My 2008 Spring Hog Hunt with Bandy Smith

[Mt Goat]

It started about a week and ahalf ago when I get a call from Bandy Smith calling to tell me he has Hogs in and thats hes been seeing them on a regular bases for a couple weeks. He tells me all the fields are drying up fast and that the pigs are starting to hit them hard. The land he hunts are planted with Oats, Wheat, and Barley, and he has natural running springs for water. He tells me that hes seeing them moving around pretty much all day long, at the time acouple weeks ago the weather was dipping down a bit and real nice. Anyway he knows I want a Big boy and tells me in the last week hes seen 7-8 different Bachler hogs all around 250lbs or so, along with several different groups of hogs with 5-15 in each group that would make some great eaters. Bandy tells me to call Sterk/GUNDOGLOVER and see when we could get up there. Sterk being the nice sensitive guy he is cant do it that weekend, the weekend of the 9th because he has to take his wife to the Air Port Friday morning. Sterk runs a tight ship and theres no deveating from a plan once its set in motion, LOL. So we decide to do the hunt the next weekend on the 16th. The plan was to leave Friday morning at 10:00. We figured that would get us to Paso Robles in time for a quick bite to eat, with time to get us to Bandys place in Bradley about 30 mins from there, in time to set up camp and be ready for an evening hunt. Well we get to Tuesday the 13th and I get an e-mail from Sterk telling me he would like to leave Thursday instead of Friday, and if I couldnt work that out he at least wanted out of town by Friday at 6:00am instead of 10:00, LOL. You have to know and LOVE the guy. He gets like a kid at Christmas before a hunt and just cant wait, so the faster hes out of town the better, LOL.

I get to Sterks house at 5:50am and load up and are out of town, by 6:30. We stop off in Paso Robles and eat lunch at McClintocs (SP) and are then off to Bradley to hook up with Bandy. Bandy has a 1300 acre ranch and access to acouple more propertys in the area. He set us up in a nice area to camp for the weekend, he brings us a fire pit, and tells us if we want we can sight in our rifles right there and that he'll be back in a couple of hours to go hunting.

Bandy picks us up around 4:30 and we drive off to a spot on his ranch, and by 5:00 we're set up in a nice tree line of Oaks over looking a field planted with Oats, with a natural creek seperating another field of Oats that was just freshly cut and still laying on the ground. The wind seems to be swirlling around a bit. We're setting there about 30 mins when I spot a group of Hogs enter the field really fast. They are moving left to right eating the tops of the Oats as they move through the field. We see 4 pigs and about 10-15 pigglets. So we know there's wet sows in the group. Our guess is that theres at least two wet sows. We watch as they move though the field on there way to water. Sterk Just wants a smaller meat hog and these ones looked perfect. He gets his rifle ready and is just waiting for the word on which pigs are the ones he can pick from. As they first start to get closer to us the rear Pig the bigger of the 4 raises his nose and we think he made us, but then they start to move again, they pass right in front of us at I would guess about 60-70 yards. At about 20 yards from the water and where the field is shorter to where we can see whats what, the Pigs stop moving, and seem to get nervous, then turn and run back 250 yards from where they just came from. Were guessing that the wind change directions at the last minute and they made us. As they get to the end of the field we can see the bigger pig was a boar and that two of the three sows were wet. We sit for about 5 more minute when we see a coyote exit the field in the same spot the pigs just left from. After seeing that we started thinking they caught wind of the coyote in the field laying in wait for a quick grab of a pigglet. We were all watch the edges of the field pretty good and we never saw the dog enter the field, we only saw it as it exited the field at the same spot and moving in the same direction the pigs were going. Bandy tells us he wants to try another Ranch about 10 mile away, that is right on the border of Camp Robert. It has 500 acres of planted Barley which is heroin to a pig. We drive over and hike to the top of a hill that has 3 big Oak trees. We each take a tree and start glassing the area. From the top of the hill you can see pretty much everything in every direction. The Barley had been cut and was laying to dry out and cure alittle bit. We stay until dark and didnt see anything move in. So we load up and head back to camp, for dinner, a camp fire, and a few adult beverages.

One thing we did noticed is the weather had changed over the last week and ahalf and we were heading for a full moon. With high temps, and a full moon the fear set in that the pigs might not come in until after dark, feed all night and be gone by morning.

End of day one Friday the 16th

 

[Mt Goat]

Day Two Saturday

Sterk and I are up bright and early at 4:00am. Bandy is going to pick us up at 5:00, and the plan is to go back to the Ranch with the Barley to see if we can get into the hogs before they leave the field. We drive the ranch glassing and see nothing in the fields so we decide to go back to the Oat field, with the creek.

