Springville pig hunt

[BakoHNTR]

Great pig and great story!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bonejour]

Thanks everyone. Drew, you are so right. We had heavy 10" Kenetrek mountain boots but I also had been wearing my turtle skin gaiters till yesterday afternoon. Bottom line is that the zipper jammed and I couldn't get them on when we went out yesterday afternoon.
Update: as I was composing this reply, my wife asked me why I was smiling. She just gave me permission to replace them with a pair that works. Thanks brother!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SurfNHuntSD]

Thanks everyone. Drew, you are so right. We had heavy 10" Kenetrek mountain boots but I also had been wearing my turtle skin gaiters till yesterday afternoon. Bottom line is that the zipper jammed and I couldn't get them on when we went out yesterday afternoon.
Update: as I was composing this reply, my wife asked me why I was smiling. She just gave me permission to replace them with a pair that works. Thanks brother!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Funny you mention that, as the zipper on my pair has been driving me crazy lately.

Back to your hog Don, are you planning to do a prosciutto? I'd love to see that process in a post if you do.

 

[Bonejour]

Funny you mention that, as the zipper on my pair has been driving me crazy lately.

Back to your hog Don, are you planning to do a prosciutto? I'd love to see that process in a post if you do.

Jason,
I think I may have the entire process documented already. I'll put together a post for the food forum. It's pretty simple.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ilovesprig]

Congrats Don......I need to do this someday......

 

[sportyg]

congrats great read and nice hog

 

[sherpa]

View attachment 30123 View attachment 30124 View attachment 30125 Thanks gentlemen. After a quiet afternoon avoiding the heat of the day, we headed back out around 6:30pm. We were looking for the two boars we saw yesterday. No sign of them at the old spots.
So we moved along the creek beds, all of which are flowing, looking for sign. As we rounded a bend, we surprised a mid-sized boar and sow down close to the water. They took off up the hill in the open country. As this was going to be a chase uphill, as opposed to a stalk, I grabbed the rifle and followed Neil.
We raced up the hill through the chest-high foxtails. As we crested the hill, we got a glimpse of one of the pigs crossing the ridge. It was hard to see them in the tall grass, but we knew they wouldn't double back downhill. They would take cover in the next draw or continue up the ridge. We paused to Scout the cut to our left, then worked our way slowly up the ridge, keeping the cut in view. After a couple of minutes, we saw a pig in the foxtails on the other side of the cut. It saw us and hunkered down before we could identity it. Then its partner emerged farther up on the opposite side of the cut. The uphill pig was the sow, so we settled down to let the boar make the next move. With some coaxing, he started up the hill, clearing the grass. My first shot missed high, but my second shot struck home. Down he went, rolling down the steep grade into creek at the base of the cut.
Nice pig. Nice hunt. Always great hunting with Neil.
PS: be careful where you step! The video is too large to post, but you get the picture. He started rattling as I stepped over him.

Thought you were a bow only guy. I had heard that Neil gave up the guide thing glad he is still guiding

 

[Bonejour]

Thought you were a bow only guy. I had heard that Neil gave up the guide thing glad he is still guiding

Pete, that's exactly what I've been asking myself since that first night! I wish I were good enough to be "bow only" with pigs, but I'm not there yet.
If I were a better bow hunter I'd have got a shot off at that first boar we saw on the first night. The light was good. But I approached him too directly and, after that, he kept moving so I never got a clear shot. He had seen Neil right off the bat, but he hadn't seen me until I tried to see over the rise. I was too eager to confirm the sighting for myself. I shouldn't have shown myself till I knew his position and had covered his likely escape route (straight up the opposite hill, as usual), and ranged some landmarks on it. I've made the same mistake, more or less, before. With a rifle it doesn't matter so much. But as a bow hunter I need to be smarter on a stalk. If I have to move in order to see them, they will definitely see me first. I could have gotten into a position and then signaled Neil if I needed him to flush the boar from the creek bed.
The second boar appeared with too little light, and I can blame the tall grass and inability to see my pins or his vitals. But I think I was too impatient and direct on my first opportunity. I'll keep trying with the bow. That's the real test of my hunting skill.
Regarding Neil, he is working some other jobs but is starting to guide again, which is terrific. The pigs are less pressured and the ranchers are asking for his help to control them, which is good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Snake Charmer]

Good stuff Don, Congrats ! Pigs are my favorite as far good time and get out there hunts go