Last Nights Hunt .....

[SAWMAN]

.....or IOW,"and their I was and this is not shit".

Bruce and I went into the unplanted peanut fields just after dark. We changed out tactics since the wind was out of the SSW/SW. We hiked across a large field and into a small stip of woods separating a huge field and a small field. From this position we could see two more rather large fields. We chose this location because of the wind and the moon. The moon was 96% full last night and the plowed fields,with no vegetation,was really bright. We could pretty much see 500-700yds all around us except at our back which was the row of big/tall oaks. This was great as we were sitting the shade from the moon.

We watched the deer(at one time as many as 10 in one field)and the typical smaller targets(coon,armadillos,rabbits,possums)feeding thru the fields for a couple of hours. The we saw a couple coyotes in the field but a long way away,probably 400+yds. The deer kept and eye on them but never ran.

At about 12:30AM Bruce spotted a good sized hog in the small field around the corner of the woods row. It was my turn to shoot so we set off with our shooting sticks(Primos Trigger Stick - bipod model) and guns. We could get fairly close to the feeding hog by staying in the shadows of the oaks,but to get as close as I wanted to get we would have to step out into the bright moonlight. I elected to shoot from the shadows.

I was shooting my AR/6.8/10.5" using Hornady 120gr SST's. I was aiming for the top of the bottom 1/3rd of his chest. At the shot I saw blood fly out the entrance hole. He gave no indication he was hit though. No squeal. No stagger. He did not fall down. He just ran. We watched him go about 75yds across the field and into some thick brush. We took our rifles back to where we had our chairs and backpacks at and headed back to see if we could find the hog.

We found some drops of blood on the edge of the woods,then some more small puddles of blood leading into the somewhat thick vegetation. No lung blood. We continued to follow the small blood trail until it got close to a ravine that leeds down into a juniper swamp.

At that point I sez to myself ....... "self ..... you are tracking a moderately wounded(and still able to fight,I'm sure)200lb boar hog ... WITH CUTTERS,into some super thick shit ,at night,armed with a 4000L flashlight and a Glock 32 with 13 rds of Hornady 147gr XTP's and a Lasermax installed". ADVANTAGE --> HOG !! Of course Bruce is armed with his Davis derringer chambered in 25ACP and a handheld thermal. SUPER ADVANTAGE --> HOG !!

Since I have "been their/done that on more than one occasion. We backed out of the woods(Bruce walked backwards all the way with his derringer held shoulder high. I hated to leave a wounded animal ......... but ....... ??

I told Bruce,next time I WILL get closer. If the hog(s) run ... they will be there another day. ---- SAWMAN

 

[Daezee]

I will carry a submachinegun the next time.

 

[SAWMAN]

Where the heck is all the young guys when we need 'em. If John would have been with us we could have sent him in barking. Thanks alot bro.

AND --> next time I will hold your 25 for you and give you a sharpened stick for the eye socket (the hogs or yours,whoever is the "winner". --- SAWMAN

 

[Daezee]

A spear!

 

[Crazydoc68]

Where the heck is all the young guys when we need 'em. If John would have been with us we could have sent him in barking. Thanks alot bro.

AND --> next time I will hold your 25 for you and give you a sharpened stick for the eye socket (the hogs or yours,whoever is the "winner". --- SAWMAN

I've volunteered to go out with the "old farts". LOL!!!

Doc

 

[Daezee]

Hmmm We tie a harness to Doc so at least we can pull out some of his body parts for burial.

 

[Snow Bird]

Smart move to back out. Now about Crazydoc. If he would have been with you at least he would have had a Band Aid to stop the blood flow had you went in.

 

[Chaps]

Where the heck is all the young guys when we need 'em. If John would have been with us we could have sent him in barking. Thanks alot bro.

AND --> next time I will hold your 25 for you and give you a sharpened stick for the eye socket (the hogs or yours,whoever is the "winner". --- SAWMAN

Ha ha! John got up at 0400 and drove to Navarre to get slammed in the surf kayak fishing. We did get a limit of red snapper and 3 nice lane. Okay. I'm back focused on hogs. Next trip I am there, AR in hand!!!

 

[SAWMAN]

When it gets a little darker we need to start stalking these freakin' yotes. I have a great caller we can use.

We seperate ... I do the calling ... they are interested in where I am ... you stalk ... Bruce films it.

BANG !! ........... Any questions ?? --- SAWMAN

 

[Daezee]

I reviewed the hog video several times. It appears the bullet hit the back portion of the left front leg below the belly line and then the dirt on the other side of the hog. It appears it missed bone. You can see a rearward small "spray" as it hits the leg, followed by dirt being thrown up on the other side of the hog. Oh, and it was a male hog. No obvious injury seen in the way it ran and then briefly stood still at the edge of the field. I have no doubt the bullet hit low, due to the very short distance that it hit ground on the other side of the hog.

