was followed up by Part 1 of a Libravox recording of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift - which was surprisingly good and easy to listen to. My mind was wandering for parts of it though; I may have to relisten to it again at some point and finish the whole book. By that point in the trip, the 11 hour book was too long to finish. I ended my drive listening to a bunch of NPR podcasts that I had downloaded. These were a whirlwind of interesting stories and people, regret, bad decisions...
Soon enough, I was home. The dogs seemed happy to see me. I unloaded and cleaned up much of my hunting stuff. Once SO was home the sausage was made into patties and transferred into smaller bags. The loins were still too frozen, so that will have to wait a day.
Every year, hog hunting is a bit different. Since the loss of the plantation, it hasn't been as good, but despite my single hog, this year (overall in camp) was much better. The weather helped a lot with that I am sure.
I keep asking myself how much longer I'm going to continue to do this. It looks like at least one more year and if it is anything like this year, I'm quite happy about that.
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Thursday, January 18, 2018
2018 Hog Hunt Day 6
The morning started a little slow as school was delayed for Will due to the possibility of icy roads (although they were fine). But after the slow start, Rick took Ken and Neil to drop Will off and feed stands. Jim and I went to the shooting range.
Jim's rifle was several inches low - which likely explains his previous day's miss. Back with a zeroed rifle, we stopped in town for some ice an lunch before heading back to the lodge for lollygag time.
Two O'clock rolled around soon enough and we headed out to hunt. I was dropped off at a "world famous" blind that had looked good all week. I think Jim had sat here his first evening.
The afternoon was sunny and cool, but in my snow suit in the sun, it was hot until the sun went behind trees. It took a bit to get comfortable in the chair, especially since the chair was on a somewhat painful angle.
Deer meandered in and out of the corn pile most of the afternoon. There were a few times when the deer left in such a way that I thought hogs might be in the area, but no hogs showed up. At one point near dark I did hear something walking through the woods across the 2-track from me. It was shortly after the deer had bolted out of the area. I don't know what it was, but I was quite sure it wasn't a hog as hogs almost always scurry - whatever this was, it didn't sound like a hog.
I was facing west and shooting light ended fast; my hog hunting for 2018 ended with the shadows.
Nobody else in camp got a hog. Ken had two very small ones come in, followed by a very large one which was probably the bar hog. What I found very odd was that he had enough light to see the color of the hog, but said it was too dark to shoot. Either he has a really crappy scope, or he is very conservative...
Back at the lodge, Ken and Neil packed up to leave as Neil had a flight out the following day. Jim and I talked a bit before packing up to head out in the morning.
After coming to hunt hogs in South Carolina for well over 10 years, this has probably been the coldest week ever. A few cold days are not unusual, but almost all week was uncharacteristically cold.
Still, it was fun as it always is. Jim and I both booked up again for 2019. I sometimes wonder if I should keep doing this. It isn't cheap and I don't get as many hogs as when we hunted the plantation. But I'm just not sure what January would be without it.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
2018 Hog Hunt Day 5
After the previous day's excitement, I had a bit of a hard time sleeping. Once I was able to fall asleep, I slept OK.
I got up and poked around online; I'd already finished the book I had for the trip. Temperatures were warm compared to the previous few days. But the forecast was for rain later in the day with temperatures dropping. Snow was even a possibility late - a rarity in southern South Carolina.
Jim and I went with Rick to drop Will off and feed up the stands. Most of the stands looked good and with the cold front coming through I had a feeling it could be an exciting night.
Back at the lodge there was some down time. Neil and Ken came in from Manhattan and nearby South Carolina respectively. I can honestly say this is the first time I've ever been in a hunting camp with someone from Manhattan. He may be the only Manhattanite to ever add hog hunting to his resume.
We all talked a bit before heading out.
I was dropped off at the Sandy Bottom stand. There were two deer on the pile as I walked up and I was able to get into the stand without spooking them. They hung around for a little less than an hour before they left. Then I was on my own for quite some time. There was still stuff to watch, including a cool hawk that sat in front of me for a while.
Weather during the afternoon was unpleasant. It rained off and on, heavily at times. Temperatures were tolerable in the low 40's. I was appreciative of the roof on the box blind.
Towards sunset, I saw a dark spot on the corn pile and brought the gun up. On closer inspection, it was the ass end of a deer, but in the low light with all the clouds it definitely didn't look like a deer at first. I sat there as long as I could hoping that hogs would come in. Text reports from Rick were that everyone else had seen hogs and shot at them.
Sadly, as it got dark, nothing but deer was seen and there was no subsequent noise from my rifle.
