Of Big Pigs and Emergency Rooms

[Speckmisser]

Way to go, Kentuck! That's a serious hog.

Of course, you might wanna be a little more careful where you put the knife next time.

 

[pig guide]

Okay folks! ONLY SPOONS and dull instruments for Kentuk from now on!

Seriously. Great Pig. Congrats.

 

[Kentuck]

SE,

I'd be comfortable shooting a slug out my current setup out to 50 yards. I've shot whitetail deer farther with a 20 and did well. With a good slug barrel 100-150 yard shots back east are not unheard of with a slug gun and scope. When I first saw the pig he was only 40-45 yards away and broadside. I almost shot it right then but since it wasn't spooked I decide to try and better my odds and get closer. Turns out the hog started walking right to me. I think it would have swam the canal I was standing next to. If you look at the top of my head in the first pic you can see the top of the bank I was standing on and a little bit of the water that is in the canal. The pig definately knew something was up and since I was skylined from his angle thank God for good camo! The hog was walking in and out of the thick stuff. Thank goodness there were openings. All the cover on the island was pretty tall this year. I figured it was going to be hard to see a pig. Mark heard a hog in some tule patches near the truck when he went back and got the cart. He said the hair was standing up on the back of his neck as he walked through some of the thick stuff.

If you look the last pic you can see the entrance hole of my second shot. Remember a sluge is just about the diameter of a shell so they are big and weigh an ounce. The first shot hit it in the top of the head, right between the ears and and took out the back of the head and opened up the neck about 4 inches. Didn't get much penetration but enough to knock it down. Should have taken a pic of that wound. I'm sure a taxidermist won't like to see that but at least it is the back of the head. The second shot went in at the neck and we pulled pieces out of the opposite shoulder. Got most of the slug and even the wadding from the shoulder. Some of the slug may still be in part of the neck or shoulder. It was pretty flat and broken up. Looks like it went in the neck at the left side and stopped at the top of the right front leg. That leg was broken. I told the butcher that there still might be some slug in the shoulder so they could watch for it.

I took it to Kelly Meats in Livermore. Closest place I know of to Concord.

Anyone have a taxidermist they can recommend near the East Bay Area?. I didn't think I'd ever mount an ugly ol' pig but I believe this may be close to a "once-in-a-lifetime" pig.

I went out briefly this evening and saw a hog about as big as mine body wise over on part of the private part of the island. It got nervous and ran further onto the private ground. It may have been heading my way but it would have had to swim across a 75 yard slough to the hunt area. At least I saw another one.

Thanks guys. One thing I can say, getting cut with a sharp knife doesn't really hurt much but man does it bleed!

At least I have full movement and the numbness may be from the trauma of the cut. Doc says it might get better in a few days.

 

[manteca3]

Hey Kentuck,

Where is Joice Island? Isn't that a drawing or something? How hard is it to get drawn? I work over in Livermore but didn't know about that butcher.
Again congrats! You are probably still floatin 6 inches off the ground.

manteca3

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

Well Done!!!!! He's gonna taste might fine...

 

[superduty]

Kentuck, your so modest with your story. You know you got cut wrestling that sucker down when he snuck up on you while you were taking a nature break. That's how the toilet paper got stuck to your leg right before you reached for that slug gun to give him a taste of his own medicine. Nice going and I hope you scored your second hog.

 

[Backcountry]

Originally posted by manteca3@Apr 10 2005, 09:59 PM
Where is Joice Island? Isn't that a drawing or something? How hard is it to get drawn? I work over in Livermore but didn't know about that butcher.

Joice Island is next to Grizzly Island near Suisun City.

Yes, it's a draw hunt and shotgun with slugs only.

Draw stats are not published; however, given that I know at least 20 people that put in for the hunt each year and typicaly only one (sometimes none) get drawn, I'd say the odds are about 1:20 to 1:30 (i.e., 3-5%). Appliations are due in early February and the draw is not publicized... if you want to apply, it's up to you to remember in the dead of winter to apply. Some years there is chatter about the draw here on JHO, but there's alwasy guys who say they read these pages every day that never heard about the draw and are bummed they didn't apply.

So, if you want to apply, do a JHO search of the pig forum for Joice Island pig hunt and the instruction on how to apply will be there. The same info can be found on the CA-DFG website, but it is hard to locate. Hunts are Sat-Sun only, typically from late March to mid-june, ONLY three hunters get drawn per weekend, and when you apply you choose ONE weekend to hunt and apply for that weeekend. You are not applying for the whole Joice Island season.

The one great thing though is that if you get drawn, it's a 100% free hunt (except for the tag).

Backcountry

 

[SierraExplorer]

Originally posted by Kentuck@Apr 10 2005, 10:11 PM
Anyone have a taxidermist they can recommend near the East Bay Area?.

Kentuck- I am trying to get a line on someone that does it part-time/hobby out of their house in Brentwood. If I can find out who it is- in relatively short time- and he takes in/does my sons bird- I will ask for sure about your hog.

If not I need to find one local to me also. I know where one is up in Diamond Springs.

Is it caped and in the freezer?

Congrats again and for telling us how well the slugs worked for you !

 

[Catahoula Kid]

Great story Kentuck, I got drawn for May 7,8. Did any other hunters get hogs?

 

[BDB]

Right on Kentuck, congrats on a great hog

Nice work on the leg too

I'm glad it wasn't too serious.

 

[Mel Carter]

Way to go, Monty! That's one hell of a hog. Was your shotgun fitted with any rifled choke, or did you shot out of a smooth barrel?

Again, Congrats!!

 

[BobcatJess]

Nice Hog Kentuck.

Maybe next year I will get drawn...I have applied for 5 yrs. and no luck yet.

Jess.

 

[Kentuck]

CK

I know of at least one other hog killed that weekend and maybe one more from some sign I saw on Sunday evening. I did see one more hog but it was on the private property part of the island and on the other side of a 50 yard slough.

When I talked to DFG on Friday he said they had 7 hunts and 7 hogs killed. One of the dog runners hunting this weekedn said his wife had gotten one the weekend before us and they had a nice meat hog that I saw. They were going to hunt more also.

Only negative thing the DFG guy told me was the open space that is in the area got a depredation permit a couple months ago and has someone knocking off hogs that have been going onto the open space lands.

The cover on the island is tall and thick this year so the hogs have lots of space to hide. Shoot me an email and I'll give you some more details.

I found a taxidermist in Concord that seems reasonable. I'm going to check his work when I get back from turkey hunting in KY next week. Man, some of these guys want a ton of money to mount a pig. Definately as much as a deer. I was shocked. I have the head in the freezer.

Mel,

I shot my 870 express with an improved cylinder choke tube and 3 inch Winchester rifled slugs.

Kentuck