Well, as I posted in "Good Night, Part III" I field dressed the little boar and then set up my game camera over the gut pile. I was getting bored looking at pictures of pigs coming to the feeder, and needed a diversion.

Here's the chow hounds lining up for dinner (click to enlarge).





See what happened to this 'yote after foraging on a feral hog gut pile?


Sure hope the landowner doesn't see this one--he'll swear I'm laying down on the job.

Awesome!!!

I see lots of targets of opportunity there. When do you get to hunt next?

Of course, you can't let any of the chupacabra believers see the coyote photo...

Thanks for sharing the pictures. Been stuck around the house a few days, and seeing those photos almost makes me feel like I'd have been there.

Dustoffer,

Those are the skinniest coyotes I've ever seen; yet every one of the hogs looks corn fed. A couple of common themes amongst Texas hunters seem to be that pressured pigs go nocturnal, and that usually after the first shot [day or night] it's tough get a bead on a second or third hog.

Years ago me and my trusty Auto-5 would occasionally get in the way of a bunch of pigs and we'd flat lay em out before a reload would allow the rest to split. At 10 or 15 yards even high base 6's would kill or knock them down. Given a bit more time to prepare #4 or 00 buck was always preferable.

What I'm wondering is if one of those lightning quick Benelli autos loaded with #4 buck would do a heck of a number on a group of pigs at a feeder. All of my pork went into a brine, then the smoker, and I did have to pick some pellets out but it wasn't a big deal. Seeing all those pigs at the gut pile and at some of your feeders jut made me wonder if there was a cheaper way to kill multiple hogs than going high dollar night vision or supressors.

On the other hand, back then I also loved to go out on an overcast afternoon with my favorite rifle and hunt for one pig or goat, even though other opportunities often presented themselves. It was just fun to go out often, which is something I truly miss.

You got some great pictures and there doesn't seem to be any shortage of critters lined up for a piece of that pile.

Thanks.
Matt

I'll be back in the chair Sunday night about 9 or so. Moon is a bit bright now, but is waning so it should be fine by then.

I have sat in my ladder stand about 20 yds from the feeder with the 12-ga and did kill a boar, but the winds are out of the SE now and that doesn't work with the ladder stand. If the winds would switch to the NW, I could set the ladder stand, and with the #4 buck, could probably lay a few of them in the dirt. My current hide is about 70 yds to the NW of the feeder, across a gully and about 10 yds back in the woods, so I'm concealed and down wind, both of the feeder and of the route the pigs take to get to the feeder.

Yep, the landowner wants me to eliminate his problem, but I know it's not possible, so I take 'em as they show up. Just think, if all of those adult sows produce a litter, I've got another 30-40 pigs to shoot next year--dirty job, but, I don't mind a bit. Once the weather cools off to a more reasonable temp, I'll hunt more, at least until bow season opens.

And, in my experience, those are average S. Tx coyotes.

Anybody got any grenades? That would be fun with the night vision. Just belly crawl up to that pile of pigs and throw one in. Plenty of ham then.

quote:

Originally posted by hnts4fun:
Dustoffer,

What I'm wondering is if one of those lightning quick Benelli autos loaded with #4 buck would do a heck of a number on a group of pigs at a feeder. All of my pork went into a brine, then the smoker, and I did have to pick some pellets out but it wasn't a big deal.
Thanks.
Matt

I did that once and only once with buckshot. It ruined way too much meat for me. It was kinda fun though, like busting a covey of giant, flightless prehistoric quail

You can hunt with a semi-auto rifle in Texas, can't you? I have a 1941 Johnson that would be hell on hogs in groups -- 10 rounds of .30-06 would play hell on 'em.......

Semi-auto would work OK in daylight, but at night, they are gone at the shot, just like a covey flushing. I did get two at one sit when the panicked survivors ran right at me and I nailed one at about 25 yds with the red light and scope.

Hard to see black pigs running on a moonless night. Fairly easy to see them if there is a half-moon or more, as the pasture grass is browning off and light in color.

I was thinking that a claymore would ruin their day (or night) as well.

Do us all a favor and go shoot that coyote with the mange ASAP..........

Good Hunting,

Bob

Neat photos. Reminds me of my first (and only successful) CA hog hunt. I shot a nice boar one morning, field dressed him, stashed him in the shade, and hunted for the rest of the day. On the way we snagged the carcass and marked the spot. On the way in the next morning we hiked out the scene of the kill. There was nothing left of the gutpile but a ten foot flattened circle in the grass full of hog tracks. Darn things will eat anything! I love/hate 'em!

Those hogs didn't get anything to eat--they didn't show up until the second day. The buzzards were there the first day and cleaned up everything but the head I would imagine.

And, yes, Bob, that coyote needs to go, and will, if he shows up at the wrong time. However, a vet friend of mine who also has a PhD in wildlife disease says that hair loss is heat related and not the sarcoptic mange. There is a second coyote in the background that also has a thin coat as well.

This site was about 400 yds from the feeder I hunt-

I love the picture of the buzzards. In the early 1980's I lived near San Antonio while doing uranium exploration. One site was near a chicken farm and during a heat wave hundreds of chickens died and were piled up near the coops. There were soon perhaps a hundred buzzards, including "Black Buzzards" (in addition to the Turkey Buzzards)feasting on the remains of the chickens. It was quite a show to see that many buzzards in one location.

In Texas you can hunt pigs with full auto !! Just don't do it during deer season!!

Andy

Only restrictions on "hunting" pigs that I've seen involves the use of explosives--

Dustoffer,

I've never seen buzzards before. Are they shootable for pig bait or depradation purposes?

Matt

Actually they aren't really buzzards, but vultures. The ones in these pictures are black vultures. Turkey vultures are similar, but have reddish heads and longer tails.

They are a protected species too as I recall. Wouldn't eat one considering their diet for sure, so wouldn't shoot one either. Ranchers have a love/hate relationship with them. They clean up a dead cow carcass in a hurry, but then they also are a threat to cows/calves during calving, and can wear a cow out following a birth as she tries to protect her calf.

Thanks!

They don't sound very tasty...but I'd never seen them before and wondered if they served any sporting purposes.

Matt

Sporting purposes? Well, for sure they keep sportsmen and women from having to dig a hole to bury the offal from their kills!!!

On my last lease, I remember leaving the guts, hides, heads, spinal column/ribcage, and lower legs from multiple kills-as many as 3-4 out in the brush -- all from one day's hunting. Next morning, nothing left but blood stains on the ground and maybe some stomach contents. This was the night creatures, so the vultures had slim pickings the next morning. But we always said that when we drove towards our dropoff site after a morning session, that they could see the gut tub in the truck and were circling before we got backed into the dropoff spot.

We didn't field dress our kills in the pastures, but hauled them to camp where we had water, a skinning pole, and appropriate photo ops, then drove the remains out to the cactus and brush for the critters.

The local establishment around my friends place have grown accustomed to hearing a shot fired and something being served up.

It isn't anything to shoot a hog or deer and have them circling within minutes of the shot. Sort of weird at times, but they do clean things up very well.

Night vision and or night sights. When it is so hot as it as has been, the piggies become nocturnal, and an AR15 with NV is the ticket. You can stalk or ride safari style looking for them, lights off on the mule and have a blast!

Plus side is that the Princess likes looking at all the critters with the NV, she has become a great spotter as a result! The Axis and other critters don't hardly run off the road when you go by either, SOOO FUN!!!