Well it turns out that the TBG boys were having a group hunt on the Chickasawhatchee WMA which is pretty close to where I hunt anyway so I decided to stop by for a few days on my way home. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1010923.jpg)
The Georgia guys told me that the Chickasawhatchee is the second biggest swamp in Ga. The WMA is just under 20,000 acres.
I got there around 1:30 PM on January 1. I talked to a few guys who were around camp and they told me that I was in the right spot. I heard about a hog and a nice eight point that had been killed in the previous two days so I was pretty excited about the prospects of getting into the swamp. Just as I was finishing setting up camp, these two jokers showed up. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1020970.jpg)
My wife looked at me a little funny when I told her that they were shooting and hunting buddies of mine. You couldn't find any nicer guys than Danny Beckweth and Chuck Evans.
There is some gorgeous habitat on the Chickasawhatchee. One spot that is of particular beauty is called the Seven Bridges Road. I don't want to say anything bad about the people in this area or their ability to count, because the 25 or so TBG members in attendance were all fine fellows, but I am fairly certain that there are only six bridges. Maybe one of them washed out before I got there.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1020933.jpg)
Danny gave me some general information about the place and I set out to explore about 4:00 PM. I decided to drive for an hour and try to get a feel for the lay of the land. I would try to find a promising spot by 5:00 PM and spend the rest of the time until dark hunting for pigs.
Narrowing down a place to hunt is a bit of a challenge. The whole place fairly screams, "HUNT HERE!"
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1020934.jpg)
As my self-appointed deadline for making the transition from driving to hunting approached, I found an overgrown logging road that looked promising. From the road it looked like just a big wet area, but I recognized the evenly spaced openings as old ruts from heavy equiopment and bet on the fact that it would offer me a fairly clear and quiet access into the swamp as well as an easy way back out of the unfamiliar territory.
The nearest place that I could park was several hundred yards away. After parking, I walked back to the logging road and forced myself to slow down and begin to still hunt as soon as I stepped off of the main drag.
Hog sign was evident almost immediately.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1020967.jpg)
I hadn't gone more than 75 yards down the logging track when I heard some movement in the brush to my left. Peering through the pines, briars, and other scattered underbrush I made out the legs and then the bodies of two hogs as they fed quickly through the woods. They were only about 45 yards away, but there was just no way that I was going to be able to catch up with them.
After they fed out of sight, i continued down the logging road scouting and still-hunting as I went. The sign just kept getting better and better. About 300 yards off the main road, the logging track was intersected by another more recent skidder trail. I looked down the new road and noticed that there was a clear field of view for about 100 yards or more.
I turned down the new road and quickly found what I was looking for. Right in the middle of the hottest hog sign I had seen was a stand of oak trees that was still dropping acorns. Conveniently located in the middle of the oaks was a large fallen log that would help break up my outline.
I decided to spend the rest of the evening in that spot. I put my back to the oaks and faced the fallen log. The fact that I was also looking into the wind made everything perfect.
This is my field of view from my stand. It is 14 yards from where I am standing to the clump of oaks in the center of the picture. I know because I paced it off later.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1020945.jpg)
Looks promising...
This looks like it's gonna get good. Thanks for taking us along Gregg!
Looks like hog country to me!!! Good luck!!
Daren
Gregg, enjoyed sharing camp with you.
As the magic moments before dark crept by, my confidance in the spot continued to grow. My ears were the first to tell me that something was coming to me through the swamp. A few minutes later, my eyes confirmed what my ears had told me. A large black form was moving steadily in my direction. I knew the hog was going to come my way and just as firmly, I believed that I was going to shoot and kill it. I have never been that confident in the way any previous hunting scenario has ever been set up. It just felt perfect.
The beast came steadily in my direction, but stopped occasionally to root in the mud for acorns. At 30 yards I recognized the fact that it was a big sow. She stopped when she was about 20 yards away and eyed me for a second and the continued on. She stopped again right in front of the oaks featured in the picture above and eyed me again. A few seconds later she put her head down and turned to her left presenting a quartering away shot.
Without hesitation, I drew my Black Widow recurve and sent a Gold Tip arrow tipped with a 100 grain steel insert and a 125 grain Wensel Woodsman through her ribcage. She whirled and ran through the swamp and I heard her splash down just out of sight.
I looked at my watch and it read 5:47 PM. I had been on the ground for less than an hour. With darkness fast approaching and a sense of confidence in the shot, I waited just five minutes before slowly walking towards the spot where I had heard her go down. She had only made it about 40 yards before expiring.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1010906.jpg)
I drug her about 150 yards back towards the road. Then I took a break and carried my stuff out to the road. I was lucky enough to run into some helpful guys who helped me drag her the last 200 yards out. I would find out later that she weighed in at 167 pounds.
Left to right below are Clay and Rusty Thompson, me, and Chris Ward. Greg Clark also assisted, but he is not pictured.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1010911.jpg)
holly smokes what a HOWG!!! :scared: great story i bet that was sweet. Congrats :notworthy: :clapper:
Great story and excellent pics...to say nothing about a very nice hog as well. Doesn't get any better than that.
Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
Was this public land in Florida? Awesome hunt, looks like fun!
absolutly awesome story, pics and a sweeeet bow!!!!!! i love threads like this!!!!!!
great job!!! :thumbsup: :clapper:
I hunted for the next day and a half and saw or heard hogs each time I was out. On Saturday morning, which was my last day in the swamp, I saw a boar that was as big as a volkswagon. Since I was lost at the time and at least a half mile from the road, I easily made the decision to pass on him. Besides, I wasn't sure if my new friends would help me drag him out or drown me in the swamp. :D
I would like to thank all of the fine folks at TBG for letting me share a camp and hunt with them. It was a great experience and killing a hog was only the icing on top of a very good cake.
