Rained Friday. Sat turned off cold and clear. I pulled through the ranch gate at 6:30am. I could see a bunch of hogs about 1/4 mile away already in the same area as the Thursday kill. I turned off the truck and took off in a big looping circle to stay out of sight. There is a 4-5 ft levee across this field and they were on the other side of it. I eased up on the levee and belly crawled to the top- boy howdy- 30 or so standing out in the pasture, 20 of ‘em adults. I felt a little like a buffalo hunter of a long gone era looking over a herd. I picked one and dropped the hammer- another one bit the dust. Another sow about 100 lb. There were so many and they went in all directions at the shot; I had time to reload the Handi and take a shot at a straggler which had initially headed away from the woods, but I missed. Now wouldn’t that have been a good tale, to connect on a double?
I worked on my trap from 1 till 5:30. As I sat on the tailgate of my Dodge, enjoying a cold BL, I figured I'd go sit on the levee and see if anything showed. I didn't really think so because I had driven the pickup to within 100 ft of the trap- it’s a Cummins. I even fired up the chainsaw to remove some trees. But what the heck, it was late and I was already there.
I go plant my butt under a hackberry tree and glass the pasture. After a good while I hear a squeal from the adjoining property to the east. More waiting and glassing. I figured maybe some deer would come along. I'm just enjoying the scenery and being in the woods with a gun. I am peering through the binocs when a big, black , hairy creature enters my field of view from right to left. He came from the south off a neighboring place. A single all by himself. I figured a boar. I'm screened/blocked by some small Huisache, so I jump up and take a half dozen steps to my left. I find a hole in the brush ahead of the hog. He paused at the edge of the woods. Big mistake- offhand shot at 60-75 yds and he got 150 gr of lead poisoning from the old .30-30.
The tailgate on a Dodge 4x4 is 3+ ft off the ground. This boar must have tipped the scale at 225 cause it was all I could do to drag him over the tailgate and into the truck. All in all a successful and fun Saturday.
