Hot Mess Hog

June 17, 2016 - Another Friday night at the lease with my husband hunting hogs...the only problem was neither of us have had any success on the new place while hunting with each other; all of our kills had been while hunting with someone else so we were eager to break the curse of the new lease. It was hot...105 degrees hot and I was at the "4 Doe" spot sitting in direct sunshine while Donald was at the "Dirty South" spot enjoying some much needed shade.

It was just a few minutes into the hunt when I received a text from him saying he just shot a small sow, only to be followed with another text that he shot a small boar too! I was pumped for him and wanted to join him to share his success but my hunt had just started. As he cleaned both hogs and put them on ice, I sat patiently waiting on hogs to show up and the sun to go down.

As the hours passed, I was debating how long I wanted to sit. The last feeding is at 9:30pm so I text Donald and said to come pick me up at 11:00pm. At 10:55 I began slowly packing up my things...backpack, camera, tripod, water & Gatorade, arrows, & bow. I stood and put my backpack on, grabbed my bow and turned around to fold up the chair. As I took 2 steps towards the road I heard crunching coming down the road! My first thought was to text my husband not to come pick me up yet because he would spook the hog. I slowly crept back to my spot and waited for him to come into the feeder. He was a solo boar and I knew he would be on edge.

The next series of events took place over 20 minutes but required an incredible effort to not ruin the hunt and provides the name of this blog...Hot Mess! First, I had to get an arrow nocked and my release back on because even if nothing else came together I could at least get a shot on him. The boar went behind the feeder, I didn't have a shot and he wasn't moving from that spot for a while. Knowing I had some time (hogs tend to eat every kernel of corn before moving on to the next pile, unlike deer who tend to graze a bit more) I wanted to get my backpack off but my water bottle in the side pouch still had some ice in it and setting it down would make too much noise. I tried to sit back down in the chair to release my backpack there but I felt my Thermacell dangling off my backpack and knew it would clackitty clack clack on the metal frame of the chair. So I decided the backpack would stay on, I just needed to buckle the chest strap to distribute the weight for a good shot.

Could I even attempt to get the shot on film? I knew I couldn't get the legs of the tripod extended as quietly as I wanted so I just opened it up on the shortest setting, slowly, very slowly, unzipped the camera bag and placed the camera on the tripod. All I wanted was for it to be pointed in the right direction at this stage of the hunt. I stood and watched as the hog continued to feed where I didn't have a shot. I looked down at the camera and saw some brush was blocking the potential future shot; it needed to be higher but could I pull this off? Somehow I used one hand to unscrew the top portion of the tripod to raise the top pole up as high as I could but accidently unscrewed the adjusting nut too far and it fell on the ground. Ugh! All that work to quietly raise the tripod and I messed it up. I fumbled around quietly in the dark searching blindly for the piece while still keeping my eyes on the hog. I just knew he was going to finally turn and give me a shot when I wasn't ready.

Success! I found it and slowly put it back in and began the process of raising it all over again. The camera was as high as it was going to go and I was as ready as I was going to be...or so I thought. The boar finally moved to the right of the feeder and presented a shot. As I drew back I knew something was wrong but the hog moved and I was forced to let down. My release was too loose. I had put it on so quickly I didn't realize I hadn't tightened it to my liking. Quietly I re-adjusted my release but the hog had moved into the brush and I didn't have a shot.

As the hog slowly made his way back into view he was now on the shadowed side of the feeder and I needed to use my bow light. As I clicked it on I could tell he was nervous. I was actually surprised he had hung around for nearly 20 minutes already and knew my time and the corn on the ground was running out. As soon as I drew he backed up and closed off his shoulder with his leg; so I held my draw waiting for the perfect shot opportunity and as he finally put his front leg forward he opened up the sweet spot and I let it fly!

As my arrow hit, he turned and ran off with it still stuck in him but I heard a crash shortly after. I wasn't positive the noise was him going down rather just barreling through the brush to get away. The shot placement felt great but I was worried I hit the other shoulder on the exit and didn't get a pass through so my blood would be minimal. I texted my husband and told him we should wait at least 30 minutes to give him plenty of time to expire.

As I sat there I looked around at everything that was going on and realized what a hot mess this whole situation was. If I had waited just 2 more minutes before packing up I would have been set up better and more comfortable, but nothing ever comes easy for me and I laughed.

30 minutes later my husband came to meet me to help track and to my surprise there was good blood at the impact site and we immediately picked up a blood trail. I was pumped and within just 35 yards I saw him laying in the brush...exactly where I had heard the last bit of crashing after the shot! I couldn't contain my excitement when I saw him because I could see the bubbles and lung matter coming out of the entrance wound and he was much bigger than I was expecting! Of course he went into some pretty thick brush but we were able to drag him out.

