I didn't notice the temp per the camera until you mentioned it. That's not right. It was in the 70's that day as I recall. It could be that the sun warmed the camera.

Here's a picture of a sounder that's been coming in. Note there are 4 young sows without piglets, yet, and two young boars. I think this is the sounder that I got one boar and one sow out of.

Pictures of the two different groups of sows and fresh sounders: In the first picture, the hog standing behind the sapling is the boar. The other three are sows.



I think the black one is a boar, but not sure.



Same bunch:



Different bunch: Note, I think the silver back is the only boar, not counting the piglets. I looked at previous and subsequent pictures to confirm.

My taxidermist buddy is still feeding peanut butter and I'm still running two corn feeders. Supposedly, soon, his hunters will be done with their construction contract and want to shoot some hogs.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend who I grew up with and found out he's still trapping hogs. Last I heard from him was that he quit. So, after the shooter bunch is gone, per my invite, he will be setting three traps.

Maybe we can thin them down a bit.

Today, I talked with my body shop buddy who got one a month or so ago and he said his shoulder is better after surgery, but not so good to stand the recoil of a 30-06. I offered to loan him my 6.5 Grendel. He said OK so maybe he will be out this weekend. I told him he had better hurry.

Those pigs don't look too many generations from the farm yard

Why would you not just shoot them as fast as you could?

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Masters:
Why would you not just shoot them as fast as you could?

There are four guys coming from near Atlanta this weekend to shoot some hogs. They are acquaintances of my taxidermist buddy.

So, in answer to your question:

I could go down there any day and get ONE hog. ONE hog at a time IS shooting them as fast as I can. Multiple hogs at one sitting, pulling the trigger multiple times, as fast as one can, is a fallacy, an attitude.

It's a difficult attitude to reason past.

These hogs RUN, scatter, as fast as they can on the first shot. The bush is thick and close all around, so in a split second they are gone. My goal has always been ONE hog, DRT, and so far that's what has happened. I do not want to be tracking a shot hog into the bush, whether the shot was a kill or not. I want to see the hog kicking and obviously dead.

With the hogs all bunched up, and losing sight of the target hog upon recoil, etc. when they scatter, it will be very difficult to know which way the shot hog actually ran.

I always want to retrieve every hog shot. I do not want a stinking, dead hog nearby rotting. I especially don't want a wounded hog wandering around till it recovers or dies. I'm always careful to wait for a clear broadside shot, to avoid pass-through wounding a second hog, and I aim for right behind the ear.

I sometimes use my AR15 or AR10, but I might as well be using my Encore.

The nearby farmers use ARs too and actually do get multiple hogs at a time. They catch them out in the open fields, at night, and gang up on them with several shooters. That's a different set-up, compared to what I have.

Everyone I have let hunt here, I have coached them in advance - MAKE YOUR FIRST SHOT COUNT. It's the only shot that counts and 95% certain it's the only one you'll get. Extra shots are a bonus.

It's a difficult thing to convince others to abide/respect, if they don't already. There are many hog "hunters" with the bang, bang, bang attitude. This will inevitably lead to wounded hogs.

My nephew is one of the AR15 freaks (223). Several time he's told me such things as "dropped a big one at 400 yds, but he got up and ran off." He hasn't reported that lately, but certainly he hasn't mended his ways. He's just not talking about it in front of me. Often I hear lots of shots, several rifles barking at the same time, at night, and through the winter it was mostly him and his redneck buddies. They have yet to retrieve a hog. It seems like they would learn.

I mentioned my preference for DRT to my taxidermist friend, and his immediate response was "you want to kill hogs, right?" It's like there is no communication. Of course I want dead hogs, ONE at a time, a sure thing, DRT. Make sure the job is done right before moving on to the next one, IF there is a next one.

I didn't belabor the point, about our guests, yet. But I did make it clear that I didn't want these guys getting off the stand, walking around, stalk hunting. The setup is over bait, and that sets the direction of the shot towards a safe background, away from roads, and houses, etc.

We'll see how this goes, but I'm betting they wound some hogs, maybe even more than they retrieve. I hope I'm surprised, and surprised is what it's going to take to be invited back.

My taxidermist buddy did disclose that he is being paid, and said he would half it with me.

That all makes sense.

I’m not at all like your nephew, just curious. I’ve always tried to respect and learn from those nice enough to teach me a thing or two.

