I walked in to my "honeyhole" on Friday, 1.47 miles as the crow flies from normal parking spot. I found a closer place to park to try Friday, 1 mile as the crow flies, and the longer spot is much better. The shorter walk you have to go over ridge after ridge, it is no fun. On the way in to check out my favorite spot (in the many years I have hunted LBL I have never seen another hunter in this spot) a group of pigs came by. 2 were easy over 400 lbs each. I got to the middle of 15 and checked 3 fields, each field had a group of pigs, 15 to 20 pigs in each group. Easy could have killed 1 or 2 out of each group, I have zero interest in shooting pigs. For many trips to LBL I could walk in to those fields and most of the time it was difficult deciding where to hunt because of all the deer sign. Rubs, scrapes, droppings, etc. I saw one tiny rub and that was it, same way it was when I first saw pigs in there a few years ago.
Checked another place I have killed a few deer there, found some good deer sign and no hog sign. I sat in a stand for 7 hours on Saturday and 4.5 hours Sunday, never saw a deer. I think there is still a good population of deer there, I drove to Piney to shower 2 nights and there many deer either feeding or crossing the road, actually lots of deer.
Craziest thing is I never heard a shot, not one. You could 2 deer, 2 does or a doe and buck, I would have 2 does in a heartbeat. I literally never heard a shot and I do not think there were many hunters there.
I think this past weekend was a little early but if it means the juveniles get to hunt the first Saturday and Sunday in November then that is ok. I talked to one guy at the check station and he said there has been discussion about timing of the hunts, evidently whoever makes timing decisions can't make up their minds. Wish it would go back to juvenile first Saturday and Sunday of November and first gun hunt the next weekend and last gun hunt 2 weeks later.