As we hung him up to weigh him, he registered 143.4 lbs on the scale and as we cut him open we saw that my arrow had pierced both sides but it just wasn't a complete pass through. He broke my broad head off on the exit wound side and splintered my arrow into 3 pieces but the loss of an arrow and broad head couldn't stifle my excitement! The anatomy inside told the story of the shot and why he died so quickly! My arrow clipped the top part of the heart and punctured both lungs!

It was another great night in the woods with my husband and we broke the curse too, although I had to wait a bit longer than he did for my success and almost blew it by leaving too early! What a hot mess of a hunt!

Video of the hunt here:

Tina’s Thanksgiving Thriller

About 7 years ago I met Tina at work and we instantly bonded over our love for the outdoors; her passion for fishing and my insane addiction to hunting led to hours of conversation and story swapping. After years of listening to my incessant outdoor adventures I guess she decided to try it out. At age 50 Tina bought a rifle (a shotgun and a mountain of hunting gear) and decided to start hunting. The following year she told me she wanted to learn to bow hunt & I was elated. We made a trip to the bow shop, got her all set up & she began practicing. She killed a doe and some hogs with her rifle but never had many bow hunting opportunities that year. You should know that Tina is one of the most dedicated new hunters I have ever seen; researching, reading, practicing, and participating in every part of the hunt from start to finish learning as much as she can and it was about to pay off in a big way.

Fortunately we were able to make a trip to a favorite place of mine in South Texas. My husband and I are always blessed to go on doe patrol (doe/herd management) and even more so to bring Tina with us. I knew the opportunities for her first bow kill would be abundant and it would be a trip to remember.

Upon arrival we set up a ground blind and stalked for hogs that night; I chased a javelina with my pistol, but no luck on either. Thanksgiving morning as we were walking in the dark to the ground blind we spotted a hog. As we stood in a line next to each other, my husband, Tina & I waited for this hog to come into range. Tina’s comfort zone was 25 yards or less and as I ranged him she prepared for action. With our red lights on him he made his way closer but was facing us eliminating a good shot. At 18 yards Tina started backing up getting a bit nervous, but I was able to get her to stand her ground. At 16 yards he turned, Tina shot and we watched her lighted nock dart off into the thick South Texas brush. Everyone was so excited and I could see her smile even in the pitch black of night! She had just arrowed her first hog!

The shot was good, just a bit high in the lungs, so after a quick look we decided to give him some time and set up in the ground blind for more hogs. Still beaming with joy from her shot, I was now in the shooters seat ready and waiting when a group of hogs started feeding in. I could hear them grunting and eating on the corn but didn’t have a visual yet.  Finally, a boar came into view at 12 yards and I launched my arrow. He squealed and ran down the road, then 20 more seconds of squealing, followed by the squeal of death! My face lit up because I knew he was down! Tina changed seats with me hoping for more hogs but with possibly 2 dead hogs around the odds were against us.

We finally exited the blind and immediately spotted my hog lying in the road; my first full blondie hog! We took pictures while my husband and friend made their way over to see our kills! My husband had already shot a javelina with his bow that morning too. We started crawling through the thick brush to look for Tina’s hog, and after about 60 yards of getting stuck and stabbed by the brush we found him! The excitement of her first bow kill will be a moment none of us will ever forget. As she walked up to him all of her hard work and hours of practicing were validated; it was also a very special moment for me. I was there for the ignition of the hunting spark, helping her get her first bow, providing the little knowledge I have, and standing beside her as she shot and recovered her first animal with a bow…I was a proud and overjoyed friend and fellow hunter!

As we loaded up the hogs and made our way back through the ranch we spotted a group of javelina. Perfect! Tina had her bow in hand as I ranged the group at 35 yards. As we started walking toward the group 2 more javelina ran into the road at 26 yards. We stopped and she shot! Immediately upon her arrow slicing through the javelina she let out a squeal of her own followed by laughter and high fives from everyone! It was another moment I will never forget because she was able to see this shot in full daylight and watch him run just a few yards before expiring. She has just notched 2 of her first bow kills in one morning, Thanksgiving morning! What a great start!

The evening hunt and next morning hunt didn’t produce much but the trip was already a success in my book! We set out for doe patrol with our rifles and Tina and I each helped out with herd management and putting meat in our freezer with 2 deer down.

The weather was nice so we continued to search for javelina. Tina took a shot on her second javelina; a protective female who wasn’t giving up without a fight. The shot was a complete pass through and a bloody arrow was found but as we were tracking she made her presence known with the popping of her teeth (a sound that will definitely make you jump if you have never heard it before). With my pistol drawn during the tracking process because of the low visibility & maneuverability of the thick brush and a possibly wounded animal I was unable to get a clear shot on her. After a short standoff we were able to get a better angle and put a finishing shot in the javelina for a quicker expiration and Tina had her second javelina & 3rd bow kill down!

We sat back in the ground blind that evening waiting on the anticipated cold front; however, it arrived many hours earlier than expected. Tina and I were on the opposite side of the ranch and the plan was to stalk towards where my husband was for hogs and javelina, but as the front arrived with high winds, freezing rain, and a 40 degree temperature drop, our plans changed and my husband was already making his way to pick us up to get back to camp. As we drove back in the dark, pouring freezing rain and winds we shivered in the Polaris but as we made the turn onto the last road everything changed.

