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Second Day of the Roundup

4/2/2014

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With Friday’s successful hunt behind us we were no longer looking for the King of the Jungle, we were strictly in it for the numbers.  We made contact with another individual on Friday evening that had been overrun with feral hogs during the 2013 deer season.  Knowing that hogs are really mobile this time of year and without any other options that we thought were suitable we decided to take him up on his offer.  The morning started pretty early as we met our hosts at the Wal Mart in Wadesboro at 7am.  We made a brief introduction and hit the road to Richmond County.  The drive down 109 was mixed with rain and clouds and it looked to be a miserable day to spend in the woods, but we were in it to win it.  We arrived at the property around 8am and began the rigorous task of getting everybody suited up with cut collars, tracking collars, and a vest for Coach.  The rain continued to come down lightly as we jumped on the 4 wheelers and hit the trail.  We were headed to a big pine thicket full of deep gulleys and briars.  Most of the time in our area the hogs will bed down in the nastiest, thickest place you can find, and we have a lot of success by simply getting on a trail and walking through them.  Just across a small creek the ground was rooted up on both sides of the road, the sure sign that there were hogs around, now to find them and start sticking.  We eased around the trial encircling the cutover looking for tracks crossing the road.  We made a 360 degree circle without finding a track and once we returned to the area where we entered the block we jumped off the ATVs and struck out on foot.  There was sign of hogs being in the thicket but nothing that made us believe they were still there.  A lot of times we notice sign of hogs that are merely just passing through, maybe headed to a water source or a distant crop field, but it was evident that they were not living here any longer.  We checked out a couple of different areas with nothing but the same results.  We talked it out and decided to head back towards the house in hopes that one of our old faithful spots was holding a herd that we could find. 

  As we made the long drive back to Burnsville the reality set in that this was going to be really tough to do.  It was already after 12noon and the weigh in was at 7pm so we had to hump it.  We have a ritual as we hunt this place and we check it the same way every time we hunt it.  So as usual we made a hard turn to check the red clay road for any foot traffic and right off we found a good size track headed to the crop fields.  As we headed down toward the creek the dogs kept wanting to go up the hill so we made the decision to turn around and go around the top of the hill so that we would have the wind in our favor.  As we rounded the field it was evident that we had made a good decision as they had one on the move.   Not very far into it the race turned into a fight and we were back in the water.  All of the dogs were on this one and it’s probably a good thing as he turned out to be a half white boar in the 200lb range.  Bud and I made quick work of him and got the dogs back up the bank.  We floated him down the creek a little ways to a good extraction point and left him, this one was not going to do us any good we needed to find a sow with 10 – 25lb pigs to really get the numbers moving. 

  After dumping out the Muck Boots we headed to the trusty island, when Bud and I started hunting together we would hunt this area almost every Friday after work and we had really worked on the population.  It had been a few weeks since we visited this farm and the last time we were here it was without any animals.  The dogs hit the thicket leading to the island and almost immediately the sounds of scared hogs cut the silence.  They were on another one and she too headed towards the water.  Without hesitation we jumped on the ATV’s and headed back to the creek and swimming we were going.  This girl was caught under a lap pile on the opposite edge of the creek.  With her nose facing us we had to pick the opportune time to make the grab.  The dogs finally got her head turned around and I made the grab while Bud done the deed.  We floated this one back across the creek and left her on the bank and were in hot pursuit.  We rode for the next hour or so without incident and finally ran into another area where the sign had gotten fresh again and the hunt was on.  We made a lap around this area and came out the other side and again found sign that told us they were close.  We found a fresh set of tracks and immediately followed them to the wood line.  As we waited on the dogs to check the area Luke let out a couple of barks and jokingly Bud reminded me of the morning that he had bayed a box turtle as a puppy.  As the rest of the dogs put in we were on the move.  They crossed the main power line and across the small stream.  As we got close to the dogs we realized that there was only one catch dog and 2 bay dogs on this one.  I told Corey to let them bay until the bulldog got there as we could see him coming up the creek.  Corey decided that he was going to get a good close up facial and as the hog broke and headed to him Corey decided to run.  As he spun to get the heck out of dodge he became really close and personal with a pine tree.  He went straight to the ground throwing the camera 50 ft down the creek.  I know that a lot of you will frown on us and wonder what kind of friends we are, but regardless Bud and I laughed uncontrollably and until tears were running down our faces.  I eventually made my way to the hog as he only made it about 50 yards before he was captured again.  Bud came up the hill still laughing and put another one in the books.  Corey brought up the rear with blood streaming down the side of his face and as hard as I tried I couldn’t help but start laughing again.  We checked out his wounds and decided that he had a small cut on his ear lobe, a scratch down his neck, and another scratch in the entrance to his ear canal.  This was his first experience with a charging hog and he said that when he saw blood he knew that the hog had cut him.  Well of course this was followed by laughter and a bit of hazing. 