Back at the truck, Neil had shot two good eating size hogs (although he subsequently decided not to eat them and gave the meat to Rick). Jim had shot at two hogs, or more likely the same hog twice, and missed. Ken had shot at a hog near dark and put the bullet over top of it.
While I appreciated the roof on the box blind, I would have rather put up with the rain and seen hogs.
Back at camp, Rick gutted the hogs. Both Jim and Ken had their shirt tails cut which is the Southern tradition for what needs to be done after a miss while hunting.
Winston stopped by with the ground sausage meat from my hog. It looked good and the seasonings smelled good. Temperatures overnight were expected to be in the low 20's so I wasn't too concerned with the meat at this point.
Dinner that night was ramen again, which felt pretty paltry compared to Neil and Ken's steaks. They went big for dinner since they are only in camp one night.
I knew with the weather that hogs were likely. And they were for most in camp. That is the way it works - I was glad Jim got a shot at one - just wish I could have as well. But either way, it was a good day.
I got up and poked around online; I'd already finished the book I had for the trip. Temperatures were warm compared to the previous few days. But the forecast was for rain later in the day with temperatures dropping. Snow was even a possibility late - a rarity in southern South Carolina.
Jim and I went with Rick to drop Will off and feed up the stands. Most of the stands looked good and with the cold front coming through I had a feeling it could be an exciting night.
Back at the lodge there was some down time. Neil and Ken came in from Manhattan and nearby South Carolina respectively. I can honestly say this is the first time I've ever been in a hunting camp with someone from Manhattan. He may be the only Manhattanite to ever add hog hunting to his resume.
We all talked a bit before heading out.
I was dropped off at the Sandy Bottom stand. There were two deer on the pile as I walked up and I was able to get into the stand without spooking them. They hung around for a little less than an hour before they left. Then I was on my own for quite some time. There was still stuff to watch, including a cool hawk that sat in front of me for a while.
Weather during the afternoon was unpleasant. It rained off and on, heavily at times. Temperatures were tolerable in the low 40's. I was appreciative of the roof on the box blind.
Towards sunset, I saw a dark spot on the corn pile and brought the gun up. On closer inspection, it was the ass end of a deer, but in the low light with all the clouds it definitely didn't look like a deer at first. I sat there as long as I could hoping that hogs would come in. Text reports from Rick were that everyone else had seen hogs and shot at them.
Sadly, as it got dark, nothing but deer was seen and there was no subsequent noise from my rifle.
Back at the truck, Neil had shot two good eating size hogs (although he subsequently decided not to eat them and gave the meat to Rick). Jim had shot at two hogs, or more likely the same hog twice, and missed. Ken had shot at a hog near dark and put the bullet over top of it.
While I appreciated the roof on the box blind, I would have rather put up with the rain and seen hogs.
Back at camp, Rick gutted the hogs. Both Jim and Ken had their shirt tails cut which is the Southern tradition for what needs to be done after a miss while hunting.
Winston stopped by with the ground sausage meat from my hog. It looked good and the seasonings smelled good. Temperatures overnight were expected to be in the low 20's so I wasn't too concerned with the meat at this point.
Dinner that night was ramen again, which felt pretty paltry compared to Neil and Ken's steaks. They went big for dinner since they are only in camp one night.
I knew with the weather that hogs were likely. And they were for most in camp. That is the way it works - I was glad Jim got a shot at one - just wish I could have as well. But either way, it was a good day.
2018 Hog Hunt Day 4 - Hogs 'n Dogs
Will had school so it was out the door early to drop him off and then feed up the hog stands. Everywhere continues to look good as far as sign goes - timing is everything.
While feeding hogs, Rick asked me if I wanted to go after hogs with dogs. Since Rick doesn't hunt with dogs, and I'm never sure if I'm supposed to take him seriously, I hemmed a bit - not knowing if this was some setup or attempt at a savage burn.
It turned it he was serious as he had some friends who were going to go after hogs at night on a field that was just ate up with them. Life is about trying new things, so I said sure - I'm in. It would cost me a bit, but I'm already in on this trip more than I should be - what is a little more.
After a couple hours, I was back at the lodge for some late morning and early afternoon lollygagging. I don't do sitting around well but forced relaxation might be good sometimes. I finished my David Foster Wallace book and wondered if I might be the only person in the history of the earth to have read a book by DFW while hunting wild boar?
Jim came in toward early afternoon and we talked for a while - mostly about our various travels. He had seen the eclipse (partial anyways) in Chadron, Nebraska, just outside of totality and approximately 50 miles from where I was on that day.