There in the road through the wind and the rain, illuminated by our red light was a large group of about 20 hogs feeding in the road. Tina had her shotgun loaded with buck shot so the hunt was on. As we stepped into the road we were slipping and sliding in the mud making too much noise, so we stopped and stood. With the freezing rain stinging our faces the group of hogs slowly fed down the road to us. The wind was perfect and muffling any noise as Tina steadied her shotgun. She fearlessly let the group of hogs approach to less than 20 yards and shot, and then shot again and again. As hogs scattered and the adrenaline was pumping we saw 2 small hogs laying in the road; a boar and a sow. We checked the area for any other wounded ones but didn’t find any more. Our frozen bodies were soaking wet but had warmed up just enough from the adrenaline to enjoy the moment, take pictures in the rain and load up the hogs. One was quartered up and the small sow was left whole for a nice BBQ dinner! Tina was beyond excited with this crazy impromptu hunt and my heart smiled as I listened to her back at camp recount the stories over the phone to her family.

The rain continued through the night leading to a long day of hunting in mud, drizzle, and cold, but we weren’t going to just sit at camp! As we made our way to one of the fracking ponds we spotted a coyote running across the damn and my husband quickly grabbed the rifle for a shot. At 140 yards on the run he was able to hit both back legs of the coyote and a few follow up pistol shots led to one less predator on the prowl. Successful team effort!

The evening hunt was slow until dark when my husband dropped a hog and we added another round of pork to the cooler. Everyone was having success!

We stalked for hogs into the night and set up for one more morning hunt. With no luck at first light we began stalking for javelina when I was able to get one down with my bow to end the trip with another animal down.

With 5 hogs, 4 javelina, 2 deer and a 1 coyote down, it was one of our most successful hunts in south Texas but not because of the animal count; this trip was all about Tina. Not only was she able to get her first bow kill (and second and third), but she gained a vast amount of hunting experience, confidence in her own abilities and made memories to last a lifetime. This trip was exponentially greater than anything she could have read, researched or been told because experience in the field is priceless whether an animal is killed or not.

I am so proud of her and her accomplishments and knowing another hunter has the passion and knowledge to carry on our hunting heritage is phenomenal. Whether you are a 10 year old child or just starting to hunt at age 50 like Tina, all that matters is that you are in the field hunting legally, ethically, and enjoying each moment. Carry on the passion and let it shine so others see it; you never know who you might be inspiring!

Custom Elk Calls by Gene Galitz

Thanks to another great connection via social media (Twitter) my husband and I were blessed with learning about and purchasing some amazing custom elk calls made from elk antler!

 

Gene Galitz of Fins & Feathers Taxidermy from Wyoming called in his first elk in 1989 using a mouth diaphragm. Over the years he has put in years of effort trying varying calls (some with success, others producing dismal results). He has called over 40 elk into range with about half into bow range and he decided to try his hand at producing elk calls.



*The calls are hand turned from stabilized elk antler. Each call insert is hand tuned to each particular call barrel, then cutting and shaving the reed until it sounds just right. Several coats of durable weatherproof finish is applied, then sanded to a high gloss finish. The elk antler barrel produces true elk sounds and unparalleled volume*
 

 We purchased 2 separate custom elk calls to use on our Colorado elk hunt; The E1 adult cow call and the E2 young elk/calf. I know there are numerous calls out there that you can buy over the counter but I thought about how many hunters use those and more importantly how many elk have heard a hoochie mama or a Primos call. Could a custom made and tuned call really make the difference?

 

 

We were willing to try. We don't get to spend a lot of time scouting in Colorado and although we put in hours and hours of research of bedding areas, migration routes, hot spots etc, hunting public land means, well public. A lot of hunters, a lot of traffic and a lot of calls. I have learned with elk calling its not just what you say but how you say it and having a different, unique and extremely real sounding call could be the difference maker.


The call used for my cow elk and the two aspens where I shot her!

 

When that moment arrived on our hunt where the cow elk and my husband were calling back and forth, I stood in amazement trying to decipher who was who, I knew the calls were good. Would we have called in an elk without Gene's custom calls...maybe, but I like to think the custom-ness of the sound was something she hadn't heard chirping up and down the mountain before and she was truly deceived to come in that close.

 

Another reason I am sold on these custom calls...well we were the first ones to use them and call in an elk and kill it; for rookie 2nd year elk hunters, that's a win in my book. I have always struggled using calls too and these proved to be easy to use!

I am forever grateful for not only an awesome product, but a great connection and friendship made throughout the process. My husband and I are honored to have dropped the first elk with Gene's calls (and have his initials on one of them). The second elk to fall to these custom calls was his wife Judy's spike elk! It appears a rookie and a veteran elk hunter can use them and expect success!

