How many times have we read and heard TLM tell us to take out the lead sow?
I went out Sunday night like normal, after checking my 2 feeders with the thermal from a distance. I moved west a few hundred yards to check something out, then back east to keep an eye on both feeders at the same time. I have them spread apart about 1000 yards from each other.
As I was moving back into position I spotted the small sounder. 3 sows and a bunch of shotes. Got into position, took a shot, and the thermal cut off. By the time I figured out it wasn't plugged in enough, and got it powered up, they had all disappeared into the brush. Frustrated that I had rushed a shot I checked the corn at the east feeder and headed out after an hour of waiting and watching. I saw Deer, a coon, a dillo, more deer, but no hogs, so I made the long trek back to the truck.
On the way out I decided to stop at the diesel tank to check a fresh rut spot I saw coming into the field. I saw what I thought at first was a whole heard of deer. Then after a few min, it was easy to see it was a very large sounder of hogs, at least 60 or more with all the shotes running around. I stocked to setup a safe shot which I took at 10:30 pm. From the point I was positioned I could only take one shot. Anything to the slight right or left would have had one house or another in the distance. Again everything ran off into the brush of the neighbors property. Im now half pissed off wondering if my scope is has lost 0.
I head back to the field Monday night just before dark, and set up a 100 yard hand warmer target. 1" right and 1" low. Im thinking thats not much, but just enough to cause a flesh wound if ya miss the mark.
I packed up the target quick and headed the 1000 yards or so into the back field. Sure enough by the time I got there the same small sounder was out. After a 100 yard stock, and 30 min worth of waiting for darkness to fall I took a shot at the largest hog in the group. With the Johnson grass growing like crazy all thermal targets disappeared quickly. However what was left that I could see of the target hog lay motionless.
After a few min I advanced to a new position 15 or so yards closer, and spotted a 2nd target with several shotes moving around her. After taking a shot, and 20 min of watching the shotes come out 2 more times I ended up with 2 sows and 4 shotes, a personal record, and only 10 shots fired.
Zeus 336 60 x 42, trigger stick tripod, Remmington 700 .308, hornady 168 gr bthp.
