A girl who wanted to be a bow hunter! By TJB
After filming several hunts, Amber wanted to learn to hunt for herself.
She wanted to bow hunt. She acquired all the necessary archery gear and
began practicing. Meanwhile; she was filming my hunts dealing with the natural
fear that comes with wild boar. She knew a hog had cut me in the leg after
I got way too close. She herself had filmed boars chasing coyotes, fight
each other and threaten to charge us. Let's face it boars are a little scary.
If she were going to get close enough to film boars as they fight or take
one with an arrow, she would have to overcome this fear.
Weeks go by and there are more encounters with wild hogs and some of those
encounter being quite close. Her fears subsided to some degree as she began
to understand the hogs. She learned how they move and where they feed and
how they scatter when spooked. She also learned that they really would rather
run to get away than to challenge someone. She also learned that the "line
not to cross" is rather wide and if safety is observed, getting close
enough to film or hunt with a bow is realistic.
She practiced with her bow and increased the draw
weight as her back and arm muscles developed from archery. It would take
some time and practice to be proficient with her arrows but really wanted
to hunt for a wild boar. She decides to try it first with a rifle. She thought
that if she could get close enough with a rifle, that a bowshot could do
it, than she would put down the rifle and pick up her bow.
We went to find her a hog. I hiked up to a trail that could yield some sign
and she went to look in a wallow 40 yards down the hill. Minutes later she
come up the hill fast breathing hard and saying that she was face to face
with a big group of hog and that the hogs were coming up behind her. I could
see by the look on her face that she had indeed seen the boars up close
and personal! The mixed look of fear and desire. She had spotted what would
become her first hunt on a wild boar. We quickly chose a vantage about 30
yards up hill from the hogs. Amber lay her and the rifle down on a mound
of earth to steady for a shot. But the hogs were on the move through the
forest and never offered and broadside opportunity before moving out of
sight to our left. We collect our thoughts and gear and begin tracking to
find where they went. About 150 yards from where we first tried for them,
I found them feeding in a field a little further down hill. We positioned
ourselves in an old bay laurel tree that overlooked a field where the hogs
were rooting. She held off firing a shot until the red & black boar
she chose was broad side and she felt steady. Her first hog to harvest was
feeding 105 yards away. She made a great shot. The hog rolled over right
where it was standing.
She did it! She killed a wild boar. She also helped field dress and drag
the 165-pound beast uphill to where the truck was. As she tagged it, her
face was a glow and she couldn't stop smiling and staring at the hog that
she harvested. I was so proud of her I couldn't speak because I was so choked
up and emotional for her. It was everything we set out to accomplish. She
wanted to have it butchered and to choose what the butcher would make with
her first wild boar. About a week later we get a call to pick up the meat
from the butcher. How excited were we?! She was strutting around al proud
because we going to get what she has provided for our freezer. When we get
there we are amazed at how much meat we are handed. In the boxes there are
pork chops, back straps, ribs to BB-Q, smoked hams, smoked hocks for making
soup, and Italian sausage!
There is no greater feeling than providing for others. We not only enjoyed
the meat ourselves, but we also shared with friends and neighbors. Not only
did we enjoy seeing our friends and sharing a great meal, we also enjoyed
seeing their faces when Amber would show the picture of her and the wild
boar!
Here she is with her first boar!
On her first hunt she found herself 105 yards away and squeeeeeeezed the trigger to dropped this nice boar.
As weeks went by the excitement was tempered by the fact that the boar was
still too far to consider taking it with a bow. Amber was becoming less
fearful of wild hogs. She began filming closer and closer, often saying
"I wasn't afraid this time" and "Lets try to get closer to
those hogs". She developed a confidence. I could see it in her eyes
when she would say "Take Me Hunting"!
As time passed and life kept us busy on all fronts, she always took time
to shoot her bow. Her groups were getting very tight and she starting hitting
2-inch dots at 50 yards.
She was still not sure if she could get into arrow range from a wild boar.
There was still a little apprehensiveness to overcome. So we went for another
hunt with the rifle hunt in one of our favorite places. A place where the
blackberry picking was as good as it gets. The same place where I had harvested
boars in the past and the very place where I had been charged and bitten
by an upset wild hog. The creek still had water in it and the oaks trees
were sparsely scattered throughout the hills while a blanket of fog kept
the morning cool. The scene was perfect. As we worked our way around an
old farm we could see a boar standing in a field near the creek. What a
nice hog for Amber to harvest. We were both excited to see such a fine hog.
He was marbled with colors and stood tall. He was alone and was very wary.
He kept picking up his head to stay aware of his surroundings.
He would sample the wind trying to detect dangers. In between he would put
his head down feed. We thought he winded us a couple of times, as he would
make irregular movements away from us. It could have been that he was just
getting ready to move back into the cover of the forest for the heat of
the day. Once he just left the field and headed into a blackberry-covered
creek. We held our position for a minute or so and what a good decision
that was. A minute later he came right back out into the open and started
feeding our way. We watched as he meandered towards us. He was feeding frantically
as f to get as much as he could before the sun rose. Had we let him, he
would have walked right up to us. If there had been a bow in the picture,
we would have let him. At less than 40 yards we decide to take him at the
very next broadside opportunity. Amber settles in to shoot and becomes very
calm and focused. We watched him turn to our left offering up a complete
broadside look at him. I say to Amber "Take the shot". She locks
in and after a few seconds she squeezes the trigger… BANG! At 38 yards
she hits the hog perfectly. The hog didn't look hit as he trotted away.
But he only made it another 35 yards and falls right in the open. We get
to watch another on go down in sight! Go Amber!
The moment we had anticipated had occurred. A close
encounter that would end all doubt that she can get to bow range from a
wild boar and be courageous enough to make the right shot. It was amazing!
After the work of field dressing the hog and taking some pictures we had
one of those moments that make life worth living. One of those moments where
you look at you're hunting partner and marvel in the togetherness of an
amazing experience. The moment was right for Amber to look me in the eye
and say, "My next boar will be harvested with my Bow."
