Day 2 was back in mid December. I was so busy at the end of the year that all we got in was 1 day in November, and 1 day in December.
1 hunter-friend of mine wanted to tag along, and he wanted to invite some mutual friends out. So we started out with 2 guns, and 2 tourists. Then a couple other older gentleman who've been interested in my dogs wanted to tag along. So in the end we had 4 guns, 1 dog, 2 tourists. Let's just put it this way, I'm an ass. Don't go hunting with me.
If you want a hike, we can do that, but you will most likely not be able to keep up enough to see the boar, or get to the culmination of the hunt. I've finally had to accept this fact. I don't control the mountain, so anytime I take someone, they'll generally keep up for a bit, but if Baron and I get on a boar, I have to go.
So, we did this. The two older gentleman walked with me, but I had to leave them when Baron got on the boar. I caught up, the boar was stopped in some thick sasatake (thin bamboo).
1 hunter-friend of mine wanted to tag along, and he wanted to invite some mutual friends out. So we started out with 2 guns, and 2 tourists. Then a couple other older gentleman who've been interested in my dogs wanted to tag along. So in the end we had 4 guns, 1 dog, 2 tourists. Let's just put it this way, I'm an ass. Don't go hunting with me.
If you want a hike, we can do that, but you will most likely not be able to keep up enough to see the boar, or get to the culmination of the hunt. I've finally had to accept this fact. I don't control the mountain, so anytime I take someone, they'll generally keep up for a bit, but if Baron and I get on a boar, I have to go.
So, we did this. The two older gentleman walked with me, but I had to leave them when Baron got on the boar. I caught up, the boar was stopped in some thick sasatake (thin bamboo).
He popped out once, and I had a head shot lined up, but no backstop, meaning I couldn't see what was possibly beyond him downhill, and I couldn't pick out exactly where Baron was. So I passed. The boar retreated into the brush, Baron bayed, I took video, it slipped away out the back eventually. I hunted the mountain back toward the older gentlemen and my hunter buddy with our two friends (who were waiting in ambush), but no luck. The gents said there goodbyes, and the remaining four of us switched mountains.
We got on boar a few times, Baron wiped himself out a bit, but at the end of the day we had our best chance yet. Baron was tracking through insanely thick brush, I was crawling for hundreds of meters on a steep slope overlooking the ocean, and he finally stopped the boar. I got to where it was within 2 meters of me, but there was this clump of 2 meter high grass it was in, and Baron was above it, tail wagging and inching closer. I couldn't go straight in as it was a clump of high ground, which meant all I could try to do was circle around the bottom. I'm on the game trail, and if I step forward, I'll basically be able to touch the boar (and find out how big it is). While I'm pissing myself trying to work up the courage to just go for it, Baron jumps in from up top and grabs the boar. It wasn't that big, around 40kg. Problem is the slope is so steep they go tumbling down, I can't shoot cause they're cartwheeling together, and the boar gets away. Baron was wiped out, not enough strength to give good chase, my knees were dead, and we lost sunlight.
One interesting moment was when we flushed 2 deer. Baron had no interest. I know he used to chase deer for a bit if we ran into them, and I'm sure given the right circumstance he would do it again, but it seems he knows it's pointless. That's happened twice this season, so maybe the old man is changing.
Anyways, we still had fun, and of course plenty of exercise. I thought I might write about a few more days, but nah, gonna go build some fences. Later all.
