Took a run up to the ranch mainly because I had to make some repairs to my camper parked up there. But I figured I'd make a quick hunt of it too and got my brother to join me.
The first night we bumped a big herd as we glassed a usual good canyon with the wind at our backs. That was dumb but I thought we were far enough away on the opposing ridge. Wrong. Pigs can smell a long, long ways!
Hit up some other areas and didn't see much. Nearing last light my bro spots one down in a canyon I didn't want him to look into in the first place. It's a hellhole of hellholes. Of course he spots one way, way down in the bottom. Of course there is no road at the bottom. I plead with him to let it go. He never listens. Long story short, he hauls ass down there before dark and got there just in time. He made a long shot and rolled the pig all the damn way down to the bottom. The pig laid up in the creek. Dark now.
I grabbed the packs and provisions for a long night and some serious hard work ahead of us. We got it quartered out and loaded on our backs. It was an incredible climb out on all fours. One I will never forget. The worst pack out I have ever had. I cursed my bro every step of the way. We eventually made it and got back to camp way late. Couple of beers and crash.
The next morning I got on a herd and chased them UPHILL from the road, the way you are supposed to! They were headed off to bed and I just barely caught the tail end of the herd. They were kinda on to me and I had to take a rushed shot and missed. Game over.
Continued our way up the canyon and nothing at all. One of my best hotspots. On the way back out of the canyon there is a tight cut where my bud had been on some pigs a week before. Sure enough we stop there and my bro glasses up hogs. Again they are moving off to bed. I take off as fast as I could. I get into the zone and slow way down. I stop to take a closer look at an odd dark spot in a sage patch. Sure enough, I see the head of a pig sticking out of the brush, sound asleep. Game on. It was curled up like a dog, giving me a perfect view of the side of the head at about 65 yards.
Tell you what, a little 55 gr pill from a .223 works just fine when put at the base of the ear. Good night nurse! Big fatty sow. Biggest sow I have shot.
Ok so now that I got the black rifle thing out of my system, it's back to the real hunting. Recurve next week!
The first night we bumped a big herd as we glassed a usual good canyon with the wind at our backs. That was dumb but I thought we were far enough away on the opposing ridge. Wrong. Pigs can smell a long, long ways!
Hit up some other areas and didn't see much. Nearing last light my bro spots one down in a canyon I didn't want him to look into in the first place. It's a hellhole of hellholes. Of course he spots one way, way down in the bottom. Of course there is no road at the bottom. I plead with him to let it go. He never listens. Long story short, he hauls ass down there before dark and got there just in time. He made a long shot and rolled the pig all the damn way down to the bottom. The pig laid up in the creek. Dark now.
I grabbed the packs and provisions for a long night and some serious hard work ahead of us. We got it quartered out and loaded on our backs. It was an incredible climb out on all fours. One I will never forget. The worst pack out I have ever had. I cursed my bro every step of the way. We eventually made it and got back to camp way late. Couple of beers and crash.
The next morning I got on a herd and chased them UPHILL from the road, the way you are supposed to! They were headed off to bed and I just barely caught the tail end of the herd. They were kinda on to me and I had to take a rushed shot and missed. Game over.
Continued our way up the canyon and nothing at all. One of my best hotspots. On the way back out of the canyon there is a tight cut where my bud had been on some pigs a week before. Sure enough we stop there and my bro glasses up hogs. Again they are moving off to bed. I take off as fast as I could. I get into the zone and slow way down. I stop to take a closer look at an odd dark spot in a sage patch. Sure enough, I see the head of a pig sticking out of the brush, sound asleep. Game on. It was curled up like a dog, giving me a perfect view of the side of the head at about 65 yards.
Tell you what, a little 55 gr pill from a .223 works just fine when put at the base of the ear. Good night nurse! Big fatty sow. Biggest sow I have shot.
Ok so now that I got the black rifle thing out of my system, it's back to the real hunting. Recurve next week!