 

[SAWMAN]

SHIT !!! So it wasn't the guns fault. Thanks for making me feel great this AM. Now probably will put that damn 6.8 up for sale and buy me a ballistically superior 300BLK.

Sounds like he lived to fight another day. Injured in that manner,they never fight,they just keep moving. --- SAWMAN

 

[Crazydoc68]

Its all user error Sawman!!!

 

[Daezee]

Well, the 300 Blackout does have a larger bullet diameter so you are more likely to hit a vital area. Welcome to the "I didn't get a good hit" club. Bet there are a lot of members!

 

[SAWMAN]

Was thinkin' more like my Handi chambered in 500S&W Mag,shooting a Ranger Rick's 700gr hardcast at about 1200 or ..... THIS. --->

......... my 10ga "carbine" shooting "modified" (by me) slugs. ---- SAWMAN

 

[fishingjean]

That hog-pig is probably in Texas by now, stopping now an then to look back over his-her shoulder!! Glad these men weren't hurt.

 

[SAWMAN]

There are tons of yotes in that immediate area. I'm sure they got on the small drops of blood and ran him down. I would have loved to seen that fight. My money is on the hog unless there were four yotes with something to prove. And then ...... with his even smallish cutters ...... ? Bet there was more blood on the ground ... and most of it coyote blood. Catch and bay dogs have been trained and pretty smart. Most coyotes have never delt with anything like a 200lb boar hog with cutters before.

OUCH !! --- SAWMAN

 

[redneck]

Sawman that is one cool ass shotgun

 

[Seanpcola]

Agreed. 10g slugs? That's got to be a helluva punch.

 

[Chaps]

Sawman is back in the game. Good shot last night. 120# sow down!!!!

 

[SAWMAN]

----->( 6/3 2100 ) Last Nights Hunt ........

DAEZEE,Chaps,and I got a fairly early start just after dark. We wanted at least an hour before the moon came up. I took Bruce over to his field(the one he chose after telling me he had seen hogs in the field that I was to go to)about 2030 and headed back to where I was gonna sit. I took my heavy chair with a back on it so I would be comfortable for the sometimes quite long hunt.

I parked the truck and gathered my stuff(chair,backpack,shooting stick,gun)and headed down the grassy road that leeds to the fairly vast peanut field where I was gonna hunt. As I rounded the corned and broke out on the extreme SW edge of the field ,I turned on my thermal and took a look. The hogs were already there ... tearing the shit out of last years peanuts. They were about 400yds away and getting further. They were feeding to the NW,away from me.

I put down my chair and stripped off my backpack and headed down the edge of the field towards the feeding hogs. There were 4 or 5 adults that were at least 120lbs or so,then there were shoats. Some just over piglet size. There were about 8-10 of them. As I got closer I realized that I had to head them off. They were steadily feeding along at about 1/3rd walking speed. As I got to about 150yds I concentrated on trying to pick out the head sow. I noticed that all the adults were sows so tried to figure which one everybody was following. Sometimes it is kind tuff unless you can watch their behavior for some time.

I did not have a lot of time to get into position(close enough,I did not want to make the mistake of several nights ago)as the moon was coming up. I could see the glow over the tops of the tall pines to the E. In another 15 minutes or so I would be lit up by the moon right in my face. I rushed to cut them off and get CLOSE. The sounder(s) were strung out over a 35yd area NW to SE. The front sow was the one I wanted. Finally I got ahead of them and waited several minutes for them to come to me. With my 6.8 on my Primos Trigger Stick I selected black hot with a green crosshair. When she stopped to look back it sent one.

Both of her front legs gave way as the 120gr Hornady SST broke BOTH of her front shoulders. She tried to push her way along but could not and just laid there within 5' from where she was when the bullet hit her. She was not gonna get up but she was still breathing so I gave her one from my Glock 32 (147gr Hornady XTP)into the top of the head.

I called Bruce and John and they started my way in John's new UTV. I had a fairly long walk back to the truck but made sure to take off my long sleeve shirt and drape it over her to keep the yotes away. Me in a thin short sleeve t-shirt and the skeeters chewing on me made the 20 minute walk seem like an hour.

We loaded the hog in the UTV and from there into my truck. Back at Bruce's house we weighed it (122lbs),took a couple of pics and had a friend come and get it for his family. Great hunt. Times to remember when I get too old to do anything else BUT remember. --- SAWMAN