Taking my 8 y/o Daughter Hog Hunting this sunday

[lxtrail]

My Daughter and me are pretty much the same, her favorite TV shows are the typical 8 year old girls, except she has a few others that most would not love, such as Pig man the series, American Hogger s, or any other Hog hunting show. A few months back she comes to me one morning and tells me she is moving to Texas, And being the ever encouraging father that I am ask the reason why? My daughter who was 7 at the time, proceeds to tell me this " Dad, im moving to Texas to hunt hogs, I'm going to need a horse to get through the brush, a horse trailer and a big truck. Ill also need a six shooter and chaps. I'm going to take Brody and Harley with me as my hog dogs, just so you know if there not in the back yard (my yellow FAT lab and German Shepard) I'm also going to need a really mean cat to bite the hogs ears and hold them down" Like I said i encouraged her to do whatever she wants to do in life, I was dying laughing on the inside though. So last week one of my good friends, she sends me pics to my phone of about 30 pigs on the Ranch her dad manages here in California, about 40,000 acres. I call her and were talking and I tell her this story and she says she will try to get me permission so I can take my daughter with me to get a hog. She just let me know her dad did say OK, (I used to cowboy on this ranch 15 years ago). my daughter was as stoked as Christmas morning when I told her. I hope to post up pictures Sunday evening.

A pic of me and my Daughter, and One of the sow I took a few years ago off the same ranch.

 

[scottmarine]

Good luck. Cant wait to hear the story.

 

[jls456]

Good for you! Thats the way to get 'em started. Good luck on your Hunt and have fun,either way.

 

[daddy63]

Your daughter sounds an awful lot like my 2 girls except they never mentioned moving to Texas... That is too funny. Good luck and can't wait to hear your story.

 

[cjack]

That was too funny. My daughter is alot like yours only she just turned 18 and can't wait to get to college in Idaho and do some scouting. Her original plan was a Texas University and she got accepted to six but eventualy chose Idaho. Can't wait to hear your story!

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

Goodluck! Looking forward to the story and pics!!!

 

[jd1]

AWESOME!!!!!!! Looking forward to the story...

 

[lxtrail]

Started off with princess not wanting to get up at 4:30 this morning, after she came to and realized what I saying she hopped out of bed got dressed and we were on the road 30 min later, After a quick stop for fuel and donuts (for her) we headed to the Ranch. I unlock the gate at 6:05 and we start up, I figure we will head towards the area I got my pig a few summers ago.
As were driving I'm being given a lesson on, what hog tracks look like, how many times the have a litter, and a wealth of other knowledge that I let on was the first time Ive ever heard. Were about 3 miles from the gate and start to drop down the back side of the ridge into a drainage, And Ill actually give it to her, she spotted the first hog about 1/1000 of a second before I saw them. I told her good job. About 70 down the hill and off the dirt road 50 feet were two juvi hogs, I get out my .223 bipod down and get it lined up for her and i tell her when to pull the trigger, when a bigger boar walked in to my sight pictures maybe 150 lbs, I line up on him on a downwards angle, she pulls the trigger, he drops like a spine shot and lets out a long squeal, Since I had two tags, i was gonna try to pick up one of the juvi hogs, and low and behold this was a group of about 30 hogs.
I pull the .223 up to the hood range at 150, another 150 pounder stops quartering away, I fire right as she turns, see the impact in the dirt, still on the move but not totally in a run, i reload, range again, 225 yard, pull the trigger and miss again, that happen twice more out to 300 yards. I clear the rifle drive down the hill. have her grab the rope, and we head towards where the pig was, hence the word was. The pig that was supposedly shot was not there, no blood, so we track them hogs up and over the ridge, My daughter is not a fan of the hiking part over mountains, so im told . Any ways long story short, No pig was found. I grid patterned the area for 2 hours and nothing. Ill admit it i should of been using more rifle and I always do, but my 270 and 300 wsm as well as the 45/70 are all way to much for her to even try to just pull the trigger on, I thought It would be fine, but wasn't. I'm better than that, I know that. I feel a million times worse for my daughter, who was the happiest kid I had ever seen at that point, and then not to find it was more heart breaking than if I had done it myself. She did get to see pigs, shot at pigs, chase pigs and learned valuable lessons throughout the day, she saw a Golden Eagle, cows, squirrels, red tail hawks, crows and picked up a old steer skull, we hiked in a rain forest looking for hog sign, which she was pointing out, she was pointing out rooting and even where a two hogs had wallowed . We spend 8 hours on the ranch, but time constraints with having to be back to her mothers prevented a evening hunt.
I learned a lot about myself today, more about my daughter and spent the quality time with each other. She now knows why its called hunting and not killing
Thanks for reading here is a pic of the same group we got on, that was sent to me by my friend last week
PS> Please dont ask where i was hunting, I am not at liberty to say per the Ranch Manager, other than california lol

