Back From The Bigboar Lodge '08

[SPIKER]

All I can say is ...WOW!!! This was one of the most amazing hunts of all time. The drama was as thick as the swamp which held some killer Russian hogs. Day one was turning into a complete disaster, as these supernatural hogs were just...well, not dying!! We had word that a really "MEAN" Russian was loose on the grounds, and that she would charge if confronted. She had a yellow ear tag to let us know which one she was. Rayzortech, and I were mucking it through the swamp..somebody had to do it...when Ray says..there's the yellow tag! But it turns out it was BTs yellow fletching sticking out of the hog...geez...he tagged one already...so Ray let a Spitfire fly at him...but we weren't sure of a second hit, and the hog just disappeared..

We got Frank, (Greg's buddie from Flying Arrow- Carmel) to flank the edge, but it gave us the slip. We wound up muddy, wet, and tired without the hog...one loose end...

We found BT, and told him where we saw the hog. Then we heard news that doegirl had hit a hog from the guide, and they were tracking that one as well. A few more organized drives, and we had loose end number two...

I went to one the stands on the grounds in hope that one of the hogs would get pushed past me. After a few minutes in the stand, a really nice Russian popped out onto the trail about 25 - 30 yds away. I came to full draw, and settled the pin where I thought his heart would be, and whapp..sent a Silver Flame tipped arrow, fletch deep, into about the exact location that I had planned on. This pig acted as if it didn't even get shot!

It trotted around a blowdown, and popped out again offering another shot, and I sent a Goldtip Gladiator zinging into... a branch!!

The hog disappeared, and although there was good blood, it disappeared, and we lost the trail...loose end number three.

About that time I see Ray on the trail again, and he's looking down with a stern face and says.."Man, we have a real mess going on here".

That was an understatement, considering that we had just purchased three hogs, with nothing to show for it.

Luckily, we have a secret weapon that all animals fear...Greg Krause!

This guy will commando through any kind of terrain, and if he can get a bead on it, he will take it down. I'm not sure of all the details (this is a big place, and news comes by pony express)...but while we were grid searching...Greg, Randy, and some of the other guys recovered doegirl's hog, my hog...and Frank got one of his own with one shot! Sweet...we now had three hogs, with only BTs hog still out there.

SPIKER



Doegirl



Frank


I get down to the lodge after hearing that they found our hogs, to find out that I had tagged the yellow tagged maniac hog...yes!! The woods were a little safer today!

Greg put two more arrows in it before it went down..he can tell that story better than I can...I couldn't believe it went that far..here's where I hit it...it looked real good to me..





After taking some pics, we headed back to assist with BTs hog, and find Ray with the sickest blood trail ever!! He spanked a hog with a Spitfire, a huge hog! And it only made it 40 yds...check this out...







Rayzorteck with his hog







Only one entrance hole..no exit....man, that Spitfire is amazing...

Day two:

I started going through a wooded area with one of the guides, and commented that Greg, and I had lost the blood trail from BTs hog around this area, and he looks over and says.."there he is"..

This hog had climbed under a blowdown, and was almost invisible...no wonder we missed it in the failing light. All our loose ends had been tied..yes!

I came back to find out BT had scored again, and so had Doegirl!

BT, and his hogs





Doegirl's second hog



Here's the whole gang from left to right..Greg Krause aka Skipmaster, Doegirl, SPIKER, Frank, Rayzorteck, Cougar Kid, and his dad, BT. Randy was not present for the pic. He went back to try and get a hog as he was the only one without one...





Doegirl, and SPIKER



Oh yeah! Of course Greg got his own hog as well as recovering all of ours...



Only he can tell that story. I wasn't there for that one, I'm sure it was an awesome kill. He also got a white Ram..but I didn't get any pics of that....hmm..I hope he has some..



Randy finally got a hog....with a 30-30...it actually was pretty exciting to watch him nail that hog on the run...it was a great ending to the hunt...out with a bang you might say....

[turf]

Nice job everyone, I gotta ask, when is the pig roast lol

[SPIKER]

There's BT now!

[BT]

Excellent pictures Spiker
I was so tired that I passed out on the couch about 15 minutes after I posted on the team hunt thread

Yes!...the Texas Dull! ... uggh!...I missed that!~damn!!

It's always so crazy during these hunts!
Thinking that the butcher was going to allow us some serious down time was an illusion for sure
Hunt-eat-sleep .... that tee shirt logo says it all! ;D

[jamaltwy]

great job guy's!! good pictures!! no one got charged?

[SPIKER]

Yeah, me...800 bucks... ;D...

[stilllearning]

way to go you guys and gals. Spiker congratulations on getting the crazy boar that puts people up trees.

[Doegirl]

Jul 13, 2008 20:14:43 GMT -5 SPIKER said:

Yeah, me...800 bucks... ;D...

;D ;D ;D.

