Saved the Afternoon...

[HuntnCarve]

I was mentally kicking myself for not going turkey hunting this morning!  Weather man said it was supposed to rain?  Well as a sunny day broke, my mood deteriorated.  I did manage to turn a call, but my heart was not in it?  As the morning slipped away, I thought; "hmmm the hogs should be out?"  So after loading up the truck, kissing the wife good bye, I set out for Leon's farm.  I had a carving for his wife that I promised her.  So why not deliver it?  If the .19-.223 Calhoon just so happened to be stowing away in the cab of the truck, so much the better!
Upon arriving, Dorothy was overjoyed at the carving. [An osprey perched on a branch with a bluegill in it's talons.  -I had done this carving 20 years ago.  It was getting in my way, so I offered it to her.  She was very happy! LOL!]  Meanwhile, Leon regaled me with the story of how this morning he was pulling the manure spreader up in big field when he saw a huge gobbler.  "You should have been here this morning!"    Ah well, another day perhaps...
So off to the hog fields I went...Once again I climbed up into the treestand.
This was my view (below)




The field had been freshly mowed, and was greening up nicely.  Well, I ended up sitting there for a good hour before I noticed some movement along the hedgerow 170 yards away.  It was a Silverback!  He was feeding along contentedly, oblivious to the 32 grain hollow point that would be toking  along at 4100 Fps in the next few milliseconds!   He finally squared off pointed my way, raising up just a bit.  Pressing the sensitive trigger I was rewarded with a loud meaty “Thwap!”  The hog just collapsed on the spot.
As I contemplated sitting there a while longer, the thunder boomers that the weather man spoke about decided to congregate above me!  I quick stepped it over to the chuck.  Snapped a couple photos, and then raced for the truck!  I was just putting the rifle in its case when the heavens opened up!  The hell with the weatherman!  I was officially done for the day!  Turned out not to be such a bad one after all…




Dave

[pitw]

Why would they mow the fields .  You turned a Ho Hum into a high five day and that is always cool .

[5 SHOTS]

Why would they mow the fields . 

To see the hogs easier. 

[HuntnCarve]

LOL!  It certainly helps!  Barry, I believe they are trying to keep this field mowed to keep the weeds from taking over.  This field is not under cultivation.  Hasn't been as long as I can remember?  By Fall the weeds will be able to conceal a full grown whitetail.  They don't want to spray it being that there is a stream running right below it that passes through the horse pasture.  They would also get hassled by the bureaucrats for possibly endangering a wet lands?  So he mows it down a few times a year.

Dave

[FinsnFur]

  You gotta like that.
Do we get to see any pics of the Osprey and the Bluegill

[Yotehntr]

   Good job Dave!

[alscalls]

 

[vvarmitr]

Now that is a dedicated deer hunter ..... even hunts g'hogs from a treestand.

[pitw]

  at Art.  I kinda got a smell on my shoes stepping in that one eh.
Dave I guess it surprised me cause up here we don't get much excess grass and if it can't be cut for feed someone will put livestock on it.  Thanks for the response.  Spraying next to a body of water or a water runway is risky business and one of the reasons I have to pay mega bucks for insurance.

[HaMeR]

He sure is a bigun!! 

Turkey season runs til dark here now til the 16th. We'll start out after the hogs here then. I don't like the idea of shooting hogs at those velocities with turkey hunters out there somewhere. 

[HuntnCarve]

HaMer,  here in PA we can only hunt turkeys till Noon.  All turkey hunters must be out of the woods by 1 PM!  In the meantime, while the turkey season is in progress, one cannot hunt groundhogs until after Noon.  All groundhog hunters must wear a flourescent orange hat at all times.  Also, in PA you cannot be in possession of a rifle, or single projectile ammuntion while hunting Spring Turkey season.  Shotguns only with shot no larger than No.4 lead.
Thanks for the comments guys!  I have a .220 Swift that needs to hit the hog fields.  So maybe next time?

Dave

[HaMeR]

Same here Dave. Except they opened the last two weeks up until sunset.

[Carolina Coyote]

Dave, I alway enjoy the way you tell a story.    cc