Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting My first archery pig

Met up with 3 friends at 4 AM for our departure to Okla. and our Memorial Day Weekend hog hunt.

Arrived at the ranch 9+ hrs. later, and headed out for our first stand around 5 PM. The corn feeder went off shortly after I got settled into my Ameristep pop-up blind, and I prepared myself for the unknown.

As it was just about dark, I began to pack everything up for the night. Had my bow release off my wrist and stored in my lower pocket of my camo pants....arrow placed back in the quiver....my fold up chair, fanny pack, and blind poles had been layed outside of the blind on the ground in front of me.

Just as I was about to fold up the Doghouse, I heard what I thought was grunting, so I peered out the front window. Sure enough, a group of pigs were heading in my direction to swallow up some corn.

Quickly I knocked an arrow....quietly I slipped on my release ( velcro can sound pretty loud! ) , and just stood thru the window of the blind from my waist up. I was shadowed from the remaining light, and down wind from the approaching hogs.

One good looking black boar, probably 125 lbs, veered out to the right of the feeder approx. 20 yds straight in front of me. I released the arrow and it struck it's target with a nice THUMP!

The pigs were somewhat rattled now and scattering in all directions, while some continued to feed. I knocked another arrow and shot a smaller pig to my left. At that shot, the rest of them headed for the thick cover, which was straight past me on both sides.

Another hog ran to my right, and stopped within 3 yds of the blind, then he must have winded me before I could get off a third shot.

The rest of our party arrived about 30 minutes later and lended a much needed hand at tracking my quarry. We found the 2nd pig, about a 20 lb'r within 30 yds of the blind, but lost sign of the first one after the guys tracked him for what seemed like a quarter mile. We searched until shortly before midnight, to no avail.

We nicknamed this little guy Paperweight.

Boartuff, Congratulations on your first archery pig..
( your BOARTUFF MO website link looks interesting and I have it bookmarked)

The smaller pig willl be great eating (we used to call them shoats) ..Tender..

So, what happened on your first arrow into the 100+ pound pig?Where'd ya hit it?
What arrow & b-head?
Recover the arrow..a pass-thru..blood trail?
Without seeming antagonistic, do you and your party know how to read blood, sign and track?

Probably ugly, thick, rough country but did you go back in the morning and do a bit more tracking-retracing?

I know feral hogs are considered vermin in some of those areas, but I hate to see what sounds like a good hit not recovered..
Tell us more...jim

Hi Jim, thanks for the comment. My website isn't all MO, so you're sure to find something you can relate to.

I did look again the next day, but still no more sign. The dirt in Okla. is real dry, reddish, and sandy. It was difficult to even find blood in the early going, as the dirt would soak it up quickly.

I feel bad about losing him, too. We never did find the arrow, so I must have hit him too much in the shoulder plate. I'd have thought the Carbon Excel arrow would have at least broke off in the thick brush. And THICK it was! Brutal stuff!

I shoot a Hoyt X-Tec at 65 lbs. and 100 gr. 3 blade Muzzy's.

That boar was only the 2nd animal in 10 yrs. I have lost, which is still not acceptable, but it happens unfortunately. Vermin or not, I wish we could have recovered him.

Pigs in OK?
Dang now there is a reason for that trip to my baby sisters in Enid.
Mike