Multi-hog shots

[Kickaha]

So here's the scenario....

You have come across two pigs, a sow of 200 or so pounds and a youngster of 75 or so pounds. They're too busy eating to notice you get in position for a nice shot at either. You'd like to take both, but there are bushes nearby and the one you don't shoot at will likely make it to them before you can get another round ready.

Do you: (a) shoot at the sow, hoping the youngster might not run too far from mama, or (b) shoot at the youngster, hoping that mama might get mad and stick around to deal with the guy who just shot junior, or © shoot at whichever one you'd rather eat because the other will be miles away before you can chamber another round?

 

[EVAN III]

I'll take D: Bumrush them and take them both with a knife!

Ok Really, I'd probly take the sow first, then go after JR. if he stuck around. So where exactly did you have this problem?????

 

[HaveGunWillTravel]

wait and find a big boar

 

[Speckmisser]

I have a space just the right size for that 200 lb sow in my freezer. She'd go first. That's a nice pile of meat.

I may or may not pass on Jr if he sticks around. Odds are real good he won't, though. At 75 lbs, he's probably not dependent on mama any more. But, if he defies the odds and stays put, then it
depends a lot on how far I am from the truck, and how warm/cold it is. Packing one pig out is a killer... coming back for another one is a big disincentive. In the right circumstances, though, I'd smoke him too... but only after the big girl is solidly planted.

Wish I could get into a situation like that, but with my luck if I do, it'll be at Tejon where I'm only allowed one pig at a time.

 

[MrMullen]

The big one.

A hog in the freezer is worth two in the bush.

 

[songdog]

I hunted up in Paso Robles about 10 years ago and shot what I thought was a lone boar about 120 yards away. He was standing in knee high barley with nothing else around him. He dropped at the shot and when I went up to him I was really puzzled to find two pigs - the large (250lb boar) and a smaller 150lb sow. She was completely out of my line of sight about 5 feet behind the boar and after the bullet (130gr Partition) went through the boar it plowed right down the snout of the sow and ended up all the way down by one of her hams (that was about 3' of pig that the bullet went through).

Both were stone dead when I walked up. Of course, I wouldn't recommend this but it was interesting to notice the energy of the bullet after leaving the first hog (another reminder to be sure of your backstop - in this case I "thought" it was a big hill covered with barley). I tagged both and put them in the truck.

Oh, and the original quesiton, if I had to hump it back to the truck I'd shoot the smaller one. If it wasn't too far, I'd go for the bigger. By the time a pig is 75lbs is way past being dependent on mama.

 

[yotegetter]

Take mama and come back for piglet some other day.

 

[Beerdonga]

My situation my be different than most of yall that pig hiunt, because we are getting to the point of being overrun with wild hogs. If I was shooting for meat, I would definately shoot the 75 pounder first no question. The meat will be a lot more tender and it will also be a lot easier to clean. The older and larger the hog the tuffer they are to skin. About shooting which one first so you can get a second shot at the other one is a dificult decision. I do know that a momma pig will bolt no matter what. Usualy the only time you can get pigs to come back or stick around is if they are in a large group and are either defensive or qurious to what happened. Just last week, we head shot two boars that were to big for me and my brother in law and my dad to load in a truck. They were easily over 300 a piece. They would be almost impossible to clean since their "shield" is about 4 to 5 inches thick on each side. So far this season weve gotten about a total of 12 hogs, and that number is fixin to shoot up with me having a lot of time off to hunt in the next couple of weeks...

 

[DILPRXO]

I believe that the range and whether I had a partner with me would play into my decsion.Longer range and solo I'd probably go after junior 1st...Drop him, let moma go..the chances of a poorly placed round as she's moving at the longer distance are high....I can handle packing him out solo.. skin him down ..basic butcher job=40 lbs of meat. Close range with a partner hit them both "on 3" or if my buddy is hunting on next ridge..hit junoir 1st ....then take a shot at Moma.. range is shorter good chance of a proper hit even if she's moving because she's bigger than junoir moving and again shot being taken at closer distance ...Again basic buther job..total approx. 140 pounds of meat for both..divided between two hunter's 70lbs plus gear or two 35 lbs trips each .. loads that will make you both "huff" but not undoable....split meat at home.