[BT]

After a good nap I am ready to elaborate on the weekend


My Hunt DAY 1

The ride wasn't too bad for a 4 hour trip.
David (son) was good company for the most part,although he slept about 1/2 the time due to the late night before and the early up.
I followed the Westchester crew up and we all arrived to meet Spiker and Doegirl who were already there.

We pretty much got right on the targets after unpacking the vehicle and everyone was on the mark and seemingly ready to rock
Of course....those were stationary targets
Mark Clark showed up about an hour later to meet and greet and get the paper work done so that we could get out into the preserve which was just lush with green tree's and undergrowth.

Once inside, Mark,David and myself split away from the group and moved to the west side of the property while everyone else moved up the north side slope.
Mark and David soon left me and I moved into the center of the western slope,amiss the thick undergrowth where I expected some pigs might be.

1/2 hour into my stalk I heard the grunts of two pigs who were together.... two babies in tow.
The mother of the piglets was really pushing this larger barren sow around and I was able to close the distance to 30 yards while they continued to rush and retreat through the thickets.
Finally the bigger sow decided to give up and move off.... in my direction thankfully .... sort of

I was perhaps 15 feet off the path which she followed and within 10 minutes she had moved directly in front of me,,,,side too.
That position was awful because that eye was directed right at me, any movement on my part would be detected instantly as she was still on guard.

As always...I folded to pressure and began to draw slowly and steadily...... being busted instantly of course
I was at full draw in a second but she had nearly jumped out of her skin within the same time.....turning hard away and freezing, her head turned back toward me to confirm her predicament.
That moment of hesitation confirmed the potential for a shot and I made the last 1/2" to anchor, following through with the release.
Unfortunitly....as my fingers came to the point of losing control of the string, she lurched forward....sort of.
The ground was wet and she was on packed clay soil which caused her to loose her footing and fall flat on her chest.
I have seen pigs fall but never trip....so I guess she fell
I had a point of aim of perhaps 6" up into the chest area and as the string left my grasp, the hog fell and my arrow made up the difference in height, impacting in the upper third of the body....above the spine

She regained her footing instantly (more or less) and tore off through the underbrush ahead.
I had the sickest feeling in the pit of my stomach by the time the next arrow was on the string and I was standing upright.
I watched for clues as to her exit route as the brush shook on the slope of the hill below....like that scene from Jurassic park where the T-Rex moving through the jungle, as viewed from above.
As I watch her path, I saw that she was headed toward an opening and I was pretty much praying that she goes through it, just so that I can see (once again) the arrows location.

Sure enough....she enters the opening and stops
I estimate the distance quickly as I can to be 45 yards and send the second arrow on it's way which enters the same area of the body on the opposite side.
Off she goes
A 1/2 hour later I lucked out and spotted her with the 2 arrows still in place, forming an X through the upper third of the swine.
I later found out that the second arrow had entered just behind the chest cavity and had caused a laceration in the stomach before
exiting behind the lung.
This was the killing shot (I later found out) but since I didn't believe I was low enough....it was my contention that we had nothing more than a flesh wound and the hog would be fine if left till another shot opportunity arose.
** this is why there is a policy of having to pay for any hit on any animal.....you just cant tell for sure.

A couple of hours later I decided to find the others and it was then that I heard that Rayzortech (Ray) had seen and missed the wounded hog which was still carrying one of my arrows.

From there it is Greg's story to tell since I only saw it once again (at the end of the day) after e had placed a final arrow in with mine.

DAY 2

I started the day with the recurve left behind and Davids BK2 in hand.
Dave had done a few warm up shots that morning and decided not to hunt due to the fact that he could not control the shot to his comfort level.
Although I was disappointed to see David giving up....I was very happy to have a long range tool in my hand on a day when recovery was my only concern.
By 11:00 the hog which I had shot was found (tucked in a hole) by one of the guides as he tracked a fallow doe.
Unfortunitly.....that hog was lost to the high temperatures of the day
Most everyone feels that it was the young guides ineptitude in handling the situation as it should have been dealt with but the fact of the matter is that there is no telling for sure what would have happened had he done what any of us would have done in the same situation

I wont beat that dead horse because the issue was discussed to death Sunday and Monday.
All the facts of would have and could have didn't change anything in terms of saving meat
Mark Clark was overly gracious in dealing with the situation by waving the charges for the loss.... which I don't believe was necessary at all and certainly fully unexpected by myself.
I don't agree with Marks decision to wave the fee because it was not he that made me shoot.... and sometimes, wounds happen.
I am not really comfortable with such generosity to be totally honest but I did except and will not forget it each time I re-visit the Big Boar Lodge

Too be continued

[SPIKER]

Jul 13, 2008 20:12:02 GMT -5 jamaltwy said:

great job guy's!! good pictures!! no one got charged?

You know what..Frank did. I almost forgot about that! Doegirl, and I were in a ground blind that Mark suggested we sit to try and head off a wounded hog, when Frank came up the road, and found himself in the path of two wounded, and screaming mad hogs. All he could do was duck out of the way without getting run over, and none of us could get the shot. After they disappeared into the woods we were all breathing pretty hard... ...