After watching my bro get a couple bow stalks and pass on some small pigs. It was fun to see him hammer one with the fire power the next morning. That evening I wasn't really even planning on hunting, but an opportunity came by was that was too good to pass up. I spotted this pig in a perfect spot for a stalk. It was in an open spot in a marshy area. It was only about a 100lb sow and a bit smaller than I would have otherwise been interested in, but I've never killed a red one, and Taylor had the video camera ready to roll.
After an easy stalk, I was at 22 yards. There appeared to be some some minor grass in the way, but nothing that seemed like it would cause arrow trouble. I drew back and let rip. All looked good until I saw a tule reed shake several feet in front of the pig. That seemed to deflect the arrow a bit back. That and the I think the pig heard the arrow hit the tule and she started to jump ahead. So I hit liver on entry and gut on exit. Taylor got it all on video.
She ran off slowly and was noticibly hurt. She ran into a thick wall of tules. I'm talking a solid wall of the stuff, surrounded by stining nettle plants 6' tall. Behind the tules was a wide open grassy meadow and Taylor had a good view all around the reeds. She holed up in the tules and never made it out.
Normally on a hit like this I would have backed out and come back several hours later. But given the cover I knew that if she was stone dead, we might never find her. So I went behind the tules and had Taylor try to make a push into the tules and hopelly push her out for a follow up shot. He found blood and could see where the pig went in. As he went into the tules, they swallowed him up. He disappeared. All I could see was the reeds moving around.
He finally poked his head out and signaled that he could hear the pig right in front of him. Taylor couldn't see at all, but could hear, which is why we had to push this pig while it still had some life in it. Try as he might he could not push the pig out of the tules. She would just circle back around and stay in the cover. Finally Taylor softly hollered that he had a visual. She was hurt but not dead. I crashed into the reeds, stinging nettles be damned, and eventually found my bro. 2 feet in front of us I could see a piece of the redish brown mass, but I couldn't tell head from tails. I had my bro make a part in the tules so I had enough clearance to nock an arrow and draw. I took a guess and let the arrow rip. The pig exploded out of there.
If this had been a big boar it would have been hairy. We couldn't see a damn thing. It was like swimming through the 10' high tules. It was actually dark when you ducked down to try to peer foreard.
I took a few steps in the direction I thought the pig went. I heard a grunt and then violent brush breaking. I wasn't sure if the pig was coming towards me, away, or what. Fortunately she circled back around and went down somewhere in front of my brother. He could tell she was close, but couldn't see. He could just hear labored breathing.
I'm trying to figure it all out when my brother starts screaming. "Nate, get the ###### over here and put another arrow in this bi###! I've got her by the tail and she is kicking my a$$!"
Again, I crashed through the weeds and nettles to get to him. I had to flop on my belly to get over a mound of dead, dry tules because my feet just sank through. Finally I got over it and could see the hog. Taylor was holding onto the tail with a death grip and wasn't sure how much longer he could hang on as she fought back. I got an arrow nocked and as I drew back some weeds pulled it off the string. I was so jacked that I hit full draw and almost let the shot go. Fortunately, at the last second I looked down to see I had no arrow. I picked it up and re nocked.
This time I could see the head and front shoulder. As Taylor dug his heels in, I put one in the 10 ring. At impact, she amped out butTaylor kept his firm hold on the tail. After a few short seconds she relaxed and the end came.
We drug her out and assesed the damage. We had stinging nettle welts from head to toe. Since it was 90+ degrees, we both had shorts and short sleves on. Taylor only had flip flops on his feet! Looking at each other, we both just started laughing.
The first shot was gut/liver just like I thought. The second shot ended up hitting down through the top of the back ham area and exiting the off side lower rear leg. The Terminator 125 broadhead actually broke the pelvis bone and the lower leg, and had hardly a nick in the blades! The last shot was textbook.
She she died less than 150 yards from the truck, but that was the gnarliest hog recovery I've ever been on!
Thanks bro. You were the sole reason this pig was recovered! You're a stud.
After an easy stalk, I was at 22 yards. There appeared to be some some minor grass in the way, but nothing that seemed like it would cause arrow trouble. I drew back and let rip. All looked good until I saw a tule reed shake several feet in front of the pig. That seemed to deflect the arrow a bit back. That and the I think the pig heard the arrow hit the tule and she started to jump ahead. So I hit liver on entry and gut on exit. Taylor got it all on video.
She ran off slowly and was noticibly hurt. She ran into a thick wall of tules. I'm talking a solid wall of the stuff, surrounded by stining nettle plants 6' tall. Behind the tules was a wide open grassy meadow and Taylor had a good view all around the reeds. She holed up in the tules and never made it out.
Normally on a hit like this I would have backed out and come back several hours later. But given the cover I knew that if she was stone dead, we might never find her. So I went behind the tules and had Taylor try to make a push into the tules and hopelly push her out for a follow up shot. He found blood and could see where the pig went in. As he went into the tules, they swallowed him up. He disappeared. All I could see was the reeds moving around.
He finally poked his head out and signaled that he could hear the pig right in front of him. Taylor couldn't see at all, but could hear, which is why we had to push this pig while it still had some life in it. Try as he might he could not push the pig out of the tules. She would just circle back around and stay in the cover. Finally Taylor softly hollered that he had a visual. She was hurt but not dead. I crashed into the reeds, stinging nettles be damned, and eventually found my bro. 2 feet in front of us I could see a piece of the redish brown mass, but I couldn't tell head from tails. I had my bro make a part in the tules so I had enough clearance to nock an arrow and draw. I took a guess and let the arrow rip. The pig exploded out of there.
If this had been a big boar it would have been hairy. We couldn't see a damn thing. It was like swimming through the 10' high tules. It was actually dark when you ducked down to try to peer foreard.
I took a few steps in the direction I thought the pig went. I heard a grunt and then violent brush breaking. I wasn't sure if the pig was coming towards me, away, or what. Fortunately she circled back around and went down somewhere in front of my brother. He could tell she was close, but couldn't see. He could just hear labored breathing.
I'm trying to figure it all out when my brother starts screaming. "Nate, get the ###### over here and put another arrow in this bi###! I've got her by the tail and she is kicking my a$$!"
Again, I crashed through the weeds and nettles to get to him. I had to flop on my belly to get over a mound of dead, dry tules because my feet just sank through. Finally I got over it and could see the hog. Taylor was holding onto the tail with a death grip and wasn't sure how much longer he could hang on as she fought back. I got an arrow nocked and as I drew back some weeds pulled it off the string. I was so jacked that I hit full draw and almost let the shot go. Fortunately, at the last second I looked down to see I had no arrow. I picked it up and re nocked.
This time I could see the head and front shoulder. As Taylor dug his heels in, I put one in the 10 ring. At impact, she amped out butTaylor kept his firm hold on the tail. After a few short seconds she relaxed and the end came.
We drug her out and assesed the damage. We had stinging nettle welts from head to toe. Since it was 90+ degrees, we both had shorts and short sleves on. Taylor only had flip flops on his feet! Looking at each other, we both just started laughing.
The first shot was gut/liver just like I thought. The second shot ended up hitting down through the top of the back ham area and exiting the off side lower rear leg. The Terminator 125 broadhead actually broke the pelvis bone and the lower leg, and had hardly a nick in the blades! The last shot was textbook.
She she died less than 150 yards from the truck, but that was the gnarliest hog recovery I've ever been on!
Thanks bro. You were the sole reason this pig was recovered! You're a stud.
