 Paul with a sow he arrowed one evening at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge Gear:
The arrow went through the hog on a diagonal entering the side and passing through and breaking the rear ham bone. The hog ran a few yards. Paul was set up on the edge of a small oak hammock with swamp on three sides when he heard the sow coming through the swamp. The weather has been unseasonably hot this September and early October. As Paul put it, "a living hell." Now, Paul is from Colorado, and not acclimated to the misery. In fairness I think it was just downright miserable. Even the morning hunts were hot. By the time we hiked in the 2 miles to our setups and climbed up in our stands we were soaked. But that was often the easy part. Then came the kamikaze yellow flies and or mosquitoes and the gnats that made you fantasize about calling in a napalm run on your coordinates to bring the misery to an end. You had to cover as much exposed skin as possible to deal with it — and did I mention our Thermacells and deet had no effect on the gnats....in fact we now wonder if it is a perverse attractant. But yet Paul and I went back time and time again. We even had another buddy from Gainesville join us on a couple hunts. Why did we? What is wrong or right with us? Are we simply the last of the dinosaurs, a generation that still believes in going to the wilderness to kill something and drag it home for dinner? These and other questions will be pondered over the campfire next month in the San Juan Mountains National Forest of Colorado in pursuit of Elk. At least it will be cold.   An “interesting” find during this weeklong hunt was a den of pigmy rattlesnakes residing within inches of our trail to our tree stands. Upon discovery of the snakes....by nearly stepping on them, we relocated our trail.
In the photo above we observed two male pigmy rattlesnakes fighting for dominance....apparently on mating activity per our buddy that works for the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. BTW-the museum is well worth your time if you’re in the area. Other Recommended Gear:
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January 2020
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Repair notes:
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A marine grade filler was applied
Then sanding and multiple coats of cloth, resin and sanding
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Then a final light sanding and spay can / palmetto paint job
The first trip we put in near Cedar Key and worked our way up a couple creeks that would have been inaccessible in a larger boat. We found 15 or more Redfish and a couple nice trout.
Gear used:
- Old 1980’s Gheenoe, classic model purchased at a garage sale for $150.
- Trailer assembled from parts
- Yamaha 6 hp purchased new
- Gheenoe’s are excellent backwater boats. Their shallow draft, excellent stability and maneuvering are boats you can take just about anywhere in relatively protected waters. And you can pull, push or paddle them if needed.
- The Yamaha 6 hp 4 stroke is a good balance between weight, portability, economy and power. The engine is not yet fully broken in, so it hasn’t been run a full throttle but I’m guessing it will move the loaded Gheenoe between 10 and 15 mph. The 6 hp is not a speed demon but seems fast enough and in the rocky backwater creeks, speed is the last thing you need. Easy to tilt up, shallow draft, and easy pull start are more important to me. As far as fuel economy goes, I don’t know how many hours I can expect from the 3 gal. remote tank because after a two or three hours running time the gauge hadn’t budged from full.
- The ride of the Gheenoe is great in smooth water and fair in a chop. The boat and motor are sensitive to load distribution and the loads should be adjusted to be when heading into the wind and waves to keep the boat dry. I expected and did notice some hull cavitation when in rougher water. The hull could be strengthened in some areas but I doubt I will make many hull modifications.
Paul with a couple nice trout from the first trip