Farmer contacted me a week ago saying he was planting peanuts this year (ranch where I've killed a lot of hogs has cotton this year), and would I come after the hogs. He also called me today to tell me where the hogs had been in his peanuts last night (I didn't go out last night). Been out a couple of nights to his fields, but the hogs were on a neighboring property where I don't have permission to hunt. I watched the hogs for over an hour, but they stayed on that property. I'll try and talk to the property owner tomorrow and ask permission.
While walking to where I planned to sit, I spotted a sounder of 12 in peanuts. Wind was perfect and very little moonlight allowed me to stalk pretty close. I got between the sounder and where I thought they'd run when shot at, hoping I'd get some other shots as they ran by me. I'm getting ready to shoot when the lead sow decides to take them further into the peanuts away from me, so I hurried my shot as they started to trot away and heard the hit and a squeal, but nothing dropped. Swung to my left, shot, and a sow dropped. Swung to my right, shot, and another sow dropped. Took photos and began to walk back to my truck (I'll come back in the morning and drag them off of the field).
As I walk at night, I stop every 25yd or so and do a thermal scan. Spotted a heat signature that looked like a hog lying down (no movement seen) about 125-150 yards away in the opposite direction the sounder had run. Set my chair and pack down and walked towards the heat signature. Got close...ut oh, it is a hog but it's not on its side like a good dead hog would be, but upright with it's legs folded under it. Sawman had taught me, that's not a good sight to see and to be careful. It jumped up and ran, but not fast...2 shots/hits and it fell. Still had to put 1 in the brain when I got close. So it was the hog hit with my first hurried shot, a boar.
300 Blackout, 110gr Barnes black tip hand load, Ruger SR556 Takedown, Ark30 suppressor, FLIR thermal
See the spot near her ear, that's where the bullet hit as the sow ran by me on my left...she was one of those hit and flipped up in the air kills. Other sow was a small one.
While walking to where I planned to sit, I spotted a sounder of 12 in peanuts. Wind was perfect and very little moonlight allowed me to stalk pretty close. I got between the sounder and where I thought they'd run when shot at, hoping I'd get some other shots as they ran by me. I'm getting ready to shoot when the lead sow decides to take them further into the peanuts away from me, so I hurried my shot as they started to trot away and heard the hit and a squeal, but nothing dropped. Swung to my left, shot, and a sow dropped. Swung to my right, shot, and another sow dropped. Took photos and began to walk back to my truck (I'll come back in the morning and drag them off of the field).
As I walk at night, I stop every 25yd or so and do a thermal scan. Spotted a heat signature that looked like a hog lying down (no movement seen) about 125-150 yards away in the opposite direction the sounder had run. Set my chair and pack down and walked towards the heat signature. Got close...ut oh, it is a hog but it's not on its side like a good dead hog would be, but upright with it's legs folded under it. Sawman had taught me, that's not a good sight to see and to be careful. It jumped up and ran, but not fast...2 shots/hits and it fell. Still had to put 1 in the brain when I got close. So it was the hog hit with my first hurried shot, a boar.
300 Blackout, 110gr Barnes black tip hand load, Ruger SR556 Takedown, Ark30 suppressor, FLIR thermal
See the spot near her ear, that's where the bullet hit as the sow ran by me on my left...she was one of those hit and flipped up in the air kills. Other sow was a small one.
