Hog Noses

#0049

It’s been an exceptionally wet and cool spring. Even today, 5 JUN, the high was about 80. Normal is in the 90’s.

I don’t miss the heat, but if the ground is the least bit dry, I’m out mowing trying to keep the lawns in good order.

Last Sunday afternoon, I drove to my property to overnight and to check on things. The ground had dried some from last month.

The wheat in the food plots has matured as the brown heads of grain droop. It was clear that the pigs have found the ripe grain and were pulling down the stalks to reap the harvest.

I got some work done Sunday afternoon. (And finished reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Excellent.)

At about 2100, I went outside with the thermal and saw two pigs in the food plot. They were easy to see with the thermal, but it didn’t work to target them with the infrared. The illuminator simply reflected off the trees and shone back into the scope. The hogs were lost in the darkness.

I grabbed the rifle and tripod and moved their way. They were gone before I could get near them. As I turned to go back to the house, I could feel a very slight wind in my face. They had smelled me.

At 2300, I went back outside. There they were again. In just a minute or two, they moved out of the field. What a tremendous sense of smell.

While pursuing the feral hog, always be aware of the wind direction. This can be the difference between success and failure.

Porcus Hogrelius
Make Yourself a Better Hog Hunter