  We loaded this one up and as we were heading back to the truck I kept an eye on him as he would cover his uninjured ear to insure that he could still hear.  We decided to hit another spot for the last couple of hours before the weigh in in hopes that we may just find the sow with a litter of pigs, but it was not to be. We walked a lap around the cutover and found only one set of old tracks.  We headed to the weigh in with a 200lb boar, a 125lb sow, and a 125lb boar.  As we got to the weigh in the pork had been grilled and there was plenty for everyone.  We hung around and enjoyed the fellowship with other hunters and relived the weekend’s events.  We may not have won the award for the most hogs this year, but I will guarantee you that we would have gotten the award for most laughs in a weekend.  Although we were hunting for money the true prize in enjoying a hobby with people that mean something to you.  No amount of money can replace the time you spend with family and friends at home or deep in the Backwoods.


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Big Hogs Down

4/1/2014

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We knew that this year would be a pretty tough year at the Anson County Wild Hog Round Up.  There were going to be a lot of dog teams entered and not all of them were from NC.  There are 2 main categories in this particular hunt: most hogs that dress out over 10lbs and largest hog killed.  As always we waited to the last day to decide we were going to enter, and were having a bit of trouble gathering information on some hogs that haven’t been run to death.  Mid-week we finally make contact with a land owner that had a possible tournament winner and he gave us the knod.  This hog had been on this secluded piece of property for around 8 years and had not been seen in the daylight.  She had only made appearances sporadically at night on a few trail cameras, but lately she had been leaving her mark in an unplanted crop field.   Bud and Brian linked up with Chris (landowner) and put out about 50lbs of corn just to try and keep the old girl around the area, but later in the week when they returned she had not touched a kernel.  She had rooted up another area of the field so we knew she was still around.    The big day has finally arrived and we are dying wanting to get after this hog, but first we had to entertain one of our largest sponsors on a bird hunt.  It was pretty evident that the guys minds were not in the hunt as a couple boxes of shells got shot and only a dozen birds hit the ground.  We finally got done around 11am with the bird hunt and were chomping at the bit to get the dogs on the ground.  Around lunchtime we met at Allen’s General Store and headed west towards Wingate, NC.  This city is known for Wingate University, but this may just be the first hogs that have ever been caught in this town.  Wingate is just inside the Union county line settled between Monroe and Marshville right down Highway 74.  We eased into Wingate and Brian got on the phone with Chris letting him know our ETA.  Only Brian and Bud had seen this place so I was asking a lot of questions just trying to get a mental view of the property and really daydreaming of the hunt to come.

  As we pulled in the property Chris had already arrived and was getting ready.  To my knowledge this was one of his first dog hunts and I don’t think he knew what to expect.  As we gathered our gear and suited up the dogs you could feel the anticipation in the air.  This was going to be one of those hunts to remember or one that you just can’t forget.  We struck out on foot in hopes that we could get on them quick and eliminate a lengthy race.  As we entered the field the fresh corn was still visible, but the hog had rooted alongside of it and there was a pretty fresh set of tracks leaving the field.   We decided to hit this small block of immature trees before entering into the briar filled thicket that jutted out into the middle of the field.  By the looks of the ground inside this treeline this old girl had been living in this block of woods for a long time.  About 15 minutes into our walk it was on!  Mae had found the hog bedded down no more that 100yds from us and when backup arrived this old girl flew the coop.  She headed straight for Richardson Creek, but if there is only one hog why is Coach going to the right all by himself?  At about 680 yards the main pack of dogs had finally caught up to her and now it was time for us to run.  She had made her way across the creek, crossed the adjoining hay field, and into the privet hedges on the opposite side where Mae, Daisy, Brutus, Luke, and Nina had her cornered, but why was Coach still 350yards down the creek.  Brian and I got control of the hog Bud came in and laid down the lethal blow with the trusty old Winchester blade.  This hog was a monster pushing the 400lb mark, but we had to get to Coach.  The celebration would have to wait as our dogs are our main priority.

