Hog Hunting in Sarasota, Florida
OutdoorHub 12.30.11
After our charter fishing trip off the coast, it was time to do some holiday hunting in Sarasota with my good buddy Eric Johnson. He leases 350 acres just about 40 miles from my parents’ house here in Florida. It’s a very cool set up, maybe 6 miles back off a public road road where an easement through the swamp takes you back to this nasty yet beautiful gem of a piece.
The state controls a nice bit of property in these parts, helping to ensure a healthy wildlife population and land preservation for the area. We are hunting pigs and whitetail. Today, I’m just along for the ride and Eric is on the trigger. That said I’m planning to get the iPhone camera working a bit!
The weather is perfect! It’s been unseasonably warm as of late, so the cold air today will no doubt fire things up. I’m pumped for what the day may bring. The sky is almost surreal and I feel a certain awesome spiritual energy come on as I stare through the cypress trees and palms that fill this wooded area. I am in a totally present state of mind. I am out of body and my consciousness is peaking. This is the way I feel in the outdoors as the morning approaches. The sky is an orange-ish pink that belongs almost exclusively to west Florida sunrises.
At about 8:15 am we see three pigs standing at about 75 yards out. Eric looks fired up and seriously ready to rock. The biggest boar appears to be in his crosshairs now, his safety is off, and boooom! Head shot baby, he racks another shell in his .300 Winchester Model 70 Mag, boom he smokes a second boar and boom then down he drops on the spot! All perfect kill shots, freaking awesome!
Okay so here’s the deal y’all, we’ve dropped three pigs, passed on two young bucks and now have seen maybe 75 turkeys! Who says Florida isn’t a riot? The bucks were acting a bit excited, like there actually is a second rut! Just kidding, but in Michigan the second rut is a bit suspect and takes serious determination to sit through and weather. Typically I always thought of Florida as a place for my wife Nadine and young sons Hunter and River to lounge about with the rest of our family. Now I view Sarasota as a bit of a sportsman’s paradise too.
At about 9 am along comes a pretty nice 6 pointer and Eric fires and “down goes Frazier”. Five minutes pass and along comes a massive sow pig and blam! Down goes another pig! Wow, this is a killing morning in Florida y’all!
Sometimes I think positive people have a massive advantage in the woods. Guys like Eric and I, we always expect that it will happen at any moment. Often good fortune comes first to those who know how and expect to receive it. What a morning it has been and now we are about to barbeque some back straps and open a cold beer. Man I love the outdoors.
