Hogs seem to have run deer from hunting spot
I think I know why I haven’t seen many deer this fall at what has been a premier hunting spot.
A long, broad fire break is the primary feature of this spot, but I haven’t walked on it much this year, mainly because I haven’t turned on my remote cameras. I got tired of sorting through thousands of photos of the same does and yearling bucks every night between 11 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. in hopes of seeing a mature buck. One photo is all it takes to keep me going, and if I’m really lucky, I’ll get a few photos of bucks in daylight. Exceptional bucks in my area are sojourners. They get their pictures taken only once or twice, and I don’t see them again, so to heck with them.
Had I activated my cameras this year, I bet they would have revealed feral pigs feeding at night.
I got suspicious a couple of weeks ago when I put out 100 pounds of corn on the ground. I usually just let a feeder fling corn out a couple of times a day in the morning and evening, but since I hadn’t seen many deer, I thought a big buffet might bring them in and keep them close for a while. Every kernel of that corn was gone in three days.
Deer and raccoons wouldn’t have cleaned it up that fast. That’s when I took a closer look at the ground and noticed all of the pig rooting signs.
Mike Stanley of Highland said he has seen feral swine run deer out of areas on Harold E. Alexander Spring River Wildlife Management Area. He recalled an incident a few years ago when he was hunting a big buck early in bow season. He crept onto the flat where he wanted to hang his stand before light and blundered into a sounder of hogs.
“It was like a bomb went off,” Stanley said. “They tore off in every direction, slamming into brush and making an incredible racket. I didn’t see another deer in that area for the rest of the season. They don’t like being around hogs.”
FOUR-WHEELER HIJINKS
Somebody I know invented a new way to wreck a four-wheeler.
When I got the call, I could tell from the voice tone that nobody was seriously injured, but they easily could have been, and badly.
Two adult men were riding tandem. Both wore waders and were laden with gear. The driver attempted to dismount the quad and snagged the side of his knee on the throttle lever on the handlebar. The quad was in reverse when the engine revved. The driver jerked the handlebar when the machine lurched backward, flinging driver and passenger overboard and sprawling down the side of a levee. The quad came tumbling after them, side over side. The passenger took a glancing blow in the shoulder. The driver landed on a log. He believes the impact caused some minor rib damage.
Four-wheelers and sideby-sides are extremely useful, but operating them improperly can be very dangerous. The machines are heavy, and really bad things can happen if one rolls over on you or lands on you. Let’s get through this jacked-up year without suffering any self-inflicted catastrophes, please.
ATV FUEL
In response to a recent column about our own four-wheeler succumbing to bad fuel in the middle of the woods, Karl Hansen of Hensley offered sage advice. Hansen once ran a small motors and machine repair shop. He said the following tips will avert most problems.
Never completely drain a fuel can into a machine’s tank. There will often be condensation in the bottom of the fuel can, dirt or detritus. Better to waste a cup of the dregs than introduce contaminants into your fuel system.
Install an inline fuel cut off valve near the carburetor or in front of an external fuel pump. When shutting down the machine for the day, turn the inline valve to the OFF position and let the engine run until it dies. I do this every time I run my boat motor, and I have never had a carburetor problem in 14 years.
During periods of non-use, run your engine a few minutes every week to maintain your battery.