The Garmins still showed Coach sitting down at 300 yards and we needed to get to him as he had been alone this entire time.   We jogged back into the field and to our surprise what looked like a mid-sized black bear entered the field.   There were only 3 dogs with us as we made our way toward this beast and as soon as they caught a glimpse the chase was on.  This hog was so massive that it was unable to really run.  Daisy, Luke, and Mae caught up with her about half way across and there was going to be some blood shed as Daisy is the only catch dog there.  It was up to Brian and Corey to get there and get this one under control before we ended up at the vet’s office.  I can honestly say that the boys handled this giant like pros as Brian got the legs and Corey laid the blade.  We were still missing Coach and we had heard him barking a short time before we killed the second hog.  We made our way to the creek and found Coach finally coming up the bank, he had been tangled up with this big girl all by himself and when she got loose he couldn’t find a route up the steep embankment. 

  Now it’s time to celebrate, but first things first where did the second hog come from.  There were only pictures of one and now we have killed 2 that are both bordering on the 400lb mark.  After we took a few minutes to admire these 2 enormous animals we started dragging them toward the creek.  Once a hog has been killed they will float like a cork, and most of the time it is the easiest way to transport them if you’re not scared to get your pants wet.  We managed to put the heave ho on both of them and an easy task it was not.  It took all four of us to make the 200-250 drag across the field and it took a team effort, but we managed to get them in the water and back down to the spot where we dropped all of our electronics.  Luckily we have a network of friends all over the area and a couple of them had made their way down to us with our UTV.  They helped us get them in the UTV but were mainly there to see what we had done.  We have been lucky enough to kill 2 hogs exceeding 400lbs and another that was in the 380’s, but around here they are few and far between, and the odds of catching 2 fo this caliber in the same day is like winning the lottery.  The rules of the tournament state that all hogs entered in the category for largest weight must be field dressed, but we wanted to get a true weight on these two.  We hauled the mail to the weigh in station and as we hit the scales there was a string of trucks waiting to turn in.  Obviously the news had spread like wild fire and everyone had come to see the show.  The first hog we weighed (left) pushed 400 lbs. but came up just short at 391.7lbs.  The second one (right) came in slightly under the first at 372.6lbs.  That was over 750lbs of pork removed from one location in less than 2 hours (not including drag time).  Mother Nature never seems to amaze us; I knew going into this hunt that it was going to be tough trying to find the elusive needle in the haystack, but we had done it. 

  There are a lot of great hog hunters in our area and a lot of great dogs, but on this day we would come out on top.  We may not have loaded the trucks to the top, but we definitely strained the winch with these two ancient pigs.   With all of the information that we have gathered since the hunt the best we can figure is that at least one of these girls is over ten years old and the other can’t be too far behind.  We are extremely proud of what our dogs accomplished on this particular day and we never take them for granted.  They may not be the best in the business but they can definitely hold their own and on this Friday they were at the top of their game.


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Blueberry Swine Anyone?