 

[Kickaha]

The reason I asked was I was in position to take two a while ago. Only problem was, I only had a pocket knife with me at the time. Now I know that some will look down on me (Evan) for not rushing in anyway, but that's how it goes. Barring rough terrain and a long hike back, I'd probably go for the biggun as well.

Beerdonga,

I always hear about how Texas is overrun with wild pigs. I hear that about certain parts of California as well. However, the thing with CA is that the ranchers are really using their "problem" as a way to make money. I don't have a problem with that or with owners charging a trespass fee, but the way it's handled now their claims of there being a problem laughable.

So if we were to plan a JHP road trip to Texas to hunt wild pigs, are there really any available on public land (or private land where the owner is more interested in getting rid of the pigs than making a lot of money)?

 

[Speckmisser]

Kick,

I gotta go with you on that point...

I double-dog-dare any CA farmer to come crying to me about a "pig problem", then turn around and ask for $300 or more per hunter/per pig to "help him" thin the herd. I don't mind the idea of them making a dollar off the resource, but you can't have it both ways.

One of the things that got me so stoked about pig hunting when I was getting ready to move to CA was all this talk about the "pig problem" and how CA was being overrun. Sounded a lot like the whitetail back home, and I figured most farmers would be glad to have someone come out and put a dent in the population. That's what I get for thinking.

As to public land hunting in Texas, be warned... approximately 98% of the land in Texas is in private ownership... and it's a BIG state.

 

[Beerdonga]

Yeah Texas is large and it seems like it is almost all privately owned. I dont know much about hunting public land in Texas. I do know that most ranchers are looking to make money though off of hunters. The only time that I have seen ranchers of farmers letting pig hunting on their property for free is when they let hunters come in with dogs and kill a bunch of hogs in a single night or two.

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

I've actually been in that situation before. About 5 months ago my buddy and I were hunting a private ranch in San Ardo. We drove to the top of this ridge in my buddies 4x4 and were getting our gear ready to hunt the last speck of daylight we had left. I threw on my 44mag and grabbed my rifle and headed out. My buddy Paul took off in the opposite direction. We had radios so we could keep in contact. This was a friday night and we were gonna hunt this ranch for 2 days, so we didnt think we would hunt hard until saturday morning. 5 minutes into walking this ridgeline I stop to glass with my bino's at the bottom of this hillside and didnt see anything. I take 10 steps and come around this corner and now I'm looking into this valley of barley. About 150 yards out I see a big ol sow (250+) and two smaller pigs (75 to 100lbs each). These pigs are crossing this field to go water, which was on the other side of the valley. I lay prone and get the sow in my crosshairs. Now, this was the choice I had to make. Do I shoot the sow and try and shoot another before they all run off? or do I call my buddy on the radio and wait for him to get there (Cause I thought he was only 2 to 3 minutes away from me) so he can get a shot at one of them to. Well, I know what I should of done now...lol, I pulled out my radio and called my buddy. My buddy is part billy goat, so he was a little farther away than I thought he was. Meanwhile I have my crosshairs on these pigs and there heading for these scattered trees thats in this valley. I bounch my crosshairs from mama to youngers and really didnt know which one to shoot fist. Well, I wanted sausage, so I kept it on mama. The pigs go into the scattered trees, on the other side of the trees is a clearing, so I wasnt to worried. My buddy finally arrived and I pointed to where I last saw them go. We stalked down there and no pigs in site. They went in and went straight up the hill. We turned around and saw them going straight up this hill approximately 300 to 350 yards away from us. We took a shot each and we missed. After that they were gone. I was just trying to be a nice guy and let my buddy have a shot. I learned my lesson...lol, I should of shot as soon as I saw them....That wont happen again