Nowadays I hunt all night till around 7:00am the next morning then head home dress out a harvest if successful then dive into some tunes for several hours. I then hit the hay to charge the battery for about four hours then back up to tune some more shooter's. A take a hunt break in the late afternoon to hopefully catch a G-hog off guard then back to the ranch to do any honey do's and back to the tune/camo shop., wash rinse and repeat. The G-hog hunt's have been very slow but the dens are active and it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. When I arrived last night to hunt the resident told me he had spotted three big G-hog's out in the field and I was catnapping at the time hehe. Well here we go again and I had a late start last night and got into my hide around 10:30pm but I wasn't too worried since they haven't been showing until the wee hours in the morning. I had left my lamp's strapped to the tree's on the game trail so all I had to do was switch em on and settle into the hide. As usual the first three hours were still with nothing but the moths dancing around the lamp's and field mice scurrying about on the trail. I sipped on java and watched the trail along with listening for any unusual sounds from the darkness that surrounded me. I wish more could experience the peacefulness of sitting in the wood's at night and letting it just wash away all the heaviness that a day can load up on the brain. I kept sharp though and didn't get to far into the relaxing Zen mode didn't want to doze off then wake up later with a critter snuggling with me lol.
I did a quick time check and it was going on 4:00am but I still felt charged up and ready so I placed my thermos back into my gear bag behind me then turned around to see a Bandit right on the trail under the lamp and looking right in my direction. :0 I was busted and he must have caught me moving despite the pitch black out here around my hide, Bandit's got killer night vision. It's moment's like this where you move so slow that time just might stand still but all the while hoping he doesn't turn and run and I inched behind the glass. This Bandit was in full alert and looking intensely in my direction but the cross hairs were planted center skull and just above the reflective peeper's looking back at me. I relaxed and just focused on that spot where the Predator will go and then released it and a very load impact echoed in the night. The Bandit actually jumped into the air and flipped once in the process hit the ground rolled to his side and shook like he was being shocked. This reaction to the Predator was over as quickly as it started and he lay there motionless. I reloaded and got myself out from behind the hide and headed down the trail, loaded and ready for round two if need be. I arrived at the harvest and gave him several pokes but it was obvious that he was finished with a complete pass through.
I gloved up and inspected the wound further and was impressed with the Predators ability to bust through bone and brain, pic's tell the tail. I grabbed him up by the tail and hauled him back to the hide and laid him next to me as I sat back down and poured another cup of java. The remaining time was spent sipping java and watching the sunrise knowing that I probably wasn't going to get anymore action. I took my time getting the gear together then propped him up for some pic's and with the sun breaking through the tree's I got a better look at the wound and see why he was acting like he was getting shocked, Pred rocked him. The Extreme 1250.22 was a last minute choice for the hunt but as always it proves deadly on the critter's and this Bandit was taken at 22yrd's. Almost 7:00am and I had the game and gear packed so I made my way out of the stick's and for the rig. I get home do the dressing out of the Bandit then wrap him for the icebox then cleaned up the crime scene around the shop and then went to work on some tunes for awhile until it was time for a catnap. Wash rinse and repeat and back out to play with Mother Nature again tonight but I'm going to hang out in the morning and really try to get the drop on a G-hog when the wake for breakfast. Ed