3/17/2014

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We have been asked to hunt a lot of different farms the past 7 years, but this is the first opportunity that we have had to visit a blueberry farm.  We were contacted through email and jumped at the chance to head south of the NC border.  There are a lot of times that we take off somewhere to find only old hog sign or the sign of other animals that have been digging for food, but we were pretty confident about this call as the owner told us that she had been watching these hogs with a flashlight from her house.  Friday afternoon I gave Bud a call to solidify the plans for the next morning.  It was decided that we would be leaving the ACO around 6:30 the next morning and with a 4 hour ride we should land before 11am.  Bud and Corey arrived to pick me (AT) up right on time. I had already loaded my dogs on the atv and they were sitting in the driveway.  We slung open the trailer door loaded up my gear and headed south.  There was not a lot going on that morning and traffic was rather calm giving us an unusually boring ride to our destination.  We gave the landowner a call to let her know that we would be arriving soon and she met us at the gate with keys in hand.  We got the truck parked, and quickly introduced ourselves.  While her and Bud toured the limits of the property, Corey and I suited up the dogs.  Bud came back with a smile on face and that usually means only one thing…….He has seen hog sign!!!  We gathered up all of our stuff and headed to the woods.  We were anxious to show this farmer what these dogs were capable of doing.  Within 20 minutes of being on the property the Astro 220’s start telling a story.  Most of our dogs are completely silent unless they are looking at one in the face but the Garmin will tell all.  At about 200 yards we heard a couple of faint barks and that tells us the target has been acquired.  Being new to this area we weren’t really certain on how we were going to get to the dogs and as we closed into within 80 yards I abandoned ship and hit the briars.  Bud and Corey found another path and came into the fight shortly behind me.  It was a decent boar in the 200lb range and he was sporting a sharp set of hooks too.  By the looks of it Coach had made it to the hog first and there was no doubt that the hog had put up a pretty good fight. 

  After we killed this hog we began looking around and it was pretty evident that we were in “Hog Heaven.”  It was a 3-4 year old cutover loaded with briars and privet hedges with swampy areas throughout and a large creek on one side.  We decided to hunt this spot from one end to the other as we thought that there could be more hogs lying in the thickets.  We made our way down the middle of a pretty large food plot and the dogs hit the hedges.  And again we were watching the Garmins telling the story of the race.  At about 750 yards Mae and Luke had another one cornered and Daisy was not far behind with some back up.  We made it to the creek bank and with the dogs being on the opposite side the only option was to empty our pockets, hold the tracking receivers in the air, and swim for it.  The water only ended up being 4 ft. deep but I am certain that it was not fed from a hot spring.  As we headed into the bay, Bud had Nina on the leash to keep her fresh in case this was another good boar.  At about 50 yards from the bay the barking stopped and the squealing started, luckily this was a 125lb sow and 3 dogs were more than enough to shut her down.  With about 800 yards to the road we decided to field dress this one and tote it out Native American style.  We cut down a small tree, put our victim on the limb, and headed out.  This method is pretty rough on the old shoulders but rather effective on removing game from the woods.  It took us a little while to make it back to the food plot and we decided that we needed to dress the first hog that we had killed.   Bud and I got to a good spot and began to unload the hog for cleaning when Corey shouted to us.  The dogs had another one on the run less than 150 yards from where we were standing.  We could tell that it was pretty tough on them to try and stay up with a pig in all of those privet hedges. They had managed to track down another sow in the 100lb range. We got in and the landowners’ grandson took this one out with perfect knife placement.  This was his first time hog hunting and we thought that he should have the opportunity to do the honors. 

  We hunted around the farm a couple more hours seeing a lot more sign, but unable to find another lying around.  With the long drive ahead of us we decided to call it a day.  We went back to the house and were met with a big smile, Mrs. Margaret was happy to see that we had gotten a few of them off of her property. She offered us an open invitation and a key to the gate.  We gladly accepted her invitation and made certain that we thanked her for the opportunity.  I have a feeling that this will not be the last time that we visit this blueberry farm. As we always say "Have Hogs, Will Travel."


