Have been ignoring the 7mm BB for a while now, but it was my choice of weapon last night...or -- actually -- very early this morning.

Had a sleepless night, so I checked outside several times for activity. Somewhere after 2 a.m., I smelled the unmistakable scent of hogs, brought to me perfectly on the subtle breezes coming from the creek where they sometimes wallow.

But I could see nothing. Another 15-20 minutes later I looked out again, but this time, my luck would change for the better.

In the faint moonlight, I could make out several barrel-shaped forms, but there was no shot to be taken as I knew knew there was a screen of Johnson grass between their position and mine. In about 6-7 minutes, though, one of them emerged into a clear lane. The bad news was that this spot was only 5-6 feet from a steep drop-off leading to the creek.

I would have preferred to have waited for a different opportunity, but I knew fawns were bedded in the area the hogs were working and wanted them gone ASAP. The shot was app. 158 yards, and the 120 grain Ballistic Tip -- launched at 2651 fps -- did its job, plowing through both shoulders before exiting.

Looking through the Klassik 3-12x50, I could see a hint of a dark outline just above the grass level, telling me the hog was down on the spot. But when I drove the tractor down there, I saw two large areas of blood and no hog -- and also saw that the hog had been standing closer to the edge of the embankment than I realized. So I drove a few feet closer, turned on the flashlight and shined down into the drop-off. Sure enough, the hog was there and quite dead. Its spasmodic kicking sent it down the steep bank and into the cool, running water.

I chose not to wake anyone up at this hour, and retrieval in the darkness -- and with the degree of difficulty and danger it would involve for someone like me -- was simply out of the question. We were finally able to get the carcass out of there around 8:30 this morning, and while there's a chance the meat would have been OK, I made the decision to err on the side of caution and scrap it. I am saddened that the meat could not be saved, but I know we have lots of hungry buzzards thankful for the bounty.

Yep. Got to feed the clean up crew once in a while. Git dem hogs.

Bobby, glad to hear you are still making life tough for your local hogs! Good on you!

Z

Whackin' n Stackin'


Good stuff BT


ya!

GWB

Great story, great shot glad to see you are still working on them critters.

Glad to see you're still able to get 'em
at times.
Good shooting in the moonlight!
hang in there pard.

George

Bobby, with your steady supply of wild pork, I think you made the right decision. Hunting hogs in the wee hours surely beats lying in bed, sweating and worrying about bills!

Yep, as Josey Wales said, "Buzzards got to eat, same as worms." Good job! GW

Still putting a hurt on them I see. Good job.