Pig
Invasion!
Wild
Hog #1 for the Leon River Bad Boys
by Rick Philippi
| As a lot of you already know. Robert Hoague, Donald Duck and I have
been bowhunting together for years and we have all been on the same Texas
deer lease for the last fifteen years.
In recent years I have had heard rumors of people seeing wild hogs South and West of our area but nothing that I really paid much attention to. The opening day of the 1998 bow season found me in my tri-pod, which is located in the very back 200 acres of our lease. The terrain consist's of very thick mesquite bush and cedar breaks. The area is a prime spot where the big bucks hang out. Getting into my stand I was pumped up because I just had that feeling when you know something good is going to happen. Sitting in my stand for thirty minutes, I had three or four doe's come by with in 12 yards of my stand. Since this is a buck stand, I don't shoot doe's at this location. All of sudden, I noticed something coming through the bush over my right shoulder. The object was big and black and I could hardly make out what it was. The critter stopped on a dime and turned around and ran to where it came from. I got winded!!!! The temperature was up to 90 degrees and burning. That morning for some odd reason I decided not to wear my scent lock suit because of the heat. Man, was that a major mistake, had the pig not winded me he would have walked right into my 20 yard shooting lane. Upon my arrival to camp I told the Duck and Robert I had seen a wild hog (that was the first wild pig ever sighted on our lease). We got pretty excited to think that there were some hogs around. Something I try not to do is to hunt the same stand twice in the same day but knowing that there may be a possibility of some wild pigs in the area I went against my better judgement and headed back to the same stand for the evening hunt with my SCENT LOK SUIT on. Getting into my stand I nocked an arrow while the sweat is pouring off me and into my eyes. At least I had the scent lock suit on and I knew that would not let my odor out. I have taken six pigs in my life and the one thing I can tell you is that their nose's are second to none in the wild. If a pig is going to detect you it's probably going to be with his nose and not his eyes.After an hour in my stand the wildlife started to move around in this game enriched area. The deer were moving but not the big guy I was looking for. When there was about twenty minutes of day light left it was so quiet and still, I could hear my ears ringing. All of sudden from no where came this string of wild pigs down the trail leading by my stand. When all was said and done I had around thirty-five wild hogs with in twenty yards of my location.  |
Checking the hogs out closely I could tell they were all about the
same size with the exception of one big coal black monster boar. He was
about twice the size of any of the others.
The big boar walked to within eight yards of my stand, the time of truth was before me. Slowly I raised the HIGH COUNTRY FOUR RUNNER to a shooting position. The boar was now quartering away when I picked my spot behind the front shoulder. The 100 grain SPITFIRE made a good hit. All the pigs were gone in a heartbeat. Once they fled I replayed the shot over in my mind. I felt that I may have hit back a little further than I wanted. Soon, darkness fell all around me. Back at camp I told Robert what had happened. He and I decided that since the temperature was dropping and would get down into the 40's (the meat would not spoil), we would go and find the big guy in the morning. Plus, who wants to go and look for a crazed wild boar in the dark. The next morning the Duck, Robert, and I were in hot pursuit of the critter. We found blood immediately and there was a steady trail to where the big hog lay. The Spitfire broadhead had done it's job well. The boar weighed in at over 200 pounds and had nice sharp tusks... 
Pig hunting is a lot of fun. One thing you can not do is underestimate their noses. I feel the greatest asset the wild pig has is his nose. It is imperative to really control your scent when you bowhunt them. I do this by wearing a scent lock suit and spraying myself with scent shield. I also wear rubber boots that come up to the knee. Those of you who have read Robert's Wild Hog Hunting Online Reports know that there have been two more wild boars taken since mine. The good news is that bow season is right around the corner and I bet we add to that total. Happy and safe hunting. |