 

[Deleted member 33033]

Bummer. Hog fakes death...escapes. Ninja hogs from hell. She'll gettum next time. A .270. she can probably handle with a little practice.

 

[jerryt]

There are some big pigs in that picture you posted. Sorry you lost the pig, but that is part of hunting unfortunatley.

 

[Kentuck]

Man that's a bummer about the hog. You're ol' firefighter buddy Wogg and I were up chasing them around in Sonoma county this weekend.

 

[Live2hunt]

That is a bummer for no dead hog lxtrail. I know it is much more bummer for the young lady. At least you two had a great time together and that's what it counts.

I would like to advise that you may want to go back and edit your post a bit. Think about the keeping it legal as there are DFG eyes lurking in this internet forum.

 

[lxtrail]

to clarify, I did everything, her finger was over top of mine and i told her to shot, I was the one that shot, This was to let her think she wsa doing it.
Once she gets a little bit bigger Im going to get her a short mag so she can do all the work once she TURNS 12, I do know the lawsand i will not break them.
Kentuck, Tell Wogg I said Hi, how did you guys do up north?
thanks guys hopefully I get a chance soon to take her again, and appricate your good words

 

[Common Sense]

I would like to advise that you may want to go back and edit your post a bit. Think about the keeping it legal as there are DFG eyes lurking in this internet forum.

My expierence with game wardens have shown that they understand the "spirit" of the law; not just the letter of the law.

About 25 years ago I was deer hunting in the national forest by Hunter-Leggitt. My ten year old son was with me and carrying a Model 94 Winchester. An old game warden popped up out of nowhere asking for our licenses and tags. I showed mine, and my son presented his license. The GW asked my son for his tags and the boy said he wasn't old enough to buy tags. The GW asked why he had a deer rifle, and my boy said "cause dad said I can shoot coyotes". The game warden then asked three times if the boy would shoot at a deer if we found one; each time my son hung his head and did not reply. When the warden asked why he wouldn't answer, my son said "Cause pa told me to never lie to a cop".

The warden patted my son on the head and told him to go over and stand by a tree. He took a couple of steps towards me and reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a book of matches. He tore the cover off and drew a little map of where there was 40 acres of unposted and unfenced private property. He told me to take my son there and he could probably fill my tag with a little spork or a fork, but if I was told to leave I should be polite and leave(and not tell the landowner who sent me there!).

Thanks to CA DFG, my ten year old son was very happy the next morning.

 

[Bubblehide]

I just gotta admire a man that acts like it's the first time he's heard about hog tracks, hog litters... from his child! You my friend are a class act. Despite not coming home with a hog, you spent some quality time with your daughter, and that is priceless!

 

[Kentuck]

Cool stuff all the way around. I took my 11 year old on our hunt this past weekend. He got to see wild hogs and see all their sign. Although I think he enjoyed looking for gold in the creeks more than the hunt! We didn't get a pig but saw a bunch and had a great time.

 

[HOGHUNTER714]

Nice job! Seems like you guys made some great memories. Glad you got access to a nice ranch.

 

[bisonic]

Congrats on a memorable day for both of you. Sometimes it's the ones that get away that you remember more than the ones you get! Will also make her first one even more special. You're lucky to have years of hunting with her ahead of you.

Hogs can be amazingly tough. I've pulled .223 bullets out of the shields of boars I've shot, and have seen hogs run away after taking a .30 cal shot to the boiler room. They seem to bleed less than deer as well, maybe it's the shield that closes up.