In the Dark of the Night

#0009

I was spending a few days at the tree farm in early January.

Monday morning at about 0330, the phone alerted me with a photo of a pig at one of the pig pipes. I got dressed and moved outside. I could see two of my green motion lights were on, one of which is by the telephone camera.

No hog was at the nearer light, but I could barely make one out at the far light, down the road.

I got off the road and moved forward out of sight of the pig which was eating the corn that I had laid out. The moon had set, which was good because it was a very bright moon earlier. Easing along, trying to be as quiet as possible, I got to within 30 or 40 yards and moved to a position where I could see the beast.

Note, this pig was taken without the aid of thermal or night vision.

Going to a prone position, I could see the hog ok in the green light. However, the black crosshairs in the scope are not visible against the dark sides of the pig. So, the trick is to move the scope such that the cross hairs become visible against the lighter background as the scope moves. Swinging the scope in this manner allows you to figure out the correct aimpoint. The boar was busy eating, so I had time to get myself organized.

I let the bullet fly. Being on the ground, it wasn’t clear if the pig was down or if it was gone. As I got up and walked that way, I could see that he was down for the count. No movement, no twitching. It was plenty cold that night, so I let the pig lay until morning.

The following morning, I took a closer look at my pig. It was not a neck shot, but went through the front legs (not the shoulders). The 165 grain Hornady SST from the 30-06 passed right through the legs and torso. Great bullet.

That night, at 2240, the phone woke me up with a picture of a pig. After dressing, I eased out the back door, rifle in hand. The moon was nearly full and directly overhead with perfectly clear skies. In the open area behind the house there were shadows. The animals were in the light, I was in the shadow of the porch roof. Up came the rifle so that I could watch them through the scope. Yes, three little piggies were looking for a midnight snack. 

They were pigs, no doubt: not livestock, not deer, low to the ground, in a group, proper silhouette. I thought I could get a two-fer, so I let fly. One was on the ground squealing. I dispatched that one with my carry pistol (Ruger LCP in 380). A quick scan with my green flashlight didn’t show anything else. Back to bed, my work complete.

Next morning, the butchering began. 125 pound live weight.

A great couple of days at the tree farm, perfect weather.

Sleep well, there are two less feral hogs roaming the pastures.

Porcus Hogrelius
Make Yourself a Better Hog Hunter