Soon enough, it was time to head out for an afternoon hog hunt. We loaded up and headed out. I was dropped off at the pet cemetery stand - an elevated box blind overlooking a big rooted up field. The ladder to the blind was quite scary...
But the stand was comfortable enough and I got quickly situated and a bit sleepy - this was the warmest day of the trip, with temps in the upper 40's.
After about an hour, I saw movement, and a group of deer came in.
I guess they must have been in a really good mood since the whole group of them were playing and sparring. It isn't unusual to see this, but it is really fun to see.
They hung around for a while before working their way out of view. This happened a couple more times. About an hour before dark, I saw movement again and at first thought it was hogs - seeing more deer come out instead.
The deer fed on the corn for a few minutes before all running away to the left. I thought this was a good sign that hogs were coming from the right. About a half an hour later, more deer came out and at least a couple of them stayed on the corn pile until it was too dark to shoot. Because I was looking west into the shadows, I lost light very early compared to the previous days' hunts.
On to Plan B.
After being picked up, Rick stopped at a small church where two pickups were waiting with a small group of guys. It was Rick's friend Winston (also of the hog sausage connection), his son Neil; Andy and his son Drew. We talked for a bit before I got in Winston's truck. Rick, Will and Jim went on back to the lodge.
The field we were dog-hunting in had many deer in it when we pulled up. Winston first let loose his younger dogs which were still partially in-training. They had issues with deer, and did some chasing. All the dogs have GPS collars so they could be watched as to where they were. It was interesting to see the dogs running loose looking for ... whatever.
At some point, Winston decided the young dogs were not ready given that they hadn't hogged up and and due to the many deer. He called the younger ones back and pulled out his more experienced dog. It ran for a while, and finally caught up with something. The younger guys hauled into the woods after it, with Andy and I behind. It was as thick with brush and as swampy as should be expected in South Carolina Low Country. Winston soon yelled to head back as whatever it was was in a tree - probably a raccoon or something.
Hunting hogs with dogs is a lot of Hurry Up and Wait.
We took the dogs to another field that had a lot more hog sign. Soon enough, Winston's dog was on the scent of something. We watched it on the GPS units and headed out after it - ending up on (or at least very near) Rick's NG field. I'm not sure how pleased Rick would be with that? I guess I'll find out ... maybe.
We got close to where the dog and hog were. Waiting for the right kind of bark, we stayed silent for a few minutes. Something was coming through the woods. We lighted it up and saw a piglet. Winston let the dog loose and he grabbed it - it wasn't gentle, but it was surprisingly non-vicious too. The pig did squeal like a ... well ... cornered pig.
Andy got the dog off the pig and picked it up. Despite all the noise, it was kind of cute. All the noise made Winston's bay dog come back, which ruined any chance of getting the bigger hog. All the dogs were called back.
Andy and I made sure the piglet was ok, before setting her loose. Andy thought about bringing it home to raise - which would have been illegal. Even though everyone in the group has no issues killing hogs, and has no love for them and the destruction their feral nature brings, nobody even though about dispatching the little gal. This does say something about human nature and what many misinformed people think about hunters.
Still, none of us are about to turn vegan.
It was dark, cold and late. Winston dropped me off at the lodge. Everyone else was in bed by this time so it felt a little like sneaking in to my parents house after a night of carousing when I was in high school. I was hungry, but didn't want to make the noise that making food would have made. And I was tired.
It would have been very interesting to see a dog hog hunt end with a big pig, but it was still quite an experience and watching the dogs work was truly fascinating.
While feeding hogs, Rick asked me if I wanted to go after hogs with dogs. Since Rick doesn't hunt with dogs, and I'm never sure if I'm supposed to take him seriously, I hemmed a bit - not knowing if this was some setup or attempt at a savage burn.
It turned it he was serious as he had some friends who were going to go after hogs at night on a field that was just ate up with them. Life is about trying new things, so I said sure - I'm in. It would cost me a bit, but I'm already in on this trip more than I should be - what is a little more.
After a couple hours, I was back at the lodge for some late morning and early afternoon lollygagging. I don't do sitting around well but forced relaxation might be good sometimes. I finished my David Foster Wallace book and wondered if I might be the only person in the history of the earth to have read a book by DFW while hunting wild boar?
Jim came in toward early afternoon and we talked for a while - mostly about our various travels. He had seen the eclipse (partial anyways) in Chadron, Nebraska, just outside of totality and approximately 50 miles from where I was on that day.
Soon enough, it was time to head out for an afternoon hog hunt. We loaded up and headed out. I was dropped off at the pet cemetery stand - an elevated box blind overlooking a big rooted up field. The ladder to the blind was quite scary...