Want to order?

 

*Each call is produced from either a naturally shed antler or one you provide; comes with an instructional video, a velour carrying bag and a call lanyard. The E1 adult cow call or the E2 young elk/calf call are both extremely versatile and with practice can be used as a predator call (coyote vocalizations and prey animal distress sounds).     

 

 

Price: $140

Find Gene here:

Phone #: 307-332-7772

Website: www.finsandfeatherstaxidermy.net

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Fins-and-Feathers-Taxidermy-248689265180304/timeline/

Email: ggalitz@q.com

 

Gene's wife Judy with her 15th archery elk & another elk to fall to the custom calls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Elk

Welcome back to Colorado. It was only our second year hunting elk; all DIY, all public land. We had drawn either sex elk (and mule deer) tags for the units we wanted and the hunt was on.

It was the third day of the hunt and we had seen a elk in a few different spots but all about the same elevation. We climbed up to a spot next to a narrow but deep ditch that continued to the bottom of the mountain. The hope was if the elk came from one direction it would force them up and over right into my lap. I set up right on a game trail seriously contemplating my spot and if I should move. My husband was set up 30 yards from me to call and our other buddy another 30 yards past him so there wasn't anywhere else for me to go.

After a few series of calls it remained quiet. About 6:30pm an elk calf jumped over some brush and stood on the trail 7 yards from me. It caught me off guard, but I just froze and watched. She crossed back above the ditch and all was quiet again. My husband called but not much response.

Finally at 7:15pm we heard a call back. A few chirps back and forth and I was convinced it was another hunter. I had never heard an elk in the wild (only on videos and calls) but it sounded too perfect; I was ready anyway standing with my bow. A few more chirps back and forth and then some heavy rustling around in the brush. There was no way this was a hunter!

My heart started racing as a million thoughts went through my head. Will they cross over, will I have a shot, what will it be, will they present a shot before it gets dark, stop shaking, dang it! my release came out of the D-loop, how far was that tree, and that tree...what are you worried about 90% of the shot windows are 20 yards or less, stop overthinking it, remember the vitals, remember all the practice...wait...is that an elk head?

As I stood shaking in complete awe of the vocal conversations going on between my husband and the elk, I was growing more excited. A huge smile was already on my face to be witnessing a magical moment of my husband talking to the elk! As I looked up I saw a cow elk head grabbing Aspen leaves with her mouth and ripping them off. Her ears were huge out to each side and I just prayed she kept moving into view. I didn't have a shot because only her head was visible. I saw the calf jump through the brush behind her and knew this could really happen.

Daylight was fading and I was trying to force my eyes to adjust to the mountain light and shadows. The cow slowly exposed herself from the brush and I drew knowing she was about 20 yards away. But wait...no it wasn't good. The grass and brush was so tall shooting upward and I didn't feel I had a clean shot. I held for a few seconds but knew it was wrong and I wasn't comfortable. Trying to let down slowly I hear my husband softly calling to her and she started walking again.

As I let down my adrenaline got the best of me and it happened too fast. My arrow fell off and hit the dirt beside me! Oh geez, I am about to mess it all up and ruin my chance! As she stepped behind a pine tree I saw my chance to grab my arrow and get set again. Luckily my husbands calls had kept her pre-occupied on him and not on me. As I watched her slowly come into view from the pine I drew my bow back again shaking and trying to calm myself.

She stepped between two aspen trees just wide enough to frame her vitals and then it was a blur. I don't even remember aiming, releasing or the impact. I heard my arrow hit...something...but it was so close and happened so fast I was unsure of what my eyes had seen. With a lower draw weight I don't always get complete pass throughs (especially hunting hogs with their tough shields) so it's not uncommon to see my lighted nock sticking out of the animal as it darts away. I guess I was expecting the same thing but I never even saw my lighted nock!

The final distance of the shot was an incredibly close 8 yards! There wasn't much chance of missing her but I could have made a bad shot which is much worse than any clean miss.

After the loud thwack the woods came alive like I've never seen or heard! This massive animal was breaking trees like twigs and her heavy footing broke all silence surrounding us. She ran about 30 yards straight to my husband where he said he could have reached out and touched her! He was so nervous she was going to trample him sitting under the tree he leaned back and she caught his movement causing her to run up another 15 yards.

As I am standing in my spot in disbelief wondering what just happened he said he could see my great shot placement and hear her struggling to breath as a typical lung shot will cause. I was so excited but confused of everything happening so fast, I left all my stuff and made my way to my husband. He confirmed I made a good shot and we just needed to wait for her to fall. Daylight was nearly gone and our buddy slowly made his way to us. We could barely see her as she took a few steps back towards my spot and then we heard the sweetest crashing and rolling noise my ears have ever witnessed!

Still in disbelief and scared of pushing her up the mountain we waited a few minutes longer. Animals can do crazy things and I was not about to push this beautiful elk any further up or around this mountain knowing we would be packing her out. Finally, we started by following the blood trail just to be safe and within 30 seconds our buddy spotted her first! Before I could even walk up to her I turned and embraced my husband with tears already flowing, the biggest smile ever, and complete euphoria and disbelief.