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When The Tailgate Drops

1/18/2014

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 With the 2013 deer season behind us we've started back chasing a few hogs here around the house. After deer season is over the need to spill a little blood takes over and the phone starts ringing. We got a phone call from a gentleman that we guided last year requesting a return visit. We gladly accepted his request and began preparing for our second hunt of the year. Friday (1/17) was our first hunt and it had been a long time coming. Rick hunted with us at the end of last season and the summer heat sent us packing after a few hours. We don't like to leave a customer empty handed so we invited him to join in for a Friday hunt. With little to no hunting pressure the hogs are usually bunched up around a food source and our success rate this time of year is through the roof. We were able to get Rick on his first hog and we certified him as an honorary member of the Backwoods Hog Hunters.
  We made contact with a local land owner mid week just to find out if the hogs were visiting his place and he said that they had been wrapped up with them the last couple of weeks. So the second question was, would you mind if we went after a few Saturday morning?  He graciously granted us permission and it was on. The guys were going to meet up with us at Allen's General Store and we would enjoy breakfast before we dropped the tailgate.
   We got reacquainted, enjoyed a good breakfast, and hit 74 east on a mission. We made a quick stop to meet up with the landowner and to the woods we went. The temperatures this morning landed in the high 20's with the high around 40 and a strong north wind making it feel like 32. Not the best of days to be riding a 4 wheeler, but as long as we don't have to swim we should be fine. The wind was cutting like a knife as we loaded and collared the dogs. As we stared across the wheat fields the hog sign was easy to find. We talked it over and decided we may as well go around this field while we are this close. As we made our way to the back of the field the dogs had made their way around the bend and hit the pines in a dead run. At 250 yards the race was on!  This 250+lb sow was a little too big to make an escape and her day ended pretty quick. We still had one dog that was tracking a little further. We loaded up went another 200 yards into the property and Brutus had him a mouthful of bacon, patiently waiting on us to arrive. We made quick work of the 120lb boar and the day had started out pretty strong. Not even 20 minutes into the hunt and both guys were taking home some meat. As usual we continued on as we are never really satisfied.  This time we struck out on foot and after a mile or so jaunt through the pine filled wilderness we headed back to the crop fields.
  Most of the hogs had headed towards a large pine thicket so you can guess where we were headed.  We were forced to walk this one out as well, but when you are in the hog sign the steps seem just a little easier to take. We marched on and finally jumped what sounded like a good sized hog. The unmistakeable smell of a boar hit us in the face and we figured we would be in for a pretty good fight. As the first dog began to bay we saddled up and hit the briars running. Knowing that this one probably had some teeth we needed to get to our dogs and handle the situation. We put a lot of time and energy into these hog catching machines and we take every measure to make sure they stay as safe as possible.  As we close in to the catch we were surprised to find yet another 120lb sow. Old big boy had put the slip on us yet again, but we will be back. We had the meat wagon saggin as we loaded up the day's haul. But, we would never expect a man to clean hogs on an empty stomach so we headed back to Allen's General Store for a little lunch and then to the skinning shed to extract this all natural, steroid free, sweet meat. We ended up with 5 hogs on this hunt and no matter how long we continue to hunt this group of dogs we always know that when the tailgate drops.............(you fill in the blank)

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October  2012

5/27/2013

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Not Your Average Pig!

Backwoods Hog Hunters were hard at it tonight. It seems that everyone is having problems with hogs ruining their bait sites and food plots. Mr. Hochstetler shall not be on that list any longer, aleast for a little while longer! 
Stopping by Allens General Store the other day, Mr. Hochstetler found out that we're hog removers. He talked a bit with Brian and set up time for us to come remove a trouble hog that had been on the lose for about a year. He informed us the feral hog had torn up pretty much a whole corn field right by himself, and was well on his way to getting about 2 acres of a soybean field. 
Well being the good samaritans that we are, we loaded up a couple of bay dogs and hit the road! The plan was to bay this big boy with two dogs and let my late Papa's 22 long rifle do the talking.
After walking around about 30 mins. where Mr. Hochstetler thought ole Porky should be living, we just couldn't find him. We decided to go ahead and  make the last bend around the field. I looked down at my Garmin tracking system and watched the dogs leave the country. Leaving the country for us is anything past 400 yards. If they go past 300 yards we start getting ready by stepping up the pace. Cause usually at 400-450 yards we have bacon! With that being said, the dogs are now at 450 yards and bayed. BAM!!!
While fighting the briars and bobwire,  Mr. Hochstetler and I made our way to the bay. We were just a little worried that it may not be the 450lb hog we had set out after, only because in the direction Zoey and Maye were tracking, there was a goat pasture!
After 5 mins of fast pace walking we arrived to find that is was ole Porky. He had aready cut Zoey, but just could'nt get away. We jumped yet another bobwire fence and everything went as planned. Another " Big Hog Down!"
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3 Shot Turkey Kill

5/27/2013

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Bird Doesn't Want to Die!

