Well first off thanks to the fellow JHO'ers for leaving one for me 
Weather was looking good for some morning hunting. Got to the ranch at about 4:30 and headed up to an area
where I've been seeing hogs recently. As the hills became visible started to glass a bit
from the truck.
As I drove, glassed, drove, glassed, I happen to look down in the bottom of a small ravine and catch some non-cow movement.
Sure enough a pig, headed parallel to me up the ravine. He was all alone, so I couldn't really judge his size too well.
I had been holding out for a nice boar, and wanted to make sure he was decent before shooting. He kept trotting along,
and I couldn't get a good look. I noticed that the direction he was heading, he would have to crest the ridge in front of me,
so I decided to setup on the sticks and wait for him to pop up. about 10 seconds later, he popped up. I used the scope to check
him out one last time. Just as I got him in the scope, he spotted me and started to book it. I had just enough time to see that
he had some visible cutters, so it was on! He was quartering away, but I was able to send one his way before he went over the top.
I guessed him at about 200 yards when I shot. I was able to see a large chunk of dirt fly up about 10 yards to the left of him. WTF?
I figured something was up, there is no WAY I could have been that far off. He picked up his pace and went right over the hill like nothing.
Damn! Either I just threw up a huge brick, or hes wounded and I'm going to go down and search for this bastard on one of the steepest hills on the ranch.
Threw on my pack, packed my lunch, and off I went. Well to my sweet delight, as I started down the backside of the hill I noticed a dark ball about 250 yards
down against some bushes. He had probably gone down just over the top and rolled down and got caught up on the bush.
thank you lord! haha
Went down to check him out. WOW, he was bigger than I thought! It took me everything to just get him positioned right for gutting.
Once that was done I ran back and got the spool of rope! took me a while but pulled him up to the road.
as luck would have it, the road had a pretty high shoulder, so with a little maneuvering the tailgate was level with the ground
and I just rolled him on.
This guy was a glutton for sure. He was packed so tight, his stomach leaped out when I cut him open. You can see how fat he is here.
I think what happened when I shot was that the bullet zipped through, and came out in a different direction,
and that's why I saw the dirt fly to his left. I was using Barnes Tipped TSX 168gr, with RL22 in 300WSM and its never let me down!
Entry and exit were small, but it mangled both lungs and a bunch of other stuff in there. Only bones that were hit were one rib on each side.
He was probably dead within 30 yards of the shot.
My best hog to date! :smiley_yahoo:
He had quite a few battle scars.
my goals this year were: one with the '94, one with the bow, and then a nice boar with the rifle. So I guess now its a nice boar with the bow, or maybe dust off the .257 Roberts
Weather was looking good for some morning hunting. Got to the ranch at about 4:30 and headed up to an area
where I've been seeing hogs recently. As the hills became visible started to glass a bit
from the truck.
As I drove, glassed, drove, glassed, I happen to look down in the bottom of a small ravine and catch some non-cow movement.
Sure enough a pig, headed parallel to me up the ravine. He was all alone, so I couldn't really judge his size too well.
I had been holding out for a nice boar, and wanted to make sure he was decent before shooting. He kept trotting along,
and I couldn't get a good look. I noticed that the direction he was heading, he would have to crest the ridge in front of me,
so I decided to setup on the sticks and wait for him to pop up. about 10 seconds later, he popped up. I used the scope to check
him out one last time. Just as I got him in the scope, he spotted me and started to book it. I had just enough time to see that
he had some visible cutters, so it was on! He was quartering away, but I was able to send one his way before he went over the top.
I guessed him at about 200 yards when I shot. I was able to see a large chunk of dirt fly up about 10 yards to the left of him. WTF?
I figured something was up, there is no WAY I could have been that far off. He picked up his pace and went right over the hill like nothing.
Damn! Either I just threw up a huge brick, or hes wounded and I'm going to go down and search for this bastard on one of the steepest hills on the ranch.
Threw on my pack, packed my lunch, and off I went. Well to my sweet delight, as I started down the backside of the hill I noticed a dark ball about 250 yards
down against some bushes. He had probably gone down just over the top and rolled down and got caught up on the bush.
thank you lord! haha
Went down to check him out. WOW, he was bigger than I thought! It took me everything to just get him positioned right for gutting.
Once that was done I ran back and got the spool of rope! took me a while but pulled him up to the road.
as luck would have it, the road had a pretty high shoulder, so with a little maneuvering the tailgate was level with the ground
and I just rolled him on.
This guy was a glutton for sure. He was packed so tight, his stomach leaped out when I cut him open. You can see how fat he is here.
I think what happened when I shot was that the bullet zipped through, and came out in a different direction,
and that's why I saw the dirt fly to his left. I was using Barnes Tipped TSX 168gr, with RL22 in 300WSM and its never let me down!
Entry and exit were small, but it mangled both lungs and a bunch of other stuff in there. Only bones that were hit were one rib on each side.
He was probably dead within 30 yards of the shot.
My best hog to date! :smiley_yahoo:
He had quite a few battle scars.
my goals this year were: one with the '94, one with the bow, and then a nice boar with the rifle. So I guess now its a nice boar with the bow, or maybe dust off the .257 Roberts
