Yesterday upon checking the peanut field, I felt sick. Wednesday night hogs came and rooted up freshly planted peanuts in an area of approximately 200yd by 10yd. Upon discovering this (late in the day) and knowing it was too late to round up my night hunting partner, and I had guests staying over, and a late dinner out was planned, I felt I had to do something. All my normal people that have taken hog meat were still stocked up on the meat, including me. I'd always prided myself and my hunting partner on always removing the hogs and using the meat.
The farmer had already told me that as far as he is concerned "kill them all and dump them in a ditch" "they are not a native species" (he HATES wild hogs). So I did a quick meeting with the land owner and got his OK to drag hogs to one far corner of his ranch, if needed, and dump them where he's dumped hog bodies either after cleaning them or if they were too big/too old of boars for his taste.
Went out after dinner and got to the field about 10pm. About 11pm I'd been watching a heat signature at the south end of the large field about 500yd away, trying to ID what it was. Couldn't ID that far away, so I gave up looking at it. As I sat back down, a dark movement caught my unaided vision. It was going at a trot north to south just inside the field. Pushed the ON button to the thermal on my rifle, picked up and shouldered the rifle (its thermal turns on in about 4 seconds). A hog had trotted in the field and stopped directly across from me at a small pile of corn 45yd away with its rear end to me. I waited, hoping others would show, but none did. Finally the hog turned more broadside, I aimed at the head near the ear, fired, and it went down. This was at 11:15pm. I stayed until 12:30am, seeing no more hogs, and went home after examining the hog. Large female, estimate an easy 150 pounds (revised to 175 by 2 people...she is a bigger girl in the daylight). My brother and I will now see if we can drag her to the dumping area. If not, the land owner will drag it this evening, but I'd rather do it for the owner. Update: Hog successfully dragged to far corner of ranch.
300 Blackout, suppressed, 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, FLIR RS 32 2.25-9x thermal. Oh, this morning another farmer we've know for several years texted me that he's planting peanuts starting today (Sawman and Chaps, thats the NE and SE Jerry fields).
The farmer had already told me that as far as he is concerned "kill them all and dump them in a ditch" "they are not a native species" (he HATES wild hogs). So I did a quick meeting with the land owner and got his OK to drag hogs to one far corner of his ranch, if needed, and dump them where he's dumped hog bodies either after cleaning them or if they were too big/too old of boars for his taste.
Went out after dinner and got to the field about 10pm. About 11pm I'd been watching a heat signature at the south end of the large field about 500yd away, trying to ID what it was. Couldn't ID that far away, so I gave up looking at it. As I sat back down, a dark movement caught my unaided vision. It was going at a trot north to south just inside the field. Pushed the ON button to the thermal on my rifle, picked up and shouldered the rifle (its thermal turns on in about 4 seconds). A hog had trotted in the field and stopped directly across from me at a small pile of corn 45yd away with its rear end to me. I waited, hoping others would show, but none did. Finally the hog turned more broadside, I aimed at the head near the ear, fired, and it went down. This was at 11:15pm. I stayed until 12:30am, seeing no more hogs, and went home after examining the hog. Large female, estimate an easy 150 pounds (revised to 175 by 2 people...she is a bigger girl in the daylight). My brother and I will now see if we can drag her to the dumping area. If not, the land owner will drag it this evening, but I'd rather do it for the owner. Update: Hog successfully dragged to far corner of ranch.
300 Blackout, suppressed, 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, FLIR RS 32 2.25-9x thermal. Oh, this morning another farmer we've know for several years texted me that he's planting peanuts starting today (Sawman and Chaps, thats the NE and SE Jerry fields).
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