But the stand was comfortable enough and I got quickly situated and a bit sleepy - this was the warmest day of the trip, with temps in the upper 40's.
After about an hour, I saw movement, and a group of deer came in.
I guess they must have been in a really good mood since the whole group of them were playing and sparring. It isn't unusual to see this, but it is really fun to see.
They hung around for a while before working their way out of view. This happened a couple more times. About an hour before dark, I saw movement again and at first thought it was hogs - seeing more deer come out instead.
The deer fed on the corn for a few minutes before all running away to the left. I thought this was a good sign that hogs were coming from the right. About a half an hour later, more deer came out and at least a couple of them stayed on the corn pile until it was too dark to shoot. Because I was looking west into the shadows, I lost light very early compared to the previous days' hunts.
On to Plan B.
After being picked up, Rick stopped at a small church where two pickups were waiting with a small group of guys. It was Rick's friend Winston (also of the hog sausage connection), his son Neil; Andy and his son Drew. We talked for a bit before I got in Winston's truck. Rick, Will and Jim went on back to the lodge.
The field we were dog-hunting in had many deer in it when we pulled up. Winston first let loose his younger dogs which were still partially in-training. They had issues with deer, and did some chasing. All the dogs have GPS collars so they could be watched as to where they were. It was interesting to see the dogs running loose looking for ... whatever.
At some point, Winston decided the young dogs were not ready given that they hadn't hogged up and and due to the many deer. He called the younger ones back and pulled out his more experienced dog. It ran for a while, and finally caught up with something. The younger guys hauled into the woods after it, with Andy and I behind. It was as thick with brush and as swampy as should be expected in South Carolina Low Country. Winston soon yelled to head back as whatever it was was in a tree - probably a raccoon or something.
Hunting hogs with dogs is a lot of Hurry Up and Wait.
We took the dogs to another field that had a lot more hog sign. Soon enough, Winston's dog was on the scent of something. We watched it on the GPS units and headed out after it - ending up on (or at least very near) Rick's NG field. I'm not sure how pleased Rick would be with that? I guess I'll find out ... maybe.
We got close to where the dog and hog were. Waiting for the right kind of bark, we stayed silent for a few minutes. Something was coming through the woods. We lighted it up and saw a piglet. Winston let the dog loose and he grabbed it - it wasn't gentle, but it was surprisingly non-vicious too. The pig did squeal like a ... well ... cornered pig.
Andy got the dog off the pig and picked it up. Despite all the noise, it was kind of cute. All the noise made Winston's bay dog come back, which ruined any chance of getting the bigger hog. All the dogs were called back.
Andy and I made sure the piglet was ok, before setting her loose. Andy thought about bringing it home to raise - which would have been illegal. Even though everyone in the group has no issues killing hogs, and has no love for them and the destruction their feral nature brings, nobody even though about dispatching the little gal. This does say something about human nature and what many misinformed people think about hunters.
Still, none of us are about to turn vegan.
It was dark, cold and late. Winston dropped me off at the lodge. Everyone else was in bed by this time so it felt a little like sneaking in to my parents house after a night of carousing when I was in high school. I was hungry, but didn't want to make the noise that making food would have made. And I was tired.
It would have been very interesting to see a dog hog hunt end with a big pig, but it was still quite an experience and watching the dogs work was truly fascinating.
Monday, January 15, 2018
2018 Hog Hunt Day 3
Will was going to spend time with his mom, so Rick and I went to feed hog stands at daylight. Most of the stands were hit, even the stand I shot my hog on was rooted up overnight so the shot and getting the hog didn't bugger things up.
Back at the lodge after baiting, I spent a bit of time reading, watching TV and semi-napping. The day was super clear and it looked like it should be warm outside, but it wasn't.
A little after 2:00, I got ready to go out for the evening. Rick dropped me off on a stand where a bar hog had been seen a few times on game cameras. No idea where it came from, but he was a big one.
The stand was a ground blind with a treestand at the other end of the location. The chair in the ground blind was just a tiny bit too low to shoot comfortably. I set the rear legs on the ledge of the ground blind to give myself another inch. It helped, but it was still a bit lower than I would have liked.
Temperatures were cool, but the sun was at least somewhat warm. After sitting for a little over an hour I saw movement. It turned out to be just a deer. I watched it for around 10 minutes before it sauntered off.
Another half hour later three deer came out from just underneath the other treestand. They stayed for quite a while before working their way out of the area. They came back a couple times and at one point bolted out of the area - this got me hoping that hogs were coming in, but it was just a spindly 4-point buck.
Towards dark things got very, very still. All the wind stopped, making things church-like quiet. I didn't even dare breath. I love those tranquil moments while hunting. People who don't hunt don't know what they are missing.