The moment I saw her will forever be frozen in time; her massive belly was its own mountain and the sheer size of her took my breath away. She was up against a tree and we needed to move her for pictures and to hopefully roll her down the steep slope some. Luckily we were able to roll her a short distance and then set up for pictures. Her head was so heavy and covered my entire body. Her hide was gorgeous, her face serene and I thanked her for her sacrifice and her meat.

We were able to roll her down a little more before we reached a path of no return. As we rolled her my arrow came out still in tact! I had punctured both sides of her but it stayed inside. (For size relevance my arrows are about 26 inches long and the entire arrow was inside her meaning she was much wider than that!) We had to stop and start quartering her up or risk losing her in the deep ditch and risk our safety. So the long process began in the dark of getting her valuable meat into game bags and down the steep, nearly 30 degree incline to the ice chest in the truck. We also found my glowing nock inside her while cleaning her! Although the distance to the truck wasn't miles the brutal hikes up and down 4-5 times was harsh.

Nearly 5 hours of quartering her up, packing her meat and falling down and up the mountain with just flashlights and faith, our rookie team of 3 had officially called in, shot and killed, and packed out a beautiful cow elk. I can honestly say it was one of the toughest and most rewarding moments of my life. Everyone was truly in beast mode pushing themselves beyond their limits. The falls, the sudden stops by trees, the 'just tuck and roll' or 'go with it' moments, the cursing as your frame pack hangs up on a tree, and the entire body exhausting process will humble you.
 

Final Words: WORTH IT!

P.S. I will have a special blog coming up about the custom calls we used and why they mean so much to us & the maker of them!

 

 

 

 

Foxy Doxie

 

 

As it always seems to turn out, a quick weekend trip back in February 2013 turned into an extremely memorable one. The plan was to head up to the ranch in the Texas hill country, pull trail cameras, pick up pop up blinds to prevent weathering and damage, feed the cows and maybe do a little calling for predators and varmints. This wonderful piece of land is only populated with deer, varmints and predators so without hogs and turkey to hunt year round we try not to leave equipment out all year to prolong its use.

The first night we decided to set up by a small tank and use the Foxpro electronic caller. The moon was full so we had to remain concealed. As my husband and I scanned the area with our green lights we hadn’t seen much. We like to call in one area for about 20 minutes before moving on. We were using a woodpecker in distress call and right at the 20 minute mark we caught a glimpse of some eyes in the distance that quickly disappeared. We waited for a few minutes but never saw them again so we moved on.

We headed to another part of the ranch and set up to call near an open field and another tank. About 10 minutes in we saw a small grey fox come running in behind us. I was unable to take a shot because the cows had also come in to see what all the noise was and he ran right near the cows. I wasn’t in the mood for hamburger so I passed. It’s always important to know what is beyond your shot to prevent any accidents, especially at night. He circled around us and came out pretty far away. I tried for a shot with the 17HMR but with the distance he was at it didn’t quite work out. We decided to end the night and try again the next day.

The next morning we got up and headed back out to the first tank we had called at the night before. This time we set the call for the cottontail duet and waited. The fog was heavy, pretty much raining on us making it hard to see too far into the distance. About 15 minutes later a grey fox came over the tank running right at us. I picked up the 17HMR and took a shot; I hit him and he started spinning around. As we watched his fluffy tail in the tall broom weed I waited for a clear follow up shot but he never provided one. We grabbed the shotgun and headed in his direction and searched for about 30 minutes but couldn’t find him. With the fog, rain, and 3 foot tall broom weed it was nearly impossible to find such a well camouflaged animal in the mess. We called it off to go finish working on the ranch.

After about 5 hours of work, lunch, and feeding cows I decided it might be a good idea to go look for the fox again. This time however we enlisted the help of Muzzy, our miniature dachshund who has been learning to track deer with us. He was only 2 years old and but has a great nose so we took him over to the tank; there wasn’t any blood where I had shot the fox but all Muzzy needed to smell was where the fox had been standing and he was off with his nose to the ground. A few minutes later Muzzy had found blood and was on a mission. We followed close behind watching everywhere he stopped as he found more and more blood.

As you can imagine this took some time because Muzzy is so small and close to the ground he must maneuver through the tall brush and broom weed instead of being able to leap and bound over it like most larger dogs; but we trust him and just had patience. Almost 500 yards later Muzzy started to pick up speed and so did we. A few moments later he was barking and had found the fox…alive but wounded. Before we could catch up to him, Muzzy had grabbed the fox by his throat with his mouth, drug him out if the brush and was slinging him to the ground fighting him to the end. Go Muzzy!

