CaliJeephuntr
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- Aug 29, 2004
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Well.. We were deer hunting.... but we ran into a pig. Actually, I should say pigs.
Got into area 16 Friday at FHL. Was thinking awesome, good deer hunting to be had. Saturday morning comes around and we find ourselves on the 16/21 border road. We motored in and then started up the main ridge while our buddy stayed low. We were about half way along the main ridge when we got a call from some friends in 15 that some bucks had crossed into 16 down in the flats. So we start moving really quick down the ridge to try and get down there. As we're going back down low from the main ridge we stopped at a spot to do a quick glassing over the flats. I spot this black shape between these oak trees down low and was thinking, looks out of place. Put the binocs on it and it turns out to be a pig rooting around. Got the other guys on it and two more stepped out into the open, all rooting around. After a quick discussion we decide to go get them.
When we get to the bottom and turn right down the spring road we come across some hunters who were already working the bucks. Apparently they had seen them also. Oh well. We go past them and turn left. We should have gotten out and walked down the road, but we didn't want to alert the other hunters that something was up. We wanted first crack at them. So we drive around the corner. And where we were expecting 3 pigs, we see.... well, I don't know how many there was as there was too many to count. They were every where. Under two different oak trees just rooting away. Well, as you can expect, it we were like "Holy @#$%!"
We all bail out as quickly as was possible as the pigs were suddenly alerted to us. I bailed out the back, the driver got out and crouched where he was at, the front passenger got out and went to the front of the jeep, and the guy that was in the back with me also went up around to the front. I crouched, jacked one in, dialed in on a small to medium size hog who had just started to trot, and squeezed the trigger. And nothing happened. I was like WTF!? A dud? Jack another shell in, train on another small/med pig, and the squeezed the trigger. Nothing again! By now i'm really confused and really annoyed. The other guys had already opened up to. After that second no go I finally looked at my safety and could have kicked myself. It was in the middle position!
So you could use the bolt and squeeze the trigger, but it wouldn't allow the firing pin to let loose. I shoot a Winchester Model 70. And they have that three stage safety.
So... with the problem figured out, I train on yet another small/med pig. Maybe 5-10 seconds had gone by, by now. I aimed, squeezed, and BANG! Shot right over the top of the running pig. DAMM! So I take a quick look as I jack another round in and see a BIG pig wounded. Figure I better finish him off as the rest of the herd was by now, through the trees and not presenting any shots. Take aim, BANG! The pig drops! Take another look around and that seemed to be it. I don't know what pigs my buddies were shooting at, and I have no idea how their shots were, because I was too busy trying to figure out why my gun wasn't shooting. LOL Guess the excitement got me! Pig fever anyone?
Well... about a minute after we stopped shooting (was probably more like 30 seconds) the hunters we passed opened up on the pigs. The pigs ran right at them. One of the guys said the pig he got was running right at him, and the pig didn't know he was there. They were wondering what was going cause of all our shots, then they saw the answer running right at them. They ended up getting two.
So we drive up to the downed pig and about choked at how big it was. It's the biggest pig i've ever seen, and the biggest pig i've been apart of. He dressed out at 255lbs and took 5 guys to get it in the back of a truck. Just about everyone in our campground was thinking it would push at least 300 lbs. A lot of people were surprised it only went 255. ONLY, right? lol It certainly looked bigger! We were stoked!
The only picture I got was with a camera phone. It's the only shot I took of it that I have on me right now. My buddy took a bunch with his camera, so once I get the pics from him i'll update this post with some better pictures. XDHunter took some pics at the game shack, so maybe he could post some when he gets home tomorrow.
His upper tusks were worn down to rounded little things, and one bottom tusk had been broken off completely. His ears looked like they had been in a shredder. Talk about a mean fightin pig. And yes, it was the only one we got out of the heard. There was another one that was supposedly hit, but we never found it. We're thinking it might have been one of the pigs the other hunters got.
Was a good way to start the day!
Got into area 16 Friday at FHL. Was thinking awesome, good deer hunting to be had. Saturday morning comes around and we find ourselves on the 16/21 border road. We motored in and then started up the main ridge while our buddy stayed low. We were about half way along the main ridge when we got a call from some friends in 15 that some bucks had crossed into 16 down in the flats. So we start moving really quick down the ridge to try and get down there. As we're going back down low from the main ridge we stopped at a spot to do a quick glassing over the flats. I spot this black shape between these oak trees down low and was thinking, looks out of place. Put the binocs on it and it turns out to be a pig rooting around. Got the other guys on it and two more stepped out into the open, all rooting around. After a quick discussion we decide to go get them.
When we get to the bottom and turn right down the spring road we come across some hunters who were already working the bucks. Apparently they had seen them also. Oh well. We go past them and turn left. We should have gotten out and walked down the road, but we didn't want to alert the other hunters that something was up. We wanted first crack at them. So we drive around the corner. And where we were expecting 3 pigs, we see.... well, I don't know how many there was as there was too many to count. They were every where. Under two different oak trees just rooting away. Well, as you can expect, it we were like "Holy @#$%!"
We all bail out as quickly as was possible as the pigs were suddenly alerted to us. I bailed out the back, the driver got out and crouched where he was at, the front passenger got out and went to the front of the jeep, and the guy that was in the back with me also went up around to the front. I crouched, jacked one in, dialed in on a small to medium size hog who had just started to trot, and squeezed the trigger. And nothing happened. I was like WTF!? A dud? Jack another shell in, train on another small/med pig, and the squeezed the trigger. Nothing again! By now i'm really confused and really annoyed. The other guys had already opened up to. After that second no go I finally looked at my safety and could have kicked myself. It was in the middle position!
So... with the problem figured out, I train on yet another small/med pig. Maybe 5-10 seconds had gone by, by now. I aimed, squeezed, and BANG! Shot right over the top of the running pig. DAMM! So I take a quick look as I jack another round in and see a BIG pig wounded. Figure I better finish him off as the rest of the herd was by now, through the trees and not presenting any shots. Take aim, BANG! The pig drops! Take another look around and that seemed to be it. I don't know what pigs my buddies were shooting at, and I have no idea how their shots were, because I was too busy trying to figure out why my gun wasn't shooting. LOL Guess the excitement got me! Pig fever anyone?
Well... about a minute after we stopped shooting (was probably more like 30 seconds) the hunters we passed opened up on the pigs. The pigs ran right at them. One of the guys said the pig he got was running right at him, and the pig didn't know he was there. They were wondering what was going cause of all our shots, then they saw the answer running right at them. They ended up getting two.
So we drive up to the downed pig and about choked at how big it was. It's the biggest pig i've ever seen, and the biggest pig i've been apart of. He dressed out at 255lbs and took 5 guys to get it in the back of a truck. Just about everyone in our campground was thinking it would push at least 300 lbs. A lot of people were surprised it only went 255. ONLY, right? lol It certainly looked bigger! We were stoked!
The only picture I got was with a camera phone. It's the only shot I took of it that I have on me right now. My buddy took a bunch with his camera, so once I get the pics from him i'll update this post with some better pictures. XDHunter took some pics at the game shack, so maybe he could post some when he gets home tomorrow.
His upper tusks were worn down to rounded little things, and one bottom tusk had been broken off completely. His ears looked like they had been in a shredder. Talk about a mean fightin pig. And yes, it was the only one we got out of the heard. There was another one that was supposedly hit, but we never found it. We're thinking it might have been one of the pigs the other hunters got.
Was a good way to start the day!