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Great Turkey Hunt!

4/16/2013

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Opening Day of Turkey Season in NC!

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Snow Day Backwoods Style

2/18/2013

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The chance of inclement weather this weekend was met by another landowner and
farmer requesting our service. As always we are willing to suit up the dogs and
load the trailer without hesitation. I woke up Saturday morning to a steady
drizzle of rain, but we were hunting no matter the weather. The closer Brian and
I got to Bud's house the thicker the rain became.  We don't get alot of snow in
our part of N.C. so a flurry here is a pretty big deal.    
    We headed into Wadesboro to grab some breakfast and fuel up trying to
let the front pass before we hit the woods. As we were getting gas the farm
manager pulled in behind us and  offered a Bojangles biscuit, his treat. Not
being the kind of guys to turn down a free breakfast we accepted his invitation,
fueled up, and headed  to fill up our tanks.   As we set there talking to Mr.
Jones it was pretty clear that the landowner was very serious about protecting
her land and the farmer's crops.    Although this land is under lease by a
couple of different hunting clubs her lease agreement allows hunting by outside
parties if land or crop destruction occurs. This being said she called on the
Backwoods Hog Hunters to do what we do best and killing hogs is our forte. We
finished up breakfast and headed out. Mr. Jones and Jody were already at the
clubhouse so we unloaded the pack and hit the trail. Only a few hundred yards
from the club a fresh set of tracks crossed the red clay road. We quickly
unleashed the dogs and decided to follow these tracks on foot into the cutover.
With the snow still coming down hard we couldn't be  far behind this group. Bud
and I proceeded through a small  gulley and the first bark off the day rang out.
We had been here less than 10 minutes and they were on them already.  We
continued to walk quietly up the hill and the distinct grunting of running hogs
headed straight at us. We froze in our tracks as three small pigs made their way
out of the danger zone and trotted towards the road. Only a few yards in front
of us a single dog started to bay, but  before we could get there the pursuit
was on again.  Just a couple of minutes later they had number 28 for the year
caught and we were on the move. A 125 lb boar had almost made it into the
clubhouse yard but was unable to get through the woven wire fence. Quickly this
hog was put down and we sent the dogs to find the rest of the  group.
The track was still hot and it didn't take long for a couple of dogs to head towards the
river bottoms. We pulled to the other side of the hill and the Garmins showed
that we had dogs strung all over the property. Fifteen minutes or so had passed
before Zoey's unmistakable bay barks pierced the snow filed air. She had pushed
one over 800 yards from the group, probably back to his bedding area, and had
him locked down.  We had picked up a few dogs on the way to the field and we
were able to get them to listen for her. Once they figured out what was going on
they headed to her.  We headed around the small set out pines hoping that she
could hold him until help arrived. Our road ended about 350 yards from her
location and as we killed the engines she was still holding strong. Her back up
had not yet arrived so we remained patient. It was evident after a couple of
minutes that a couple of the dogs had made the journey and the barking
immediately turned into a fight. We tore through the briars and waist high pine
trees and were within 75 feet of them when the hog got loose. It didn't take
long for him to be corralled again and this time he was done. We offered  Mr.
Jones the opportunity to take this one and eventhough he was a bit hestant he
performed flawlessly. Another nice boar with a white chest and four white feet.
He had put up a pretty good fight as a couple of dogs showed signs of some
pretty sharp teeth. With nothing more than a couple of small cuts and scrapes
Bud headed to get this old boy his final ride out of these woods.
   We had managed to get soaking wet in our pursuits of the morning and
couldn't have been far from frost bite when we headed back to the club for a
warm wood stove and a bowl of salmon stew. The rain continued to fall as we
stood in this ancient farm house drying out and refilling out bellies.   This
old house was full of old logging tools and pictures. It was a part of history
that most of us had only seen from the outside. A couple of hours passed as we
talked with a few members of this hunting club.  They were very welcoming  to us
hunting hogs on their property, and understand that these animals are
destructive, not only to the property that they reside on, but can ruin the
habitat of our native species. It seems that more and more people are starting
to understand what we have to offer and most are more than willing to give us
permission.

