Summer Vacations - Florida
Dusty enjoying her vacation.
Hunter: Dusty Perillo
Cameraman: Vicki Cianciarulo
I knew by choosing a profession that allowed me to have my summers off would definitely have its advantages. This past summer proved it! I had the opportunity to go on a black bear hunt in June at Adrenaline Outfitters and was able to harvest a beautiful chocolate bear. Then upon my very short return to Ohio, I was able to catch a flight to Florida for the July 4th weekend and do some hunting with Ralph, Vicki, and friends at Osceola Outfitters for gators and hogs. What an unbelievable summer. I went from one end of the continent to the other in a matter of weeks, hunting very different animals. How cool was this!
My trip started when I arrived at the Orlando airport and had 3 hours to burn while waiting for Lonnie and Meegan to arrive, so I decided to do some shopping! Three hours past by very quickly, thankfully, because I was starting to get myself in trouble! Once Lonnie and Meegan had their luggage we were on our way. We arrived at the lodge and got to see everyone. The hospitality was awesome and the setting was so relaxing. Then Hoppy arrived and he was hilarious and made a person feel very welcome!
I unpacked quickly and wanted to visit for a while before the hog hunting began. Hog hunting is very different, yet extremely fun! You drive around and try and locate hogs. Once you find them, you play the wind, and sneak up on them! That’s just what we did. The first night of driving around in the back of a pick-up truck sitting on lawn chairs is a night I will never forget! Vicki, Meegan, and I were in the bed of the truck sitting on lawn chairs surrounded by ThermaCELLs, bottles of water, and our bows. What a site this was! All while the guys were in the cab of the truck in the air conditioning! This is how it was all week long, no matter what time of the day it was.
Well the time came and I was up to hunt some hogs, but unfortunately the hogs were not agreeing with us. Either the wind was not right or they would move in the opposite directions, or they were too small. I thought I was never going to get a shot. Well later that day everyone split for the evening hunt and I went with Ralph, Vicki, and Hoppy. As we were driving down the road we were trying to locate the hogs and then a very nice one appeared just inside the tree line. We drove past him and then stopped about one hundred yards up the road. Hoppy looked at me and said, “He’s nice let’s go after him.” I of course said, “Let’s do it.” So everyone got out of the truck very quickly and quietly, and we started to stalk down the road. We could see him from about 70 yards away and he looked big. There was a small water-filled ditch that separated him from us, so we decided to shoot from our side of the ditch and set up behind some very tall weeds and grass. Ralph ranged him for me and said, “70 yards.” I got all set up and put my TC Contender on the bipod. As I looked through the red dot scope, I dialed the scope down to make the dot smaller since he was so far away. Hoppy said, “Wait till he turns and take your time.” As he was turning I took a deep breath, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. I saw him jump and heard him squeal and knew I put a good shot on him. He ran about 25 yards and piled up in the swamp. I couldn’t believe it; I had just shot my first boar with Ralph and Vicki there to share the experience with me.
I was hugging Hoppy and jumping for joy. Hoppy said, “Let’s go get him.” So we crossed the ditch filled with water up to my knees and as I was on my way into the tree line and getting ready to step into the muddy swamp Hoppy said, “Don’t move!” Before I could do anything, he had grabbed the gun from my hand and aimed it at the ground. As I looked at the ground, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was looking at a 3-½ foot cottonmouth, swimming on the surface of the swamp. Then I heard BOOM! Hoppy had shot him, and then looked at me, and all I could say was “Can I make a belt out of him?” We laughed and then right in front of me was my hog. Hoppy and I dragged him out of the swamp and then through the ditch and back onto the road. What a rush! I couldn’t believe it; I had just shot a boar and then had an encounter with a cottonmouth. I thanked everyone for giving me this opportunity!
This was definitely a hunt to remember. It was action packed all five days. There were hogs, gators, and snakes being harvested. Girls riding around in the back of pick-up trucks on lawn chairs. We even got to listen to the beautiful ducks while we were hunting, right Meegan! And of course let’s not forget the beautiful fireworks display that Don and Ralph put on. I think the best was when Ralph lit a whole bucket on fire and the fireworks started shooting out in all directions and hit him in the butt! Ouch, I bet that one hurt!
But all kidding aside, trips like these are what make memories last a lifetime. Hunting is about harvesting animals and spending time with your friends! And this trip was filled with it!