Hopefully I’ll have a hunting report tomorrow instead of fishing-taking the old jonboat down to SWR and trying for a pesky piggy (or two?) with my crossbow.
Anybody ever hunt down there? I’ve got a local from Hardeeville that is kind of taking me under his wing but I’ve never been in the place so any information would be much appreciated!
I’ll be putting in at Millstone Landing and heading south from there is about all I know right now.
I don’t hunt pigs, but my neighbors Uncle manages a lease down that way and one of his chores is to keep the pigs thinned out. He traps them - by the hundreds!!! Good luck.
186 Bone Flats Boat
140 Suzuki fourstroke
I used to hunt there often. My guess is he is taking you to Bear Island. Plenty of hogs there. We usually tie the boat up at the first survey line and start walking.
It’s a real easy place to get lost, or it was before the days of GPS. I once lost my boat for 2 days.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
Marine Surveying & Repair
Hey Cracker Larry is there anything that you don’t know? Lol
2007 Scout 221 150 Yamaha 4 stroke
Spent most of yesterday down there. Had some excellent directions from the Hardeeville Fire Chief Dan (good guy! but we also have fire service background in common). Went down river from Millstone landing kind of scoping out areas as I went. Only had hunting license for SC so that was the side that I concentrated on. Ran down to Union Creek and went up that direction and used a route that Dan gave me for where he deer hunts. Man did I get into some think stuff!!! Got back into some areas that the 14’er just had room to turn around. Didn’t see any hogs or sign back in the thick stuff (noise from I-95 and trains was pretty high…hint,hint) but did see some monster gators!! Biggest one was probably 9+…yeah I know-I’m just an Indiana Yankee but I have watched “Swamp People”!!
Started working my way back out while checking all of the oak ridges/flats that I could get into. Saw a lot of fresh deer and turkey sign with some occasional hog scat but nothing that I thought was worth hanging around for. I kept heading back upstream and finally when I got to about where the “SC” is on the rules/regs permit I started seeing some fresher hog sign. By that time it was getting on towards 4 and I had told my wife if I wasn’t off the river by 6 to send in the troops-being as it was the first time there and going by myself I kept to our agreed on plans and made sure I was off river in plenty of time.
The river was going through a high spring tide while I was there so there was probably more water at high tide than usual. I’m thinking I’ll head back down again next week and try again in some of the higher hog sign spots.
Yes Cracker Larry-having GPS is going to be a “must” for hitting the lower areas! Get more than a couple hundred yards away from the river and it all looks the same.
Gator count for the day was 7. Some of them were in the water and all I could see was heads but saw several on the bank/logs that easily went over 7’. If gators were hogs I would have been coming back with the coolers
quote:
Hey Cracker Larry is there anything that you don't know? Lol
Why heck yeah, I didn’t know where my boat was for 2 days:smiley:
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
Marine Surveying & Repair
quote:
Hey Cracker Larry is there anything that you don't know?
That question probably deserves a better answer:smiley: Most of yall folks on here seem to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, restauranteurs, insurance men, accountants, law enforcement, and many other professions that require a lot of knowledge, that I know almost nothing about. Each of you know things that I don’t even suspect.
I’ve wasted most of my 60 years fishing, hunting and working with boats. That’s what I know and that’s the only things that I’ll give advice on 
I’ve been hunting in the SWR for at least 40 years, so I feel qualified enough in that area to give some advice to a first comer 
My first advice would be to buy a Georgia license and hunt on Bear Island My second piece of advice is to get a hunting partner. Dragging a 300 lb. hog through that swamp by yourself, and loading it in the boat can be quite a challenge! 3rd., if you think the gators are big, wait until you see the snakes:smiley:
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
Marine Surveying & Repair
Lol I shoulda seen the boat comment coming… I wouldn’t call the living you’ve made for yourself a waste as I’m sure you have helped a lot of people along the way. Dadsfr the refuge can be tricky but if you get on Google earth you can find the high hills with pines and oaks surrounded by swamps. Hunt those hills cause that’s where their food sources are. Like Cracker Larry said its easy to get turned around. If you’re hunting with someone that has experience with it then I’m sure youll be fine. Good luck! Cracker Larry we need to get together and fish sometime… I could put some of your 60 years worth of knowledge to good use!
2007 Scout 221 150 Yamaha 4 stroke
I agree on the hog dragging LC!! I shot two out of the same sounder up in Woodbury a couple of years ago about a mile away from the truck. Even though neither one probably broke the 200# mark I drug one of them back to within a couple hundred yards of the truck when my son found me…then we both drug the other back-much much easier!!! I’d really have to think twice about shooting one much over 200# anyway if the was a choice-those middle weight ones just taste a whole lot better.
AND don’t even say you’ve “wasted” 60 years doing what you’ve done!!! You have a wealth of common sense knowledge that is sadly lacking in today’s world. I’d bet there aren’t too many trucks that you couldn’t drive or boats that you couldn’t take in places that would have most people shaking in the britches. I’d love to get together with you sometime too. I’m just an old country boy that loves to get out and see what Mother Nature has to offer.
Thanks for the kind words, appreciate it I won’t be the one to cure cancer, but yep, I can take any boat and put it anywhere it will fit:smiley: I’d be proud to fish with yall.
The most effective way I’ve learned to hunt the SWR is to use 2 or 3 people and make short man drives. Drop a driver or 2 off on the bank, then the other man takes the boat about 1/4 mile down the river and ties up. He goes in about 50 yards and takes a stand, then the drivers start pushing quietly towards him, flushing the game his way. Hogs are smarter than deer and they usually get up well in front of the drivers.
When the driver gets to the stander, then take the boat another 1/4 mile and do it again. Just hopscotch down the bank. You can cover a lot of ground and never get too far from the boat.
I like hunting it best when it’s flooded, the game is more confined to the hills and you can stalk pretty quiet, but when it’s dry like this, it’s hard to sneak up on anything. They hear you coming, which is why the man drives work so well.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
Marine Surveying & Repair
Capt Larry-I’ve got feeling you can to the same thing with a boat that I can do with a tandem axle tree spade I’ve put that 80" tree spade into places that people wouldn’t think about parking their cars!
This is the first time that I’ve hunted hogs down this way in warmer weather-all the other times I’ve hunted them in SC have been in late Feb/early Mar so I’m not used to having as much, or as thick of vegetation as what I was getting into at a few places. After parking the boat and working along some of the oak ridges, then having to walk/stalk all the way back to the boat, then do it all over again at the next ridge, I can certainly see where having at least two people would certainly be nice.
Thanks again for the ideas and suggestions.