Thanks for taking us along Chuck. Enjoyed the story.

Looks like a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing

I love a good tenting spot and sleeping in the rain. Your footprint looks like you found a good one. And you got away clean without killing a pig. That's the best. Nothing like killing a big critter to bugger up a good hunting trip.

Thanks for sharing, it was fun to come along!

Great pictures Chuck. The ghillie looks like a winner.

Deno

Thank you Chuck for the pictures and stories. You passed by my house in southern Illinois only 20 miles west from I-65, my bad it is I-57. US Hwy 51 goes right thru the town we live in. Wanted to come with you but not setup yet for trips like that. No longer can camp in a tent-need small trailer or motel. Anyway if you do this next year I’ll be there.

Great photos Chuck. You obviously had a great time. Thanks for sharing the woods.

I left for home earlier than I left for the hunt. Figured I might beat the rush hour around Atlanta...worry about Nashville when that time comes. Well....flying nicely...right up until I pass the state vehicle with the portable electronic sign saying " accident site, 1 mile ahead, delays likely". About 200 yards later traffic turned into parking lot for nearly two hours. So much for missing Atlanta traffic. At one point, traffic slowed way down in another spot, finally seeing someone's car stopped in the middle of the road. Nobody ( including me...or the car driver) stopped to just push it to the shoulder and get back to normal. Then, I got to see a semi truck engine self destruct, as I recall it was in traffic approaching Nashville. Luckily I was just behind and one lane to the side so I slid past before....more back up.

I relearned why I really hate big cities and population centers. I saw more semi trucks ( the corridor between Nashville and Atlanta was incredible) than I thought possible. Fuel prices going up will hurt everybody....thanks ( those " in charge").

But there was no rain and no freezing temperatures all the way home. Once I got to Illinois it was already late and very little traffic. Put the speed control on the "limit" and as Nike says....just do it. Got home at 2am. Wired, tired, and ol Fred was happy.

Another year....another trip. Life is good if you open up and let it be. Not everybody can do what some others can do, at many levels of thought, but there are certainly things you can do, and remember to share your experiences with friends. Again...." just do it".

And.....Thank you RC. I had tons of fun.

And...it rained on me the last night. I packed most everything after dinner. Read in the tent till I was done...then up with the birds. They say " take only memories, leave only footprints."

These were starting in some areas. Grass was green, substory brush was, in some cases leafed out. Bunches of cane stands were seen, many with what looked like rightly sized shafts, I mean, canes.

And of course there was

Though I didn't bake bread or bisquits this trip.

The ghillie I made during a build along last fall, draped over a log. It turned out better than expected.

Trick picture...blow it up, look just above center. These were common if you just sit on a log in the bottoms and shut up for a minute. A second ago this one was displaying...probably a male...."his" neck skin was distended like a down facing sail that was very red.

RC showed me a secret lil lake, back in there, that was the rearing spot for alligators. I got to see a bunch of em. None huge, but tiny and small sizes. Some were singing ! Really. RC took the time to show me different sorta trees, no brainers to him, but foreign to me. Skinny tall persimmon trees, big ol chestnut oaks, white oaks, water oaks, overcup oaks. We found a few that, definitely had a good drop last fall, as there was a ring around the drip line that looked roto tilled.

All that's left, but my hands are not small....for a WI boy, THAT'S a acorn!

Tupelo trees....some old as the hills. Huge bases. Lots of mast trees. I was impressed by the variety and size. Wish I got to hunt here all the time. Pretty sure, by sign, this old trunk is also a lil pig nap area.

What serendipity to run into a hunting pal! That is your karmic reward for setting off on this trip despite the head winds I'm sure you felt. Bravo!

We arrived at " no place" and I set up my tent in the camping area to reserve a spot. Good thing I did... it was the last weekend of the small game season and pig hunting. Ok..as it turns out....I was the only camper there the whole time. No lines at vfc all for bathroom, including shower and the neighbors were pretty quiet.

Now....ol RC....he was all excited to show me around. Little did I know we were gonna walk ten or twenty miles looking that afternoon. After slipping on my knee high muck boots ( but no second pair of socks...a no-no for me) I knew I was in for trouble when I felt a blister forming about 200 yards into the forced march. It was pretty cool. He showed me areas, how to go about hunting it, different sorts of trees. I got a kick out of his constant mumbling " see that tree over there...I killed a hog there ", or 10 deer there. He's a good guy...don't skip the opportunity if one arises.

I learned tons in one afternoon. A few more pix.

Leading the way.

Hog bed. Saw a few actually. These palmeto fronds were collected and piled by mama pig.

Wow,! you really picked up a great guide there in RC. Glad you got invited to his "Spot". Would 've liked to join you but I had work 2 of the days.

Phone pix don't show it well, but....first place I looked.

Then, I got back into the truck to do some more. As I passed that pickup truck I noticed some fella walking out and carrying a Hill style longbow. I pulled over to talk and visit and as he turned around...well....it was RC. He is a long ago TAS member, a hell of a hunter, and...I met him during the last GA hunt. We visited for a while and...well....RC convinced me that, although there were certainly signs of pigs, he had a secret location....his favorite....where he thought I had a better chance. Since nobody else committed to meeting me there...I thought deeply....and shouted " heck yes"!

Now....its his home hunting ground, so I am not gonna divulge where he took me, but it was more pleasurable, had better facilities....and had hog sign all over the place. It was somewhere in GA, I can divulge that much.

Back to driving....made it to Hootersville...I mean...Hawkinsville, just across the Ocmulgee river from the WMA of similar name. A place visited by enmassed TAS folks twice prior for the purpose of chasing pigs. Ate a really fine breakfast, then...drove on over. I approached from the south...deciding to drive into some of the access roads, then stop for short recon walks before actually going to the camp area.

The first access, from the south, is the firing range. I drove in...passed a small truck with a couple kids unpacking mountain bikes, then a pick up truck, then finally the range at the end of the road. Much of this road actually borders the south edge of the property. I turned around in the lot and drove about 100 yards. There was a green field to the north of the road...150 yards in, so that was my first walk. Wow...it was good to walk after that drive.

The back side of the field slopes away from the road so literally I could stand on the far edge and not see the entry roadway. There it was...relatively fresh pig sign.

Made it to the GA state line. The visitor center made an awesome place to stop for the night. Woke up with the birds ( literally....dang loud things) and hit the little boys room. The fella in the truck just down from mine was doing the same. He said he left from Marquette MI.....way up there, on Lake Superior. He said his area just got 12"-24" of new snow. He was headed to FL. Note....just barely west of there, the Kewenau peninsula, which sticks out into Lake Superior, routinely gets 300+" of snow every year the big lake doesn't freeze solid. Lake effect snowbelt.

Well...soon it started...rain, sleet, pellets of ice. Essentially the lower third of IL and almost the width of KY were driven in an ice storm....white knuckled, not knowing if the next mile marker was the end of the drive till it thawed. For a few hours my speed did not exceed 40, on the interstate, and often less. Yet....there was always that one you that needed to do the limit plus. Yeah....I got to see some people go into the ditch. Rain cleared up as I crossed into TN...Clarksville. but this wasn't the last train.