Have you ever wished that the week was about 10 days longer? I sure know that when deer season is in full swing, I wish that everyday was a Saturday. But, like most hunters who put the food on the table, I work during the week and hit the packed woods early Saturday morning.
When the boss told me on a weekday to take off after lunch, there was one place I knew I’d be — deep in deer country. At 3 p.m., I stepped out of the truck, sprayed down, grabbed my hog call, .270 win and the best walking boots I had.
I think all hunters have places they’ve seen on the map that they’d like to check out, but finding time to hunt there is harder than finding game to shoot. So, I walked about a mile down the dirt road and saw a cut into the woods that looked like it might have been a road about 10 years ago. That’s where it all began. I ended up walking onto a game trail and, from the looks of it, a doe must have been there sometime that day. I was out there for boar but, like any other hunter, I was going to take what I could get — deer or boar. I followed the trail until it led me to a clearing that looked as if a bulldozer had been run through it.
It made me nervous enough to check my location with my GPS and map to make sure I hadn’t stumbled onto public land. After I checked myself, I continued on my way looking for a landing at the corner of the Ogeechee River. As I was walking through that clearing, I couldn’t help but notice the deer traffic in that area. I have seen game trails before, but I have never seen a “highway” — and that’s exactly what I was walking on.
I ended up at the south end of the clearing and as I entered the woods again, my heart nearly exploded. There wasn’t one square foot of ground that was not torn up. It looked like 30 boars had dragged their heads around for four days straight.
I wondered two things: Where should I put a stand and when will these jokers be back? Since I was on the hunt for boar, I called a few times on my wild hog call by Hunters Specialties and prayed one would come running out of the brush. Much like my other hunts, I wasn’t that lucky, so I came up with a game plan to explore the area and call every five to 10 minutes.
It was 4:30 p.m., the hottest part of the day, and if I was a betting man, this is the first place I’d figure the animals would be. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a boar in sight.
I constructed a makeshift blind and set the camera up just incase one walked in on me so I could get the kill on film. It’s funny — I think deep down in every hunter wants to get that monster buck or boar on film.
I waited patiently for something to wander into my line of sight. Time passed and it started to get dark on me. Before I knew it, I was leaving the woods again — no animal, no film of the kill and a body full of bug bites.
I think about all the time I spend out in the woods with no shots and no signs of life, and I know when I do take that trophy down, it’ll be worth even second.
On the bright side, I did get to check out a new area on my boring Thursday and I had some good stories about the way those boars had torn that land up. And, once again, I know where I will be this weekend. Happy hunting and I’ll see you in the woods.
When the boss told me on a weekday to take off after lunch, there was one place I knew I’d be — deep in deer country. At 3 p.m., I stepped out of the truck, sprayed down, grabbed my hog call, .270 win and the best walking boots I had.
I think all hunters have places they’ve seen on the map that they’d like to check out, but finding time to hunt there is harder than finding game to shoot. So, I walked about a mile down the dirt road and saw a cut into the woods that looked like it might have been a road about 10 years ago. That’s where it all began. I ended up walking onto a game trail and, from the looks of it, a doe must have been there sometime that day. I was out there for boar but, like any other hunter, I was going to take what I could get — deer or boar. I followed the trail until it led me to a clearing that looked as if a bulldozer had been run through it.
It made me nervous enough to check my location with my GPS and map to make sure I hadn’t stumbled onto public land. After I checked myself, I continued on my way looking for a landing at the corner of the Ogeechee River. As I was walking through that clearing, I couldn’t help but notice the deer traffic in that area. I have seen game trails before, but I have never seen a “highway” — and that’s exactly what I was walking on.
I ended up at the south end of the clearing and as I entered the woods again, my heart nearly exploded. There wasn’t one square foot of ground that was not torn up. It looked like 30 boars had dragged their heads around for four days straight.
I wondered two things: Where should I put a stand and when will these jokers be back? Since I was on the hunt for boar, I called a few times on my wild hog call by Hunters Specialties and prayed one would come running out of the brush. Much like my other hunts, I wasn’t that lucky, so I came up with a game plan to explore the area and call every five to 10 minutes.
It was 4:30 p.m., the hottest part of the day, and if I was a betting man, this is the first place I’d figure the animals would be. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a boar in sight.
I constructed a makeshift blind and set the camera up just incase one walked in on me so I could get the kill on film. It’s funny — I think deep down in every hunter wants to get that monster buck or boar on film.
I waited patiently for something to wander into my line of sight. Time passed and it started to get dark on me. Before I knew it, I was leaving the woods again — no animal, no film of the kill and a body full of bug bites.
I think about all the time I spend out in the woods with no shots and no signs of life, and I know when I do take that trophy down, it’ll be worth even second.
On the bright side, I did get to check out a new area on my boring Thursday and I had some good stories about the way those boars had torn that land up. And, once again, I know where I will be this weekend. Happy hunting and I’ll see you in the woods.