Bowhunting For Wild Hogs - 2005
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2005 - A Wild Hog Bowhunt In Progress
This year began with two months of rain. But now the ground is dry and hard as concrete. Hogs are getting hard to find but every once in a while we get lucky.

Wild Hog Pajama Party

August 1 - Daybreak ... I checked my web cam an saw a black wild boar eating my deer pellets. I didn't waste a second, I slipped on my boots, sprayed myself with Scent Killer and went outside in my pajamas. To The Hunt...

Still Stalkin'
July 31 - I was doing web stuff and glancing up at my web cam when all the deer ran off. In minutes the wild boar from yesterday appeared. I grabbed my bow, yanked on my boots and stalked like I did yesterday. Except I stepped on something in the grass that made a metallic noise. When I peered around the corner the boar was showing me his fast moving rear end.

Food Plot Mix-up
July 30 - A Wild Boar Stalk
Yesterday, to help out the bucks and lactating doe mothers scattered a mixture of Purina deer pellets, milo, oats and corn. (The grains get them started on the pellets, in the past they wouldn't eat it without the grains.) Deer came into the food plot area but didn't go to the scattered pellets.

Surprisingly, a lone wild boar was today's first visitor! (There hasn't been a hog within sight of the food plot since Timm got one there.) Using an old shed to block my view I slipped up on the hog. first I got a close up pic. Then I waited for a broadside 15 yard shot. It didn't happen, he walked away from me. When he stopped he turned broadside. I guessed him for 25+ yards and aimed high. My arrow hit where my pin was and bounced off his back. He  trotted into the brush. 

A Wild Hog Train
July 8: A group of wild hogs crossed the road from my neighbors field onto my place. I grabbed my bow and took a short cut. 

Woops ... a large hog was in the tall weeds and coming my way. I laid down in the grass, hoping it was enough cover, and turned on my camera.
A sow, a big one, walked out. Pic #1. The backs of small shouts poked up over the grass. It looked like a wild hog train.
Suddenly the sow spotted enough of me to be concerned and darted past her small pigs to look me over. Pic #3.
With 20 yards between us I pulled an arrow out of my Fine-Line bowquiver and nocked it. The sow made a quick half circle around me and stopped 15 yards away. I took the last pic.
In case you can't tell from these pictures this sow is 300 pounds of potential baby protecting trouble. I definitely did not want be on my belly if she charged so I stood up. Time froze as we looked at one another. She bolted back to the youngsters and they disappeared into the weeds.

Where Are The Big 'Uns?
June 19 - Lately I've mainly seen young hogs and only an occasional mature one. Yesterday I walked into the real deal. To The Hunt...

(June 11) Slew Hole
Lots of tracks in the area but no hogs or deer came through. A flock of wild turkeys did and I got some pics of pouts again. (I'm working on them.)

(June 8-9) Back To The Hammer Hole
I was the only wild animal there.

(June 7) Here they come!

GRRRUUNNTT !!!  Wild hogs! 
And they came on down! And kept on coming!  To The Hunt...

Wild Hogs At The Slew Hole
(June 1) When I got to the slew hole today I noticed the ground was rooted up big time. Wild hogs are definitely around. I sat in the NorthStarr ladder stand today so I could watch more area. However no hogs came through. But I did get some cool pics of several Wild Turkey Pouts.

Meeting & Wild Hogs

May 29 - Timm Getts (middle) and Rich Walton (right) are here and we are having a business meeting this weekend to discuss our expansion  of BowhuntingStore.com, Classifieds and all the other new programs we are launching in the upcoming weeks. 
BUT when some wild hogs showed up Timm put a stalk on them and got supplies for some ham sandwiches. Here's the story and pics.

When You Least Expect It ... Hogs!

(Mar 17) - Yesterday I noticed a 10 yard pool of water in the windmill area. This morning I drove there and put a TrailTimer EZ Cam there to see if wild turkeys (turkey season is only days away) are drinking from it. On the way I got a surprise.

Wild hogs. Crossing an opening. 

Quickly I grabbed my camera and got a picture of the last one. Then I turned off the engine and got my bow. Black hog parts were visible through the trees and I snuck toward them and I lucked up and got in close. I took a pic from 40 yards and this one from 15.

