We had to delay our annual hog hunt this year due to coronavirus. Usually we are down in Texas during April while the weather is still cool and the humidity is lower... the humidity in East Texas this time of year is an experience for a non-Texan.
So we stopped in Dallas for a day or two before the hunt, and I ate myself sick at Hard Eight. Dallas smells and the freeway system is awful. Deep Ellum is all boarded up. I dont think I like Dallas anymore.
First day of hunting, the Mrs. failed to check for the flame on her Thermacell and got eaten alive by the mosquitoes. Heard lots of hogs nearby but didnt see any. Next morning, we set out on a stalk. I took my 500 S&W lever gun and pistol, she took her 45-70. Managed to creep up on some hogs sleeping in a wash, she took a shot at about 30 feet. The hogs all scattered and we didnt see any blood trail, so we assumed she missed but we found the hog about 200 yards away with holes in both lungs.
We circled around and found more hogs sleeping in another wash. I was able to get about 20 feet from one and fired at it with the wheelgun. Well, one hog turned into two and both scrambled out of the wash and ran straight at me. Filled my drawers, pulled the hammer back and used the Force to point and shoot. Perfect neck shot on the bigger one, he immediately seized up and fell over. The smaller one turned and ran for parts unknown.
End result: 215 pounds for me, 230 for her
That evening, I sat out with my 7-08 AR10 and went on piglet patrol. Enjoyed the quiet, got a couple of piglet Quigleys.
Next morning, we set tne Mrs. out in a blind with her 6.5CM as she wanted to get a particular hog, so the owner and I were going to drive them to her. I have my lever gun again and I normally load only two rounds in it as I dont fully trust the crimp on my handloads yet. The owner says there's a mean hog arlund, so Ioad one more just in case.
We're walking around and after 10 minutes, I hear a pair of shots. I'm thinking to myself "good, I told her to keep shooting if she has the chance until it's dead". Back at the blind, I pick up a real good blood trail. Chunks of lung and blood everywhere, it went about 50 yards and lay down next to a log. I could hear it huffing and puffing. I circled left through some brush to get a good broadside shot to finish it off, then the owner starts yelling HE'S GETTING UP! Lever gun comes up, aim in at his heart, pull the trigger...click. Shit. I've been having problems with primers not being fully seated on my 500 S&W reloads (note to self, buy a primer pocket uniformer). Quick as shit, run the lever, aim, and BAM! Right through the heart. "There, he's gotta be dead, right?"
The hog then looks at me, stands up and charges. I'm mentally doing the math, one dud plus one fired equals oh shit, I loaded an extra didnt't I or do we go to bayonet fighter mode and hope it doesnt tear me up too bad before the ranch owner shoots it. Run the lever quick and use the Force again to point and shoot, BAM! right through the back of his skull. Hog seizes up and falls over not more than 3 feet from me. Ranch owner laughing his ass off, pistol still in his back pocket. The Mrs. was still in the blind, she said my two shots were so fast, she thought I was carrying my AR.
We found the bullet in the chest- it's a 350gr Hornady FTX fired at a range of about a yard or so. The heart and lungs were completely pulped, these Texas hogs just don't know they're dead. 187 pounds.
So we stopped in Dallas for a day or two before the hunt, and I ate myself sick at Hard Eight. Dallas smells and the freeway system is awful. Deep Ellum is all boarded up. I dont think I like Dallas anymore.
First day of hunting, the Mrs. failed to check for the flame on her Thermacell and got eaten alive by the mosquitoes. Heard lots of hogs nearby but didnt see any. Next morning, we set out on a stalk. I took my 500 S&W lever gun and pistol, she took her 45-70. Managed to creep up on some hogs sleeping in a wash, she took a shot at about 30 feet. The hogs all scattered and we didnt see any blood trail, so we assumed she missed but we found the hog about 200 yards away with holes in both lungs.
We circled around and found more hogs sleeping in another wash. I was able to get about 20 feet from one and fired at it with the wheelgun. Well, one hog turned into two and both scrambled out of the wash and ran straight at me. Filled my drawers, pulled the hammer back and used the Force to point and shoot. Perfect neck shot on the bigger one, he immediately seized up and fell over. The smaller one turned and ran for parts unknown.
End result: 215 pounds for me, 230 for her
That evening, I sat out with my 7-08 AR10 and went on piglet patrol. Enjoyed the quiet, got a couple of piglet Quigleys.
Next morning, we set tne Mrs. out in a blind with her 6.5CM as she wanted to get a particular hog, so the owner and I were going to drive them to her. I have my lever gun again and I normally load only two rounds in it as I dont fully trust the crimp on my handloads yet. The owner says there's a mean hog arlund, so Ioad one more just in case.
We're walking around and after 10 minutes, I hear a pair of shots. I'm thinking to myself "good, I told her to keep shooting if she has the chance until it's dead". Back at the blind, I pick up a real good blood trail. Chunks of lung and blood everywhere, it went about 50 yards and lay down next to a log. I could hear it huffing and puffing. I circled left through some brush to get a good broadside shot to finish it off, then the owner starts yelling HE'S GETTING UP! Lever gun comes up, aim in at his heart, pull the trigger...click. Shit. I've been having problems with primers not being fully seated on my 500 S&W reloads (note to self, buy a primer pocket uniformer). Quick as shit, run the lever, aim, and BAM! Right through the heart. "There, he's gotta be dead, right?"
The hog then looks at me, stands up and charges. I'm mentally doing the math, one dud plus one fired equals oh shit, I loaded an extra didnt't I or do we go to bayonet fighter mode and hope it doesnt tear me up too bad before the ranch owner shoots it. Run the lever quick and use the Force again to point and shoot, BAM! right through the back of his skull. Hog seizes up and falls over not more than 3 feet from me. Ranch owner laughing his ass off, pistol still in his back pocket. The Mrs. was still in the blind, she said my two shots were so fast, she thought I was carrying my AR.
We found the bullet in the chest- it's a 350gr Hornady FTX fired at a range of about a yard or so. The heart and lungs were completely pulped, these Texas hogs just don't know they're dead. 187 pounds.