I really marvel at the number of times that I encounter hogs either while making my way to the stand or after closing up shop for the evening and heading home. Last night was the latter. It was a fine night, a little windy, but not too bad. Temps were in the upper 40s and it had last rained the day before, so the ground was still quite soft. Thought maybe I would catch hogs out in the open, rooting up one of Mr. TBR's hay fields or food plot. While most of the evening was in the stand, I hiked over to the other parts of the property a couple of times to break up the evening and to warm up.
Deer. I saw deer, a few coons, but the deer were everywhere. All were quite busy, usually, and always seemed to be on the way to somewhere. A few would stop by the feeders, but only for 2 or 3 minutes before moving on to places unknown. And while the rut is still going on, I did not see any bucks chasing does, but a couple of younger bucks were still trying to track does across the property, noses to the ground. For the most part, the deer ignored me as I made my nocturnal wanderings. They kept their distance, but there was no crisis and I seemed to pose no immediate threat to them.
So it was almost midnight when I packed up and got out of the stand. The only thing I had seen moving in the previous 2 hours was a rabbit. It was time to go home. I had gotten about 60 yards from the stand and turned to do a final scan of the field off to my east before heading west to my truck when I spied the hog across the 'Big Pond.' I think he had seen me before I saw him as the 80-100 lb hog was moving away. I figured him to be at about 100 yards or so and got my rifle on my sticks. I realized that in another 10 or 15 yards, he would be lost from sight behind the trees lining the Big Pond and so I never got the video recorder running.
He was quartered away and walking south and I put the dot on the back of his head and fired. BOOM-THWACK and he stumbled but did not go down. BOOM-THWACK with a second shot that spun him around and he spiraled into the ground. I watched as he curly shuffled very vigorous, maybe too vigorously.
Then he was UP and headed quartered away to the north, moving slow, unsteady. BOOM-THWACK and he stopped in place, still standing. BOOM-THWACK and he crumpled in place. Finally, well sometimes they don't go down as easily as we would like. He wasn't moving, so I shouldered my sticks and headed his direction.
I had gone maybe 10 yards when I heard noise again and I scanned the area and saw a deer circling something that was hidden by some brush. Maybe one of the young bucks found a doe he was after and the shots disturbed them? NO! The deer was alerting on the hog that slowly emerged from behind the bush. What the hell???
Off hand, BOOM-Missssssss BOOM-THWACK, but he didn't go down. BOOM-Missssssss BOOM-Missssssss BOOM-THWACK and he face planted and rolled over.
This time I watched for a little longer. No movement.
As I crossed over the dam for the Big Pond, I passed within about 50 yards of some deer that were still bedded down on the opposite side from where the boar was. With all the noise and then my approach, a couple got up. One "bleeted" me and ran off. I don't know what that sound means. Two more deer stayed bedded until I headed back up to the house to get the cart.
My 80-100 lb hog at 100 yards or so was 175 lb boar at 165 yards (the Big Pond is much larger now after all the rains). All shots at the hog were quartering away shots. Two were left side behind the shoulder, one right side behind the shoulder, one each side mid body, and the ONLY shot that exited had blasted apart the lower left hind leg (I figure this was probably shot #2).
Notable features on the hog were an ear with a 2" healed split (but not healed together) and a shield that was extremely hard. It kind of made a THUNK sound when I rapped on it with my knuckles. Some make that sound, but usually it is just a THUD noise.
He was a stinky boar and was donated to the Turkey Buzzard Preservation Society.
Deer. I saw deer, a few coons, but the deer were everywhere. All were quite busy, usually, and always seemed to be on the way to somewhere. A few would stop by the feeders, but only for 2 or 3 minutes before moving on to places unknown. And while the rut is still going on, I did not see any bucks chasing does, but a couple of younger bucks were still trying to track does across the property, noses to the ground. For the most part, the deer ignored me as I made my nocturnal wanderings. They kept their distance, but there was no crisis and I seemed to pose no immediate threat to them.
So it was almost midnight when I packed up and got out of the stand. The only thing I had seen moving in the previous 2 hours was a rabbit. It was time to go home. I had gotten about 60 yards from the stand and turned to do a final scan of the field off to my east before heading west to my truck when I spied the hog across the 'Big Pond.' I think he had seen me before I saw him as the 80-100 lb hog was moving away. I figured him to be at about 100 yards or so and got my rifle on my sticks. I realized that in another 10 or 15 yards, he would be lost from sight behind the trees lining the Big Pond and so I never got the video recorder running.
He was quartered away and walking south and I put the dot on the back of his head and fired. BOOM-THWACK and he stumbled but did not go down. BOOM-THWACK with a second shot that spun him around and he spiraled into the ground. I watched as he curly shuffled very vigorous, maybe too vigorously.
Then he was UP and headed quartered away to the north, moving slow, unsteady. BOOM-THWACK and he stopped in place, still standing. BOOM-THWACK and he crumpled in place. Finally, well sometimes they don't go down as easily as we would like. He wasn't moving, so I shouldered my sticks and headed his direction.
I had gone maybe 10 yards when I heard noise again and I scanned the area and saw a deer circling something that was hidden by some brush. Maybe one of the young bucks found a doe he was after and the shots disturbed them? NO! The deer was alerting on the hog that slowly emerged from behind the bush. What the hell???
Off hand, BOOM-Missssssss BOOM-THWACK, but he didn't go down. BOOM-Missssssss BOOM-Missssssss BOOM-THWACK and he face planted and rolled over.
This time I watched for a little longer. No movement.
As I crossed over the dam for the Big Pond, I passed within about 50 yards of some deer that were still bedded down on the opposite side from where the boar was. With all the noise and then my approach, a couple got up. One "bleeted" me and ran off. I don't know what that sound means. Two more deer stayed bedded until I headed back up to the house to get the cart.
My 80-100 lb hog at 100 yards or so was 175 lb boar at 165 yards (the Big Pond is much larger now after all the rains). All shots at the hog were quartering away shots. Two were left side behind the shoulder, one right side behind the shoulder, one each side mid body, and the ONLY shot that exited had blasted apart the lower left hind leg (I figure this was probably shot #2).
Notable features on the hog were an ear with a 2" healed split (but not healed together) and a shield that was extremely hard. It kind of made a THUNK sound when I rapped on it with my knuckles. Some make that sound, but usually it is just a THUD noise.
He was a stinky boar and was donated to the Turkey Buzzard Preservation Society.
