Me and JTCMedic had a great hunt with my dog Biscuit. I just got home so the whole story will come later unless he decides to chime in first.
I'll let Blackpowder Scout tell the story. Had a great hunt met some good hunters, And good memories.
We got there Monday night camped out and had a nice dinner of sausages and green beans and peppers..YUMMY! we had the whole campground to ourselves which was nice.
Tuesday morning we loaded up and headed back in to try and cut some sign. We saw some but it was pretty dark so we decided to just put the dog out and do some walking down towards the river until it got good and light. We didn't walk 20 yards past the river when the Biscuit got on something. At the same time we heard hogs on both sides of the trail and he was gone! Stood there waiting on him to bay and nothing. Waited and waited and nothing. I figured whatever he was one was running hard.
It got light and I was blown away at what we saw. That place is loaded! fresh, consistent sign all over the place. Still couldn't hear the dog. After about 30 minutes or so we heard some other dogs back the way we came. I thought maybe Biscuit might have circled back and went to that bay. We loaded up and drove around to them to find a group of guys (a small army in fact) dragging out a nice hog but no Biscuit. Their dogs were right back on another one back in the direction we started in so off we went. Got to it and still no Biscuit! A little kid stuck that sow and they loaded up and left.
I'm worried at this point. I'm thinking that dog of mine done got himslef killed and I didn't even hear where it happened. Then waaaaay off to the south I hear him. barely, but it was him. JTC and I took off through the swamp trying to find him but he got quiet. It's been a while now I finally just started calling him hoping he'd break off and come to me. He did after a while and we decided to regroup and let him rest. That poor dog looked at me like, "WTF? Where were you?" LOL!!
Drove the loop and cut some nice sign and put him out again. Went in about 20 yrds and I hear the palmettos moving and KNEW we'd just busted one. I told the dog to "GET 'EM" and he was off like a rocket. Turned out it was a big boar....being drug out by one of JTC's coworkers...LOL They had killed a nice one and said they had another, bigger sow down way back in there if we wanted it. So we drug her heavy self out and decided to team up with them.
After cleaning the boar and sow and quick lunch, we went back to near where we had started that morning. The dogs got in a race with another one but the wind got the best of them they came back. Kept walking and a little shoat runs out in the road. The dogs made short work of it, LOL. Would have made a good sandwich but they boogered it up. Kept going back in to the river sure enough, one of the dogs got wind of one. All of them came together and then hogs went flying everywhere. Biscuit got on a little one, finished it off quick and then they all got on the darker sow in the picture. JTC got in there and stuck her. We drug it out to the road and went back in to find the guys.
We linked back up with them and by now the dogs are smoked. It's hot and they'd been on the ground running all day. Biscuits not with them and I'm wondering where he went. They said, "he looked like he was winding one and went that way". Right about then I hear him. I said that's him, and off we went. Turned out he found the red sow. By the time we got to it all the dogs were doing their thing and we made short work of her. Drug it out and I told JTC, "I'm done" This cracker was TIRED!
Spent all day yesterday grinding and making sausage and packaging it all up.
It was a great trip. Good people + Good dogs= Good hunting!
sounds like a great time! i love hunting upper hillsborough