I nocked an arrow and got on my knees to shoot through the opening. The biggest hog false charged two smaller hogs and stopped in my shooting window, broadside, looking to my right.

I centered my top pin in the blue peep (Venom Peep Sight), aimed where I ought to aim, and touched the trigger on my release and let the arrow go there.

Crack! The hog bolted into the brush. Crashing through everything in its way. The fletching end of the arrow flew into the air.

The hog stopped -- out of sight -- and got loud, roaring furiously, and violently breaking branches and brush. The other hogs moved to my left and grunted aggressively.

The shot hog went silent. The others got silent. I felt my heart beating, strong and fast.

I stood up, still feeling the excitement of it all. There were two options, go after the hog now ... or return to the truck and wait.

My hit was good and I didn't want to wait.

The blood trail went into thicker brush than I wanted to crawl through so I used trails and a dry creek bed to make a 60 yard circle. 

Nothing. 

I moved 30 yards into the brush and zig zagged. Blood spots on leaves got me on track. I moved carefully, looking around me rather than at the blood, and not wanting to make any extra noise. If the hog was still alive I wanted to be sure and hear it if it got up.

There it was  ... laying in the brush ... not moving. But to be sure I picked up a large rock and bounced it off the hog. No reaction.

That done, I returned to my truck and got my tripod and a cooler. I examined the wound (some comments on that in a minute) and used the time delay on my camera to take my picture with the hog.

EQUIPMENT COMMENTS:
On today's hunt these products had the extra punch to make the hunt a success.

• BowTech's Patriot VFT set at 64 pounds slammed my arrow through the opposite shoulder bone. This is a fast, accurate and powerful bow. 
• INNERLOC's EXP broadhead wiped this hog out in 40 yards. It busted a big chuck out of the fat, left front leg bone and shoved through the hide, making a devastating exit wound. Although the arrow did not penetrate the hog completely, due to the leg bone, the penetration was still impressive.
• Something about the Venom Peep Sight's unique See-Through Blue color makes you center your sight and pin automatically. Its tether lines it up right every time, too. This is the best peep I've ever used.
• Fine-Line's Hunter Bowquiver holds both ends of the arrows. In tight quarters like today's hunt you don't want to snag the fletching end of your arrows on twigs or limbs, and it will not happen with this quiver.
• I used white to yellow EZE Eye Arrow Wraps with natural colored Gateway Feathers. This extra color on the arrow showed me exactly where I hit the hog. Knowing that gave me the confidence to go after it right away.
• I fletched them myself with the Arizona EZ Carbon Fletch with straight fletch arms. I prefer straight fletch over helical.
• Jim Fletcher's .44 Caliper wrist release always shoots smoothly in my string loop, a smooth release is essential to shoot where you aim.

I kept cedars between us and snuck 80 yards and stopped behind the last tree cover.

Three large hogs, several hundred pounder types and some young pigs were rooting under a cedar 25 yards away. The largest was broadside and I drew behind the cover of cedar limbs. 

To shoot under the limbs I had to drop to my knees. I guess I wasn't graceful enough and the 3 large hogs turned toward me.

I put my pin between the eyes of the largest and waited to see what he would do. I didn't want this shot but if he came at me I'd take it.
He ran to my left and stopped out of sight, he grunted loudly and all the hogs ran away. He grunted repeatedly and followed.

Ahh yes, the hogs are back. Life is good. I'll be back tomorrow.

Bowhunting For Wild Hogs - 2004

Bowhunting With The Grim Reaper Broadhead Crew

Jay Liechty of Grim Reaper Broadheads and Kellan Rollins (cameraman) arrived after dark with 4 wild hogs already in their coolers! To The Hunt...

More Wild Hog Bowhunting in 2004.
Stalking, stand hunting during 2004. To The Hunt ...

Bowhunting For Wild Hogs - 2003

2003 was a super year for wild hog bowhunting. They were at the Hammer Hole, the Slew Hole, and everywhere in between. 
Lots of pics and action. To 2003 Wild Hog Bowhunts...

More Wild Hogs Bowhunts: 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999
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