So Mad, Hogzilla in FHL

[jaimeb831]

Being in the Marines gives me few chances to get out and do some hunting. This past weekend I flew into Monterey and decided to go do some pig hunting with my dad down in FHL. We started out late since I forget my money order, but that didnt slow us down. We got to our hunting area around 0900, and since the first minute we started seeing lots of fresh tracks. My dad managed to push out 3 nice size hogs from a deep canyon but they managed to creep out without me noticing them.

After noticing allot of tracks heading to the river, we decided to check that out, no luck there. We took a late lunch break and hung around the river for a couple of hours. At around 445 Pm we decided to head back up to the hills where we had seen allot of beddings. My dad took one side of the hill and i took another one. I got to the other side of the mountain before my dad did and was hanging around checking the beddings, when I heard some noices behind me. I turned around and saw something gray moving through the brush. The brush was about 3.5 feet high and this animal was a few inches taller than that, my first assumption was that a calf got loose.

So I turned around completly shotgun ready, and in a clearing I saw with this thing was. It was the biggest pig I have ever seen ( 11 years ago I killed a pig that weight 303 lbs field dress in FHL and this one made that one look like a piglet) this one was gray, nasty looking and full of mud. I quikly aimed in and took a shot. I saw my bullet enter his rib cage and the pig didnt even shrug and kept running. I took a few more steps to get a better shot, and fire two more well aimed shots. He then runs into a creek, and takes his time to come out, by then Im reloaded and waiting for him to come out.

I take two more shots, one was a miss and the other was another hit ( I could see his fat jiggle and mud come off him almost everytime I hit him. He look like as if he was going to fall but some how stayed on his feet. He walked into the thicker brush. I waited for my dad to reach my pos, my dad stayed were I took my last shot while I went looking, found blood and tracks. We searched all over until the sun went down. There was so many pig tracks and the dirt was so loose we ended up loosing his tracks. Nothing upsets me more than letting a pig get away, especailly something this big. My dad will be out there again this weekend trying to find him. It sucks that FHL doesnt open during the week, I would of stayed there until I found him or had to fly back.

 

[Bayboy2020]

Hope you find him. Dumb they won't let you retrieve your animal until the weekend. The military isn't too concerned with pig hunting though lol

 

[Hikingwithguns]

Bummer.

What guage and sabot were you using? Also, were you aiming for the low shoulder, remember the vitals on a pig are further forward and lower than on a deer. (useless monday morning quarterbacking I know.) Copper sabots/bullets certainly seem to be more apt to punch through the pig instead of expending all their energy as fragments inside the beast like a grenade so placement is key.

I feel your pain, I was onto a pig this weekend in a creek, but I had multiple groups of hunters move into the area I was hunting, even after I waved them away. One group moved about 100 yards upwind of me directly where I was expecting to shoot at a pig and took a shot. Learned the lesson that I should hunt the less hunted TA's over the ones with more pigs, if I want to survive the hunt :skeered:

Did you contact the wardens about recovering the pig?

 

[MapleSyrupSmuggler]

Bummer.


I feel your pain, I was onto a pig this weekend in a creek, but I had multiple groups of hunters move into the area I was hunting, even after I waved them away. One group moved about 100 yards upwind of me directly where I was expecting to shoot at a pig and took a shot. Learned the lesson that I should hunt the less hunted TA's over the ones with more pigs, if I want to survive the hunt :skeered:

And also to wear full camo, not to hide from the piggies, but from the ******* dumbass opportunistic hunters.

 

[spectr17]

dang that's a big pig. It's amazing how they can absorb a hit and not even flinch. I saw one take a 7mm mag in the boiler room at FHL and I thought the guy had missed but it was right in the pumper. That pig run about 75 yds UPHILL too before finally dying.

How was the temps up there? Any rattlers out?

 

[jaimeb831]

I was using my 12 guage, with federal Barnes Expander tipped slugs. Ive killed a few hogs this year with those slugs, didnt have any issues but again they were smaller hogs. I think all my rounds were a little too far back, I was a bit shocked at how big this hog was. I tried calling the wardens there in huntter ligget but no answer.

 

[jaimeb831]

Temps were good, not too hot.

 

[Hunter0331]

Jimmy, after hearing your story this morning over the phone it has convinced me that there are HUGE animals out there it is a matter of getting out in the bush and with a little luck I will be fortunate to have an outdoor experience like you experience this weekend, I must say that since I have met you and your dad you guys make one hell of a team. I wish you the very best in finding the beast, I hope he's keeping the coyotes or Mt Lions off his back. If you do happen to get a second chance on this BEAST or your dad, send me some pictures. Take care and I wish you both best of luck to recover such trophy, the uglier the better. Semper Fi.

 

[HogWild805]

Hope you find him. Dumb they won't let you retrieve your animal until the weekend. The military isn't too concerned with pig hunting though lol

FHL is insane during the week. Even if they let you with all the drones,guns etc being used you would loose interest in the pig at least. I hope you find the pig.

 

[Deleted member 33033]

Any luck locating big porky this weekend?

 

[jaimeb831]

Any luck locating big porky this weekend?

My dad and his buddys went, Im stationed in 29 Palms so I couldn't head out there this weekend. In route to where we last spotted the pig my dad and his buddys ran into a heard of 20 + pigs. 2 pigs were taken. My dad went back Sunday but no luck, we think he went into private property. BUmmer. the search will continue, my dad lives 1.5 hrs away from FHL so he will keep going every weekend

 

[kcravnit]

contact the wardens??????? am i the only one that caught that??? for what may i ask???

 

[spectr17]

contact the wardens??????? am i the only one that caught that??? for what may i ask???

Sometimes the wardens will go into closed areas to recover lost game or they will take you with them. Not always but you can ask. You can't enter areas you DO NOT have a permit for, they tell you to call them to recover game on the elk hunt. Kind of like when a deer you shot hops a fence into a property you don't have permission to be on. Call the warden and let him sort it out.

 

[kcravnit]

according to local game warden, if u shoot a pig and it wanders across fence line u have the right to recover as long as u are weaponless!

 

[Hikingwithguns]

according to local game warden, if u shoot a pig and it wanders across fence line u have the right to recover as long as u are weaponless!

:smiley_doh:

 

[jaimeb831]

according to local game warden, if u shoot a pig and it wanders across fence line u have the right to recover as long as u are weaponless!

I would have if I didnt have to go back to 29 Palms.

 

[Hikingwithguns]

according to local game warden, if u shoot a pig and it wanders across fence line u have the right to recover as long as u are weaponless!

I wouldn't do that, recovering animals from closed area you are supposed to be escorted by FHL personnel and from private property you need the permission of the landowner.

 

[FHLGW78]

I dont know what Game Warden you talked to but you can never go onto privet property without the land owners permission. I know you didnt as speak to me.

 

[KTKT70]

so the real law says u cant go get game on other peoples land... even with out a gun. ? Thank u for clearing that up. U can get lots of mixed info at times. Kind of cool to get the true from some1 that knows the rules first hand.

 

[kcravnit]

very interesting indeed!