Read the thoughts and musings of a cultured redneck here
We had quite the eventful weekend last weekend. If you read the “Big & J Hogs Hammer It and Pigs Dig It Helps Get Rid of Nuisance South Carolina Hogs” blog that posted on Monday then you are aware of the local farmer who had reached out to us to assist with his hog problem. Although we expected multiple hogs to come out on the first hunt we only ended up seeing one.
So we returned for another hunt a day or so later…
The hogs had stayed away for a day, but on day 2 they wiped out all the remaining corn that was saturated with Big & J Hog attractant. The farmer notified us of what the hogs had done overnight and so we knew we needed to be back down at the farm sooner than later.
After replenishing the corn, I went down to the farm on a solo hunt as my hunting partners were unable to come on this specific night. The farmer sat with me and we watched the corn pile for a while and were ready to handle business. However, nothing moved just after dark. We sat and strategized what we would do when certain hogs arrived, but nothing was moving. The farmer had to pack it in for the night so I remained on the gun watching the field.
Shortly after the farmer left 3 deer came out and grazed through the field. I watched them for a while in the scope. Then 2 more deer entered the field. Interestingly, the deer did not eat the corn that had the Big & J hog attractant on it (which is a good sign to me!). Eventually the deer exited the field into some nearby woods.
From Reading a Devotional to Shooting a Hog I was reading a devotional on the bible app and I would stop every couple of minutes and scan the field. I’ve hunted hogs enough to know that the hunt can change in an instant because these hogs don’t hesitate too much when they come into a field and they move more quickly than you might expect. I read and scanned, read and scanned, and towards the end of the devotional I noticed a blob of heat on the corn! While I was reading, a group of hogs, 1 female and several piglets, had gotten out into the middle of the field.
I knew it was game time.
I got in the gun and watched this group for a few minutes. I scanned the edges looking to see if any more were nearby or entering the field. I didn’t see any sign of other hogs coming in so I continued to watch. I knew I was going to shoot the big one, but it was just a waiting game.
I don’t like to shoot in the middle of a white blob of heat because it’s hard to tell exactly what you’re aiming at and sometimes the piglets are taller than you think. Translation: I didn’t want to get a piglet and miss the big one so I waited on the right opportunity to present itself. I needed the big hog to separate herself far enough so that I could get a silhouette of her body and know where I was aiming.
While I watched them feed something funny happened. One of the piglets went behind the female and the larger female cut the piglet a flip! She kicked the piglet and it somersaulted backwards and when it landed it just got right back up and kept rooting. It was pretty funny. I couldn’t believe what I’d witnessed.
A few seconds later the large female advanced forward aggressively and this singled herself out. It was just the sight I was waiting for. I flipped the safety off and squeezed the trigger really slow. The Anderson Arms AM-10 308 that I have has a long trigger pull and in hopes of not flinching on my shot I always try to ensure the gun surprises me when it goes off. I hope for the smooth trigger pull. I put the cross hairs on this hogs shoulder and squeezed off.
The boom echoed through the field and down to the creek.
The large hog instantly fell and within a second the piglets scurried out of the field. Since the large hog was on the ground, my job shooting was essentially done. I waited a while and started loading up the truck.
Loading a Hog By Yourself Ain’t Easy I took the shot at about 11:58 and with my hunting partners not around it was me… and well me… that had to load the hog up. When I got down to the hog I realized she was bigger than I thought. Getting her in the truck wouldn’t be as easy as it normally is when you have help.
Ultimately, I ended up dragging the hog to the side of the field and then walking up the bumper to the tailgate with one of the hog’s legs in my hand. When I got in the bed of the truck the weight of the hog was very heavy to hold on to so I had to essentially lay down on my stomach and grab the other leg with my other hand. With both legs in hand I then had to figure a way to stand up. It reminded me of a dead lift that we used to do in high school and college football except this was more awkward and off balance. If you would have seen me you would have laughed, but once I got my feet under me I was able to pull the hog in the truck using the tailgate as a lever. I hope that’s the last time I have to load a big hog up by myself!
And since there was no one there to take a pic of me and the hog I had to take a hog selfie!
It was a great hunt and yet another nuisance hog is in the freezer at the processor!
Do You Have Hog Problems? If you have hog problems we’re happy to help. Learn more about how we are helping land owners and farmers with their hog problems on the SC Hog Removal page.
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