Pig hunting

[Kevin]

I'm off to Shiloh Ranch in Oklahoma in a month. One week behind John Havard and his merry band of men.

For those of you who can get to S Central OK, it's a great hunt. Lots of pigs, lots of fun....
and reasonable prices for the trip.

I can do the whole trip, everything...for $500, and come home with great table fare, and even better stories.

[Huntsman22]

Well, Let us hear some of 'em, whenst ya returns....Don

[anthracitic]

oink...THWACK!!!!

[falcon]

Been there twice. The Nappers are super people and it is a great time.

Hog hunting really got under my skin after going to Shiloh abd Bowsafari. We are DIY hunting them in a wilderness area down there this Feb.

Can't wait to hear how you do Kevin. There is always a chance you will bust a big one at Shiloh!

Good luck, Glynn

[John Havard]

Well, I've never had the pleasure of hunting there until this coming hunt. I'm really looking forward to it. Haven't been able to get out ONCE for deer this year (hope to correct that mistake for next year) but perhaps some fresh pork loin will ease the pain!

John

[Kevin]

John, you'll see 50-100 pigs per day, or more.

And the Nappers are two of the nicest folks you'll ever meet. BTW, the meals she makes are world class, and when she says it feed 5, she means 5 hungry boys after a day of pig hunting. Have fun.

[Hog Hunter]

Question for you pig hunters. In California I am precluded from carrying a handgun while archery hunting and have resorted to carrying a large knife when pig hunting. (Also there are a couple of longtails cruising the area.) I realize that pigs are extremely fast and powerful, as are the cats, and I am likely to be able to draw my knife quickly enough to defend myself. I've never been charged by a hog, wounded or otherwise, but when tracking a wounded pig I feel a little more comfortable. Is this a false sense of security? I usually carry my custom made 6 1/2 Powkowski until I lost it in the field this past weekend.

Love the new forum.

Seasons greetings.

Marc

[Kevin]

I guess the answer to this question depends on whether you're more like Rambo with the knife, or more like Barney Fife.

I have no idea how to answer this, other than to say that I bowhunt pigs without a handgun or any other backup. I'm not that worried about them charging.

[Hog Hunter]

Kevin,
Correction to my last post. "I am likely..." should read "I am unlikely...". I do think I cut a rather dashing visage a la Rambo when I'm out and about with my knife, but the reality is my feet hurt, my quads burn, I tire from lugging my Matthews Q2Xl, my Swarovskis, my range finder and I must have a skunk like body odor, as the minute the wind turns the pigs go charging off...so to your point, I may think I'm Rambo but I may be more like Barney Fife.
Alas, I am going to chase that boar I drew on last weekend and see if I can find my knife. I've ordered a replacement knife from a guy who use to be an Army Ranger (see rangerknives.com)for a little over $100, custom made to my specs...cool deal.
Marc

[Kevin]

Yeah, my strand of dental floss that denotes wind direction is lovingly referred to as the "pig finder." Look where the strand is pointed and see running pigs.

[falcon]

Kevin, aren't you almost on your way? I heard the mast was so good this year that the pigs were unpredictable. Probably gonna have to put the sneak on them. Good luck, Glynn

[falcon]

I spoke too soon.

[Kevin]

Leaving at sunup tomorrow, Glynn. And now, the pigs are returning to the corn, and the fun will begin. Shiloh Ranch...a great place to be.

[Hog Hunter]

Kevin,
How did it go?
Marc

[Kevin]

Both good and bad.

The good, Ralph, aka HCGunsmith, got a sow and a ram. He's the guy who will be making the new Ramblers. And his in-laws in Mooreland, OK, treated me like visiting royalty.

Me, I didn't fire an arrow. Only had one group of pigs come in, and the big one would not give me a shot. I had a bush between me and her, and she wouldn't move away from it.

The next night, the wind shifted unfavorably, so I moved to another site. No pigs got near me, preferring to populate the roads and snort at me after dark.

