Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
School's out. Temps are warm/hot. Rains seemed to have pushed the hogs out of the lowlands and up onto my property where they are raiding my feeders. So I have been taking my youngest daughter hunting. She is 14 and has only one hog to her credit, taken last year. That hog turned at the last moment and the shot was less than ideal. We recovered the hog the next day after two very lengthy searches.
So she has been shooting a few times and coming out to hunt. A couple of times, we have seen nothing. On one previous hunt, the big boar (bigger than the others) made and appearance while we were in a ground blind. He is skittish (hunted before?) and my daughter opted not to shoot because she wasn't ready.
Video direct link...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfAphA944Dc&feature=youtu.be
No problem. It was exciting and it was her call when to shoot or not shoot and if she wasn't ready to shoot, then she made the right call. We were a bit disappointed that she didn't get the hog, but I could not have been happier that she didn't rush or panic the shot. Given her experience level, I figured she was making experienced decisions.
We went out Friday night and were in a tree stand. By this time, we had been after these hogs together and I had been after them by myself several times. They have done a good job of not getting killed. On the previous night, the game camera had the first hog showing around 10:00 pm and we were in the stand by 8:00. My job was a guide, spotter, facilitator, manual labor. The shooting was on her.
I spotted hogs coming out of the brush from the west at 9:30 pm and had her get her gun up and going. Initially, I suggested she wait until they get to the feeder (where the game camera is) but realized my mistake and told her that she should shoot whenever she wanted to shoot. The hogs were coming in slow, 2 or 3 steps, stop and check security, 2 or 3 steps, stop and check...etc.
Time seemed to slow down as my adrenaline dumped and I had the shakes start. I did everything I could not to shake the stand. My daughter, however, managed to be cool and collected, choosing her shot.
She had the trailing hog quartered toward us and the leading hog was facing us when it stuck its nose in the air. Fearing the lead hog might smell us, she fired at the trailing hog and it went down. The lead hog only had to move about 3 steps before it was back into the foliage and was gone. The trailing hog went down and disappeared in the high grass. I told her to stay on it to make sure it didn't get up. I had to chuckle when she said she could not see it after it fell and I replied that if she does see it again, to shoot it. It never appeared again.
We went back for the truck and the pig dragger and drove up to the field where the pig lay and found it. She managed to drop it with a 120 yard shot just inside of the right eye that traveled through the brain and exit behind the left jaw. I was impressed. I asked why she didn't shoot it in the shoulder this time and she said that she didn't want us to have to track another one and that it was standing still. That got no argument from me.
The boar was not the big one that we were after, but it was 110 lbs and had little smell. We dragged it out, got pics, and harvested the back straps that we had for dinner last night.
She is already asking to go again. So maybe Monday or Tuesday we will give it another try. I may not get another hog at our place this summer if this keeps up!
For some reason, the video file got corrupted and so there is no video of the shot, only pics...
So she has been shooting a few times and coming out to hunt. A couple of times, we have seen nothing. On one previous hunt, the big boar (bigger than the others) made and appearance while we were in a ground blind. He is skittish (hunted before?) and my daughter opted not to shoot because she wasn't ready.
Video direct link...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfAphA944Dc&feature=youtu.be
No problem. It was exciting and it was her call when to shoot or not shoot and if she wasn't ready to shoot, then she made the right call. We were a bit disappointed that she didn't get the hog, but I could not have been happier that she didn't rush or panic the shot. Given her experience level, I figured she was making experienced decisions.
We went out Friday night and were in a tree stand. By this time, we had been after these hogs together and I had been after them by myself several times. They have done a good job of not getting killed. On the previous night, the game camera had the first hog showing around 10:00 pm and we were in the stand by 8:00. My job was a guide, spotter, facilitator, manual labor. The shooting was on her.
I spotted hogs coming out of the brush from the west at 9:30 pm and had her get her gun up and going. Initially, I suggested she wait until they get to the feeder (where the game camera is) but realized my mistake and told her that she should shoot whenever she wanted to shoot. The hogs were coming in slow, 2 or 3 steps, stop and check security, 2 or 3 steps, stop and check...etc.
Time seemed to slow down as my adrenaline dumped and I had the shakes start. I did everything I could not to shake the stand. My daughter, however, managed to be cool and collected, choosing her shot.
She had the trailing hog quartered toward us and the leading hog was facing us when it stuck its nose in the air. Fearing the lead hog might smell us, she fired at the trailing hog and it went down. The lead hog only had to move about 3 steps before it was back into the foliage and was gone. The trailing hog went down and disappeared in the high grass. I told her to stay on it to make sure it didn't get up. I had to chuckle when she said she could not see it after it fell and I replied that if she does see it again, to shoot it. It never appeared again.
We went back for the truck and the pig dragger and drove up to the field where the pig lay and found it. She managed to drop it with a 120 yard shot just inside of the right eye that traveled through the brain and exit behind the left jaw. I was impressed. I asked why she didn't shoot it in the shoulder this time and she said that she didn't want us to have to track another one and that it was standing still. That got no argument from me.
The boar was not the big one that we were after, but it was 110 lbs and had little smell. We dragged it out, got pics, and harvested the back straps that we had for dinner last night.
She is already asking to go again. So maybe Monday or Tuesday we will give it another try. I may not get another hog at our place this summer if this keeps up!
For some reason, the video file got corrupted and so there is no video of the shot, only pics...