Because this was one of Muzzy’s first real tracking encounters with a live animal, we weren’t sure how he was going to react but Muzzy got the job done. My shot was slightly low only broke the front leg and shoulder of the fox; it was enough for a great blood trail but not enough for a quick expiration. Thanks to our awesome doxie and his nose we were able to recover my fox.


Afterward Muzzy was a proud puppy of his kill and wanted to be in the picture with me. For those of you that have hunting dogs you know the feeling of pride you get when your hunting buddy succeeds and this was no different. He may not be your typical hunting dog but he has tracked 2 deer so far and now tracked and finished off my grey fox.

It was a wonderful success story for a quick trip. We were able to get our ‘chores’ done, have a little fun, and make another unforgettable memory. So even if you only have the weekend, get out there because sometimes the quick spontaneous trips end up being some of the best ones!

Update a few years later: Muzzy is almost 4 years old, has tracked many more deer, a few hogs, killed some birds, and a squirrel to add to his list. He also loves fishing with us! Although small he is mighty!

 

 

 

A Dandy Dirty Doe

2015 started off with a trip to Deep South Texas for a hunting trip with some friends. We had hunted this part of Texas before but never this exact spot so we took 4 pop-up blinds to help keep us mobile for changing deer patterns. Most of the set-ups already there were for rifle hunting so we needed to be prepared. The forecast was for rain, rain, cold, and more rain.

On New Year’s Eve we made our way south nearing the Texas/Mexico border; the rain had made the roads extremely sloppy and our trip took a nasty turn when our truck and flatbed trailer with the Gator on it slid off the road into a small ditch. It was a mess. We had to unload the Gator to use it to pull the truck and trailer out of the hole, all while it was 36 degrees and raining. Needless to say after a lot of messy, muddy work we finally made it to deer camp, completely soaked and covered in mud, but still excited to hunt.

 

The next morning we headed out to scout a few spots for blinds and found a some senderos that looked promising. After a few hunts with no success we moved one of the blinds to a sendero with a feeder on it. The brush in South Texas is extremely thick leaving only small roads or senderos to hunt, therefore baiting is almost necessary. Regardless of hunting over bait, this wasn’t going to be an easy task. We set up the ground blind in the new spot and brushed it in completely. I knew these deer were going to notice this new “bush” in the road but had to take my chances; leaving only a tiny opening for a shooting window I had to be as concealed as possible knowing these deer would be on high alert. I was 30 yards from the feeder and we had thrown out more corn in the road to help.

As I watched birds scurry about it was 5:15pm when I saw a very large doe step out into the road 17 yards away. The brush is so thick you cannot see the deer walking toward you or if they are in your area unless you are elevated in a blind rifle hunting. The trees aren’t tall enough to put stands in to bow hunt out of but the brush is just high enough to cover the heads of deer. The windows of opportunity bow hunting here were slim. As she stepped out, she immediately looked at my brushed-in blind and walked back in the brush. My heart started racing because for the brief moment I saw the front legs and chest of this doe, I knew she was a big, mature doe and was ready. I steadied my bow and waited for her to calm down and hopefully make a return appearance.

 

As I tried to calm my breathing and nerves she came back out into the road and headed to the corn. I decided to give her a little time to get comfortable (animals are always more alert when eating) before I took the shot. She finally turned completely broadside as I drew and released. I saw my arrow fall out the other side of her as she darted into the thick brush. I was shaking and just knew I had made a good shot. As I went to nock another arrow my heart sank. A bobcat crossed the road and stopped for a brief second (not long enough to get my bow drawn again) and headed in the direction of my doe.

 

Just my luck. (I have mentioned before that I have never shot and recovered a deer while bow hunting during a morning hunt. All of my kills have been afternoon or evening hunts where tracking and recovery is usually after dark or at dusk). It was raining, foggy, only 45 minutes until dark, and a bobcat was traveling in the same direction as my doe. So I prayed. Then I text my husband and a few friends to pray for a quick expiration and hope that the bobcat didn’t run my doe into another county or start destroying her. I was torn between going to search for her and keep the bobcat off of her or wait the full 30 minutes. I compromised instead.

 

I exited the blind quietly to check the impact site and arrow for blood to determine my shot. There was blood where I had hit her and my arrow had bubbly blood on it. I had a feeling she probably ducked a little when I shot and hit lungs instead of heart but I was confident after seeing the arrow and blood at impact site as well as blood on the cactus right on the edge of the road. I sat back in the blind and prayed again that the rain wouldn’t wash away the blood and this would be a quick recovery. I waited about 25 minutes and decided to go look before I lost light.

 

I only took my pistol because the brush was so thick I was going to be crawling on hands and knees and didn’t want my string getting cut by cactus, mesquite thorns, and everything else that sticks and stabs. I knew I had to be ready to shoot a bobcat that might have started his dinner on my doe and possibly recruited others. The tracking process was about 15 minutes, mostly because getting through the brush was so thick and the blood was deceiving because of the rain. I was alone because my husband was still hunting and I didn’t want him to miss an opportunity but I knew I couldn’t wait for him.

