Hungry hogs

[Aspp]

California is in a big miserable drought right now, all of my hunting areas look like the moon with less color. Well lastnight I went out with 2 buddies to check water and fences, no signs of anything.
Get up this morning to go to work and there are about 12-14 hogs in the vineyard in front of my house eating the grape vines. Them are some hungry hogs, most things wont touch the vines, the bark is very bitter, and there are no leaves on anything either.
Grabbed the 6.8 and jumped in the truck to try to get between them and freedom, Ill be damned if the oinkers didn't run out onto the county road and get hit by a fricking semi at 60mph. Trucker didn't even slow down. Semi: 4 Hogs:0
Well sheet. So I am now late for work, so I make a quick trip up and down the vines to make sure everything was dead, not quite. 3 more hogs with broken legs/backs were tring to make it to the brush, largest was ~80lbs. So I put a hole in each of their heads. Nothing worth eating off of any of the skinny little guys, so I just tossed em in the ditch.
No pictures, I was running to far behind to remember the golden rule.

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Wow wish you had got that on video!! The hogs destroy vineyards here.

 

[Aspp]

Ya, it would have been good. One of the hogs hit and killed was pushing 200lbs, he was easily 20 feet from, were he was hit.
All the vineyards around here have depredation permits, and kill any leaf eater in sight of the vines. It really hurts our deer population. The pigs are smarter and rarely get caught in the vineyards in the daylight.

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Funny the special exceptions the tree huggers give the wine makers lol!

 

[DaveABQ]

I had a dozen or so run in front of me when I was heading to the lease on Sunday, some big ones, would have taken out all my steering linkage and maybe more if I would have hit them

 

[FrankT]

+1 on a video, would have been great!

 

[Aspp]

About 5 years ago I was driving my 2002 Dodge 3500 home from a buddy's wedding, I was the sober driver for my friends and family so no booze all day for me. It was about 2 AM and I was heading home (same county road, about 200 yds from where these were hit) I came around a corner and there were 25-30 hogs crossing the road. Of course I was hauling ass, so I smacked into the sounder at 85-87mph. My steering linkage was ripped off with the first contact, standing on the break pedal I still flew through the sounder, the asphalt literally greased with pork. I killed 7 hogs outright with the truck and crippled 14 more that we had to put down in the morning. The smallest was around 40lbs, about 8 were 225+lbs. The largest hog was in the 270-275lbs. I fractured 3 vertibre in my lower back, dislocated my shoulder, crushed my knee, dislocated a hip, the air bag broke my nose, and nocked 4 teeth loose. I think I would have preferred to get in a head on collision with another car, it would have hurt less.

 

[FrankT]

wow, have you added those to you kill #'s?

 

[Afalex1]

I would have even more of a personal vendetta with the hogs if I went through that. Did the passengers get as messed up as you?

 

[FrankT]

Shame is you will carry injuries from a wreck like that for a lifetime!

 

[Aspp]

I would have even more of a personal vendetta with the hogs if I went through that. Did the passengers get as messed up as you?

No, luckly I was alone, I had just dropped off my parents and was heading home to a naked GF who I had dropped of early in the day, hence the speeding...

 

[Aspp]

Shame is you will carry injuries from a wreck like that for a lifetime!

Working on getting some of the vertibre fused this year, my neck is defenatly getting fused. I have had several surgeries to help my knees and shoulder already, got a few more to go. Im 28, and could go out on a full medical ride for the rest of my life, but to hell with that noise. I will be looking at a new career though, mechanicing is not so easy on the joints, and picking up that 150lbs hub or cutting edge is not gonna happen any more. Im thinking engineering, but damn that's a lot of school for less money than I make now. Machinist is on the list also, but have to look into the pay on that. Would like to get into R&D work with diesels or heavy equipment, but that is a very small specialty.

Ya I added the 3 I finished off to the kill counter, Im not going to count the truck kills unless TLM wants me to, I didn't killem so not my numbers to count.

 

[FrankT]

Best to you, I know it is tough at your age!

 

[Aspp]

Best to you, I know it is tough at your age!

Thanks!

 

[Chopperdrvr]

No, luckly I was alone, I had just dropped off my parents and was heading home to a naked GF who I had dropped of early in the day, hence the speeding...

Those kitties will get you in trouble every time

 

[Aspp]

Those kitties will get you in trouble every time

Your not kidding there!

 

[Harris hawker]

I hit a pig in my mini van at 2am once.
Tore up my chassis.
Never found the pig.
Amazing how fast you reach the front of your head lights at 80 mph isn't it?