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12/08 public archery

Weldabeast

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
May 23, 2019
Messages
12,363
Location
Northeast Florida
I snuck out early this morning and made the hour drive over to a piece of public that is now open to quota free archery hunts. I scouted in around day break. I was in an area of ravines and was working a game trail on the side hill of the ravine. 30yds ahead of me I saw a small tree shaking on the other side of a palmetto clump. I couldn't see what it was but it was either walking toward me or away from me on with small trail following perpendicular to the side hill. I waited and saw the black body through the palmettos. There was a big sweet gum between me and the hog. It was walking directly toward me when it stepped out from behind the tree it saw me turned broadside and froze. All I could see was the head and neck at roughly 20yds. I was aiming for the base of the head where it connects to the body hoping to either hit the spine or cut the main neck veins/arteries. I couldn't see the vitals so I knew it was an iffy shot....I wouldn't have made the shot on a deer. I released the arrow and it hit exactly where I was aiming. The arrow zipped throu and it made a small squeal and stood there for a split second then ran off. I heard it cross the creek and work over to the other side of the ravine. I marked my location and retrieved my arrow. I packed up and went and staged my gear at the top of the hill and waited little more than an hour and went back down into the ravine and started searching. I went to the impact and no blood. I went to the last place I saw it, no blood. Wet sweet gum and maple leaves all over the top of ankle
deep mud mixed with stagnant pools of water. I grid searched the whole ravine for about 3 hours and called it quits. Started scouting my way back toward the truck. I wasn't real thrilled with what I was seeing as far as deer sign and I settled on a transition zone between pine flats and cypress swamp that had real fresh hog roots. Sat till dark and didn't see nothing. According to the GPS on the phone it was a 13 mile day..... I'm beat

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