Just checking in guys. Been killing hogs off and on since my last visit here, but been very busy doing other things and not much time to write.
Absolutely had to go hunt this evening though.
I just planted a bunch of Oats yesterday (food plot for deer) despite having a group of hogs coming in pretty regularly. As you might imagine....they will root up all the seed they can find and basically wreck a food plot overnight. So I needed to get rid of them ASAP.
For the last 2 days we have a had a strong North/Northwest wind. Terrible for the Hog Stand and feeder I have. No way to hunt them from my normal position without being 'winded' by them.
But something (anything) needed to be done. Drove around looking for a place where I could see the feeder and also be downwind. Just nothing to be found. I settled for a spot that would have me 'parallel' with the wind, feeder and hogs, but enough to the 'side' that I
might get away with it.
There wouldn't be much of a view of the feeder and I would need to back my vehicle into the brush (uphill and 168 yds. away) and shoot off of the side view mirror. Not the steadiest rest for an Old Man...but heck.....we've got to do something right?
Hogs have been coming into the feeder just after dark. I have hog lights illuminating the area, so no trouble seeing them when/if they show up.
I got in position early so I could focus my binoculars on the feeder and play around with the rifle on top of the mirror. While I am doing this...I look out into the little bit of pasture I can see and darn if there isn't a lone Boar just walking across it. Had the hair on his back all bristled up (not sure why) and actually coming my direction.
I let him get to within 100 yds and laid him down with the 7mm-08. Still 30 minutes before the other hogs 'should' show up at dark so I just counted the boar as a bonus hog.
The group of hogs (2 young Sows, 1 juvenile Boar and bunch of shoats) all showed up @ 7:10 p.m. which is just 'dusky dark'. That is actually the hardest light to see in. Earlier and you don't need the hog lights to clearly see each animal. Later (when fully dark) the hogs lights illuminate them nicely. But at dusk everything is washed out.
I looked through my binoculars at the group and the two Sows were fighting and pushing each other around....trying to secure the best spot to eat the corn.
It was clear to me that they would NEVER settle down and 'line up' so I might get two with one shot. So I focused on the one most in front of the feeder because she had a 'wad' of little ones behind her.
Normally, I would shoot a hog either in the neck or high on the shoulder (both shots hitting the spine/CNS) dropping them right there. But in this case, I needed to drop back into the lungs/rib cage area to insure the bullet would penetrate the hog without bullet deflection (path).
The Sow finally turned mostly broadside with the smaller hogs still wadded up behind her. So....now or never.
Cross-hairs were fairly steady at the shot. The 7mm-08 doesn't recoil much (even with my 160 gr. hand-loads) but still enough to lose sight through the scope for a couple of seconds. The Sow went down but immediately got back up. She ran about 30 yds and piled up. Then I could see two smaller figures beneath the feeder. It was a couple of the shoats....both of them killed instantly.
The 160 gr. Federal Trophy Bonded bullet held together well and did its job. A (3fer) for one shot. Do that regularly with my 458 SOCOM but a first with the 7mm-08.
I actually found a scant blood-trail leading away from the feeder that went into the thick brush. I will look more closely at that tomorrow. Possibly one more shoat...but the blood trail didn't look promising for a mortal wound.
Anyway, all in all.....not too bad. Got a few dispatched and hopefully 'ran off' long enough for my Oats to sprout and take root.