At one point, a coyote started howling in front of me toward the left which set off a bunch of coyote yipping toward the right. That is a magical sound if there ever was one.
As things started to get dark only one deer remained on the corn pile. About five minutes before 6:00 it bolted off to the left like it had the fear of God in it. I knew this meant hogs were coming in and brought my gun up.
Sadly, as it got darker and darker, no hogs showed up. I survived the five minute period when I could still shoot, but probably shouldn't without seeing anything. Then I carefully and quietly unloaded my gun and made my way out of the area. Rick was waiting for me when I got to the rendezvous point.
Rick had to go get Will, so it was Ramen for me for dinner. Jim was supposed to be coming into camp, but he wasn't in yet. Perhaps he was coming in on the next day and starting his hunt then.
I'll be honest and say I prefer hog hunting to end with a hog on the ground, but the placid evening, coyotes and time spent in the field is time well spent.
Back at the lodge after baiting, I spent a bit of time reading, watching TV and semi-napping. The day was super clear and it looked like it should be warm outside, but it wasn't.
A little after 2:00, I got ready to go out for the evening. Rick dropped me off on a stand where a bar hog had been seen a few times on game cameras. No idea where it came from, but he was a big one.
The stand was a ground blind with a treestand at the other end of the location. The chair in the ground blind was just a tiny bit too low to shoot comfortably. I set the rear legs on the ledge of the ground blind to give myself another inch. It helped, but it was still a bit lower than I would have liked.
Temperatures were cool, but the sun was at least somewhat warm. After sitting for a little over an hour I saw movement. It turned out to be just a deer. I watched it for around 10 minutes before it sauntered off.
Another half hour later three deer came out from just underneath the other treestand. They stayed for quite a while before working their way out of the area. They came back a couple times and at one point bolted out of the area - this got me hoping that hogs were coming in, but it was just a spindly 4-point buck.
Towards dark things got very, very still. All the wind stopped, making things church-like quiet. I didn't even dare breath. I love those tranquil moments while hunting. People who don't hunt don't know what they are missing.
At one point, a coyote started howling in front of me toward the left which set off a bunch of coyote yipping toward the right. That is a magical sound if there ever was one.
As things started to get dark only one deer remained on the corn pile. About five minutes before 6:00 it bolted off to the left like it had the fear of God in it. I knew this meant hogs were coming in and brought my gun up.
Sadly, as it got darker and darker, no hogs showed up. I survived the five minute period when I could still shoot, but probably shouldn't without seeing anything. Then I carefully and quietly unloaded my gun and made my way out of the area. Rick was waiting for me when I got to the rendezvous point.
Rick had to go get Will, so it was Ramen for me for dinner. Jim was supposed to be coming into camp, but he wasn't in yet. Perhaps he was coming in on the next day and starting his hunt then.
I'll be honest and say I prefer hog hunting to end with a hog on the ground, but the placid evening, coyotes and time spent in the field is time well spent.
Sunday, January 14, 2018
2018 Hog Hunt Day 2
After a night without sufficient sleep, I knew it was pointless to keep trying so I got up.
I took a shower and made coffee. So as to not disturb my camp mates, I continued reading my David Foster Wallace book - not the best book I've ever read, but enough of his writing is good and it does make me think. He also does get a little wordy sometimes.
Bob and Jesse were up a couple hours later and were out the door very quickly for their trip home. That left me in camp alone. I kept reading until mid morning when Rick and I went to feed stands. Most of the stands were hit and with the changing weather, there was a lot of optimism.
Back at camp I tried to nap a little before heading out to hunt. Temperatures were supposed to head down below freezing by dark, so I suited up in my snow suit I bought while headed west to hunt mule deer only a few months previous.
I sat on the "Goose Pond" stand. The first couple hours passed slowly as nothing much was moving. The wind seemed to decrease through the evening which was nice and I had a few of those absolutely placid moments when the wind stopped for a time. At least I was very comfortable as the new snow suit was very warm and comfy.
About 5:00 I saw movement and a hog came out. It was reddish with dark splotches on it. I looked at it, looked at it through the scope and looked at it some more deciding it must be about 50 pounds. A few minutes after it came out, Rick texted me to ask if there was anything; the timing made me laugh in mock suspicion. I told him a 50 pound hog was out then quick took a picture and texted it to him.
He told me to get him a broadside picture, but just then a bigger hog came out. I told him that and dropped the phone - this one was a shooter.
I double checked the size through the scope and put the crosshairs on his head. Squeezing the trigger, I thumped his noggin hard. He kicked a few seconds but was dead before he hit the ground.
