Deadly Day at the Ranch . . .

I've been hunting on a friend's property in Lee County for maybe eight years now, and in the past few years I've gotten to know a couple of the neighbors well enough for them to allow me to shoot hogs on their property. They also ask that I shoot every coyote I can. So, when I heard coyotes howling really close by Thursday morning, I crept around some trees and . . .

I had just observed what appeared to be a large sounder of hogs about a half-mile across a neighbor's pasture, and was walking to the truck so I could drive part of the way toward them when I heard the coyotes start to howl. They were real close, and I turned back and walked around the corner to look down the fence line and there they were. I quickly dispatched one. I was aiming for the shoulder, and I'm not certain where I hit it but it ran into the pasture maybe 20 yards and dropped. It was still wiggling so I pulled out my .22 pistol and finished it off. There was a six strand barbed wire fence between me and the coyote, so I just took this photo from my side of the fence.



I headed back to the truck, but the shots had caused the hogs to flee. I drove down a ways, then walked a bit further, but there were no longer any hogs in sight. My buddy the landowner was also out that day, but he had gotten up early to do some work and I was hunting alone to leave him at the house with some peace and quiet. I thought about heading in, but decided I'd wait a while so that he could get a little more work done. That turned out well, because not more than 30 minutes later I spotted a lone boar trotting across the pasture about 150 yards out. He was heading for the woods, and moving slightly away from me, so I set up as quickly as I could and shot.

I think I've mentioned on this forum at times that I'm not a great marksman. That's still true. I hit the hog, but only in the right foreleg. The bullet did not break the bone, and he took off running. I figured I'd missed, and started setting up for a second shot at the running hog. I've hit running hogs maybe twice in the past five years. I've probably taken a dozen shots, so you get an idea of my success rate. The hog ran behind a group of trees so I moved my point of aim beyond them and waited a couple of seconds for him to emerge. He did, and he was now hopping and limping. I had indeed hit him. About ten yards from the trees he came to a halt and I got ready to shoot. Then he turned away from me. I figured I had probably already messed up one shoulder, and a 'Texas Heart Shot' would undoubtedly mess up a hindquarter. Oh well, half a hog is better than none — I shot him in the butt and down he went.

I took my 'Hog Hauler' off the truck and rolled out to collect him. The heart girth was around 36-37 inches, so I figure was was at least 160 Lbs.





It turned out the first shot didn't destroy too much meat, although the second round pulverized at least half of the right hindquarter. The rest is slightly bloodshot, but usable for ground meat or sausage. In this last photo you can see the entry mark in the hog's right hindquarter, and the exit in his left side. The bullet didn't completely exit, but was lying just inside the hide when we skinned him.



We had some company over last night, so I put a shoulder and the undamaged hindquarter on the smoker, and it was all good!
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Good story but I might leave off the part about shooting across a fence, even if I had verbal permission. Also, thanks for the honesty about your shooting ability, you are not the only one who can't shoot flying doves with headshots at 100 paces. Keep up the good work on the hogs.

Man, that pig was fat. Ought to taste great.

I have permission to shoot across the fence between us and the neighbor, and I keep the fence repaired as payback.

Nicely done, sir!

Nicely done, sir!

The fence comment is a good point. Technically (Legally), in Texas, one is required to have written permission from a landowner to shoot across a fence onto the landowner's property. As a practical matter, where I hunt, everyone operates on a handshake but if the game warden ever came calling, he'd be likely to issue a citation. I would then contact the landowner, get the permission in writing, and that should settle the matter. Practically speaking though, we meet at the fence and talk but no one has pen and paper at that moment. But again, the comment is valid and I shall be more circumspect in the future.

Nice hog!

congrats on the hog. Like the hog hauler too

Congrats!

You can shoot over my fence anytime and you now have that in writing

Excellent!

I like that pig hauler, good idea.

Nice fat pig too.


Flint.

allround great hunt and alls well that ends well. congrads