I haven't posted about pigs in a while, wanted to figure out how to add pictures and I think I've got it figured. Saturday before last, about 10:30 pm, I sat in my "tree stump" stand-one of those fake tree stumps, really pretty nice. When I got arrived there was already a group pf pigs under my feeder so i watched them a few minutes and then started shooting...110 yards from the stand with a suppressed AR 15, .223 equiped wqith a Pulsar Thermion scope. The scope is really amazing but I had a hard time getting it operating the way I wanted and getting it sighted in. I shot the biggest first and it flopped over squealing, the others just milled around so i shot the next biggest...samr result. I ended up shooting 7, 2 big and 5 little. I went to find them but it is really thisk and there were pigs squealing and running everywhere so discretion seemed to be the best course and I returned the next morning to look for the pigs. I found 4 of the 7, 3 had made it across the property line and were vulture breakfast. Interestingly, one of the smaller pigs ahd been cut in two by something (similar to the post by Larry Shores, but I don't think we have panthers). Hope the pictures made it. [IMG] [/IMG]

Well, photos didn't attach exactly like I hoped, but I'll figure it out!

Karl:

Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Hell of a deal that hog lost it's
ass end. Wonder what ate it off.

We've seen some young calves eaten
that way by coyotes at times. Might
be as they start from the rear a lot.
Lot's of 'em in Texas.

George

I sat in a different stand in a different pasture and managed to shoot 3 more, grass was really tall but they are still visible thru the thermal scope. These didn't hang around after the first shot. Second and third pigs were shot on the run. I'll put a couple of photos up later.

Nice going! I have always liked those blinds. How hot do they get sitting in the sun this time of year? Coyotes strip the meat off the bones. When I was younger there mountain lions around here. They to would strip just the meat off the bones. I have to wonder if someone not something grabbed the hams off your pig!

quote:

Originally posted by Live Oak:
I have to wonder if someone not something grabbed the hams off your pig!

That's what it looks like to me too.

Live Oak:

We used to dump our bones and trimmings
out in a pasture. beef, hogs, elk etc.

Nothing was left, not a bone to be seen.

Grass torn up for a 20' circle where lots
of coyotes fed.
So out here at least they'll take it all.

Might be someone cut the hams off. Was
there any man tracks?

george

The pig was a long way from the nearest road and the closest property line (which was only a couple hundred yards) belongs to a 3300 acre place and it’s a long way from any road or trail on that place too. I guess an illegal might have been walking thru, gotten a few on fame cameras, but I really doubt it, they seem to stay away from the thick stuff. I didn’t see any “man” tracks, the grass is pretty thick, too.
I mowed a pretty good size area around the feeder and will try again in a night or two.

quote:

We used to dump our bones and trimmings
out in a pasture. beef, hogs, elk etc.

Years ago, my best friend and I had a deer lease near San Saba, Tx, we had leased from the same guy for many years and we hunted his "home" place, or the section of ranch where he lived. Our part was several hundred acres where he raised goat and about 25 acres along one edge was fenced to keep igs contained. He would trap pigs and put them in this "pen" and when he had some nimrod that wanted to shoot a few pigs he would take them to that area and let them "hunt" a pig. He didn't feed them very often so when a hunter was coming he could dump some corn (or just about anything edible) and be assured that pigs would be there for the hunter. These pigs were wild as hell and he cautioned us to stay out of that small pasture, which I did. One day my friend shot a pretty nice buck in a rough area where we couldn't get a four wheeler and decided to drag the deer across a corner of that pig pasture...as soon as they smelled blood the pigs came after him, he had to abandon the deer and run like hell for the fence. It was like one of the movies where piranha are in a feeding frenzy only with two dozen pigs tearing into a deer. When they finished the only thing left was the skull and antlers, no legs, ribs, backbone, hide, nothing. I really think they would have eaten my friend if he had fallen.

Very possible.

Long time ago I knew a guy.
Maybe 6 yrs ago now. Don't know how long he and son's had a salvage operation and big hog feeding
yard. Thieve's kept getting in there hauling off
his radiators, batteries and such goodies.
They'd had enough and spent the night out there
waiting. When a p/up pulled in w/o lights on.
They waited til they saw one of 'em. Dennis
didn't realize another kid was next to the car
stack and fired his .30/30 and put one thru the
kids chest killing him. The boys stopped one,
third one got in the truck and hauled ass. They
couldn't catch him.

Knowing what Dennis was like in his late 20's I'd bet. IF they'd caught 'em all. They'd of
scrapped the truck and fed the hogs. As one got
away, that fouled up the plans. Then he called
the sheriff and reported it. He was sent up for
40 yrs over shooting the kid. Man can't even
protect his own property from trespassers.

George

I copied the pic of the partial carcass and zoomed in on it---its hindquarters are still there--at least the bones are. You can see the feet beneath the jawline. I think the 'yotes ate the meat off the back end and somehow in trying to drag it, the front got laid on top of the rear end.

dustoffer, you are correct, I did the same and pretty sure I see leg bones. Going to give them another try tomorrow night. I mowed a pretty good area around this feeder so should be able to do a bit better. I “thermalized” a coyote from my bedroom window last night, about 140 yards out. Man, I like the thermal scope. The ‘scope is video capable, no excuse for not videoing the pig shoot in’. I’ll fix that and try and post any video.

I sat in my stump stand on Saturday night for quite a while (someone asked if the stand was hot...yes, it was very hot on Saturday night as it was very still), I sat for about three hours and did not see an animal of any description, no armadillos, no pigs, no deer, no nothing. No idea why noting was moving around. I'll try again in a couple of days, I spread lots of corn.

I sat last night 8-11:30 with the bow and it was hot but I was up 12' in a ladder stand with a nice breeze/wind that often rocked the 2' thick oak. Nothing showed, so I climbed down and headed to the truck. Got to my chair seat about 100 yds from the ladder and stopped to scan the pasture--expecting to see the bunch across the fence, 200+ away. To my surprise, there were 3 that had just squeezed under the fence and were headed my way--caught me with my pants down, figuratively speaking. I watched and when the lead pig was about 15' away I told 'em to git. They did, ran all the way back to the fence, squeezed back under and then stopped. Too bad I didn't spend another 15 minutes in the stand or had a light on the bow--could have poked one easy. Goes to show you just never know what will show or when.

HA!

They're scared of you Dusty!

George

“Thermalized” another one last night, will post a picture when I get home tomorrow (internet sucks at the ranch) and this time I remembered to turn the video on so should have some action video to post. Going to sit in my tree stump stand tonight

My thermal is recording capable too, but I will have to dismount it and reverse the mount as the lockdown lever is under the connecting port for the video and can't get the connecting cord into the scope socket. When it cools down and sitting at the range isn't such an ordeal I'll do it and re-zero. Then we'll see what I can come up with video-wise.

I sat last night for a pretty good while but didn’t see anything...but my wife was sitting under our carport and saw a big black sow walk across the Farm to Market road about 100 yards from our little cabin. I think I’m going to sit under my carport this evening and see if anything comes into the pasture behind the cabin, might be a bit cooler, too.

Here are a couple of photos from a successful outing a week or so ao, hope they made it...

quote:

Here are a couple of photos from a successful outing a week or so ao, hope they made it...

No, they didn't make it. . . . .Try again.