I grabbed my phone again and Rick had texted to hold out as there were some really big ones.
Too late - I told him she was on the ground (at the time, I thought it was a sow).
I decided to sit for the rest of the evening in case more hogs showed up. A short time later two deer popped out right in front of me. They could have cared less about me, even though I was so close, but were very apprehensive about the hog on the corn pile.
They slowly walked down and fed for a minute or two, before disappearing into the pines. When they were near the corn pile, I felt a little better about the size of the hog I had shot. They always look really small on the ground, but it looked decent next to the deer.
A short time later a larger group of deer came out but only stayed a few minutes.
By this time it was getting quite dark and a short time after the deer left a hog, possibly the first one I had seen, came out. I looked at it through the scope, but it was too dark to cleanly do a head shot so I held off. This was definitely the right thing to do, especially with one already on the ground.
Rick and Will came a short time later. We picked up the hog and headed out. The amount of blood was quite impressive. I took a picture, but it is too graphic to show here...
Back at the lodge Rick and I cleaned the boar; it was about 160 pound boar hog - still a good eating size although there was a bit of hog stink.
Since it is so early in the hunt, I decided to get the meat processed and frozen by a friend of Rick's who makes sausage. Usually I do this myself, but in cases like this it just makes more sense to get it done. I ran to Food Lion to get ice and plastic bags. The backstraps, loins and ribs went into Rick's freezer - I'll finish dealing with them when I get home. The rest of it will go to the sausage maker.
Things happen fast in hunting. One minute I'm deep in my own thoughts and within a few minutes a hog is on the ground.
After a quick dinner of Campbell's Chili I called it a night - after a great afternoon.
I took a shower and made coffee. So as to not disturb my camp mates, I continued reading my David Foster Wallace book - not the best book I've ever read, but enough of his writing is good and it does make me think. He also does get a little wordy sometimes.
Bob and Jesse were up a couple hours later and were out the door very quickly for their trip home. That left me in camp alone. I kept reading until mid morning when Rick and I went to feed stands. Most of the stands were hit and with the changing weather, there was a lot of optimism.
Back at camp I tried to nap a little before heading out to hunt. Temperatures were supposed to head down below freezing by dark, so I suited up in my snow suit I bought while headed west to hunt mule deer only a few months previous.
I sat on the "Goose Pond" stand. The first couple hours passed slowly as nothing much was moving. The wind seemed to decrease through the evening which was nice and I had a few of those absolutely placid moments when the wind stopped for a time. At least I was very comfortable as the new snow suit was very warm and comfy.
About 5:00 I saw movement and a hog came out. It was reddish with dark splotches on it. I looked at it, looked at it through the scope and looked at it some more deciding it must be about 50 pounds. A few minutes after it came out, Rick texted me to ask if there was anything; the timing made me laugh in mock suspicion. I told him a 50 pound hog was out then quick took a picture and texted it to him.
He told me to get him a broadside picture, but just then a bigger hog came out. I told him that and dropped the phone - this one was a shooter.
I double checked the size through the scope and put the crosshairs on his head. Squeezing the trigger, I thumped his noggin hard. He kicked a few seconds but was dead before he hit the ground.
I grabbed my phone again and Rick had texted to hold out as there were some really big ones.
Too late - I told him she was on the ground (at the time, I thought it was a sow).
I decided to sit for the rest of the evening in case more hogs showed up. A short time later two deer popped out right in front of me. They could have cared less about me, even though I was so close, but were very apprehensive about the hog on the corn pile.
They slowly walked down and fed for a minute or two, before disappearing into the pines. When they were near the corn pile, I felt a little better about the size of the hog I had shot. They always look really small on the ground, but it looked decent next to the deer.
A short time later a larger group of deer came out but only stayed a few minutes.
By this time it was getting quite dark and a short time after the deer left a hog, possibly the first one I had seen, came out. I looked at it through the scope, but it was too dark to cleanly do a head shot so I held off. This was definitely the right thing to do, especially with one already on the ground.
Rick and Will came a short time later. We picked up the hog and headed out. The amount of blood was quite impressive. I took a picture, but it is too graphic to show here...
Back at the lodge Rick and I cleaned the boar; it was about 160 pound boar hog - still a good eating size although there was a bit of hog stink.
Since it is so early in the hunt, I decided to get the meat processed and frozen by a friend of Rick's who makes sausage. Usually I do this myself, but in cases like this it just makes more sense to get it done. I ran to Food Lion to get ice and plastic bags. The backstraps, loins and ribs went into Rick's freezer - I'll finish dealing with them when I get home. The rest of it will go to the sausage maker.
