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Heading off for the first hunt.
Heading off for the first hunt.
The last few years, my wife and I have been attending the Kansas Bowhunters Associatzion annual convention and have made numerous friends. Like P&Y, I just love the camaraderie and talking about bowhunting. Meeting new friends is a bonus.
A couple of guys we befriended were Rodney and Jerry, who are also bowsiter's that don't post a lot. (You might recognize one face) We talked of having them down to bowhunt hogs in the off season, last year. This year we made it happen.
Despite the enormous amounts of rain that we had in the 10-15 days prior (approx 10"), we had a great time and they got on hogs, daily!
We also did some fishing on the large pond on the place. The bite was slow due to the overnight temps keeping water temperature quite cold. We did manage to catch a few smaller "hawgs". :)
All in all we had a great time and thought I'd share some pics from our adventure...
BTW... This is non-high fence private land.
Dude cracks me up with his snacks. Although, very delicious snacks. :)
Dude cracks me up with his snacks. Although, very delicious snacks. :)
I had found a small sounder across a major creek two weeks ago. That is where we started. We got Jerry in position down in a creek bottom and myself and Rodney backtracked and got the wind in our favor. While we were backtracking, Jerry was making himself some snacks while awaiting our hopeful push.
You got me with the cheese whiz. A must on any hunt. Looks like a good time . Hunt
Rodney full draw on a 150-160 lb boar.
Rodney full draw on a 150-160 lb boar.
Sneaking in on a sow... you can see the outline of the sow on the left side of pic.
Sneaking in on a sow... you can see the outline of the sow on the left side of pic.
As Rodney and myself were getting in position, the late morning heat was getting to me, so I decided to get in the shade of a large cedar and shuck some clothes. Rodney would continue to the timber and I would catch up. He hadn't got 20 yards when I looked through the cedar in front of me and there stood a sow approximately 40 yards away. She was totally unaware of our presence, so I got Rodney's attention with a whistle. He stopped and moved in position about 40 yards from me. Turns out we were upwind of a large group of sows, boars and piglets.
This is almost as exciting as a Live CT Hunt!
Reaction from Rodney after retiring the boar.
Reaction from Rodney after retiring the boar.
Lined up on "Goldie"... swing and a miss.
Lined up on "Goldie"... swing and a miss.
"Goldie" last September
"Goldie" last September
The boar took an arrow to the heart and expired quickly! After the first arrow he lined up a huge blonde boar that came to investigate the squealing. Apparently he hit a limb or Goldie would've been toast too.
But here you will see dead animals, Ace. ;)
Without a Boot Pic, does this even count?
The sow...
The sow...
Just after the Goldie miss, some other hogs came from the East and walked in his lap. A black sow with piglets was the recipient of an arrow this time. The arrow deflected off of a small limb and it gut shot her. As she slowly trotted off, Rod grabbed another arrow and 10 ringed her at 45 yards. It was an awesome shot! Dead in seconds.
Young boar..
Young boar..
Here's the first pig (boar) he heart shot.
You guys are cleaning up! When you specifically target hogs, what is your success rate on sightings? Do you see hogs every time out, or is it more hit and miss?
Troy, definitely hit and miss. We were about 50% on sightings every time out. This is the first time that I can remember that I've actually went out and 100% pursued them. Mostly because I was facilitator for these fellas.
Rick do you see them as really being nomadic year round? Do you have different groups that travel in and out of your area? You mentioned and have trail pics of Goldie so I assume they come and go.
These pics are from the boar. He was just a mid-size boar in my opinion. Gives you an indication why you want to stay clear of the shoulder or shield. Super thick and almost like a hard plastic cutting board.
EmbryOklahoma's Link
Here's a short clip of Rodney killing the boar and missing the golden hog.
If someone can embed this video, I'd appreciate it.
After the killing spree and Rod almost emptying his quiver, we made it down to Jerry and ran into more smaller hogs. Rod let the air out of another orange sow. 5 shots, 3 pigs. On the way back across the tracks, I carved a little reminder in the RR bridge...
Boothill... as far as I can tell and from my experience, the "sounders" (family) will stay in a certain area. The boars are more nomadic and I assume the more dominant boars are the ones that travel most. They are usually the ones I kill while deer hunting. This one I know you've seen, he was cruising and looking for love back in November.
Rodney having a snack...
Rodney having a snack...
Jerry wondering why Rod is in the action and he's not.
Jerry wondering why Rod is in the action and he's not.
The hogs after that initial run-in were hard to come by. We did get close to a couple young boars on our way out Sunday evening. The sign was thick in many places and we were just seconds or minutes behind them. That's hunting!
Rod and myself...
Rod and myself...
I think I'm on my phone... :)
I think I'm on my phone... :)
We went from hunting to fishing....
We went from hunting to fishing....
Jerry with a decent bass
Jerry with a decent bass
Myself..
Myself..
A few "hawgs" we caught. Okay, mini-hawgs. :)
Camp...
Camp...
Can you see the hole?
Can you see the hole?
Here was an interesting tidbit... back in October and November, my wife and another guy on the land we hunt, shot a black boar and never recovered it. The boar above had been shot with a 4-blade head. I'm not sure which one shot it because they both hit in very similar spots. The mystery will remain. The hog is dead now. :)
Can you see the old broadhead hole?
Congrats, looks like a fun hunt. The snacks are almost as important as taking arrows on a hunt.
Excellent trip and pork kills!!! Good work. Pigs are made for bowhunting.
Very nice if you to bring some Kansas boys hunting!
Looks like you all had some fun. Congrats.
Fun times. Thanks for posting. Hunt
Looks like a good time between friends! Pork chops!! I'm salivating thinking about it.
MARCH MADNESS, for sure. my best, Paul
Nice job Rick, Looks like a great time was had by all, except the pigs of course.
Thanks guys! These two kept me in stitches the entire time. It's a pleasure hosting people that you want to go all out for. Funny, funny guys!
Looks like a great time Rick!
Love whackin' hogs! Looks like ya'll had a blast!
Y'all did good ! Hogs are where you find them, and it seems like when you want them, they're gone, and when you're gone, they're where you were......
I don't know how I missed it earlier but, good stuff Rick.
Thanks guys! Look forward to doing it again this "off season" with a few more bowsiters. It's a blast when you actually find them. :)
Looks you guys had a good time. Thanks for sharing!