Treestand Safety Summit - Last Hog Hunt By Robert Hoague
Mar 17, 2008 - 9:17:48 PM
Following the morning hunt it was time for further talks on the subject of treestand safety. Marilyn Bents, the Executive Director of NBEF (National Bowhunter Education foundation) as well as a board member of the TMA (Treestand Manufacturers Assn.) arrived and discussions began.
Treestand Safety meeting with Jim Seeley, Marilyn Bentz, Jim Jeff DeRegnaucourt and Wade Nolan.
Since I was not a part of the meeting I did some web work while they were talking. Afterward, Jeff DeRegnaucourt gave me a brief summary of their meeting. Jeff said he was very pleased with the outcome. In particular, The Sportsmans Channel's willingness to work with the TMA and NBEF on video spots to educate treestand hunters on appropriate safety issues.
Once their meeting was over Jim, Jeff and Marilyn left to catch their airplane flights. That left Wade Nolan and myself to hunt wild hogs.
Wade Nolan videoing from a ground blind.
Wade saw two groups of wild hogs and and some deer. He videoed them and took a pic of some hogs drinking water from the run-off of a nearby ditch.
A group of wild hogs drinking from some run off water.
Wade wanted a more mature hog, which he did see, but out of bow range.
Wade Nolan ready for wild hog action.
Meanwhile I hunted my super secret Turkey spot in a treestand. Before long I heard several gobbles and some husky yelps on the hill behind me. It was very tempting to call but because Fred Lutger and I will be hunting wild turkeys here in two weeks I didn't want to call and educate them.
But they did the right thing anyway.
Nine gobblers, all jakes, passed me 15 yards to my left. I already had my video camera in my hand and carefully turned it on and pushed the record button. However, without realizing it, I bobble fingered it some how, and didn't get any video of the cool stuff the jakes were about to do.
The gobblers stood under my tree and watched the area ahead. A deep mature gobble rattled the leaves on my tree. The jakes all gobbled and the big boy gave them another ground shaker. The big Tom was close and I didn't dare move.
The jakes promptly stepped into the open and cut into the woods to my right. Then they hurried along the wood's edge and vanished in the distant trees up hill. I was thinking I had some very nice jake video until I reached to shut off the record button and realized it was already off.
Wild hog squeals and grunts sounded from the thick woods in front of me. Then as daylight faded two large, black hogs passed me on the left. I couldn't get a shot due to the tree's limbs.
From the direction the jakes had gone, several gobbles sounded. And the mature Tom gobbled 3 times on the hill behind me. Real boomers.
After the hunt Wade, Billy Don and I drove into Burnet and ate mexican food at Diegos. It turned out to be their Karaoke night. Some of the singers were very good and we stayed a little longer than planned. But it didn't matter because this was the last day of our hunt.
But Wade Nolan is bringing a group to wild turkey hunt here with Billy Don on April 8. Fred Lutger and myself will be there too. And you can bet I'll be looking for that leaf rattler, boomer gobbler.
