After a few more hunts and four more dead hogs shooting a Daniel Defense M4 platform with a few modifications and shooting Hornady Full Boar .223 ammo I have a few observations. First to put my comments in context, I typically hunt public lands and hunt well off the beaten track, often walking for miles through swamps and hammocks, stalking hogs. The M4's light weight , and carbine length, lends itself to the type of hunting I do.

• The DD M4 platform is an excellent hog carbine when modified with a good trigger and low power, fast optic.
• The optic I chose is a Steiner 1-4 power with an illuminated reticle. The scope is bright in low light, has good eye relief and an adjustable red dot reticle. I found it relatively easy to stay on running hogs through the swamp. 
• Trigger: I chose a a 3.5 pound CMC trigger. It was an easy drop in installation and breaks very clean and resets lighting fast. And at about $160 its a good value. 
• Light: I installed a basic Streamlight forward on the M-Lok rail where it is easy to turn on and off.

Impressions of the Hornady Full Boar .223 ammunition:
PRO's:

• It's an impressive load, fast, accurate, with good penetration, expansion and devastating wound channel.
• You still need decent shot placement for a kill.
• The low recoil allows you to stay on fast moving targets and fast follow up shots.

CON's:

• This is a light load, too light for less than ideal shot placement.
• I would not want to test this load against a large charging boar.

Lessons learned:

• The M4 carbine properly set up can be an effective easy and enjoyable to hunt hogs with, and well suited to the walk and stalk / still hunting.
• The largest hog I killed was just over 200 pounds and it took two shots on the run to take him down. 
• Smaller hogs can be taken down with one well placed shot.
• It would be wise to carry a large caliber side arm if things go sideways with a large hog.

Having shot hogs with a number of different weapons from arrows to 250 grain, .50 cal black-powder rounds, I decided to try a couple different M4 / AR-15 set ups.
I'm in the process of setting up a used Daniel Defense M4 carbine I found in a local pawn shop, chambered in 6.8 SPC. I'm setting it up with a Leupold 3x9 VX-R firedot scope, installed a 3.5 pound trigger and a free float M-Lok handguard. As soon as I have killed some hogs with it I will post my impressions.
In the interim I set up a Daniel Defense M4 short carbine in 5.56. I installed a 3.5 pound CMC trigger, light, and a 1x4 Steiner illuminated reticle scope.
Impressions after killing 5 hogs:

• The M4 carbine is easy to carry and handles well. I like to walk and stalk hogs in the swamps and hammocks of Florida and the M4 lends itself to this style of hunting.
• The low power scope (I typically have it set on 2x) works extremely well in close quarters and when shooting hogs on the run with both eyes open.
• Shooting Hornady Full Boar ammunition in .223  with 50 grain bullets is surprisingly accurate and deadly. The wound channels are impressive and even large hogs can be taken down with one or two well placed shots.

This 202 pound Boar was stopped with a .223 Hornady Full Boar round while on the run with one well placed shot.

Smaller hogs are great targets for a well placed .223

This photo of the thick plate (1" to 1-1/2" thick) covering a large hogs vitals and shoulder is where you don't want to shoot a large hog with a light caliber round.

Final thoughts:

• The M4 platform in .223 / 5.56, set up properly works well for hogs
• If hunting in swamps / heavy cover with shots taken at close range out to 100 yds, often in the run, use a low power, tactical scope you can shoot with both eyes open.
• Shoot quality ammo designed for hogs like the .223 Hornady Full Boar.
• An illuminated reticle (Steiner and Leupold make great ones), can really help in low light and shooting hogs on the run.
• Practice shooting and handling your carbine often and under different conditions as walking and stalking for hogs often results in fast reaction times.

Ok, It's late August and It's still wet, very wet and of course hot and humid. Other than that its perfect scouting weather. Trails that are typically dry are soaked.  

On public lands where we hunt, walking or biking is the only way in and out. 
My favorite scouting gear has become my chest pack. Made by Hill People Gear.
It is comfortable and holds the essential gear you want close.

You can bike, hike, and shoot your bow or rifle with it on. The back zipper pocket also fits a full size semi auto pistol or revolver with an approx. 5-1/2" barrel. My Ruger Redhawk in .44 Mag with a 5-1/2" barrel fits well.  I highly recommend this chest pack.

We have been collecting some deer and hog photos as well. here's a photo of a typical 100 pound hog. we are seeing lots of hogs all sizes and the deer are making a good showing as well.

First, I scout and hunt off trail on public lands in the incredible Big Bend region of Florida's Gulf Coast. This area during a typical summer is wet, hot, with overgrown thickets, few trails, interspersed with hammocks, surrounded by lowlands, swamps, sloughs, etc.
This environment is best suited to mosquitoes, ticks, snakes, alligators and wild hogs. During the hot and humid summer only a few of us that may be lacking in common sense, in between visits from girlfriends, without wives or wishing we were, those that appreciate the challenge and punishment, and/or simply enjoy the wonder and freedom that Teddy Roosevelt,  Aldo Leopold, Boone, and others knew and cherished, or some combination of, venture to scout for the upcoming hunting seasons.
My gear suggestions may not in themselves make you a more successful hunter but they will make you a safer, more comfortable hunter.

