I'm as proud as can be. I've been trying for a hog for about a year. First photo shows his true size (weighed 75 pounds). Second photo is a gag where Sawman took the pic with me behind the hog to make it look bigger. Third photo shows the chest cavity exit hole. You can see the entrance hole in the first two photos.
Took him at about 40-50yd away at 2am this morning using my thermal and the 6.8 SPC AR I bought on the forum. Hornady 120gr SST handload. Aimed for and hit the shoulder. After the bullet exited, it went through both sides of a plastic drum half being used as a supplemental deer feeder, spraying the drum half inside and out with some blood. In the interest of full disclosure, after the shot he dropped but was kicking/squirming. I fired again to make sure he was down and hit and ruined one of the hams, probably jerking the trigger. Sawman told me to review in my mind what I saw and did and to learn from it. He said his experience is that if the hog drops, normally one shot is only needed. Also, when I saw the hog, i didn't realize he was in front of an elevated feeder drum (I didn't know it was there, as I only thought it was a BIG hog feeding at the edge of a dirt road/path). The drum had been heated by the sun, so the combination of live hog at heated drum equaled a BIG heat signature. A smaller hog nearby helped the illusion of a big hog. I positively ID'd it as a hog before I shot and felt virtually 100% that my first shot would go where I aimed. He squealed for a second or two at the shot. Sawman didn't hear the squeal, as he had plugged his ears before the shot. I had earmuffs on that amplify normal sounds, but block gunshots. After we got to him, Sawman hear the vocal sounds of a larger hog in the woods, but we didn't see it.
It's now cut up and in a brine solution for a few days before being further processed.
Took him at about 40-50yd away at 2am this morning using my thermal and the 6.8 SPC AR I bought on the forum. Hornady 120gr SST handload. Aimed for and hit the shoulder. After the bullet exited, it went through both sides of a plastic drum half being used as a supplemental deer feeder, spraying the drum half inside and out with some blood. In the interest of full disclosure, after the shot he dropped but was kicking/squirming. I fired again to make sure he was down and hit and ruined one of the hams, probably jerking the trigger. Sawman told me to review in my mind what I saw and did and to learn from it. He said his experience is that if the hog drops, normally one shot is only needed. Also, when I saw the hog, i didn't realize he was in front of an elevated feeder drum (I didn't know it was there, as I only thought it was a BIG hog feeding at the edge of a dirt road/path). The drum had been heated by the sun, so the combination of live hog at heated drum equaled a BIG heat signature. A smaller hog nearby helped the illusion of a big hog. I positively ID'd it as a hog before I shot and felt virtually 100% that my first shot would go where I aimed. He squealed for a second or two at the shot. Sawman didn't hear the squeal, as he had plugged his ears before the shot. I had earmuffs on that amplify normal sounds, but block gunshots. After we got to him, Sawman hear the vocal sounds of a larger hog in the woods, but we didn't see it.
It's now cut up and in a brine solution for a few days before being further processed.
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