Ocmulgee WMA hog

My 8 year old, Josh, and I went to Ocmulgee WMA on the adult/child hunt over the weekend. Not many people hunting there this year compared to last year.

I was not sure how much water the swamps were going to have in them with all the storms, but there was not nearly as much water as I thought there might be. Now the mosquitoes were a different story. Normally I try not to use bug spray, but this hunt I was not using the bow and did not have to worry about getting 20 yards from a hog.

We headed into the woods before light on Saturday and had not quite gotten to the area I wanted to hunt when I stopped and could here something moving toward us. It was already light and the hogs were certainly moving from the open oaks across the swamp to the thicket I was moving along. I noticed movement 20 yards in front of me and could see the hog moving toward us. I put the crosshairs just in front of her shoulder as she stepped out from the palmettos and touch off the shot with her going down. She did get back up and was running around a little toward us and got Josh a little worried. He started getting behind me and started telling me to shoot it again but then she went down again.

Since we had been in the woods only 30 minutes we hung around to see what else was moving. Withing 10 minutes we had a group of four 50-80# hogs move past us and then we counted anouther 8 hogs in a couple different groups over the next 20 minutes. I was not about to shoot another hog with only Josh and I back in there.

Our sow weighed 135# dressed and was the exact same size of the hog I shot last year on the same hunt which lasted about as long. I have to keep reminding Josh that most hunts aren't that short!

great story and that is one lucky little man to be out with his dad in the woods!

Great job, Danny!! I'd love to get with you one time when you are heading over that way! I have never been to that WMA but have been thinking of going over. The hog population seems to be getting better and better!

Nice hog and nice young hunting partner you got there!

Keith, I'll be glad to meet you over there sometime and show you around. The way my schedule is looking I probably will not be able to make the scheduled deer hunts, but we can always try during the small game dates with small game weapons. There is usually no one down there at that time anyway.

Congrats Danny...

That's a goodun!

Btw, I bet your son Josh won't forget that hunt for awhile...

What did you kill the hog with?? Can you use a rifle this time of year??

Yep, shot it with a rifle.

That's one of many reasons I love WMA's. With over a million acreas in the WMA system there is usually a variety of hunts. Many of them give you a great chance to take a kid hunting early in the season. This was an either-sex deer hunt and on many WMA's you can shoot a hog with whatever weapon is legal during that season.

I know that neck of the woods

i hunt area 1 quite often.........that's even my favorite campsite you're in!...back left corner. I saw 3 hogs opening day of archery...2 @ 120lbs and one @ 350+. Im planning on stalking them a good bit with my bow after October 31st. Haven't been back since archery opener. lookin forward to it though.

Danny

nice pig!

kcausey, that is actually the campground on area 2. From where the picture was taken it does look similar to the campground on area 1 though. There were about the same amount of people camping in each campground, but there is alot more room on the area 2 campground with it being probably 5 times as big.

Those hogs are going to gradually start getting more skittish as the gun hunts start picking up. I have hunted them during bow season in years past and have been able to stalk right up on them in the open bottoms, but once the gun hunts start the hogs stick closer to the thickets.

Great Job

Danny,
Great hog, Glad to here that your Father/Son hunt went well, haven't been back since last years 260# off area 1 but looking forward to it. Late Nov. or Maybe after deer season we will be back down so keep me posted maybe Myself, Koolaid and Uncle Buck will join you.
Rgds, :
j

J, maybe we'll see ya down there.

Those bottoms on area 1 looked different from last year with all the mud on everything from the river being out of its banks. The hogs were just starting to move back into the bottoms as the water has been receding from all the storms. Of course with all the acorns on the hills they are not doing too much rooting this time of year.

Area 2 had a ton of water from the storms and was still very wet. You would need waders to get around most of the sloughs on that tract.

Good job

Danny
Glad you and your boy had fun. Can't wait untill my little one old enough to go with me.And like what JPK said hopfully we can hook up some time.

Happy Hunting,
Koolaid

Nice hog Danny..... I would of liked to seen the look on Josh's face when that hog came yalls way. :speechles

I'm working on trying to get down there pretty soon. Going to try and work on Frank T to go w/ me. Can't seem to get him to hunt anymore.
Have you guys been to Oaky woods this year?

Congrats on the hog.

Matt

Hey Matt,
yeah Josh was a little worried as he got behind me. He was going to let the hog get me before him.

We had a group of 4 hogs come by 10 minutes after I shot her and they got about 15 yards away at one point which was just about too close for Josh.

Of course I used to be that way when I first started hunting at Pine Log and I new there were hogs there. First time to the area while turkey hunting I walked into the woods while it was still dark, saw rooting everywhere, and proceeded to go back to the truck and wait until it got light! I have yet to be charged by a hog, but have had a few run within feet of me as they were trying to get away.

Have you been hunting at Joe's place yet? Those bucks should start cruising that area for those does soon. Frank just doesn't seem to want to hunt much.

I haven't been to Oaky Woods in a year. I would like to get down there for the early Dec. hunt though. Ocmulgee has a hunt starting this weekend and Oaky Woods has a hunt starting Nov. 6. I have too much going on at the house to make it to either one though.

Joe's is heating up pretty good. seeing alot of scrapes and rubs on the ridge just behind his house. I took my neighbor and he shot a doe about 3 weeks ago. He was hunting only about 60 to 70 yards from me when he shot it and it ran up to my stand and piled up right below me. No tracking involved there.

Its a hard place to hunt though. The does feed in his field and bed down wright near his house and every time I get out of my truck or walk to my stand I always have a deer blowing at me. So they know Im in there. But come next month the bucks will be cruising that field looking for them does and i hope to be there when big daddy walks by.

trying to fiqure out how to get to oaky or ocmulgee but the hunt days dont match up with my off days. May have to take vacation.

If you ever want to go to Joes, let me know and I can meet you. He will be in fla the month of Nov. and when he is gone the deer seem to realy use that area alot. Going to try and get frank down there about mid nov. thats when i'll have weekends off and our off days will match up.
I'm going to try and hunt wed morning and friday morning and try to do a evning hunt on thursday.