Acorns littered the ground, so they had little reason to come into corn. And what wasn't a crunchy acorn was noisy leaves, so sneaking up on a bedded pig was mission impossible. Last March, I snuck up within 5 yds of three bedded pigs. This year....I couldn't have snuck up on a bedded turtle.

In March, when I return...no acorns and quiet ground. Things will improve.

But...it's not a canned hunt, it's real hunting. Some days you get pork, some days you get...nada.

[John Havard]

That's too bad, Kevin. I was hoping you'd bring home the bacon from this trip. I left plenty of big fat ones out there for you. Just too many acorns still, huh?

[Kevin]

Too many acorns, too much crunchy ground. I think the crunchy ground was worse than the acorns. Last year, I snuck up on 3 bedded pigs, within 5 yds, in one afternoon. This year, I snuck up on two armadillos.

[Hog Hunter]

Kevin,
Sorry about the bad, but I hope you had fun. Its all relative. I thought I was going pig hunting this past weekend, but the press of business meant I had to work (Bad). Hope to get out before years end.
Happy Holidays to all you Kifaruites.
Marc

[Kevin]

Hog Hunter, I have 3 elk, 1 deer and one antelope in my freezer. I pheasant hunt every other week. I got to hunt for hogs for 3 days this month, and go back in 3 months.

What's bad about that?

[anthracitic]

That must be one HUGE freezer /images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

[Hog Hunter]

Nothing at all. Sounds like a great season! Did you do all that with your bow?

[Kevin]

No, my son got one elk, I got two, and all were rifle kills. I only had an archery deer tag.

I bowhunt for fun, and rifle hunt for meat.

[oktec60]

Kevin,
"Too many acorns, too much crunchy ground"

The mast crop here in Oklahoma has been amazing the last two years. I have never seen so many acorns my yard has been totally covered.

Mike,

[Smokepole]

"This year....I couldn't have snuck up on a bedded turtle.".... "This year, I snuck up on two armadillos."

Kevin, what kind of terrain do turtles and armadillos normally bed down in, and what kind of broadheads do you use for armadillos?

[Kevin]

Armadillos bed down in holes.

However, you catch them. I use a special snare tip, that opens up into a big net, like what Batman uses. It's also useful for wrapping up pit bulls and other nuisance animals. :p

[falcon]

Hogs are a great way to keep the season going this time of year.(or all year)

Sorry to hear it was so lopsided, that's how alot of my hunts are, only it's my dumb haid and not acorns.

Hope things go well in March, we're going to do a hog hunt down in SE Okla. on public ground in Feb. Maybe they'll get some rain or snow and quiet things down some.
Glynn

[falcon]

Got back Sun. nite from our hunt. Set camp up Thur. noon and hit the hills, very, very dry conditions. Worst that I have encountered.

But as I started dinner, right at dark, it began to rain. Then the 50 mph winds blew in for the whole night. Temps in the 30's.

The Ouchita Nat'l forest where we camped is a steep mountainous terrain, like a mini Rocky Mt's only with limited visibility, so you can't get bearings worth a darn. Easy to get turned around. Pines with no lower limbs to about 20-30 ft., hickories and oaks predominate. Tons of mast on the ground.

Had trouble finding the hogs, we were up up high and only cut big, lone, boar sign. They had not been using the wallows we found, even though it had been dry. Down low Weyhauser had cut a lot of oaks and just let them lay. Like blowdown on steroids with leaves to boot. I think they were going to burn and then plant pines. No way to move thru them at all, pretty sure it's where the pigs were.

Anyway, started sleeting Fri. nite and we had ice the rest of the hunt. I had a good time hunting with my youngest son and was proud of the way he kept up in the hiking we did.

I got alot more familiar with the Longhunter, very happy with the way it went thru the dense brush and briars. No problem with it behind my head. Also my new Jetboil and Sitka Meindls. Had some condensation questions with my Cabelas tent and stove, will post another thread on the Camping forum.

Yeah, very tough hunting, both guys I went with did Shiloh last year, and we agreed that we should go again soon. I sent Matt a message when we got back, but too late, they are booked over a year out.

Sure was hoping for a truckload of meathogs, but that's hunting.
Glynn