There she was, about 50 yards from where I had shot her. I could see her, but couldn’t immediately get to her because of the brush. I looked around for a hungry kitty cat but was relieved when I was alone. My eyes began to fill with tears and I tried to jump up and down and do my victory dance but the brush was so thick I cut myself on some thorns and stuck myself with cactus instead (well worth it).

I finally made my way to her and realized since I had been crawling and finding ways through the brush tracking blood, I wasn’t exactly sure where I was anymore or how close to the road I was. I tried to drag her but without my game hauler I wasn’t going to get far. Light was fading fast and the rain was steady; I had 3 flashlights with me (red, white, and green) so I left the white light with the doe pointing upward for a marker and attempted to make my way back to the road. My husband and friend were now on their way to me and somehow I made a quick exit to the road, pushing through thick brush getting cut up more. When I saw them walking towards me I ran to my husband crying and laughing with excitement and we embraced for that amazing moment we live for.

 

As we walked the road we found my white light and realized she was only about 15 yards from the road! We recovered her and headed back to camp to weigh the big girl. She was 130 pounds of beautiful venison, although completely soaked and covered in mud. I know that may not seem like a big deer to my Northern friends but in the Texas Hill Country a big doe is 90 pounds making this southern girl a fatty! She was my biggest doe taken with a bow and I was ecstatic to share another hunting moment with my husband and great friends. We were so blessed to hunt on their ranch and leave with an ice chest full of meat! That was one dandy dirty doe!

I also stayed true to one of my New Year's Lifestyle changes (not resolutions) and documented the hunt in my Rite in the Rain Notebook!

 

Meet Colleen - Hate Love Relationship with Hunting

A short while ago I ‘met’ someone on Twitter and began a conversation with her. Her name was Colleen and she said something to me that I have never heard a hunter say. She said she HATED hunting. I have heard a lot of women say they disliked it, didn’t know much about it, or just say “it’s not for me” but from her Twitter profile she looked like a hunter in love with every aspect of it. Of course I wanted to know more because there had to be something behind such a strong HATE of hunting.

She sent me her story because I knew I had to get this out to everyone to read and possibly relate to, learn from, and most importantly support her. I’ve read over her words numerous times trying to figure out how to present this on my blog to everyone and realized this - it is not my story to tell, this is hers. I can put it in my own words, edit it or change it to a Q & A session but I think the true meaning and emotion would be removed from her words.

So instead of me writing about her and her story, I think it’s best to let her tell it for you. Please be kind to her words because this was her pouring her emotions and thoughts out and continue to support her the way you always support me.

 

 

Meet Colleen and her Hate & Love Relationship with hunting…

I grew up loving the woods, loving nature, always outdoors, but never ever having anyone in my family hunt. We were the family that would feed bambi & I never understood people that would hunt deer; it seemed inhumane to me. Fast forward to my freshman year in college 11 years ago when I was first introduced to hunting. I started dating this really cute football player who was fun, outgoing, made me laugh, but a hunter, & not just your typical hunter. This guy was into it, his family hunted, & all his friends hunted. We would go to parties and hunting was always a topic that would be brought up, there would be stories about deer camp, talks about who has shot the largest buck, etc. We started dating in the middle of hunting season so one of our first trips back to his house, his friend called and said he shot a monster & wanted us to come down & see it. We pulled up to his friends and out & hanging from a rope in his garage was this adorable buck. My facial expression must have said it all because my now husband looked at me and said, ‘bet you have never seen anything like this before.’ I looked at him and said ‘oh this is cool’, but in my head was like what is wrong with these people, what did this poor animal do to them?!

Needless to say that was just the beginning, as mid-summer came around Derek would always go out to take walks in the woods to look for sheds, put out trail cameras, set stands, & find that tree with rubs around it that looked like it would be a great place to hunt. He would spend hours upon hours doing this kind of stuff, which to me I was thinking ‘why don’t you want to spend time with me, all you have to do is go set up some stupid stand and wait for a deer to come by.’ He would be so excited to go back out & look at the pictures on his trail camera; again something I did not understand, basically none of it ever made sense. 

Fast forward to hunting season, the season I would proclaim I was basically single because all he did, talked about, dreamed about, and thought about was hunting. It was so annoying & bad to me one year that I made him dress up as a deer & me as a hunter for Halloween because I told him that was the only way I would ever get him to notice me. If we argued it was always about hunting, how he would spend Friday nights in so he could wake up early to hunt all day Saturday, how he would come back from hunting all day & then we would have to go to his cousins or friends to see what they shot.  We would walk into these garages, where a bunch of guys were gathered around this deer that was dead, high fiving one another, drinking beer, laughing, telling stories, & just having a good time. I would usually look at these people and think to myself you have got to be kidding me, they call this a sport, and this is a joke & a shame. I was even at a hunting show one time & had 2 men approach me asking if they could tape me hunting; my response was ‘um hunting is dumb, I am only here because my husband hunts, sorry.’ That’s a moment though I now regret more than ever.

