We where watching a couple of small pigs feeding in the distance under some mango trees.

I wasn't particurarly interested in shooting one of them, but mangoes where falling and hopefully some bigger hogs would show up.
so I started my approach, hunting conditions where far less than perfect, rare southesterly windswhere blowingat 45 degrees from behind my left shoulder, very short grass and sparse trees gave little cover.
A better approachwould be to circle a bit and come in with the cross wind a bit more in my face,
but this would be a bit to much sideways movement, so putting one tree at  a time between me and the critters I started to slowly cut the distance.
I hear a sound50 yards to my left, and 3 small pigs, witha nice little boar in the leadare exiting the tall grass and are trotting towards the other 2.
I'm frozen in place, quite in the opento let themgo by and join the others.
great now there's 10 eyes and still a long way to go, trying to line up different trees to cover my approach to as many pigs as possible I slowly creep on.
Then suddenly they start feeding in my directionat a farely good pace, as fast as I can I get close to a big mango, now 3 of them are on the other side of the tree, including the little boar, I can't see them and I'm praing they'll round the tree on the left, ....Here comes the litlle boar from the rigth side of the tree, I'm watching the peacock feather attached to my string point directly to where the hog will step next, the nose goes up, a grunt and the little boar is away with the sows in tow, and collecting the remaining 2 they plunge in the tall guiney grass..

I look back at Jerry, about 30 yards back behind a tree and smile,...bummer.


.....Sorry my library time is up ( slow tiper)

will continue as soon as I find a comuter.

hey thats not fair to leave me there like that i was just getting in to it. so you had better go find a comuter quick LOL!!!!              

Good to have you back at the keyboard Manny. Keep the hunting tales coming.

Thanks Manny,I enjoy your hunting adventures,especially since we haven't seen the plus side of the themometer for a while.

John

......than a mango fall from tha next tree, 2 pigs rush out, one grabs the fruit and head back, the other hangs around a bit, than follows.
agood size sow comes out to investigate for a bit than goes back, now I'm excited, i grab a rock head for the next tree and throw it up in the branches to imitate a falling mango,...nothing happens, get to the next tree thow a rock back at the tree behind me,....nothing.

again i look back at jerry, this is fun !!
then all of a sudden lead by the sow all the pigs are out milling about, I resume my stalk, now with 6 hogs to account for, I gain 2 more trees and now the sow is feeding my way, and being a nice girl she comes to my left passing broadside at 15 yards but her movement to errtic for a good shot, than she faces me i freeze and squint, she puts her head down,and rigth back up, I'm still there, this goes on for a few more times than she relaxes and feeds again giving me a good 15 yard shot, bow comes up while drawin, a split secont before release a pig nudges her in the back she flips around to discipline the little one, I'm there at full draw with nothing to shoot, slowly the bow goes back down.
Moments later a 12 yard brodside stares rigth at me, bow comes up, my feet position is far from perfect facing the wrong way, due to the position of the tree the bow is past verticle on a sligth opposite cant.


I post this now because I just whent thru writing the all story just to lose it on the last line, very frustrating.

i'm getting rigth back to writing

.....as it always happens to me in hunting shots the arrow is away without the consious effort of the action.

the shot is just about as good as I would ever want,1/3rd ut skimming the shoulder bone.

A constant thing I nociced shooting pigs with a selfbow is that they never run away as fast or as long as they did when shot with a glass bow.

I like that in the recovering prcess.

as she heads towards the tall grass I'm a bit worried about arrow penetration, did I even come to full draw in that position ??

....Immediatly entering the tall grass we hear thrashing sounds and grunts, a real good sign.
I look back and jerry gives me the thumbs up. 20/30 seconds later is all silent, we keep an eye on the hill behind in case she goes, but nothing.

while jerry stays on one side of the grass patch i round it and peack into the tunnels, than climb a mango for a birdseye view, sometimes it's hard to find critters in the tall grass.

An other pig appears on the hill slope, I freeze hoping Jerry gets a chance, but no luck.

on the ground again with my K-BAR I enter the green sea, lot's of blood, I peak into the tunnels before going further, than I see the orizontal stiff legs of a very dead hog.

we drag her out, take some pictures, take care of her and resume hunting, Jerry never got a chance, I wish he did, but what a great afternoon out.
when I moved to the wood I took this bow out of retirament to be my hunting weapon of choice.

2 years after being crafted and 2 pigs later now it's time for real retirament, I'm even considering putting it up for the ST Judes

My tackle was a guava selfbow, 62# @27", 23/64 cedar arrows with 160gr RIBTEK total weigth 600gr

thanks

Manny

Great story Manny,good looking hog and bow    

Good to here from you.

Tracy

Good work, Manny!

Great to hear from you manny!!! Good shooting!!!

Cool pics and story Manny. I hope to be able to bid on one of your bows in the St. Judes auction.

Great story, Manny, and great pics too!

   

Nice to see you posting again Manny!  Great story and pics, but I have one suggestion for you:

if'n you put that sweet bow up for auction could you shave a few pounds off it so I don't wreck my shoulder shooting it after I win it?  :D

Ohhh nooo.... Jeremy it's perfect just where it is    Great story and pics Manny! The family and I are headed your way in a couple months, maybe I can congratulate you in person. I'll send a PM.
Doug

Nice pics and story,looks like your having fun!

Cool hunt,good to hear from you,I missed the pics of your bows!

Congrats.....thanks for the story....enjoyed my 2nd cup of java this AM.