I will start with transportation. On public lands it comes down to feet or bikes. I found a nice mountain bike at a pawn shop that works well. Since taking this photo I added some ATV type gun holders.

Snake boots may be the most important. Over the last couple years I wore out a pair of Rocky snake boots. They were good enough for me to recommend them. I came close to stepping on a venomous snake a number of times , but I was not bitten, so I can not vouch for them being fang proof. The materials do inspire confidence though and made me believe they were "snake proof".
Pros:
Comfortable, lightweight, good soles, waterproof...for a while.
Cons:
They eventually were not waterproof anymore, but all other components held up well.

My prefered pre-season  scouting knife has the following qualities:

• A strong high carbon blade suitable for chopping, trailblazing etc.
• Long enough to blaze trails and for camp chores.
• Having a sheath that is versatile, strong and secure.
• Having a handle that is non-slip with a comfortable contour.
• Having a durable non-reflective, rust resistance  finish.

What I do with it:

• Trim trails
• Cut shooting lanes
• All manner of camp chores

My favorite and highly recommended knife:
ESEE: JUNGLAS
It has all the qualities above and is an absolute pleasure to use. This knife is not for wimps, it is more machete than knife but thanks to it's dimensions and weight it can be used for long periods of time without fatigue. 
What about the cost?!?!:
A buddy once said, "you can't put a price on love". I think we all have to prioritize what is important and its far better to purchase high quality gear that will serve you for the long haul than what passes for gear today.
I bought my first rifle when I was 16, it was a used pre-64, Winchester Model 94, in 30-30, for $55., and because it is a great, simple, well designed, utilitarian, high quality and versatile rifle, I will always have it. 
The Esee Junglas is that kind of tool, if you buy one, I expect you will enjoy, appreciate and keep it.

Let me know what you think!

Well, it is that time of year, getting hot, mosquitoes, ticks, snakes, gators, etc....did I mention hot?
Keep in mind this is public lands, not easy access, lots of walking, often wet, always hot this time of year with an abundance of blood sucking insects and a few other creatures that will bite you if you give them that opportunity. Have I mentioned before that I don't like venomous snakes and alligators much?
The main goals:
>Set a couple game cameras, see whats out there and how the deer and hogs are developing.
>Scout favorite areas but also find new areas that look promising.
>Locate trees suitable for ambushing deer and hogs from climbing tree stands during archery and rifle seasons.
​

The oak hammock above is a small hammock that I found about a mile off trail. It has the elements I'm looking for:
>A nice amount of oaks (acorns in the Fall).
>It is not too large, maybe 2 or 3 acres or so. I prefer the smaller hammocks as the deer and hogs will often provide me a shot if I set up in the right place.
>Backs up to a swamp on one side, providing an edge.
>Open areas with low vegetation for good visibility and shot corridors.
>A good climbing tree or two.
>Can be approached from down wind when the wind is from the North, NW, NE.

In an upcoming post, I'll discuss the scouting gear I think is essential.

Despite hearing gobblers, getting close, even seeing a couple, there are no dead birds to report. 
Truth is its been great to be out there and its been frustrating at times.
​
The Challenges:

• Birds have been gobbling late, making it difficult to set up on them before they fly down.
• In the areas I've been hunting they have not been roosting in the same area twice.
• Plenty of hens around to hang them up or shut them up.
• My eyesight sucks (need reading glasses) and will be putting an optic on my shotgun.
• Terrain has been challenging, plenty of water and slow going.
• Only hunting public lands where pressure can be an issue.

​

Camp  Site #1
Somewhere between Fallon NAS and Middlegate Nevada

The idea was, I would fly to Colorado and meet up with Paul, we would drive to Nevada, meet up with Bill, finish provisioning and head to the mountains for a week of camping and hunting Chukar and Mountain Quail.

We looked for Chukar over miles of beautiful and rugged terrain. By looking, I am referring to hiking up and down high elevation and rugged terrain. Coming from sea level Florida there were times (many times) I thought I would simply keel over form what felt like a lack of oxygen and from my middle aged body saying enough is enough. We all survived and I enjoyed some of the finest hiking I have ever enjoyed. The Chukar however were not where we were and despite our best efforts and hunting areas where they had been recently we did not kill any.

Exploring a long abandoned mine site.
All in all it was a fantastic trip thanks to intense wilderness and great friendships.
Best gear used on trip:

• Eberlestock, Mini Me hydration pack. I highly recommend this pack as a lightweight, versatile, hydration pack. It's comfortable and lots of great features for hunters.
• Bill and Paul's Jeeps. These jeeps proved ideal backcountry vehicles and all around excellent platforms for our trip.

