Me, Lee, Lane and the Yelvington clan made another hunt with the ranch owners Sunday, was a good day to hunt. Beautiful morning in the low seventies, it stayed overcast with no wind to speak of, until we stopped hunting around noon.
With Snappa and Chub on injured reserve, all I had for functional dogs was Shiner and Ellie, who was still sore from last weekend... As we eased along looking for sign, Mack spotted a decent track in a cattle trail... Upon inspection, I elected to move on to find better sign, but as we drove over the track, Ellie sounded and I just couldn't help but drop them to work it out.
They rolled out across the pasture in the dead silence of early morning, cattle moaning in the distance... Mr. Sambo commented how much Ellie looked like a deer as they bounded off into the haze, zig-zagging ever tighter paths into the swamp... a good few minutes later, the bay erupted. I grabbed A.J. and we headed in, with a good half dozen in tow...
Once within a few hundred feet, I had the group hold as I snuck A.J. as close as possible. When I got within visual, I could see they had the hog bayed tight in a palmetto head. I dropped A.J. from around 30yds... about the moment I should have heard impact, I heard the un-nerving sound of silence....the boar broke and made it a few hundred yds before they shut him down.... leaving A.J. a permanent reminder of her missed attempt, and me a realization of the need of an additional catch dog for this loose baying pair....
Does it mean you're gettin' old when you're using kids to pull your hogs out?
I guess I'm glad I'm old then!
Note the individual "loops" for the little rug rats to get their wrists around
Was a perty hog for around here, if he'd been toothy and big, I'd of considered mounting this one...
After the first hog, we took a little break and headed for another side of the property. Once there, I dumped Ell and Shine and they rolled out for a good spell... after tracking them out a half mile or so, they finally came back to the truck to my disapproval.... I loaded Shine, but when I went to grab Ell, she was nowhere to be seen... a slight breeze had developed from the opposite direction and Ell had smelled her boar....
We tracked her from the truck for almost a mile till we saw her cross the road like a scalded deer.... as I dumped Shiner to her, we soon heard them bay up... again, I grabbed A.J. and we headed for the bay... once close, me and Lee eased in to see Shine and Ell bayed on another boar.... cut A.J. and hog broke again... Shine grabbed arse, and A.J. caught ear.
This is what I think of when I envision Florida "after the catch". In my opinion, this is one of the best pictures I have ever taken, and will be hung on my wall of memories.
A.J. and Shine, A.J. consistent even after a brutal hit.
We went on to work Lee's two, Silver and Speedy, both from my A.J. and out of a cow dog stud I had years back. The two jumped a boar and rolled out for well over a mile and a half.... about a mile more than what I expected... so maybe I'll give them another chance...
