I might not be able to shoot but I can hunt
After I put my daughter to bed last night, I grabbed Jim F. and headed to Normagee about 7:00pm. We were going down the gravel road and stopped to look at several deer with the binoculars. One young buck with long 6-8inch spikes in velvet and several does were in the front field, we came around the corner and before we even got to the spring loaded gate we were into the pigs. There were at least 15 of them in the pasture to the left and as I laid the .270 out a saw another cross the road and stop in the barditch.
I shot and something surprising happened, the pig ran away, I gave them an F-U but saw it kick up dust. Last time I had hunted with my rifle it had done the job but with unsatisfactory location and from much closer distances. I decided that I had better find a place to set out a target and shoot a few practice shots to check the center of the rifle. We drove past the house and down into the caney pasture. I intended to drive to the back of the property, do some shooting and then come back up north in time for hunting at dusk.
My plan evaporated as I saw a pig duck into the woods to the East. I drove that way slowly and saw another, quite large pig dash from the pasture. I grabbed the rifle and told Jim we were going to take a walk.
When I walked into the woods I realized there would be no tracking, the entire forest floor was covered with pig tracks going every direction. I followed a beaten trail and it crossed the corner of the woods into the pasture to the south of the big caney pasture but east of the woods and north of the main creek. I saw to the south end of the pasture about 75 yards away a swirling mass of pigs sliding into a dense clump of goat weed, I shouldered, I could only see the top 3 inches of the pig, I put the crosshairs in the middle of the animal and pulled. I was greeted with squeeling and I pumped my fist. Yes!
I took two steps toward the thrashing animal, running the bolt as I went, I looked up and saw a large pig face looking at me with concern from about 20 yards away. The gun went up and roared, the pig just disappeared into the tall weeds. I walked over and found the large sow down and out. In a matted down area right next to her were 3 piglets, smaller than footballs. I scooped them up, asked jim if he wanted a pet pig and getting a negative I thumped them on a stump like a thrashing speckled trout or a duck.
I told Jim to come stand by the big sow and I walked over to find the first victim. I collected the smaller sow and we piled them together. It was long drag to the closest place we could drive the truck and by the time we got the pork on the tailgate it was quite dark.
The smaller pig (120lbs) took the bullet quartering away, in through a tenderloin (truly sad), through the bottom of the spine and out the far side just south of the diaphragm. The big sow (200lbs) took a bullet through both lungs. Both were Sierra 140gr Jacketed hollowpoints in front of a max load of H4831.
Both bullets while fatal hit to the right and a bit low of their desired location. The seventy five yard shot was off by several inches. If we hadn’t been able to close to such a short distance I might have needed to tell a story about seeing dozens of pigs, shooting half a dozen times and not skinning anything.
My phone refuses to give up the pictures I took with it. “Multimedia Message Failure” it tells me. I intend to seek some help and hopefully show yall another tailgate full of Pork.
I shot and something surprising happened, the pig ran away, I gave them an F-U but saw it kick up dust. Last time I had hunted with my rifle it had done the job but with unsatisfactory location and from much closer distances. I decided that I had better find a place to set out a target and shoot a few practice shots to check the center of the rifle. We drove past the house and down into the caney pasture. I intended to drive to the back of the property, do some shooting and then come back up north in time for hunting at dusk.
My plan evaporated as I saw a pig duck into the woods to the East. I drove that way slowly and saw another, quite large pig dash from the pasture. I grabbed the rifle and told Jim we were going to take a walk.
When I walked into the woods I realized there would be no tracking, the entire forest floor was covered with pig tracks going every direction. I followed a beaten trail and it crossed the corner of the woods into the pasture to the south of the big caney pasture but east of the woods and north of the main creek. I saw to the south end of the pasture about 75 yards away a swirling mass of pigs sliding into a dense clump of goat weed, I shouldered, I could only see the top 3 inches of the pig, I put the crosshairs in the middle of the animal and pulled. I was greeted with squeeling and I pumped my fist. Yes!
I took two steps toward the thrashing animal, running the bolt as I went, I looked up and saw a large pig face looking at me with concern from about 20 yards away. The gun went up and roared, the pig just disappeared into the tall weeds. I walked over and found the large sow down and out. In a matted down area right next to her were 3 piglets, smaller than footballs. I scooped them up, asked jim if he wanted a pet pig and getting a negative I thumped them on a stump like a thrashing speckled trout or a duck.
I told Jim to come stand by the big sow and I walked over to find the first victim. I collected the smaller sow and we piled them together. It was long drag to the closest place we could drive the truck and by the time we got the pork on the tailgate it was quite dark.
The smaller pig (120lbs) took the bullet quartering away, in through a tenderloin (truly sad), through the bottom of the spine and out the far side just south of the diaphragm. The big sow (200lbs) took a bullet through both lungs. Both were Sierra 140gr Jacketed hollowpoints in front of a max load of H4831.
Both bullets while fatal hit to the right and a bit low of their desired location. The seventy five yard shot was off by several inches. If we hadn’t been able to close to such a short distance I might have needed to tell a story about seeing dozens of pigs, shooting half a dozen times and not skinning anything.
My phone refuses to give up the pictures I took with it. “Multimedia Message Failure” it tells me. I intend to seek some help and hopefully show yall another tailgate full of Pork.
posted by steven-hoffman | 1:18 PM
6 Comments:
Well, it just figures…me not being there is good luck for your hunting. So how do you plan on preparing those dandies? Sounds like they aren’t big enough to beer can broil, unless you put them inside the beer can. I’d try just parching the hair off them with fire and then wrapping the little dudes in bacon and pitch em on the grill. Maybe fill the body cavity with sauerkraut. That sounds damn tasty.
I do have a life sized picture in my mind of a drunk Steve stompin the lights out of a baby pig like it was a flopping trout. We really need to save up some dollars and go on a baby seal hunt.
I didn't take the little ones home with me. I was already looking at more than 300lbs of dead pig that I had to haul back across the pasture and across the ditch to my truck.
too bad, I'd like to try that tiny one recipe. So you are porked back up now, good. I'm back to running low, no ones fault but my own, I know...shoulda been there. We are gonna need to make a trip up to Woods neck of the woods sooner or later and do a big grind, he has access to some awesome equipment. Maybe we should wait till we have some deer to throw into the mix. Friday (tomorrow) I'm running back up to the lease to finish building that hog trap. I have 8 16' pannels and the T-posts setting on the ground just waiting for my sweat to put it together. The steel for the door is in the garage. Should be very productive once it all comes together.
Nice Hunt! I would like to see a picture of the sows but I agree with chris. I would rather use my imagination to picture drunk steve swinging piglets overhead like the windmill of death.
I perform a similar maneuver with the horse mullet that I plan to use for cut bait. If you bounce them off their head hard enough their eyes shoot out like marbles. I'll teach you.
Ya'll are forgetting that the Bailey ranch is a strictly alcohol-free hunting property.
The man swinging piglets was the Steve that shot at and missed pigs on the way in...
It was an overhead swing very similar to the mullet manuever that I have seen in the past.
It really most closely copied what you do when you pick up a big goose and you realize he ain't quite expired.
So I think your saying that the person swinging piglets was angry Steve rather than drunk Steve. Either one is ok but I hate to see angry and drunk steve.
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