STICK&STRING
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 81
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Well, guys, I decided to head back up to chase the hogs around the hillsides with my brother and buddy. It was my bro's first hunt ever and a hunt we will never forget! I apologize for not having any pictures just yet, my brother has the camera and will return with it on the 8th. Will post once I get them.
Friday around noon, my brother calls me and we decide lets bail out of work early and head for the hills. We packed up our stuff and arrived with 2 hours of hunting light to spare. We got our stuff ready and decided to hunt the evening. We started off by taking a quick ride around the property to see what has changed since two weeks ago when I killed that big boar. We found that the hogs have started hitting a different spot on the ranch pretty heavy and we decided to put some miles on our boots while walking down a drainage that I assumed the hogs were using to get in and out. My brother stayed high (about 150 yards from the bottom) and I stayed low (roughly 75 yards from the bottom) when I spotted a LARGE hog across the riven. Being it was my brothers first ever hunt I signaled for him, told him to stay low and start working his way to me. Once he got to me, I figured out that it was in fact a good boar and I could see teeth sticking out of his mouth! I was pumped. I rested my rifle on a large rock and estimated the range at 350 yards. I settle the crosshairs, get steady, and squeeze the trigger. BOOM! The hog doesn't even move! I quickly rack another one in and BOOM! He takes about 10 steps and stops again! As soon as he stops about 20 hogs come rushing out of the brush directly above him and scatter all around the hillside. My buddy happened to be on the other side of that very hill so we had out fingers crossed he would see the STAMPEDE! 10 sec into the bust I here BOOM! We crossed our fingers that he connected with one of the hogs, preferably the big hog. He came back to pick us up in his Polaris roughly 10 min later with a GOOD 150 lb. Boar in the back. He wasn't the monster but a good pig. After celebrating the downed hog, we got it back together and decided to try a push on a different hillside i've seen plenty of hogs on in the past (By the way, I ranged my shot across the canyon after everything was said and done and the range was 175 yards.... boy was I off).
We arrive to the new spot, my brother and I started the long hike across the canyon while my buddy went to the other side to wait for us. 5 min into out hike we hear BOOM! Turned out he shot a coyote on the opposite hill! We hike the side of the hill for about 30 min when we bail off the side of the hill and call up my buddy for a pickup. We were ready for dinner. As we were waiting I began telling my brother a few hunting stories, one in particular had to do with the exact hill we just hiked. I pointed at a manzanita patch on the very top of the hill and explained how we have seen MANY hogs move in and out of that patch. No more the 3 sec after I finish telling the story a damn hog steps out of the patch of manzanita! I grabbed my rangefinder, and ranged the hog at 583 yards. I practice these shots a lot and felt very comfortable with the shot. I set up my rifle mounted bipod on a large rock, I laid in the prone position and adjusted my elevation for the shot. I began to squeeze the trigger while concentrating on my breathing when BOOM! I watched a patch of hair just of the lungs shoot straight up in the air! I was aiming for a high shoulder shot and hit a bit far back. The bullet ended up destroying the spine just over the lungs. I racked another one in (while watching the hog roll down the hill) as the hog came to a stop I settled back on him, this time correcting for the proper wind, and BOOM. Second shot went through both lungs. The hog never moved.....
Now came the problem, How the hell are we supposed to get him down? We decided to pull him up versus push him down. It took my brother and I 4 hours on the side of a mountain working this hog out. We finally got it close enough to the Polaris to use the winch to pull it up the rest of the way. The hog weighed in at 153lbs. We arrived back that the ranch house at 12:15 am and began cooking dinner, gutting and skinning, and putting a few drinks back.
I will post the pics ASAP-
Nick-
Friday around noon, my brother calls me and we decide lets bail out of work early and head for the hills. We packed up our stuff and arrived with 2 hours of hunting light to spare. We got our stuff ready and decided to hunt the evening. We started off by taking a quick ride around the property to see what has changed since two weeks ago when I killed that big boar. We found that the hogs have started hitting a different spot on the ranch pretty heavy and we decided to put some miles on our boots while walking down a drainage that I assumed the hogs were using to get in and out. My brother stayed high (about 150 yards from the bottom) and I stayed low (roughly 75 yards from the bottom) when I spotted a LARGE hog across the riven. Being it was my brothers first ever hunt I signaled for him, told him to stay low and start working his way to me. Once he got to me, I figured out that it was in fact a good boar and I could see teeth sticking out of his mouth! I was pumped. I rested my rifle on a large rock and estimated the range at 350 yards. I settle the crosshairs, get steady, and squeeze the trigger. BOOM! The hog doesn't even move! I quickly rack another one in and BOOM! He takes about 10 steps and stops again! As soon as he stops about 20 hogs come rushing out of the brush directly above him and scatter all around the hillside. My buddy happened to be on the other side of that very hill so we had out fingers crossed he would see the STAMPEDE! 10 sec into the bust I here BOOM! We crossed our fingers that he connected with one of the hogs, preferably the big hog. He came back to pick us up in his Polaris roughly 10 min later with a GOOD 150 lb. Boar in the back. He wasn't the monster but a good pig. After celebrating the downed hog, we got it back together and decided to try a push on a different hillside i've seen plenty of hogs on in the past (By the way, I ranged my shot across the canyon after everything was said and done and the range was 175 yards.... boy was I off).
We arrive to the new spot, my brother and I started the long hike across the canyon while my buddy went to the other side to wait for us. 5 min into out hike we hear BOOM! Turned out he shot a coyote on the opposite hill! We hike the side of the hill for about 30 min when we bail off the side of the hill and call up my buddy for a pickup. We were ready for dinner. As we were waiting I began telling my brother a few hunting stories, one in particular had to do with the exact hill we just hiked. I pointed at a manzanita patch on the very top of the hill and explained how we have seen MANY hogs move in and out of that patch. No more the 3 sec after I finish telling the story a damn hog steps out of the patch of manzanita! I grabbed my rangefinder, and ranged the hog at 583 yards. I practice these shots a lot and felt very comfortable with the shot. I set up my rifle mounted bipod on a large rock, I laid in the prone position and adjusted my elevation for the shot. I began to squeeze the trigger while concentrating on my breathing when BOOM! I watched a patch of hair just of the lungs shoot straight up in the air! I was aiming for a high shoulder shot and hit a bit far back. The bullet ended up destroying the spine just over the lungs. I racked another one in (while watching the hog roll down the hill) as the hog came to a stop I settled back on him, this time correcting for the proper wind, and BOOM. Second shot went through both lungs. The hog never moved.....
Now came the problem, How the hell are we supposed to get him down? We decided to pull him up versus push him down. It took my brother and I 4 hours on the side of a mountain working this hog out. We finally got it close enough to the Polaris to use the winch to pull it up the rest of the way. The hog weighed in at 153lbs. We arrived back that the ranch house at 12:15 am and began cooking dinner, gutting and skinning, and putting a few drinks back.
I will post the pics ASAP-
Nick-