We arrive at the Oat field, and hike to the edge of the field and sit for awhile. Nothing seems to be happening so we decide to move around and look at the creek to see whats been in there that night, and then we were going to hike around and see if we could spot or push something. At the creek we see that several hogs had been in that night and that there was a BIG BOY hanging out around the area. From there we walked around the edges of the fields and glassed for a bit, then decided to push through some thick stuff to see if we could push something up. Still nothing.

At this point we decide to go check out a small field planted in Wheat that had a little watering hole. We wanted to see if the Hogs had been hitting the Wheat yet, and to check for tracks around the watering hole. Pigs had definity been in ther eating the Wheat, but not to many track at the water, but a few. We look the area over good and then decide to go check out a couple other areas on Bandys Ranch.

We go driving some roads and glassing the area checking out some of the lower fields. Along the way Bandy sees a spring that had dryed up that was seeping pretty good. He said there hadnt been water in that spring a while and that it looked like the pigs had dug it up in the last day or two. We saw fairly fresh tracks everywhere in the mud that in one spot had a good wet pig smell to it. Its starting to warm up a bit so we head back to camp, with the plan to head back out around 2:00pm.

The place we were camping we saw several deer and heard and saw several Turkeys. We ate lunch and decide to shoot a few rounds through our rifles, and Sterk 480 revolver. We had our Rifles zeroed at 200 yard, and Sterk had his revolver shooting zero at 80 yards.

Bandy gets back at 2:00pm and we load up and head out. He had a game cam out, that he check and said that the field we had seen the Pigs Friday night had good traffic in the morning at around 2:00 and through the afternoon. So we decide to head back over there to the Oat field. After sitting in the Oak trees for again about 30 minute the same group of hogs with the pigglets come rolling in this time with them is another hog. Instread of going right through the field this time they go around the edge of the field and into and around some bushes and trees along the creek. From where we are sitting we can see right into where the pigs should come out and head to the water. They start popping out one by one Sterk had a pig he want to shot picked out, and I decided to shoot the meat Boar. Then instead of going straight to water they go through the creek bed and head straight to the Oat field right in front of us and are heading right at us. All this is taking its time. Sterk has had his rifle shouldered for 10 plus minutes and I had been trying to find the boar with my scope for the same amount of time too. Of course all the pig except the new hog and the boar I was going to shoot were in the field aboutr 60-70 out in front of us when finally the boar steps into the field and stops on the edge we tell Bandy to count down to 3 and we were going to shoot on 3. Right on 1 my pig starts to run to catch up with the others, on 3 we both fire and I shot right over the back just missing the pig now they are in full speed out of here and I lead the pig and sqeeze of another round again just over his back. I feel sick to my stomach missing an easy shot like that. I've killed ground squirel from that distance with a pellet gun. My mistake was that I told myself if I had a close shot I was going to use my fixed sights on my rifle, but I used the scope. I have elevated rings for my scope so I can see my fixed sights. My rifle was sight in for 200 yards and I shot high, BUT thats still no excuse, I'm on myself thinking I'm a turd. The whole situation was screwy form the get go. Sterk and myself agreed if we get another shot at a pig just shoot the darn thing none of this counting down or waiting for the other guy to get a shot at the same time, just find your shot and take it. At this point we decide to go to the spring that the pigs had dug up, and hunt an area overlooking the Wheat field of Bandys neighbor and an Oat field between that was above the seep.

We get to the spot and hike to a ridge over looking both fields with scrub brush between the two places. It was a really nice spot. We were there about 20 minutes when I hear those bugs that sound off like a rattle snake when you pass by them. Anyway They sound off right below me in the thick brush. I get Bandys attention and he comes over when we hear a hog blowing dust. I get Sterks attention and tell him we got hogs below us. Sterk heads over to Bandy whos now about 20 yards to my right and Sterk instantly has an opening in front of him with a hog just standing there about 200 yards out. Right as he raises his rifle the hog moves behind some bushes. Bandy tells us he thinks we need to move around to cut them off before they cross a fence line where we cant hunt. I dont like the situation because the wind will blow our smell right at the pigs. So while they go to cut them off, I head back to where I had saw the pigs to begin with. I see 4 pigs one being a wet sow. I pull my range finder out and see I have a 210 yard shot, I feel pretty good about my rifle at this range and with the shot in general. I put the cross hairs right behind the right side shoulder and sqeeze off a round. I then quickly look to see where my hog was and all I see is the Wet sow with the pigglets starting to run off. I focus my eyes and then I can see a tail and back leg move in the the tall Oats. What a feeling. While all this is happening Sterk see 3 hogs run off and thought, I'm sure outloud, he missed again, Then he hears me yell Pig Down !!!!!!! I'll tell you what, it felt sweet. We all get to the hog and its high fives and hand shakes. I sit and savor the feeling while Sterk and Bandy go get the truck.

