Jan 1, 2011 Solo Hunt

[crackerc]

First off, let me wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year holiday, but now that all that is behind us, its time to hunt!!

Between working all the time, and being sick with the flu for over three weeks, I just haven't been hunting much. Went for about an hour with SpazHogDog and Terry, but couldn't get a bark where we went. The 24,000 acre place we were hunting has had deer hounds running since the second week of Nov and hogs are scattered and scarce. Ask anyone that hunts there.

I had started to feel a little better this past weekend, so I loaded Monkey, one of my young Bob females, and my yard dog Cricket up and headed to the woods by myself. I turned the two young dogs loose, loaded Monkey on the 4 wheeler and went riding and looking for sign. I couldn't find a track or any sign for about the first two hours. I went to a creek that runs through a big block and saw a few hog tracks in the mud, but hard to tell how old they were. The woods are really dry and I figured any hogs around may be working the creek bottom. The young dogs hadn't done anything so I turned the old man out (Monkey will be 6 this year)....against my better judgement I left the other two dogs out too. Now remember, I am all alone on 24,000 acres.....

I walked down the creek bottom, just enjoying being in the woods for a change. I really didn't expect to do much due to the lack of sign I was seeing. Monkey pulled out headed into the wind and the two young dogs played in the creek, ran around and acted like young dogs do. I think they were just glad to be loose in the woods too.

About 20 minutes later I heard Monkey bay way off. Turned out he was about half a mile from me, baying every breath. I put Cricket on a leash as she is pretty much straight catch. I left Scarlet loose as its hard to lead two dogs through the woods, especially two young dogs! As I got about 200 yards from Monkey, Scarlet went to him. Cricket had been trying to drag me through the swamp and woods as she knows when Monkey bays, what is going on.

I heard Scarlet get there, a catch, then Scarlet went to baying....which meant Monkey was caught on the hog by himself. Not knowing WHAT he had caught I cut Cricket loose. She went to him like she was shot out of a cannon and never barked when she got there. Caught hog for sure now!

I hurried to the catch as quick as my weak legs and coughing fits would allow (remember I stilll have the flu). I got there and all three dogs had this hog caught. It was fighting dogs so I legged it and rolled it over. Monkey turned loose and left (which means there was more than one hog), but I could NOT get Cricket off the hog. I beat, cussed, yelled and she wasn't turning loose. Scarlet would turn loose and come back and re catch, about getting my knee one time, so I went ahead and killed the hog to protect ME!! Turned out it was just a big old sow, good thing as if it was a big bad hog it probably would have whipped me in my weakened flu state!!

I marked where the hog was on my GPS, I am over half a mile from the truck and 4 wheeler, Monkey is gone, one hog down and two dogs on a  lead......About the time I get out to the road I hear Monkey bay...way off...the opposite direction of the truck....not good. I head to the truck, its almost 1 Pm and 78 degrees by now. I get to the truck, unload the 4 wheeler off the trailer , load the two young dogs and head to Monkey on the 4 wheeler. He is far enough off I can't even hear him, but I know about where he was last I could hear him.

The creek crosses a big powerline and it is some kind of nasty muddy mess for several hundred yards. but Monkey was past that bayed so across it I went with the 4 wheeler loaded with dogs....or I should say, part way across...I buried the 4 wheeler. Had to unload dogs, walk half a mile back to the truck, get the truck, drive close as I could to the 4 wheeler....and could barely hear Monkey still bayed.  I went and tried to get the 4 wheeler unstuck as I wasn't sure I could make it to Monkey leading Cricket, the way I felt.

No luck, all I did was get it more stuck. Two hours after he left, Monkey comes back about heat stroked out, falls into the mud and lays there, hot. I have all the dogs back, plus a hog to still get out of the woods, and a stuck 4 wheeler....so I call Lisa (SpazHogDog) who was at her and Terry's camp and she and her grand kids came and pulled my 4 wheeler out !! So a BIG thank you to Lisa!! I owe you!!

A good hunt, other than being sick, and getting the 4 wheeler stuck, and the second hog getting away...maybe it wasn't such a good hunt! Hey, at least I didn't get any wrecked dogs on this hunt, so I guess it was a good hunt!!!

Here are a few pics.

Picture of some of the woods.


Cricket listening for Monkey to bay.


Me and the hog.