Thanks for prompting me the opportunity to explain my views. I tried to be respectful and hope I succeeded.

M/E:

You're absolutely right on all counts.
They're gone the first indication of things going wrong.

I've only shot two. I wanted the skulls too. So I was very careful of my shots to the forehead as both were facing me. I was standing, rested against a post of the blind and made sure my bullet exited out the throat so it didn't blow the skulls up. Both shots a day apart did just that. The guy screwed me out of the skulls so I didn't get them. I did have him mount both and he did a decent job of it other than backyard tanning I'd told him I didn't want done. "Send the capes up to NY to the tannery and I'll pay the charges". Nope, sure as hell, they've dried out and split several places. Paste covers it so far. CO is lots dryer than the swamps of Fla.

Hope you're surprised! Let us know, but, have a talking to them before you turn those guys loose so they KNOW what you expect, I'd make sure they know if they don't follow rules they won't be invited back.

Best of of luck with it.

George

quote:

have a talking to before you turn those guys loose so they KNOW what you expect.

I'm thinking about that.

I need to make a checklist to myself, so I cover the essentials.

First, I need to decide what's essential.

It may be that I already have that covered. Stay in the stand, no walkabouts, remove the dead hog from the property promptly, etc.

I already offered to use my truck, with the receiver hitch rack, to haul dead hogs over to the taxidermist's shop. (I don't want the bloody mess here, nor them hanging around interfering with my projects)

It's a bit tricky. For starters I need to seem casual about it but still effective. Presentation is important.

Bitching after the fact can't really be construed as effective.

I should probably mention my dogs. There is the remote chance they may discover the presence of others on the property, something they are not used to, and want to investigate. Of course I'll keep close watch on them, but they could slip away in a second.

And the bob cat - don't shoot Bob.

Two of the four showed up; a father and son.

They saw hogs but no shots were fired.

The old man had opportunities; one before he got on the stand, but he was too slow to make the shot.

I've had others out here who didn't make a kill; my 1st cousin for one. I don't fully understand what's going on with that. I can have trail camera pictures of hogs and deer coming in on a regular time, but when they get on the stand - nothing.

I can go and see deer and hogs often and pass on numerous opportunities.

I can't account for other's lack of success. One guest got a hog on his first sitting, but all others have failed.

It's somewhat of a mystery.

Anyway, I'm done feeding the hogs. I'm pulling the camera and the feeders for storage till next fall. I'm calling the trapper today. It's time to move on to something else - like fishing.

Maybe their iPhones' ear buds music is too loud, or they just can't sit still. In any case I'm really enjoying this thread and learning quite a lot. Thanks,

I'm glad that others are interested and provide feedback. It's still a learning experience for me too.

I should take some pictures of one food plot between the stand and the feeder. The whole food plot has been rooted and mashed down.

They don't call them hogs for nothing.

I can't think of a better setup for getting a hog.

I got all I wanted and can use while the weather was still cool. Now, it's too hot for me to mess with a dead hog.

So many pigs; so little time.

Keep us updated on the trapping.

George

My friend the trapper came over today in his 4x4 Mule and we went for a ride to familiarize him with the trails. Nice machine.

I think he's going to bring three of the portable traps, or more. I never did like those things because he educates more hogs than he catches. But he does catch some.

I see a new thread has been started about a permanent trap. I'm interested to learn about that too.

The fields around here now mostly have something planted, such as watermelons and peanuts and maybe some corn. I hear shooting most every night. One of the farmers told me that his son goes out most evenings and keeps watch over the watermelon fields with night vision and so far has shot over fifty hogs. Yesterday, in the fresh peanut field lay two hogs about 50 lbs each with a flock of buzzards on each.

Just before I started writing this post I heard shots near the location of the dead hogs.

It will be a summer of carnage, and we'll start the whole process again next winter.

Thanks for starting this thread. If it is no too much trouble post a photo of the devastation on the food plot. And keep us up on the trapper's results. Thanks. Packy

I'll try to remember to get some pictures of the food plot today.

Every night now I hear shots from the nearby fields. I'm not sure what they are doing with the hogs, but they don't seem to be leaving them in the fields.

One of the older guys in the farm family, supposedly my buddy, seems to have started a rumor that I shoot deer out of season. I've been meaning to follow up on that with him and when I do I'll ask what they are doing with the dead hogs.