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Brandon's First Hunt

2/6/2013

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This Saturday was another first for us here at Backwoods Hog Hunters; we had three guys on this hunt that had never been on a hog hunt with dogs.  We had an invite from a local, which is nothing unusual, but none of our guests had ever killed a hog Backwoods’ Style.  Our main objective was to get our raffle winner Brandon Harris on his first hog.  Our second goal was to remove as many hogs as possible from Adam’s deer hunting property.

With the frigid conditions and ice that came through this area of North Carolina the night before we were forced to start hunting later than usual.  We confirmed with Adam that we would meet on site around 12:30.  On the way Brian
and I would stop by and picked up Bud, Brandon, and the dogs.  We arrived at Brandon’s around 11am and welcomed him into the truck and we hit the road.  We were a little early getting to Adam’s property so we passed the time by joking around with one another and just being ourselves.  We also filled Brandon in on what he could expect and assured him that this is, for lack of a better term, organized chaos.  We wanted him to know that we would have everything under control and would not put him in any danger.  

     As promised Adam and Charles arrived right on time.  We pulled the trucks
into the middle of the field and began the task of unloading the ATVs and
suiting up the dogs.  We went over the lay out of the land with Adam and devised
a plan of attack.  With the dogs loaded and the hunt laid out, we headed to the
pine thickets to get these boys on some swine.  All of the hog signs that we
found had been there for some time, but it was pretty clear that there were hogs
on this property we just had to look for them.  We made our way around the edges
of the pines and came back out into the cut bean field.  We then made the
executive decision to ditch the ATVs and strike out on foot.  The hogs should be
laid up trying to find a sunny place to bed down during these frigid days.  We
immediately hit a small creek bottom and found a worn out trail running parallel
with the water.  After 20 minutes of walking we rounded a bend in the small
branch that lead to a beaver pond and Brian told us that he could smell a hog. 
I don’t know whether or not he could smell a hog or if he was just being his
usual self, but within 30 seconds of his statement Zoey had locked down on one. 
This is where the organization and chaos come together.  Our first priority is
to get the hog under control to protect the dogs, and then we dispatch him as
quickly and humanely as possible.  We took off like a bullet and had quickly
gained control of the situation.  Brandon came in shortly after and put his
first hog in the books.  A nice 175lb boar had met his match this afternoon and
was headed to Brandon’s skinning shed.  As we stood around catching our breath I
remember Adam saying to us that this was one of the coolest things that he had
ever done.  That’s what the sport of hunting is all about and that is why we do
it our way, to give people that have hunted all of their lives the opportunity
to get up close and personal to a wild hog is something that they will never
forget.  

     We got this old boy field dressed and headed back to the field to get the
four wheelers.  On the way back to Brandon’s hog we mistakenly took a wrong turn
and by the time we realized that we were on the wrong road we had another one on
the move.  Only a couple hundred yards from his resting spot this big boy
decided that it was time to fight for it.  Brandon decided that he would like to
take a shot at running the camera, and it didn’t take long for the guys to show
him how to use it.   Another big boar around 225lbs had met his demise, but we
still had a couple of dogs running heading in the opposite direction.

      We are now patiently watching the Garmin GPS tracking systems.  At about
800 yards the dogs have got another one hemmed up and we are on the way.  We get
within a couple hundred yards of them and release the rest of the pack hoping
they would have one caught by the time we arrived.  Anthony followed the catch
dogs in while the rest of the gang tried to get the four wheelers closer.  We
could tell as soon as the catch dogs got there that this little pig was having a
pretty bad day.  Due to the laws here in North Carolina we are required to kill
every hog that we catch no matter their size, and we will never let any go.  The
damage that these animals create throughout this area is tremendous and we feel
that it is our duty to kill every one that we are fortunate to get our hands on. 
We loaded the dogs, grabbed all 3 hogs, and headed to the truck.  We took a few
pictures, had a couple of laughs, and just relived the afternoon’s hunt. 
Charles repeatedly shook our hands and told us that he had a hundred things that
he could have done this afternoon, but now that it was over there was nothing
that he had rather been involved in.  We were lucky enough to get a call from a
stranger asking us to hunt his property, but fortunate enough to make 2 new
friends and get another young man his first hog.  What an action packed 4 hours
we had spending time in the Backwoods.