Things happen fast in hunting. One minute I'm deep in my own thoughts and within a few minutes a hog is on the ground.
After a quick dinner of Campbell's Chili I called it a night - after a great afternoon.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
2018 Hog Hunt Day 1
I woke up early and forced myself to go back to sleep for at least a little while. Then watched TV until it was time to get ready and head downstairs for gratis breakfast.
The rest of the hotel must have been on the late shift as I had the breakfast area nearly to myself for a couple of waffles saturated in syrup. They were excellent.
After breakfast, I packed up my stuff but waited until it got a little light before hitting the road. It felt a little odd leaving so late.
For a short time after hitting the road, the sunrise with the residual storm clouds made for a very dramatic scene. I was unable to find my camera at the right time to try to grab a picture.
The rest of the drive south and east went easily enough. I finished listening to The Lost City of the Monkey God - the end of the book talked about some of the controversy about using LIDAR for archaeological exploration. The elite of any profession are sanctimoniously right. Always!
It also talked about the author's affliction with leishmaniasis - a tropical flesh-eating parasite.
The book ended almost perfectly timed as I got to camp. I unpacked and read for a bit before Rick came back. The two other hunters in camp, Bob and Jesse, were from Virginia. Since I was there early enough, I decided to go out hunting for the afternoon as well.
I sat on the same stand where I killed my hog the previous year. I had three deer come out fairly shortly after I got onto the stand. The spike buck, doe and very small yearling stayed around for most of the evening. I even played around with the scope and camera on my phone to capture a couple pictures. This was pretty hard to do with my phone since the image on the screen doesn't center on the same place as the actual camera - so yes, I do realize it would have been a gut shot.
The only issue I had during the evening was it was cold. It felt much colder than it should have given the temperature in the low 40's. I may have to dress warmer for the rest of the week as it is supposed to be colder - although with less wind.
All too soon it was getting dark. Bob had shot a very fat (and 3x pregnant) sow, even though he had sat on the wrong stand. Jesse saw only deer.
If I hadn't left early because of the storm, I wouldn't have hunted, so I just consider this a bonus even if I didn't see any hogs.
The rest of the hotel must have been on the late shift as I had the breakfast area nearly to myself for a couple of waffles saturated in syrup. They were excellent.
After breakfast, I packed up my stuff but waited until it got a little light before hitting the road. It felt a little odd leaving so late.
For a short time after hitting the road, the sunrise with the residual storm clouds made for a very dramatic scene. I was unable to find my camera at the right time to try to grab a picture.
The rest of the drive south and east went easily enough. I finished listening to The Lost City of the Monkey God - the end of the book talked about some of the controversy about using LIDAR for archaeological exploration. The elite of any profession are sanctimoniously right. Always!
It also talked about the author's affliction with leishmaniasis - a tropical flesh-eating parasite.
The book ended almost perfectly timed as I got to camp. I unpacked and read for a bit before Rick came back. The two other hunters in camp, Bob and Jesse, were from Virginia. Since I was there early enough, I decided to go out hunting for the afternoon as well.
I sat on the same stand where I killed my hog the previous year. I had three deer come out fairly shortly after I got onto the stand. The spike buck, doe and very small yearling stayed around for most of the evening. I even played around with the scope and camera on my phone to capture a couple pictures. This was pretty hard to do with my phone since the image on the screen doesn't center on the same place as the actual camera - so yes, I do realize it would have been a gut shot.
The only issue I had during the evening was it was cold. It felt much colder than it should have given the temperature in the low 40's. I may have to dress warmer for the rest of the week as it is supposed to be colder - although with less wind.
All too soon it was getting dark. Bob had shot a very fat (and 3x pregnant) sow, even though he had sat on the wrong stand. Jesse saw only deer.
If I hadn't left early because of the storm, I wouldn't have hunted, so I just consider this a bonus even if I didn't see any hogs.
Friday, January 12, 2018
2018 Hog Hunt Day 0
Looking back over the last several years, more often than not I'm heading South as part of this annual adventure a day early to avoid some unfriendly weather. I used to NEVER do this! Is the weather getting worse? Am I getting more cautious? I usually end up doing this in a way that the only cost is that of an extra hotel room; I could also say that I usually do this and have to spend the additional cost of a hotel room on an already expensive trip. I do suppose that the few 10's of dollars the hotel rooms costs is much less than a vehicle in the ditch or a lost day of hunting.
It was unusual weather, as between getting up in the morning and daylight, the temperature dropped over 20 degrees.