After an interesting AM hunt (we were covered up with hogs before it was light enough to shoot) Paul and I decided to check out an area that looked promising, on our walk out. Not long after we left the trail and were about to enter the brush Paul caught a glimpse of a hog heading away from us, towards a nearby swamp. Paul reached in my pack and handed me my hog grunt call and I begin making some contented feeding vocalizations while very slowly making my way through the brush. After moving in no more than 100 yards I heard a hog walking in the water about 40 yards ahead. I moved a little further in and was afforded a quartering away shot. despite not having time to put on my reading glasses, therefore the 1x3 power scopes reticle being fuzzy and hard to see against the black hog, and the hog moving, I squeezed the trigger on my Thompson Omega muzzleloader. The shot was well placed and I caught a glance of the entrance wound as the hog ran. In the cypress trees, grass and brush I lost view of her but was thinking she may have fallen or stopped about 50 yards from me. 
I'm shooting a 300 grain Powerbelt Aerolite .50 cal bullet pushed by 100 grains of black powder. http://powerbeltbullets.com/Aerolite-Muzzleloading-Bullets.php

As I'm reloading, a heard a ruckus to my left flank and when I turned I larger sow came running up to within 20 feet of me, momentarily stopped, looked at me and then continued running. Unfortunately I was still in the process of reloading.
I found out later when I met up with Paul that a second sow had run directly towards him after my shot and when she broke out of the brush and saw Paul, she immediately turned back. Paul had only a split second to react and wasn't able to get a shot off and I'm sure was still processing that I had taken a shot, at what and where he couldn't be sure, as we were not in visual contact  at that point. It all worked out ok with one nice hog recovered and butchered.

The bullet traveled on a diagonal through the hog and was found in the front shoulder.

The bullet did mushroom and penetrate as advertised. So far I like these bullets, with the exception of the price. They are also much easier to reload compared with sabot's.

Lessons Learned:

• If the wind is right and you have cover, it is possible to successfully stalk wild hogs. 
• A hog grunt tube is a valuable piece of gear to have as vocalizing contented feeding can put hogs at ease and a more aggressive grunting can bring dominant boars your way.
• Hogs are tough, even good shot placement with a .50 cal., 300 grain bullet is no guarantee that a hog won't be able to run.

So you don't have to spend much time reading this post I'll sum it up: Terrible

• Its been way too hot thru the middle of October.
• The deer and hogs have not been moving much, even the rut activity seems delayed (?)
• We had a hurricane
• The mosquitoes at one point were of biblical proportion

One recent morning in the beautiful, wild Lower Suwannee NWR, I had climbed a tree well before first light after walking in to a favorite area, negotiating lots of hurricane Irma blow down, sloshing thru the high water, sweating profusely, while being attacked by a ridiculous quantity of large mosquitoes and plenty of sand gnats, then finally settling into the darkness and what has been the best part of morning, listening to the sounds of swamp and hammock. But no, all I could hear were the sounds of the mosquitoes flying into me to extract my blood and along with it, any common sense I had left. On one miserable morning, as the first light was illuminating the swamp, I was scanning my surroundings for deer or hogs when I happened to look down and under my tree stand just inches from where I climbed up was a water moccasin. Getting a bite from a poisonous snake would have been the icing on the cake.
So this is how the archery season has been, terrible. Yet, time after time I go. And time after time I have left without a deer or hog to show for the punishment. It's been as much of a mental challenge as a physical one. The rewards so far have been few, but include hunting some areas I have not seen and learning some new ambush locations. I've had approx. 60,000 acres available to hunt on in a couple diffrent refuges and that alone is exciting and motivating. Knowing that there are new areas to discover at anytime keeps me interested and always learning.
As of October 15, there is rumor that a real cold front may push in for the this weekend's opening of the muzzleloader season. Also, in the last week or two the increase in scrapes and rubs has been dramatic, another good sign that the best hunting is yet to come.

What happens when hurricane force winds and rain impact the entire State the week before Archery Season in Florida's Zone C opens? 
What happens is you prepare, recover and go archery hunting the following weekend!
Fortunately the damage to my home and fellow archers I hunt with was minimal and although many of us will be cleaning up and repairing minor damage for some time, some us put down our chainsaws and went into the woods to hunt opening weekend.
What we found was a a lot of blown down trees and lots and lots of water. 
It was also hot and the WMA I hunted was not very productive (only a few deer and hogs killed opening weekend).
It should be noted that the State and Federal Lands managers and staff are performing a great job in assessing, and clearing roads to re-open public lands as fast as possible and keep in mind this is being done often without adequate staffing.

Opening season lessons learned:

• Switching from leaky snake boots to lightweight rubber boots was a good idea.
• I was carrying way to much gear. My tree stand, safety harness, water, pack, bow, gear etc. was about 60 pounds!
• It is difficult to hike in through the blown down trees and water with all that weight. 
• I am going minimum now. I'm repacking my gear and only taking the essentials-more on that in an upcoming post. My goal is to lose 10 pounds of gear weight and 5 pounds of my weight (go from 190 pounds to 185 pounds for a total weight of about 225 pounds).