Arrived @ the happy huntin' grounds this morning and sat in my new blind. Saw a couple of young bucks and a doe. Nothing big enuff to shoot. Wind blowing a gale....
Didnt have too high of hopes this afternoon as the wind was hoopin' it up about 25 mph. Went anyhow. Fairly early I see a couple of spikes & watch them for over 30 minutes. Pass the time reading a Shooting Times magazine. I notice dust drifting by & look towards my feeder. HAWGS! Bunches of hawgs! I wish now I had taken a photo or at least tried to get a head count but I was intent of blastin' the nasty rascals.
I picked out a biggun and stuck the M700 ought-six out the gun port. Range was 109 yards. I sent a 150gr Win Silver-Tip through his ornery hide, just behind his shoulder. The pack exploded like a covey of quail. I rapidly cycled the bolt and sent another round but didnt connect. They were quickly in the thick liveoaks, never to be seen again. The big boar never showed any sign of being hit. I did not hear an impact. I immediately climbed down to go check for a blood spoor. Deep tracks were all I found at the point where he had been standing. No blood, no hair. Began to search the thick liveoaks in the direction he ran. Wished I had had my .44 Mag revolver w/me as the scoped bolt-action .30-06 didnt exactly make me comfortable should I have to shoot an angry wounded wild boar in close quarters.
I spent quite a while searching the thick liveoak & was starting to second guess myself as I had found no blood spoor and didnt have a good indication of where he went. I kept telling myself there was no way I could have missed & couldnt believe this rascal was able to run very far. Finally, after about 15 minutes I found him. He had made it about 75 yards. My bullet had struck exactly where I intended, he just was a tough critter to stop.
He sure was ugly! Not even sure his momma would have would have loved his face. About two thirds black and one third white. Shaped like a buffalo. Big shoulders & head and smallish hind quarters. Nasty tusk about 1.5" long and SHARP! Not something you would want to encounter if he decided to charge. After a few photos with the I-Phone I hoofed it back to get the Gator to drag him out of the area.
After I got back to my hanging tree I winched him up and weighed him. 190 pounds. Lotta hog! Good riddance! Too big to try to eat although he didnt smell bad. Smelled like maple bacon. The vultures & coyotes will eat good.....
Wallace
One less hog is a good thing!
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