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Semper Fi

1/13/2013

3 Comments

 
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Oh how the best laid and executed plans never go the way you want them to.
That was the case Friday evening as we tried to find a group of Marines a hog
for cooking.  These 13 men are being deployed  in 2 months and will be away for
eight to nine months. All of them are pilots from the United States Marine Corps
and wanted to go on a hunt before their departure.  Bud and I (Anthony)  awaited
their arrival Friday afternoon and were to meet up with Brian and Jody closer to
dark.  We knew that we were in for a treat when they asked if spears could be
used. Reluctantly we agreed not knowing what to expect.  Twelve of the guys showed
up with homemade spears constructed out of almost anything imaginable.  There
was one made from a shovel, discarded car parts, a tiki torch stake, a samurai
sword, and a few knives tethered to a handle. I am still not sure if any of the
soldiers knew the pressure that we felt, but we wanted to get these guys some
meat. Plans were to head out on foot, (something we never do) kill a hog, and
cook it at the campsite. We headed out of camp aroud 7:30pm and spirits were
through the roof.  The feeders were full of corn and there was tons of hog sign
in the area. We should be eating by 10:00pm.  We arrived at the first feeder but
the corn was piled underneath. A sure sign there are no hogs using the site. We
marched on 17 men deep heading to the second feeder where our dinner was waiting
patiently, but again corn piled up and no hogs.  Maybe they are holding up in
the thickets we discussed among ourselves not wanting to show any stress.  We
kept walking, up hills, down hills, through briars, over fences and in water. 
The pressure is on and we continued to walk. We talked it over with the guys and
they decided to call it a night.  We had  walked for a little over five and a
half hours and surpassed the 11 mile mark. As I told one Marine the next day I
was hurting terribly but if they had wanted to continue we would have walked
until daybreak. But I was glad to head home.
        The next morning the 4 of us were on the phone early trying to
gather a plan and how we were going to get these guys a pig on the ground. It
was decided that Anthony and Jody would haul it to a piece of property and do a
bit of scouting. Tender feet would require a bit of fourwheeler riding and after
about 30 minutes it was pretty clear that the hogs had left this area too. Made
the call to Bud and relayed the news. It was decided that we were going to hit
the opposite side of the swamp we walked the night before. The feeder had been
running for a week or so and we had killed hogs there all through deer season,
but lately they have disappeared. With no other realistic options due to time
restraints we hit the ground again. This was our final chance to get these men a
hog and our chances were very limited. If the hogs are not in the area and
pretty close to the feeder we have failed. All of the disappointment had pretty
much sinked in to our heads as we were not very confident about the area, but we
will not quit. And as it happens so many times 50 yards from the feeder the walk
in the woods turns into a hog hunt. Without warning the silence of the morning
is cut by the sound of a caught hog. We have never felt more thankful for a 80lb
hog as we did on this day. The pressure is lifted and it was time to light the
charcoal and fire up the "Official Military Use Only" grill.
      We loaded the hog and Anthony and 3 Marines headed to the truck for a
Backwoods Bar B Que. Most of these men had never hunted before, nor cleaned an
animal, but with a bit of instruction from their Commanding Officer made it
happen. Now to wait on the rewards. These men were no strangers to having a good
time and the sounds of country music and the smell of charcoal filled the swamp.
We talked, shook hands, ate, and relived the hunt that happened that morning.
Although we have killed 400lb hogs this little guy will be one that is
remembered for a long long time. These men have dedicated most of their lives
thus far to the protection of our country and freedom. What a honor and
priveledge it was to spend a few hours with them.  They were never discouraged
during our failed attempts the night before, all we kept hearing is "thats why
they call it hunting and not killing.  These men were not only after the thrill
of the kill but were here for the adventure. Our gratitude for what they choose
to do should never go unknown, and we challenge everyone to thank a veteran. 
They are our last line of defense, and have chosen a lifestyle and career that
most of us wouldn't want.
   
From everyone here at BHH Semper Fi guys it was our pleasure and have a
safe trip.

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    Bud Ratliff

    Founder and Head of the Backwoods Hog Hunters

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