Backwater Mangrove Hogs

Surf & Turf

I've always had a tough time on my days off deciding whether to go hunting or fishing. Who says you need to choose either or? Over the summer I read an article that fascinated me. It was a tale of a Northern fella' who came down to Tampa Bay for a fishing charter and ended up shooting hogs in a backwater mangrove swamp instead. Being that I live in the Tampa Bay area, this article had my attention, obsession might be a better way to describe my fascination with this article. My brother Jonny and I read every word and scanned every picture looking for clues. Alas! We unlocked the code and pinpointed the spot.

Jonny wading the edge of the mangroves

After doing a Summer scouting trip in my little 16' Carolina Skiff and finding plenty of hog sign. We returned in January and spent half the day wading around in the mangrove swamps looking for hogs. We saw plenty of tracks, even some going over our own on the way back to the boat, but no luck finding any pigs. It was a rough hunt and wearing rubber boots was a big mistake. In many areas we were sinking in muck up to our thighs. After walking miles with rubber boots filled with mud and water, my legs began to cramp every time I would try to step over the high tangles of mangrove roots.

After taking a week to recover I was determined to return and seek redemption. I picked a Friday morning in late January on a very low tide. The forecast was calling for a front to pass through the evening before leaving cool air and light East winds Friday morning. Nope. I awoke to heavy rain and strong NW winds. Determined to press on I loaded the boat in the dark of morning and headed to the boat ramp, thinking the weather guys were just a few hours off.

I experienced hands down the worst boat ride of my life. But I was all in at that point and there was no turning back. When I finally arrived at the spot I was soaked to the bone. After putting a few miles under my belt without seeing any hogs I came on a fresh set of small pig tracks in the mud. I followed them until they went into a thick stand of mangroves. As I stopped at the edge of the seemingly impenetrable tangle of roots and branches, I could hear some pigs squealing a grunting.

Rainy day pig

It was not easy to slip through roots and branches without making much noise, but I managed to get
withing 25 yards of two small pigs foraging among the mangrove roots. One was black and the other was light with black spots. The black one was standing still giving me a perfect broadside shot, but every time I looked through the scope all I could see was condensation and rain drops on my scope. I didn't have a dry piece of material on my body to dry it with so keeping both eyes open, I discerned where the pig was in the scope and made the shot.

After dropping the black pig the spotted one scampered away into the mangroves, I think I could have shot it as well if I could see through my scope; but I was happy with the little 30 pound pig I had gotten and I was more than ready to get out of the rain. After sloshing about 2 miles back to the boat through mud and water I was very happy the pig was just a little one. The best part was that I had something to show for the most miserable boat ride I had ever experienced.

I returned the next week with a buddy and we shot three more; two more small ones and a big sow. A couple days later I brought Jonny back with my other younger brother Buka. My focus was to put them on some pigs. We walked around all morning without any luck. We finally decided to call it quits and headed back towards the boat. We were almost back to the boat on the edge of the Bay when we came around a point and saw a nice boar walking along the edge of the water. It saw us and began to run through the shallow water. Instinct kicked in as I quickly turned the power up on my scope, took off the safety, got on the hog and rolled him right before he got to the mangrove line. There were a couple guys fishing in flats boats off the shore line behind us watching and I can only imagine what they were thinking.

With my freezer full of pork and the warmer weather transforming the mangrove swamp into a mosquito infested nightmare, I think I'm done with the spot till next Winter. It is a nice option though during those slow cold months between deer season and Spring. Now it's time to start thinking turkey!