I was hunting my lease in OK last weekend and had an extra long stay in the ladder stand as a really nice buck came in late and I didn't want to spook him getting down. After about 40 minutes, I was tired of waiting and I gave a loud, sudden hog snort. The deer bolted from the feeder and a couple minutes later, I gave another one for good measure.
A few minutes later I heard a real pig snort so I knew the deer weren't coming back and I headed down the ladder. Just as I hit the ground, I heard that aggressive hog snort/growl - you'll know what I mean if you have ever heard it - about 15 yards away. I could just make him out in the darkness.
I was a little startled because he was so loud but I've encountered plenty of hogs that seemed indifferent to my presence and I figured he would start eating when I left. I was parked about 500 yards away and I headed off to my Ranger. I was parked along a fence line which I could easily follow so I didn't even have flashlight out.
Maybe 50 yards down the trail, I heard that hog growl again. Except it was not 50 yards back, it was right next to me. Maybe 15 yards away. I could just make out his form in the darkness and his growl was now constant. I started walking again and so did he, right along beside me.
At this point, I am spooked and am basically run walking through a swamp seemingly mined with unexpected mud holes. While trying to keep from tripping and falling and holding my bow in one hand, I'm blindly fishing for a flashlight in my pack with the other hand. Finally, I feel one and grab it, quickly turning it on and shining it at the hog to finally scare him off.
It is my danged green flashlight and doesn't scare the hog at all. Or the second hog with him that I can now see. If anything, it riled up the one hog who is snarling and as he walks along beside me is going back and forth between facing me and the direction we are headed. And I'm still 100 yards away from my Ranger.
I talked. I yelled. Heck, I even screamed "help" one time thinking the ranch manager whose home was nearby might hear me and come check. I just knew at any minute that one hog was going to charge right at me. I got all the way to my Ranger, then in it, and they still wouldn't shut up. Although they did back off to about 20 yards away.
It wasn't until I literally drove my Ranger right at them that they shut up and ran off. Heck, I was still jumpy hunting the next evening. Hogs are bad enough when they are just tearing up your stuff. But they crossed the line last weekend and I plan to retaliate.
A few minutes later I heard a real pig snort so I knew the deer weren't coming back and I headed down the ladder. Just as I hit the ground, I heard that aggressive hog snort/growl - you'll know what I mean if you have ever heard it - about 15 yards away. I could just make him out in the darkness.
I was a little startled because he was so loud but I've encountered plenty of hogs that seemed indifferent to my presence and I figured he would start eating when I left. I was parked about 500 yards away and I headed off to my Ranger. I was parked along a fence line which I could easily follow so I didn't even have flashlight out.
Maybe 50 yards down the trail, I heard that hog growl again. Except it was not 50 yards back, it was right next to me. Maybe 15 yards away. I could just make out his form in the darkness and his growl was now constant. I started walking again and so did he, right along beside me.
At this point, I am spooked and am basically run walking through a swamp seemingly mined with unexpected mud holes. While trying to keep from tripping and falling and holding my bow in one hand, I'm blindly fishing for a flashlight in my pack with the other hand. Finally, I feel one and grab it, quickly turning it on and shining it at the hog to finally scare him off.
It is my danged green flashlight and doesn't scare the hog at all. Or the second hog with him that I can now see. If anything, it riled up the one hog who is snarling and as he walks along beside me is going back and forth between facing me and the direction we are headed. And I'm still 100 yards away from my Ranger.
I talked. I yelled. Heck, I even screamed "help" one time thinking the ranch manager whose home was nearby might hear me and come check. I just knew at any minute that one hog was going to charge right at me. I got all the way to my Ranger, then in it, and they still wouldn't shut up. Although they did back off to about 20 yards away.
It wasn't until I literally drove my Ranger right at them that they shut up and ran off. Heck, I was still jumpy hunting the next evening. Hogs are bad enough when they are just tearing up your stuff. But they crossed the line last weekend and I plan to retaliate.
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