2023 Pig Hunt Day 2 - Quiet

Denis had gotten the coffee maker ready, so when I got up I had to figure out a way to make coffee without the coffee maker.  Luckily the filter basket from a retired coffee maker was in the cabinet and I was able to make the work by heating water on the stove.  The coffee was fantastic.

I spent the morning online and subsequently reading.  The downtime may be forced, but it is nice (for at least the first couple mornings).

As it got light Rick quartered up my hog and I dropped it in the freezer.  I thought about taking it to the processor, but since I'll probably smoke the shoulders whole as well as the ribs, it seemed like an unnecessary expense.

We loaded up Rick's new-fangled corn spreader and headed out to feed stands.  Denis and Claude went with will to put out turkey feeders.  Most of the pig stands were hit well.  My stand from the previous evening was cleaned out which is a good sign.  While leaving one area there was a dead hog in the middle of the road.  It was hard to tell why since it wasn't shot anywhere and it seems a car impact would have done more visible damage than what the boar showed.

Back at the lodge there was a bit of time for lunch before heading out for the afternoon.  I was on a stand that had bobcat tracks since I've always wanted to get a bobcat.  I quietly made my way down the road to the box blind - actually a section of scaffolding which was a neat idea.  There were two deer on the corn pile when I got there.  I tried to sneak into the stand, but it was surrounded by the worlds crunchiest leaves.

Once inside it was very comfortable with two padded chairs.  I got everything situated for the long sit.  When I first got settled it was almost too hot for what I was wearing, but the evening clouded up quickly as it cooled down.

Not much was moving other than birds until about 4:40 when five deer came out.  They hung around for most of the rest of the evening.  At least they gave me something to watch.

As an aside, I like my Pixel phone, but the "NightSight" dark pictures take on an unnatural stylized look when used with any amount of zoom. 

As it got dark it got unbelievably still and quiet.  I was glad the chairs in the blind were comfortable since every movement sounded loud in comparison to the stillness.

A little after 6:00 it got too dark so I slowly packed up my stuff and made my way to the road.  Again at the road it was breathlessly still.  I enjoyed standing in the dark (although it also tells me how bad my tinnitus is getting).

Eventually Rick came by to pick me up.  Claude had missed one hog very early followed by connecting on a meat boar only a little later.  Denis had seen only deer.