So after getting up at my normal time and working from home for several hours, I was out the door by late morning. I can't say I'm terribly thrilled with my job right now, but having this kind of flexibility is quite ducky. I need to constantly remind myself of how life is good. I do feel a bit bad for SO having to deal with a winter storm at home. Hopefully it won't be too bad. I also hope I have banked some good karma - while walking the dog a few days ago, I saw a fat fox squirrel trapped in a raccoon leg trap. I let him out - he seemed quite pissed off and chattered at me from a tree.
I may be being overly cautious and with the forecast, I could even have made an argument that waiting until morning might have made more sense. One of the best things about being an adult is no one tells you what to do. One of the more difficult things about being an adult is that no one tells you what to do...
Things above ground were just starting to ice up when I left. Due to really warm temperatures for the previous few days, the ground was warm enough that nothing was sticking.
So I headed south. It was raining as I left and this continued for almost the whole day. The only thing that really changed was how much it was raining. Temperatures started near freezing and wavered up and down while climbing slightly as I headed south.
After I got off the interstate on US25e, I must have crossed the frontal boundary as almost instantly, the temperature jumped almost 20 degrees. Both the inside and the outside of the truck fogged up pretty quickly, until temperature and humidity equalized.
Heading through the mountains, traffic was heavier than I've usually seen at first. But eventually, it thinned out as I headed southeast. I normally like this part of the drive, but in rainy, cloudy weather it wasn't anything special. I did remark to myself at one point that it was nice to be headed out without any real time pressures.
I was listening to The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston. It was a fascinating account of the history of the Lost City of the Monkey God - or White City - in unexplored Honduras. It tells the true story of using LIDAR to find and map unknown ancient cities in the jungle, and their subsequent exploration on foot. It was a fascinating read/listen.
I pulled into Veterans Overlook so that I could make a plan for how far I wanted to go. I decided I didn't like the hotel I had previously chosen, and I wasn't really ready to stop yet. So I looked ahead a bit and found a Sleep Inn outside of Asheville, NC. This should make the rest of the drive an easy day assuming roads don't freeze up overnight.
The hotel looked nice enough although it was a wet walk down to road for food. I had been sitting in the truck for several hours so I didn't mind the walk, but it was still very wet and my shoes have some holes in them.
Dinner was a calorically intense Hardee's before calling it a day.
It was unusual weather, as between getting up in the morning and daylight, the temperature dropped over 20 degrees.
So after getting up at my normal time and working from home for several hours, I was out the door by late morning. I can't say I'm terribly thrilled with my job right now, but having this kind of flexibility is quite ducky. I need to constantly remind myself of how life is good. I do feel a bit bad for SO having to deal with a winter storm at home. Hopefully it won't be too bad. I also hope I have banked some good karma - while walking the dog a few days ago, I saw a fat fox squirrel trapped in a raccoon leg trap. I let him out - he seemed quite pissed off and chattered at me from a tree.
I may be being overly cautious and with the forecast, I could even have made an argument that waiting until morning might have made more sense. One of the best things about being an adult is no one tells you what to do. One of the more difficult things about being an adult is that no one tells you what to do...
Things above ground were just starting to ice up when I left. Due to really warm temperatures for the previous few days, the ground was warm enough that nothing was sticking.
So I headed south. It was raining as I left and this continued for almost the whole day. The only thing that really changed was how much it was raining. Temperatures started near freezing and wavered up and down while climbing slightly as I headed south.
After I got off the interstate on US25e, I must have crossed the frontal boundary as almost instantly, the temperature jumped almost 20 degrees. Both the inside and the outside of the truck fogged up pretty quickly, until temperature and humidity equalized.
Heading through the mountains, traffic was heavier than I've usually seen at first. But eventually, it thinned out as I headed southeast. I normally like this part of the drive, but in rainy, cloudy weather it wasn't anything special. I did remark to myself at one point that it was nice to be headed out without any real time pressures.
I was listening to The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston. It was a fascinating account of the history of the Lost City of the Monkey God - or White City - in unexplored Honduras. It tells the true story of using LIDAR to find and map unknown ancient cities in the jungle, and their subsequent exploration on foot. It was a fascinating read/listen.
I pulled into Veterans Overlook so that I could make a plan for how far I wanted to go. I decided I didn't like the hotel I had previously chosen, and I wasn't really ready to stop yet. So I looked ahead a bit and found a Sleep Inn outside of Asheville, NC. This should make the rest of the drive an easy day assuming roads don't freeze up overnight.
The hotel looked nice enough although it was a wet walk down to road for food. I had been sitting in the truck for several hours so I didn't mind the walk, but it was still very wet and my shoes have some holes in them.
Dinner was a calorically intense Hardee's before calling it a day.
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