Posted By: der Teufel
Two more boars down - 04/03/15 06:56 PM
My Photon NV scope just hasn't been getting much of a workout so far this year. The hogs keep showing up before sundown, and during the daylight hours I generally use my bolt action rifle with standard optics. It happened again Wednesday. Actually, I didn't even fire a shot this time.
I was out with the property owner again, only this time we didn't split up. We went back to the pasture where I've gotten my last two hogs and sat to wait. After maybe 20-30 minutes I spotted what looked like hogs a little over half a mile away. There were some cows in the area, and we watched for several minutes to be sure we weren't just seeing some calves, or perhaps cows that were partially hidden by a slight rise in the land. I became convinced we were looking at hogs. My buddy wasn't so sure, but we agreed that we had nothing better to do than go check 'em out.
There's a cleared 'roadway' along the fence line on my buddy's property that enables us to drive about halfway, so we got in the truck and set out. About the time we approached the end of the driving lane we spotted another hog out in the pasture only 150 yards away. I stopped the truck, and my buddy asked "Can I shoot it?"
Duh! It's his property, and I hunt there for free. He can do just about anything he wants. Besides, I've already shot a couple so far this year so it's his turn. He jumps out and sneaks up maybe 20 yards closer, then turns and asks "Should I shoot from here?" I actually hunt out there a lot more than he does (I'm retired, he is not), or maybe he was just being polite and including me in the action. At any rate I suggested that he sneak over to the fence and use a post for a shooting rest. He moved to the fence, but a tree was somewhat in the way, so he maneuvered up to the next fence post and prepared to shoot.
The hog was rooting around, roughly 100 yards away and oblivious to our presence, so he was able to take his time. He put a round into the top of the shoulder and the hog went right down. Then the weird thing happened. Another hog, which we had not previously seen, came bolting out of the tree line, and ran about halfway to the hog that had just gone down. It stood there, staring at the downed hog presenting a perfect broadside shooting opportunity. My buddy turned to see if I wanted to take the shot, but he was between the hog and me, so he turned back and put a round into the second hog's shoulder. It was still just standing there as if begging to be shot. He was happy to oblige.
So, two boars down. According to the heart girth measurements, the first one weighed about 175 Lbs and the second one weighed 195 Lbs. When I got home Thursday I put a hindquarter and a shoulder on my smoker for six hours, and the meat literally fell apart. I can't wait to get out again. As the summer heat increases, I'm pretty sure the hogs are going to be showing up later, and the Photon will get its' turn. Meanwhile, there's more pork in the freezer.
The blue thing just above the hog's heads is the hand truck I use to haul hogs out of the pasture. It sure has come in handy this year.
I was out with the property owner again, only this time we didn't split up. We went back to the pasture where I've gotten my last two hogs and sat to wait. After maybe 20-30 minutes I spotted what looked like hogs a little over half a mile away. There were some cows in the area, and we watched for several minutes to be sure we weren't just seeing some calves, or perhaps cows that were partially hidden by a slight rise in the land. I became convinced we were looking at hogs. My buddy wasn't so sure, but we agreed that we had nothing better to do than go check 'em out.
There's a cleared 'roadway' along the fence line on my buddy's property that enables us to drive about halfway, so we got in the truck and set out. About the time we approached the end of the driving lane we spotted another hog out in the pasture only 150 yards away. I stopped the truck, and my buddy asked "Can I shoot it?"
Duh! It's his property, and I hunt there for free. He can do just about anything he wants. Besides, I've already shot a couple so far this year so it's his turn. He jumps out and sneaks up maybe 20 yards closer, then turns and asks "Should I shoot from here?" I actually hunt out there a lot more than he does (I'm retired, he is not), or maybe he was just being polite and including me in the action. At any rate I suggested that he sneak over to the fence and use a post for a shooting rest. He moved to the fence, but a tree was somewhat in the way, so he maneuvered up to the next fence post and prepared to shoot.
The hog was rooting around, roughly 100 yards away and oblivious to our presence, so he was able to take his time. He put a round into the top of the shoulder and the hog went right down. Then the weird thing happened. Another hog, which we had not previously seen, came bolting out of the tree line, and ran about halfway to the hog that had just gone down. It stood there, staring at the downed hog presenting a perfect broadside shooting opportunity. My buddy turned to see if I wanted to take the shot, but he was between the hog and me, so he turned back and put a round into the second hog's shoulder. It was still just standing there as if begging to be shot. He was happy to oblige.
So, two boars down. According to the heart girth measurements, the first one weighed about 175 Lbs and the second one weighed 195 Lbs. When I got home Thursday I put a hindquarter and a shoulder on my smoker for six hours, and the meat literally fell apart. I can't wait to get out again. As the summer heat increases, I'm pretty sure the hogs are going to be showing up later, and the Photon will get its' turn. Meanwhile, there's more pork in the freezer.
The blue thing just above the hog's heads is the hand truck I use to haul hogs out of the pasture. It sure has come in handy this year.