Lisa'a grandkids...think they were having fun??

[Mike]

Good hunt Mark... be careful out there alone!

That's some good lookin' country there.

[koyote76]

great hunt!

we need to get one planned this yr

[Cutter Bay Kennels]

Your backup has cute grandkids. How is spur recovering?  Glad to see you and monkey still getting it done.

[crackerc]

Mike, I am not sure WHY, but hunting solo isn't as much fun as it was 25-30 years ago....I can't imagine why...CAN'T be age catching up to me.....nahhhhhh! I had actually invited a couple buddies to go but all had honey do's to get done and couldn't go.

Kerry I have a good hunt in Feb if you are interested in coming down and going. Let me know and I will get you the dates if you are interested. Its a 3 day hunt during the week. This is the place where I got both Monkey and Spur wrecked last Feb. Lots of toothy hogs, but LOTS of walking too. Its a 34,000 acre place with limited roads.

Also, here are a couple pics of the two pups I kept, littermates to your pup. Not good pics but I cannot keep them still long enough to take good pics of them!



Josh, Spur is healed and fat and sassy. I need to be hunting him and the young dogs and leaving Monkey at home...but thats hard to do!!

[Cutter Bay Kennels]

West then Pruit, what will you do when it gets to be March?  Lol. Probably sleep in.   

[crackerc]

Josh, that actually sounds like a GOOD idea...LOL  No, deer season in zone B will be over and I have a few deer leases I plan on wearing out this spring with my young dogs before it gets too hot. Lord willing and the creek don't rise......

[spazhogdog]

Mark,  glad I was in the club and could help. The kids really enjoyed going, they could not wait to tell Terry about the hog they got and on the way back the mud puddle that we played in. I have to say you have some good lookin dogs and next time I hope we can get into some hogs.

[cward]

Good deal!! We named the pup Cracker and he is doing great gets to run loose in the yard and we take him on some of the rat hunts! He likes to catch them but after catching one he wants to go play with it!LOl

[crackerc]

Again Lisa, I want to say THANKS...not quite sure what I would have done if you and Terry had left camp already!! I just didn't feel good enough to dig that scooter out of the mud! Glad the kids enjoyed it.

Chance, hope the pup turns out for you guys. I like my two but they are still just pups so its hard to tell right now. My Scarlet female (Bob x Red) is a cousin to your pup (mothers are littermates) and these and she is just starting to come around. But I haven't hunted them much at all, just let them grow up first. Post a pic of your pup if you get a chance, he ever grow into his ears?

[jwdeltx]

I know I’m back woods but until I was fifty I still ran with the dogs , walked ,no four wheeler no horse and many mile a hunt. I’m now fifty four and wont’ go without a ride. I hunt solo a lot usually without problems. Age has its limits !!! HUNT’UM UP!!!

[JDJP]

Sounds like a good hunt to me,  good solo hog, and the pups are looking good.

[chopper]

Lee let my buddy grizz660 take bob out the other night with us after not hunting in over two years we turned him out he went about 600yds on garmon and had a big boar about 200pounds bayed in about 15 minutes, the hog cut all the dogs pretty good so we had to call it a night if pup turn out like him that will be a hell of a dog

[DubbleRDawgs]

good hunt ,great pics ,good hog ..that grandbaby in the dog box looks like some of my grandbabies would do

[roosterhogdogin]

haha thats a good story right there good hunt and nice lookin dogs.

[Bandit]

Nice hog and hunt

[crackerc]

Chopper, I have hunted with the Bob dog and had him at my house for two weeks. I really liked the dog, both the way he hunted and the way he acted around the house. Thats why I bred to him, even though we weren't sure where he came from. I saw enough things I liked about the dog that I took a chance and bred to him. Time will tell if the two females I kept will turn out to be dogs or not. It was the first litter for Bob and for my Red female, so I wasn't real sure what I would get. I have let these two females come on slowly, now they are of an age where I am going to push them a little, put them in the woods and see how they progress.

Then I have the two female pups from Monkey x JJ (her and Red are sisters)  that are about 5 months old I need to start messing with.......lots of young dogs!

[Clint_1990]

Great story! Nice lookin dogs to

[tnhillbilly]

Beautiful country, Looks real thick, good lookin dogs, and rig too

[goose]

some FINE looking country there....dont you just love how them solo hunts never go as planned....good hog as well