In the Ear? Really???

[djones]

bushy - helluva shot there. how far was it?


Bad weather kept me from baiting all week, so the hogs took it upon themselves to root up the place. I don't know who did it, but I knew someone was going to pay for it.

I came back after dark just in time to watch a loner coming in. He stood frozen for a moment just staring at the new bait I put out. He wanted it but knew something wasn't right. Suddenly he turned and took a trail that led out the backside.

I still didn't have a good shot, but managed to rush one into his shoulder. He reared up on his back legs and came down growling. He had no trouble taking off on three legs. Rather than desperately spraying bullets, I led him carefully and waited until an opening appeared. Steady… steady… BAM. Dropped him! Arms and legs were flailing like he was drowning in the deep end. One more round quieted him down, and another one, well, because I didn't want him getting back up unexpectedly.

 

[djones]

aaarrrggghhh!!!!!!!! i didn't take the shot

[ame]http://youtu.be/tO5VQ4bsuVQ[/ame]

saw these daytime hogs and thought i could video the kill. got the camera mounted on the window and climbed in the back. setup the 338 lapua over the cab and ranged them between 330-350 yards. checked the wind with the kestral... 10-12 with gusts over 15. called it 12 and figured that'll be close enough for 350 yards.

adjusted the bipod and arranged the rear bag right where i wanted it. chambered a round, checked safety and settled in to pick out the grand prize. figuring i'd only get one shot, i decided to wait for two to line up. had several opportunities but thought... why not wait for two BIG ones to line up. i was almost 4 minutes into the effort when something spooked them. i wanted to shoot as they slipped away but hoped they would come back, so i held my fire. pigs won this round. we'll see how long their luck holds up.

 

[Coy Franks]

Hey, I'm betting on you David. Probably this weekend if I was guessing.

 

[djones]

you know i can't wait that long. weather was just too nice last night to pass up a hunt. sky was clear and the moon was bright. could have used a little more wind to cover the truck noise, but I just stopped a little farther back than normal and walked a bit further. the extra care was worth it. I could hear the hogs munching feed before I could even see them. they sounded like the 'hog feeding frenzy' on the digital caller.

the brush was so thick I was able to sneak in close, maybe a little too close. I dropped the first hog easily enough, but then had trouble picking up anything but weeds. this was the first time I've shot into this group, and they went nuts at the sound of gunfire. finally got one in my sights but only caught glimpses of it as it ran through the tumbleweeds. I took a couple shots anyway but didn't hear anything connect.I frantically looked for anything hoggy, hoping something would stand still and yell 'hey - shoot at me!!!' I whirled back at my runner. by now he was across the ravine running up the other side. one more shot dumped him.



the second spot didn't have any hogs when I showed up. I was really expecting it to be overrun. didn't figure I needed to wait since it might be hours before they came, if at all. I was about to leave when I caught a glimpse on one gliding through the brush. then I saw the rest of the herd following behind. I don't normally think of them as graceful creatures, but at 350 yards weaving through the brush with night vision, they seemed to glide like sharks through water.

I approached slowly to 105 yards and looked for the biggest. when I panned back to the far side, one was looking right at me. I wouldn't have long before the opportunity would disappear in a cloud of dust. hurriedly I picked out a good one and dropped it. they had no exit strategy and fled in all directions, but I was able to pick one out. although I got off several shots, I just couldn't shut him down. seems like I keep repeating a hard learned lesson to myself… be happy about the one I got rather than disappointed with the one that got away.

 

[Coy Franks]

Good job...........again!! Are you seeing many little ones? I've got four sows spotted and before the last cold spell they had 7-10 little ones each. The ground just moved with little pigs. I spotted them Tuesday and they had about a third of what I seen a week ago. Probably cold weather because they were so small caused the reduction but I still think PED is going to be a factor.

 

[djones]

seen a few babies but not many. i was pretty excited to see two at the feeder though. i was ready; optics clean, fresh batteries, gun lubed... just close in slowly for easy pickins. settled the hairs on the larger pig quartering away and let him have it. the shot sent a blast of fresh oil out the back of the receiver into my face. try as i might, i couldn't draw a bead on the second hog with oil in my eye. i took a couple of wild shots trying to hit something to slow him down while i recovered, but i all i hit was rump.

the first hog didn't drop and didn't leave any blood trail either. figuring he ran for the fence i headed that way. i haven't recovered very many runners in that direction because the property line isn't far. my hopes sank a little more with each step closer to the fence. all i could think was how i had two pigs a moment ago and now i had none. then i saw him lying there dead. i might have been more excited than when i shot him. quartering away shot right behind the shoulder. i'll never understand how some hogs can run a hundred yards with their heart shot out.

 

[djones]

we stopped at a wheat field to check the repeatability of smurf's new quick release mount. a hog was kind enough to offer himself as a test medium. looks like it's close enough, and if not, well... i'm there!

now we were ready for the real action. the next field had a hog, but we eased up to check the back side and sure enough more were just over the rise. we started our sweep at opposite ends, but after they start running it's first come, first served. not surprisingly, we're both drawn to the easiest targets under such circumstances and often times end up shooting at the same hog.

the last spot had a couple hogs but we spooked them on our approach. we went after them and met several more just coming in. that herd lost a few pounds in the exchange.

 

[HarryN]

Nice work, it looks like you had a real infestation there. I am just curious, do you feel like you are making real progress on the problem, or are they so numerous that it is just a small dent ?

 

[djones]

there aren't many hogs at any of the places i hunt regularly anymore. not like there used to be. every once in a while i come across a small herd somewhere that i haven't checked in a while. they don't tolerate much gunfire before seeking an existence elsewhere.

i've started hunting coyotes to take up the slack. i've shot plenty in my time, but calling them in the day with a digital caller and motion decoy is new for me. i made the rookie mistake of hiding too far back from the edge of the cliff and couldn't actually see the caller below me. i never thought a coyote could slip in on the side of the bluff, but that's what he did. i caught a glimpse of him at 15 yards and he took off. i finally nailed him about a billion yards away.

i did manage to bump into an lrh celebrity and hog hunter extraordinaire. thought i'd show him the magic of night vision, but the hogs wouldn't wait. coming out in the day proved to be a fatal mistake. he dropped the hog in its tracks with a surgically placed shot just over a billion yards, just beating my coyote shot.

 

[Coy Franks]

djones, whadaya want for that rangefinder?????

 

[djones]

rangefinders that work out to a billion yards are hard to come by. i really need to hang on to this one, especially if i'm going to try to beat that last shot. next time we'll see how well you shoot when the truck is still moving!

 

[walkingjay]

Djones, Facebook-no friends? You shoulda handed out porkchops---lottsa friends LOL

 

[djones]

porkchop hill

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Looks like you could keep a supermarket supplied with pork. Wow, very impressive!!
What bullet do u use in your 308. ??