I shot the pig from on top of a hill looking down from 210 yards with my 30-06 with a 180 grain Winchester Fail Safe bullet. The bullet hit right behind the right shoulder and exited out the top of the left shoulder going cleanly through both lungs and dropping the Hog where he stood. I had very little loss of meat maybe 3-4 inchs on 3 ribs and the exit was clean. The hogs weight was 165lb but his nose was still dragging on the gounds making his head turn to the side alittle, so we figured he was probibily about 170lb the nice thing is the pig didnt stink a bit, he was full of fat and had been feeding on grain, he actually had a real sweet smell to him. I can wait to BBQ some of it up Friday or Saturday when I pick him up from the Butcher.

I have pictures of us skinning my pig but the field pictures are in Sterks throw away camera that needs to be developed. I'll post up pictures tomorrow afternoon, after I'm done working dogs.

I want to thank Bandy Smith and his family for putting up with us for the weekend. He is a Hard Working, Standup guy, that trys his best to get you a hog. Thats all I can ask for.

Larry Lowell

 

[Mt Goat]

Day 3 Sunday

Again we get up bright and early, with the plan for Bandy to pick us up at 5:00. Right on time, he pulls up, and we're off. We head over to the First nights hunt Oat field. and set up closer to the water right on the edge of a hill. The plan is for Sterk to shoot a meat hog and if the Big Boy is there I'd take him. We're sitting here for about an hour and decide to move becasue the wind changed and is blowing up our backs and straight to where we think the hogs might be coming in or going out. We decide to go look at the creek to see if any pigs covered our tracks from the day before, and they had. We set up on the opposit side of the creek this time and glass start to glass cut field. We're sitting in this spot 10-15 minutes when we hear a noise in the bushes along the creek bed we just crossed over. Just then I see two hogs they pop up and go straight for the Oats and then stop as they get to where we had just crossed the field. There is one boar and one sow with a few older pigglets. This is the first we've seen of these guys. Sterk raise his gun and sqeezes one off on a quarting away pig. He hits the pig right at the front of the right side back leg and flank and across to the front part of the rig cage. The Pig lets off a big sqeel and is laying dead a few minutes later. We have the hog loaded up and by 7:00 are headed back to Bandys place to gut skin and clean.

Sterks Hog weighted in at 170 on the nose and again LOTS of fat. Both Hogs should taste reallyy good being Grain fed like they were. Can wait to dig in.

For the weather to be around 98-100 with a full moon, we saw alot of hogs moving around and even better LOTs of little ones, should be good Hog huntin though out the summer.

I will get pictures up as soon as I'm done working dogs in the morning


Larry Lowell

 

[Kentuck]

Sounds like a great hunt and even better bbq's coming up.

 

[MJB]

Geat story Larry.....its a lot of fun chasing those pigs in the heat.

 

[hatchet1]

great story !! BUT,

 

[bigworm]

Glad your hunt was productive. It always makes it nice to have a lot of action. Great job, this time of year the grain fields can't be beat.

 

[chirohunter]

Sounds like a great hunt...Congrats!! Nothing like that adrenaline rush prior to pulling the trigger....followed by the rush of satisfaction when seeing the pig down...awsome!! Can't wait to see the pics.

 

[Speckmisser]

Sounds like big fun. The barley ought to be really heating up right about now!

 

[Mt Goat]

Here a few pictures.

Larry Lowell

 

[DEERSLAM]

Congrats!!
Good story and pics...thanks.

 

[Cold1nhand]

Wow what a story... great pics and some nice hogs! I think you were trying to make TRA jealous with this novel! HAHAHAHA

 

[superduty]

Loved the read and pigs Larry. Congrats to the both of you.

 

[hunt hard]

Very Nice story and pictures. Is this a guided hunt or public land only if its guided do you have a number.

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

Nice story and Pics...Thanx for sharing Larry....

 

[kelly106]

Great story, good times smackin hogs, congrats!

 

[Flatbroke]

Very nice, Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

 

[Mt Goat]

Thanks for all the nice words guys. As you can tell I had a great time.

Hunt Hard, this was a Guided hunt, and I do have Bandy Smiths phone number. I dont have it on me right now, I left my cell phone and his cards in the truck and my wife just drove off with them. I will remember to get it for you sence you asked.


Larry Lowell

 

[Huntr Pat]

Good job larry. Nice hog going to be some good eating.

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

ahhhhhh, a great morning read of a successful wild hog hunt! nice hogs!congrats MT Goat and thanks for sharing your story and photo,s!.............tra