Dang, Gregg, what a hog!
Congrats!
Thanks, guys!
Jeff, I look forward to more shared hunts soon.
Gregg
Ya made it look easy! Nice hunt, thanks for taking us.
Gregg,
Is that WMA area the one just outside of Albany headed towards Calhoun County?
Doug
Good job Gregg!!
Congrats :thumbsup:
:clapper:
Doug, i'll answer for Gregg, he's probably asleep by now (like I should be). Yes, you've got the right place.
Gregg (when you wake up), sorry I missed out on the hunt, would have been good to spend some more time with you and the fellas but had to be at work (seems to happen a lot last couple of years). looking forward to your Spring event, maybe we'll finally get to have that talk then.
Great story. Looks like you got this hog hunting down pat. That's a lot of BBQ.
Sounds like y'all had a great hunt. Can not wait to get back to GA and start chasing some pigs around.
Congrats on the hog!!!
Glad it worked out nice pig. Joe
Gregg,
Congrats on the hog !!! Great pics and story !
Yep, Chuck and Danny are top notch guys. They put up with them Coot boys, Skyler, and Mason for a few days when we were down shooting the fall shoot with you FL boys. I enjoyed spending time and talking with them. We sure did share some good frog legs at dinner too. Congrats again Gregg !
nocams
Nice!!! Congratulations, sounds like everyone had a great time.
Daren
arhhh..... reminds me of my days on cape york peninsula. the swamps look similar too. nice work. pig hunting is such great fun.
Congrats. Great story and pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice hog, great hunt! That's the perfect eating size!
Thanks guys. I would rather be lucky than good and I realize that was a major factor in my success.
Jimmy, I hope you and Mason can make it down for another shoot soon.
That's a dandy Gregg!!! Congrats!!!!!!
Gregg
Congratulations once again! It was a pleasure meeting you this weekend. Hopefully we will cross paths again, but dragging my hog next time. :goldtooth:
Gregg, Congrats nice hog & story. Question: do you always use WW on hogs? Or switch to a 2 blade on a boar? Jeff
Doc, I am not the hog slayer that some of these boys are. My experience is limited to a handful of hogs. All have been shot with Wensels and 100 grain steel adapters. None of them have been "monster" boars.
Nice job Gregg! I still need to talk to ya when you get a minute.
Way to go buddy...congrats!!
Congrats and well told.
Great story and pics,thanks.That will be some fine eating.
Leland
Dang nice pig Greg, congrats!
Congrats on a great hog! Thanks for the story and pics. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Gregg, don't sell yourself short. That's a heckuva hog, especially on public land.
A fella could hunt awhile and not get one over 150#.
Nice shot too.
Congrats on a fine hog,thanks for sharing the hunt and pics.Terry
Congrats! Fine hog and story as well. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I hate to burst Greg's bubble....but we ain't inviting him back. I think everyone that wasn't from Georgia killed something - made us TBG'ers look like a bunch of bumbling nincompoops....and who needs that? LOL. As always one of the best attended TBG hunts. Good people, good food, good stumping and good swamps. Hard to beat! And, reluctantly, congrats to the Florida boy for a great porker!
Good pig Greg!!RC
Great Job Gregg!!!!!! Cool Pic.....Don
That has to be 167 pounds field dressed. I would bet on that hog going over 225 live weight.
Very nice Gregg! Congrats all the way around!
LOL Bill. Greg Clark takes great photos. :D
And you did it on your own too,..........didn't have to use the lucky coat from Fred! Way to go. Nice story and great pics.(Love the pics)!
Thanks for taking the time to share with us!
if that pig only weighed 167 you must only weigh 100!
Congrats!
Bisch
This hog in the picture was 160 lbs field dressed..and we suspect at 225 on the hoof, if that's any help. It was weighed on accurate scales, cause I weighed myself at the doctor the other day and when I checked this scale it was within a couple pounds of the same number.
There's no trick photography- the hunter, Andy Lupher, is sitting directly behind the hog, with his hand and bow resting on teh pig, so there isn't a perspective issue.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/rayhammond123/AndyLupher2009.jpg)
Greg, any pig on public land taken fair chase is an awesome trophy, and yours is no exception.
I'm no expert hog judger or weigher....but the pic of the hog in the pic up looks about right to me.
No matter the wieght....congrats again....way to start the year off.
Congrats on the nice piggies! It is very interesting to look at these eastern swamp rooters. They look quite different than the hogs we have in CA. First off, they actually have a rear end. Ours are all front loaded, lots of FOC! Forget about getting any hams off of them. I think it is the steep hills. Also, yours have a full hide of hair. Ours are mostly pretty scraggly because it can be dry. But to me, they're all beautiful :goldtooth:
Our sows are "barrel" shaped. If you see one of our hogs and they look the same end to end, its a girlie.
If it looks big up front, with no 'assatol' its a boy!!!
Man, it sure is sweet when it all comes together like that.
Congrats!
Bisch
Thats it! When the kids are grown and out of the house in the next 20 or 30 years I am moving south. Love the pig pics and stories, great job.
Gregg, great hog! You drug her about 140 yards further than I would have before I went for help though. As someone who hunts up North now (but from Texas) it is always a charge to see hogs and javelinas while hunting. The story and pics are fantastic.
:clapper:
GREGG congrats on the hunt!!!
Its an amazing Hog!!!!
:clapper: