Saw hogs in the moonlight last night, but they sensed something was wrong, spooked on approach and never returned. So tonight, I checked outside 3 times with hopes they'd surface. Nothing...well, just deer.

But on the 4th try around 2:30 a.m., I saw dark blobs through the binoculars. Even in the strong moonlight, I couldn't discern enough definition and certainly couldn't take a shot. I had to wait a couple minutes until my eyes adjusted -- and then the world became a little clearer.

Settling behind the 2.5-10x50 Polar on max magnification, I picked out the largest hog in the sounder and waited for a shot. When he turned and afforded a slight quartering-to-me presentation, I put the tiny illuminated dot of the D7 reticle on what I thought was the shoulder and touched off a round.

I actually don't recall the sound of the 24" 6.5x30-30 AI going off, but I do recall the distinct "whap" of the 120 grain Ballistic Tip's impact. I regained my sight picture just in time to see the hogs disappear into the nearby huisaches.

After driving to the spot where the hogs originally stood, I turned on the Leupold LTO thermal unit to aid in recovery. From where I stood, I didn't detect a heat signature of a carcass but did pick up the generous blood trail. I took a couple steps forward and again scanned with the thermal, and there he was, some 30 yards from where he took the bullet.

I picked up the thermal for just this sort of situation, and it has proven its worth. Even though the hog only went 30 yards, he landed between two huisaches with low-lying limbs, and the mud on his body allowed him to blend perfectly with the sandy terrain in that area. Just shining a flashlight into there revealed nothing.

Anyway, the 120 grain Ballistic Tip, with a starting speed of 2603 fps, took the hog in the crease of the shoulder, damaged half of the rear of one lung and about 1/5 of the other before coursing through the liver and edge of the stomach. The exit was only the size of a nickel, but it bled profusely. I'd have preferred a shoulder impact, but on a 178 yard shot in moonlight, things don't always go perfectly according to plan.

Good work!

Bobby: You've apparently found some way to prevent hogs in your area from accessing the internet, otherwise they would know that Ballistic Tips won't penetrate or kill them and your results would be a great deal different. If those oinkers ever get broadband your days of shooting Ballistic Tips will be gone forever.

Nice shooting Bobby! Nothing wrong with BTs for sure!

Nice 'chunker'. Think he'd go 110#? Nice shot!

quote:

Originally posted by custombolt:
Nice 'chunker'. Think he'd go 110#? Nice shot!

That photo angle, and with the gun in front, is very deceptive and doesn't show length or girth. This hog actually went 171. I also took a picture of my rifle since I may be changing the scope set-up soon, and it better illustrates the size of the piggie. I always joke about putting the rifle a couple feet behind the pig and shoot with a wide angle lens to exaggerate size, but I just can't bring myself to do that.

Great job and story as usual, glad to see you are still able to give them hell!

Damn! I should have went with my initial guess of 150. I changed it because of the length as compared with the rifle. Kind of proves the theory that first guess is usually the best guess. Happy pig poppin'. I hope to be back in TX for hogs as the weather cools again. Probably post whitetail season. Smack a few more for me. Always a hoot to see you all having fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:

quote:

Originally posted by custombolt:
Nice 'chunker'. Think he'd go 110#? Nice shot!

That photo angle, and with the gun in front, is very deceptive and doesn't show length or girth. This hog actually went 171.

Yea, that angle I used made the hog look short and made it really to for weight estimating. But I was being a little lazy there ha ha. My truck was in the way, and I didn't feel like moving it or re-setting up the hog. A more broadside view would have made weight guessing a little easier.

Here are 2 pics of the same hog. No perspective distortion in either...just a change in angle/view.

Always enjoy Bobby vs. piggy stories, except most have the same ending.

One day, the pigs will be writing it.

That last one makes it look like you use
a PopGun! Damn that barrel is short.

How much sleep do you get? Don't seem like much at least not at night.

Thanks for sharing again and again!

George

George-No, I don't sleep much. Grab a few minutes here and there when I can. That barrel on my 7mm Bullberry is 20 1/8th". Being a Contender and not having the added length of a receiver, it makes for a very compact package. Lethal, too...

Looks over 200 in that top picture.
Git dem hogs.