Needless to say for NINE years this was my mentality when it came to anytime Derek spoke about it. In 2012 though that all changed. We were out one night & Derek said to me, “want to go hunting with me, I really think you would enjoy it, you can see what it is all about.” I quickly responded with my typical, “no, why would I want to do that?”  But then said you know what I will go with you, just to prove to you how dumb it really is. He got this big smile on his face & said ‘I am telling you, you are going to love it.’  We woke up that Saturday morning, it was 20 degrees out (I hate the cold with a passion), he gave me his hunting clothes, so of course nothing fit right, his hunting boots, which made my feet look like clown feet & was spraying me down with this stuff so deer couldn’t smell me.  I remember it being 5 am and thinking, oh my God why did you wake up for this, just go back to bed, but I went though.

It was the first Saturday of rifle for PA so we went into the woods in the pitch black & finally got to our ground blind.  I just remember how calm it was sitting there in the woods with the sun coming up & the woods coming alive around us & thinking hmmm this is pretty cool. Turkeys were walking by, squirrels everywhere, beautiful birds, & of course a few deer.  This was the day I started to understand what hunting was really all about. Even though Derek did not have any shots at any deer that day, his pap sure did! Derek got a call saying “pap got one, pap got one” from one of his cousins who was also out there with us that day.  We left the ground blind and started walking through the woods to meet up with all his cousins, uncles, dad & pap to go search for this buck. His pap was so excited he could barely catch his breath, it only took a few minutes to track & once we found it, it all clicked. Everyone started high fiving, hugging, congratulating his pap, & then his pap was sitting there taking pictures & telling the story on how he shot it; which from listening to his story I learned it was the first buck at age 78 that he ever shot with a rifle. To be a part of that moment and see a family come together like that & to have everyone be so happy for him was amazing. It showed a moment to me that so many families in this world now lack & that is being together & being happy. I even got to take a picture with this deer just because I was there that day, it was just so cool to have the opportunity to be a part of.

Throughout that year I would continue to go with my husband every Saturday to hunt, it was such an awesome experience & that’s when I decided maybe this is something I wanted to actually give a try too.  I started talking to a great friend of mine who is a hunter too who really encouraged me to start hunting as well; she gave me a push & support I would need to really give it a go.

I told my husband that I wanted to try archery hunting, so we went & got me a bow (with no pink, I hate that color) & got it all set up. When the man at the shop showed me how to shoot it I was like, oh wow what did I get myself in to? It was insane to me how much goes into archery hunting & how hard it really is; I thought you pull the bow back and shoot, but needless to say that is not the case.  Every day after work I would go outside with Derek & practice, practice, practice. I even practiced when he wasn’t there; it was such a challenge & being the first & only female hunter in a family where if you are a guy you literally start hunting the day after you are born, I had to make sure I was ready to go when I got the opportunity. 

2014 was my first year of archery hunting & without the support of my husband & my friend I wouldn’t of had a clue what to do. My husband helped with hanging tree stands, showing me how to do the little things like put a bow holder in the tree, making sure I actually had clothes that fit & kept me warm, because I get cold when it is 50 degrees out.  We went spotting and would walk in to check the trail cams, look for rubs & scraps, we definitely put our time in. I was so excited for the first Saturday of archery I could barely sleep the night before, I felt like a kid the night before Christmas. 

Now came the part that made me respect hunting, I spent 4 weekends in the woods & did not see one deer, no does, no bucks, no nothing. Very quickly it put it into a reality to me that this was not going to be some simple task where I climb up into a tree, & get the opportunity to shoot a deer.  I was really understanding at that point why it is such a sport; not only do you have to hope that you are in the right spot at the right time, but you have to hope that the deer don’t smell you, that they don’t see you, that you actually see them; basically it is not so much harder than any person who has never tried it could ever realize. 

 

It is mentally wearing at times, but so amazing & worth it when you see another hunter finally get their chance to kill a deer.  You know how much they went through, the time they put in, & how things finally worked out in their favor that they got that opportunity,  It is a sport that I have grown to love & respect more than I ever thought possible.   It is a sport that I feel everyone should at one point or another really try because I think a lot of people who feel like I used too would see it like I do now.  See it as a sport, that is time consuming, mentally & physically tough, but oh so rewarding in the end.  It is a sport that can help to bring families together & really help to give people direction. It something where kids can be kids & learn to follow their parents in their guidance in it, something that is not inside & gives them a chance to dedicate themselves too. I did not get a deer this archery season, I actually never even had a chance, but even though I didn’t I really took so much more from it then I could have ever imagined. I can honestly say I love hunting, I love to hear the stories, I love to wake up early to go in my tree stand, I now can’t wait to see trail cam pictures, & want to be the first one to high five whoever’s deer we are going to see. Remember this is all coming from the girl who made her husband dress up as a deer for Halloween & she dressed up as hunter, just so she could be noticed during hunting season for once!

 

FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @CBrletich