Late to the party...

I just got a long-time friend and fellow retiree on the road for home after a multi-day visit here at the place where he (and I) had a blast.

While he has been an "occasional" shooter all his life, I'm afraid that I've been a bad influence on him as he has since gotten into shooting in a big way. As well, he has started to take an interest in hunting and reasoned (quite correctly) that starting out on hogs would be good idea. Usually that would have been an easy request to fill, but the recent drought robbed us of all our surface water and drove the pigs elsewhere. Since receiving some desperately needed rains in November and December, we've got a bit of water again and, as expected, the hogs are starting to filter back into our country. Judging from the game cameras, I told him that I was pretty confident that we could get him onto a pig within a couple of evenings...and without having to stay up too late in the process.

Turns out it took about 45 minutes...

With the evening sun just a bit above the treetops on the ridge to our west, I spotted a big, lone boar emerge from the post oaks about 160 yards below us. Big-bodied, high-withered and snake-hipped, he began to work his way toward a feeder. My friend promptly got on his rifle...and found his scope blinded by the sun's glare! Excitement and frustration are a bad combo, but I assured him that a) the hog likely wasn't going anywhere for a while, b) didn't know we were anywhere close and c) that the sun would be out of our eyes within ten minutes. Now, ten minutes can be time on the cross for a new hunter and my friend was suffering...until the Almighty sent a small cloud across the sun and eased the glare! He got back on his rifle and, when the boar gave him a broadside opportunity, stuck him with a 100 grain Partition out of the 6mm/.223.

At the shot, the boar flipped on his afterburners and streaked across the open field to the south. Cranking another round into the chamber, my friend said, "I can't believe I missed!" and tried to get back on the speeding pig. "Wait", I told him; "Watch". After the first 20-30 yards, the boar had developed a little stutter-step...and by the time he'd covered a hundred yards he was getting really erratic. He turned left onto what the boxers call "queer street", staggered another 20 steps straight toward us and went down kicking. By the time that we got to him, he was long past caring...the slug had been a touch far back for textbook placement but had still caught both lungs.

To say that my buddy was happy would be something of an understatement!

Excellent outing Amigo! Time to take him across the pond.

Funny you should mention that...'cause that very subject came up!

Sounded like fun, especially for a first time hog hunter. Got him a good tusker!

Good job all around!!

Congrats to both of you. Glad he was able to see one and get a shot.

Glad he got him a pig

Good shootin for the first time hog hunter!!

And great write up 218. I enjoyed the read!

Same Same

Nice hog. Will it be for coyote bait, or for the freezer?

Nothing this rank and rusty would ever see my knife so, no, not the freezer.

I'd use it for coyote bait but they've got sense enough to leave these old boars alone as well. Very instructive.

Nothing had touched it as of a few days ago; I'll need to swing by today or tomorrow and see if that's changed...

! Excellent writing and storytelling!

Nice Boar, great job

Fantastic! I really like the progression from shooting to hunting. Steel and paper are not interesting for very long.

Very nice work!

That’s awesome. Good for your friend

Congratulations to your buddy on a nice boar!
Congratulations to you on a great story write-up!