Let me start by saying that this is one of the best group of guys that I have ever had the pleasure of hunting with, and would be honored to hunt with any one of them in the future!
BT, skipmaster1, Lockmaster, Razortech, Cliff, Cougarkid, and Redsoxsboy, thank you for a great time!
Ok, let's get started. As I live the farthest, I had to get an early start. Full moon in Saratoga.
Still driving towards BTs.
After debating the pros and cons of convoying, or traveling together, we opted for traveling together. Some serious space management was required, though, and a pic of the finished orientation was thought nessesary.
After a really great ride down with no traffic and a lot of laughs we arrived at the rendezvous.
Me and Kris at the Diner, posing for a pic while waiting for the crew.
Skip, Razortech, and Skip's dad Cliff arrive.
Lockmaster in the house!!
We send off and arrive at the wilderness. We saw some hogs in the woods on the way in, and if there was any question as to weather skip, and his crew saw them, it was quickly answered as skip yelled "come on!", as we stopped to take this pic. ;D ;D ;D ;D There was plenty of laughing on that one as we knew everyone was eager to get in there and make it happen!
This was at the front door of the lodge, yikes!
Cougarkid and Redsoxsboy signing their lives away.
As I have never even seen a hog, I get geared up and ready before the vehicles are even unpacked, and a real bloodlust, in need of quenching, is developing.
Anyone see Jurrassic Park? Well Razortech's expression speaks for all of us as we enter the gates. Me, Ray, and Cliff are in one group , while the rest of the crew goes in another entrance.
The guide takes us in, and before long we spy a group of hogs across a ravine. The guide glasses them and asks if anyone wants a go at any of them. I decide to take a look, and a hog starts ambling down along a trail diagonally across the ravine. I range him at 34 yds, and draw down on him. I let the arrow fly, and the next thing we hear is the loudest sqeal/grunt we have ever heard and the Boar goes up in the air , and lands straight down on it's side!
The hit was a little high, and the boar was looking to get up before I sent another arrow for a complete passthrough on it. These things won't quit, so another two arrows, and a knife blade to the heart ended it! Stilllearning, I know it wasn't the knife kill you were looking for, but there it is!
Unfortunately, there was a problem with the video camera on this one, so the only others to see this kill are Razortech, and Cliff.
We decide to leave the hog "as is", so that we can continue the hunt. Razorteck was up next, and the video is excellent of the entire kill. At one point the hog looks at me and decides to come my way.
Ray, you have the pics of that one, I think I used your camera.
As I only have a video camera at this point, I felt it was a good idea to run at that point, and got some ribbing for it back at the camp while we were reviewing the replay.
;D ;D ;D ;D
A few moments later we hear talking. I zoom in on skip at full draw with the video camera, and see him release an arrow.
We were pretty far away, but all of a sudden, Razorteck says, "look over there", and it's a giant hog with blood squirting out of it's side, angling across from us. As I'm taping this, I see skip's 3rd arrow stick straight into the shoulder...OMG!...this is effing encredible, I can't believe this is all happening so fast!
Here's skip with his first longbow Boar.
Back at the camp checking out broadheads and hog heads.
Lockmaster welcoming us back from the hunt.
Skip, Razortech, and Cliff.
Night falls on the lodge.
Next day, Lockmaster, Cliff, and Cougarkid are set to pick up where we left off. Lockmaster scored first, but once again, I used his camera to take his pics with. We have some nice video footage as well. Great job Roger!!!
He truly shot Hogzilla!
Next up was skipmaster's dad, Cliff. Here's a pic with his hog, and let me tell you something. A lot can be learned from the awesome video footage we have of his kill in regards to patience and shot placement.
The papparazzi are everywhere.
Team Pic.
Cougarkid wasn't seeing anything that sparked his interest enough to shoot at, so BT decided to have a go at another hog with the recurve. We all geared up, and headed out with three video cameras. We needed them all, as it was a chase scene, with a lot of action that will all be on video. I wish that I had gotten to see the first one, but this one was excellent!
Now, this was a lot of bacon hanging, and Sat night I get BT to show me how to butcher a hog. None of us had any idea of the trials and tribulations that lay before us!!!
My hog took around an hour and a half to completely finish, but the realization of the amount of pork left to butcher started to dawn on us!! 12 HOURS LATER, at 4:00 am, we finally finish the task. It was a true test of mettle, and character, that everyone passed with flying colors!! We started calling BT the "Land Pirranha"! as he would leave a stripped hog skeleton hanging bare everytime!
All good things come to an end, so the beginning of the end started here.
I know I missed some stuff here and there, so hopefully the rest of the guys will fill in the blanks and add some more to the tale!
I can't wait untill next year!!!!
