Don't let the name full you. Our primitive season is a revision of muzzleloader season which allows hunters to use "primitive weapons" which is a breach loading single shot shotgun or rifle .35 caliber or larger. I use a 35 Wheelen H&R. Youth model size gun and great for carrying in the woods, as long as you don't have to shoot it twice.
I hunted and scouted the areas I hunted 3 weeks prior to this weekend. Managed to kill a couple pigs with shotgun and small game loads and saw dozens more. My Plan A morning spot for this hunt was an area where I bumped a large deer in a cane thicket and saw rubs from the previous season. Still a little early at the time for bucks to start rubbing. Based on scouting and trail cameras I thought that spot would be my best bet for being able to kill a deer without having to go through a bunch of pigs. Plan B was after the morning hunt was to drive to a different area where I expected to find pigs bedding and try to kill a few.
Saturday morning I was set up near where I found the bed. Walking in I noticed pig sign that I didn't see 3 weeks prior. At 0730 I heard something approaching behind me from down wind. I swung around when I noticed the foot steps change from walking to running. It was a big pig. My first reaction was to give a quick check behind it to see if there was another that might provide a better shot, but it was by itself. A little ahead of me now the pig stopped and I scoped him....couldn't see much besides a blurr. Picked my head up then back to the scope trying to find him in the scope but couldn't find him up. The pig ran off and got a free pass. I realized after that my focus was way off and tightened all the way. When I was target shooting it earlier in the week I guess I was unknowing forcing my eye to focus but at a quick shot things were unclear. Inspecting my scope after that I noticed the piece that holds tension on the focus was broken which allowed to focus to adjust very easy. For the remainder of the sit and walking out I kept playing with to make sure it wouldn't happen again. While walking out I made a loop to check more oak trees to see if they were dropping yet. Most of the acorns on the ground look to be mostly from squirrels knocking them out. I did find more last season rubs, one very nice this season rub, and a hog bedding spot.
Around 12 I made by start to the afternoon hunt very optimistic that I would kill a pig or two. Drug my pirogue through the woods, paddled down then crossed and started my hunt expect to see a pig every couple hundred yards of walking. Difference between this time a last? Now deer had traded places with pigs. Woods were way to dry to be stalking deer and I kept bumping a single here and there. Finally after bumping a few in an area I backed out, made a loop around, and walked along the bayou to minimize the area of disturbance. Most of this area is closed canopy bottom land hardwood forest, but there is about 20 acres where a lot of the big tress have blown over and created prime bedding cover. A made the loop around and set up on the backside where bedding meets open woods and sat on the same log where I killed a 9 point the previous season. It was about 345 when I sat down. Near last light I heard foot steps behind me on my left side. She was following the edge a slough and walking towards me. Soon to be between was a 6ft+ wide base of a cypress tree. I couldn't have been presented with a better opportunity as she would've been 20yds away by the time she stepped out from behind the tree. BUT NO I HAD TO SCREW IT UP!
As soon as her head was remotely behind the tree my excitement got the better of me and I turned around and swapped my gun from left handed to right handed. About half way through that motion she comes to a dead stop looking right at me. We had a Mexican stand off there for a minute and every second of it I was deeply regretting my decision to move too soon. The stand off ended when she turned and ran across the slough. I thought it was over, but I had one more chance. She was continuing her eastern path just now along the opposite slough bank. I picked a hole she would walk through and double checked my focus. It was off, but I had time to make the adjustment. When she stepped through I took the shot. The recoil and poor handling with taking a right handed shot caused the scope to knock me in the forehead. Never saw or heard any sign of her running off, but thought I heard a crash. At the shot site I found blood and a piece of lung. She went about 30yds and die.
Very grateful for the opportunity to kill this doe, and looking forward to going back again this weekend for rifle season with a few buddies.
I hunted and scouted the areas I hunted 3 weeks prior to this weekend. Managed to kill a couple pigs with shotgun and small game loads and saw dozens more. My Plan A morning spot for this hunt was an area where I bumped a large deer in a cane thicket and saw rubs from the previous season. Still a little early at the time for bucks to start rubbing. Based on scouting and trail cameras I thought that spot would be my best bet for being able to kill a deer without having to go through a bunch of pigs. Plan B was after the morning hunt was to drive to a different area where I expected to find pigs bedding and try to kill a few.
Saturday morning I was set up near where I found the bed. Walking in I noticed pig sign that I didn't see 3 weeks prior. At 0730 I heard something approaching behind me from down wind. I swung around when I noticed the foot steps change from walking to running. It was a big pig. My first reaction was to give a quick check behind it to see if there was another that might provide a better shot, but it was by itself. A little ahead of me now the pig stopped and I scoped him....couldn't see much besides a blurr. Picked my head up then back to the scope trying to find him in the scope but couldn't find him up. The pig ran off and got a free pass. I realized after that my focus was way off and tightened all the way. When I was target shooting it earlier in the week I guess I was unknowing forcing my eye to focus but at a quick shot things were unclear. Inspecting my scope after that I noticed the piece that holds tension on the focus was broken which allowed to focus to adjust very easy. For the remainder of the sit and walking out I kept playing with to make sure it wouldn't happen again. While walking out I made a loop to check more oak trees to see if they were dropping yet. Most of the acorns on the ground look to be mostly from squirrels knocking them out. I did find more last season rubs, one very nice this season rub, and a hog bedding spot.
Around 12 I made by start to the afternoon hunt very optimistic that I would kill a pig or two. Drug my pirogue through the woods, paddled down then crossed and started my hunt expect to see a pig every couple hundred yards of walking. Difference between this time a last? Now deer had traded places with pigs. Woods were way to dry to be stalking deer and I kept bumping a single here and there. Finally after bumping a few in an area I backed out, made a loop around, and walked along the bayou to minimize the area of disturbance. Most of this area is closed canopy bottom land hardwood forest, but there is about 20 acres where a lot of the big tress have blown over and created prime bedding cover. A made the loop around and set up on the backside where bedding meets open woods and sat on the same log where I killed a 9 point the previous season. It was about 345 when I sat down. Near last light I heard foot steps behind me on my left side. She was following the edge a slough and walking towards me. Soon to be between was a 6ft+ wide base of a cypress tree. I couldn't have been presented with a better opportunity as she would've been 20yds away by the time she stepped out from behind the tree. BUT NO I HAD TO SCREW IT UP!
As soon as her head was remotely behind the tree my excitement got the better of me and I turned around and swapped my gun from left handed to right handed. About half way through that motion she comes to a dead stop looking right at me. We had a Mexican stand off there for a minute and every second of it I was deeply regretting my decision to move too soon. The stand off ended when she turned and ran across the slough. I thought it was over, but I had one more chance. She was continuing her eastern path just now along the opposite slough bank. I picked a hole she would walk through and double checked my focus. It was off, but I had time to make the adjustment. When she stepped through I took the shot. The recoil and poor handling with taking a right handed shot caused the scope to knock me in the forehead. Never saw or heard any sign of her running off, but thought I heard a crash. At the shot site I found blood and a piece of lung. She went about 30yds and die.
Very grateful for the opportunity to kill this doe, and looking forward to going back again this weekend for rifle season with a few buddies.
