#1Predator
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- May 24, 2008
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My son and I had been hunting pigs for the last few days. We had seen tracks, fresh tracks, all over the ranch but no animals had come into range. We saw one group and tried to put a sneak on 'em but they were spooked. The last time we saw the group they were at about 440 yards as they topped a ridge and dropped out of sight. Nuts!
With a weather front moving in, we decided to switch to coyote hunting. I took my .223 with 36 grain Varmint Grenades but my son wanted to stick with his .308 with Barnes 150 grain TTSX bullets.
We made a few sets but the wind kept swirling around and never settled on a constant direction. Not good for hunting critters with highly tuned noses so we got back on the ATV and set out to check a few likely spots a little higher up in elevation. Maybe we could get out of the canyons and find a breeze that was consistant. We came to a fork in the road. The right road would take us along a ridge back and eventually into a deep canyon. The left fork would drop us into a north-south canyon. Well, like Yogi Berra once said, "If you come to a fork in the road...take it"
so we took the left fork.
As we round a turn that overlooks the canyon and a small saddle, we stopped to glass the area. Before I can get my binoculars up, my son says, "Pigs!". Now, we've been hunting pigs for the last few days so I think he's joking around, so I say, sort of smart alecky, "No sh--." I casually look at the far side of the saddle and all those little "bushes" are feeding down the saddle towards the road. There's about 40 pigs of various sizes. We range them at 900 yards.
With the wind blowing toward us, we dismount and start walking down the road on an intercept course. We need to cover about 800 yards through a little mud and a few calf high snow drifts to bring us within range. At one point the pigs are about 400 yards away and we right out in the open. Moving slowly we continue down the road. When the pigs are about 250 yards from us they decide to change course and head towards the oaks in the canyon. We will lose them if they make into the oaks.
My son says, "Should I prone out?" I said, "Yes" and he drops to the ground, bipod legs anchored in a mound of dirt on the shoulder of the road. I'll be the spotter (36 grain Varmint Grenades - what was I thinking?!?). I range the closest "dry" sow, about a 250-275 pounder, at 225 yards. "225 yards, you ready?"..."yup"..."shoot". Boom!! The sow drops in her tracks. Small pig groups scatter in all directions some headed down into the canyon with others side-hilling to our right. Three large hogs and about 4 piglets are headed our way. Oh crap..:skeered:.. fix bayonets.... but then they decide to follow the others across the hill side to our right.
We can see the black bodies against the snow as they run under the oaks to our right. They begin making their way up hill, range 260 yards but no clear shot. They're at a walk, stopping occasionally under the trees. Still no clear shot. Just then a smaller sow, about 125#, steps into a clearing and stops. "Range 278 yards..you got her?"....."yup"....."shoot"....boom!!! She drops but is up again looking right at us. She's hit but not down. Boom! That's it, she's done.
We hump it back up the road and drive the ATV to the first pig. The bullet has clipped both shoulders taking out both lungs before exiting. Pig #2 was hit a little too far back with the first shot but the second shot is dead center between the eyes. The first shot exited but we recovered the second bullet. It entered the skull then angled down and slightly left taking out the jugular as it passed through the neck into the upper chest. The bullet continued to travel between the shoulder blade and the rib cage. We found it lodged in the hide just behind the rear edge of the shoulder blade.
As I write this I'm looking at that bullet on my desk and I'm grinning from ear to ear. Coyote hunting....yeah right...I think we pulled a little reverse psychology on those pigs. Next time I'm taking my .308 when we go "coyote hunting"...but that's just between us...mums the word.
With a weather front moving in, we decided to switch to coyote hunting. I took my .223 with 36 grain Varmint Grenades but my son wanted to stick with his .308 with Barnes 150 grain TTSX bullets.
We made a few sets but the wind kept swirling around and never settled on a constant direction. Not good for hunting critters with highly tuned noses so we got back on the ATV and set out to check a few likely spots a little higher up in elevation. Maybe we could get out of the canyons and find a breeze that was consistant. We came to a fork in the road. The right road would take us along a ridge back and eventually into a deep canyon. The left fork would drop us into a north-south canyon. Well, like Yogi Berra once said, "If you come to a fork in the road...take it"
so we took the left fork. As we round a turn that overlooks the canyon and a small saddle, we stopped to glass the area. Before I can get my binoculars up, my son says, "Pigs!". Now, we've been hunting pigs for the last few days so I think he's joking around, so I say, sort of smart alecky, "No sh--." I casually look at the far side of the saddle and all those little "bushes" are feeding down the saddle towards the road. There's about 40 pigs of various sizes. We range them at 900 yards.
With the wind blowing toward us, we dismount and start walking down the road on an intercept course. We need to cover about 800 yards through a little mud and a few calf high snow drifts to bring us within range. At one point the pigs are about 400 yards away and we right out in the open. Moving slowly we continue down the road. When the pigs are about 250 yards from us they decide to change course and head towards the oaks in the canyon. We will lose them if they make into the oaks.
My son says, "Should I prone out?" I said, "Yes" and he drops to the ground, bipod legs anchored in a mound of dirt on the shoulder of the road. I'll be the spotter (36 grain Varmint Grenades - what was I thinking?!?). I range the closest "dry" sow, about a 250-275 pounder, at 225 yards. "225 yards, you ready?"..."yup"..."shoot". Boom!! The sow drops in her tracks. Small pig groups scatter in all directions some headed down into the canyon with others side-hilling to our right. Three large hogs and about 4 piglets are headed our way. Oh crap..:skeered:.. fix bayonets.... but then they decide to follow the others across the hill side to our right.
We can see the black bodies against the snow as they run under the oaks to our right. They begin making their way up hill, range 260 yards but no clear shot. They're at a walk, stopping occasionally under the trees. Still no clear shot. Just then a smaller sow, about 125#, steps into a clearing and stops. "Range 278 yards..you got her?"....."yup"....."shoot"....boom!!! She drops but is up again looking right at us. She's hit but not down. Boom! That's it, she's done.
We hump it back up the road and drive the ATV to the first pig. The bullet has clipped both shoulders taking out both lungs before exiting. Pig #2 was hit a little too far back with the first shot but the second shot is dead center between the eyes. The first shot exited but we recovered the second bullet. It entered the skull then angled down and slightly left taking out the jugular as it passed through the neck into the upper chest. The bullet continued to travel between the shoulder blade and the rib cage. We found it lodged in the hide just behind the rear edge of the shoulder blade.
As I write this I'm looking at that bullet on my desk and I'm grinning from ear to ear. Coyote hunting....yeah right...I think we pulled a little reverse psychology on those pigs. Next time I'm taking my .308 when we go "coyote hunting"...but that's just between us...mums the word.
