t-minus 4 hours

[SacFireJT]

 

[crodog]

 

[Gomer76825]

Congrats guys nice job, now bring on the squealer pics.

 

[Backcountry]

 

[Rancho Loco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gomer76825 @ Feb 25 2007, 01:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

now bring on the squealer pics.[/b]

Arrowslinger didn't go on this trip..

 

[Backcountry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gomer76825 @ Feb 25 2007, 01:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

...now bring on the squealer pics.[/b]

My camera cable is at work...

 

[Backcountry]

I had fully intended to string this out, possibly forever, but I/we just didn't take enough pics... we took a lot of other stuff with us (libations), but not a lot of pics... (note to self... more pics, less hootch)

So anyway... if we back up to the pic that BDB posted above with me drawing down on a pig across the hill... that was Friday about an hour after we arrived at the ranch... let's call it 4:30pm...

 

[Backcountry]

Friday we decided to take a quick evening scout out to get the lay of the land where we would be running dogs the following day…

We’re not 5 minutes from the Boars Nest and Tally Ho… there be pigs… we put the glass on about a half dozen across the canyon and below us and decided it was worthwhile to make a stalk…

 

[Lurediver]

.. BDB jumped into his wheelchair and I pushed him into position...

 

[Backcountry]

BDB and I started hauling ass downhill hill to close the gap and get to a spot where I felt good about a shot… we crept up onto a grassy knoll and hunkered down next to a couple of oaks trees and put the glass on the pigs again… I guessed we were about 200-225 yards and almost perfectly level with the pigs… we didn’t have a rangefinder with us, but at that range I didn’t need one as I was certain we were inside of my .308’s point-blank-range using 165 grain Barnes TSX all-copper bullets (PBR ~ 265 yards).

 

[Backcountry]

Uh oh! Most of the pigs were sows with little football-sized piglets sucking teats!

 

[Backcountry]

...but there was one without pigglets... time for lead to fly!

 

[Backcountry]

Hey, now seems like a good time for a photo hanging around the campfire...

 

[Flatbroke]

looks liek the guy on the right pissed himself

 

[Backcountry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Flatbroke @ Feb 25 2007, 02:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

looks liek the guy on the right pissed himself

[/b]

What happens at the Boars Nest stays at the Boars Nest (unless pictures were taken of course)...

... Give me a few minutes to whip up a light marinade for my fresh pork tenderloins and I'll post the money shot...

 

[Rancho Loco]

Hurry up...The Red Carpet routine at the Oscars is starting soon.

 

[Backcountry]

Ok… tenderloins are marinating…

Not much else to say except I made a decent shot that dropped miss piggy in her tracks… looks like she had dried up in the past couple weeks so she should be real good eating… gutted she weighed in right at 100 pounds... probably about a 125 pound porker before I ruined her Friday night.

I thought this was going to be hunting over dogs, so to nail one on a spot-n-stalk within an hour of arriving at the ranch bode well for the rest of the weekend...

As BDB noted, the weather went from fair, to bad, to awful, to really awful as the weekend progressed... he's got a nice story to tell next about his first hog-over-dogs, and then we'll probably finish with the one I let live because I was so freaking exhausted from the boar that ran me, my guide, and his six dogs into the ground for several hours on Saturday morning... we never got eyes on that boar, but it must have been huge... did some damage to one of the dogs but nothing a few staples and some antibiotics can't fix. After that "adventure" I was pretty much done for the weekend unless I had a gimmee... I know, I'm a puss, but I'm talking *really* destroyed... over hill-and-dale destroyed... dang dogs are incredible!!!

Next time I hope the weather is a bit better and if I don't have the shakes on Saturday morning I'll take my bow out...

 

[DEERSLAM]

Congrats

That will be some good eatin

 

[BDB]

Well, not much to add. We got up, hopped on the bike and took off wth three dogs. I have never hunted over dogs and it isn't really my thing, I much prefer spot and stalk ad that is what I planned to do for some of the weekend. That said I had a hoot with the dogs. I still prefer spot and stalk but wouldn't hesitate to chase them with dogs again.

ANyway, we drove down into a canyon shortly after first light and about half way down we let 2 of the 3 dogs get off and start working. They worked back and forth as we made our way to the bottom of the canyon. 10-15 minutes after we turned them loose they got on a hog and shortly after that they had it bayed up. We took off to get in there quick so no dogs got hurt. It was a pretty steep canyon and it took us a while but we finally caught up. They had a hog in the creek and all we could see was the dogs as it was pretty thick. We circled in above them and I slowly made my way down until I was about 8 yards and had a clean shot at his head. The guide said "now" when his dogs were clear and I an ott-6 bullet into the base of his ear. He went down for the count. We had an uphill drag to get over a hill and down to an area we could get the 4 wheeler. Probably about a 500 yard drag overall.

He weighed in at 147 dressed. A great hog but not much teeth. I love the color of his head and if he had 2+ inches exposed he would on his way to the taxidermy man but it wasn't worth it for only 1" of exposed teeth.

So, there ya go, quick hunt. I would have like to spend some time stil hunting the ranch but hey, maybe next time.

 

[BDB]

One last shot.