Late Night Hog

#0051

It’s November in Texas. I was spending a couple nights at my small property. It’s whitetail season, and we can take does through Thanksgiving weekend, so the window is open for some venison.

I got here and unpacked by 2030 and soon to bed. Part of unpacking was getting out the tripod, loading the AR15, and prepping the night vision scope and thermal scanner.

Some background: for pigs, I have a few pig pipes which are a piece of large PVC pipe tethered at one end to a post. The pipe is filled with corn and has several holes such that the pigs can roll it to dispense the corn. Over the pipe is a green light activated by motion. The last item is a game camera that sends photos in real time.

When I was here last Monday, I had filled the pipe. And, as expected, the pigs came to eat the corn and get their photo taken.

As I drove in tonight, I dumped some corn at the pipe (but not filling it properly).

At about 2315, a photo came in showing the pigs having a midnight snack. In that the only corn was some scattered on the ground, there was no time to waste. Dressed, scanner, rifle, tripod. Gorgeous night, moon nearly full, cloudless sky, easy walk down the drive.

The pig pipe is located at the far side of the food plot. On this side, there is a thick patch of pine trees. I move so that I can look through the trees. Yes, the thermal shows pigs at the pipe. I move off the drive keeping the trees between me and the hogs. Two loud grunts, spooky to listen to that at night. They must be tussling over the corn. I get to the far end of the trees, the green light is on confirming activity under the light. There’s a tree to lean on. Yes, I see a couple hogs through the night vision. Solid rest, on target, safety off, broadside view, aim at neck, squeeze, the AR barks, the hog falls and does some twitching, I stay on target.

After the motion stops, I move in for a closer look. A nice meat hog.

It’s a cool night, I’ll tend to this little porker in the morning after I finish in the deer stand.

If the pigs didn’t eat the free food, they would not be susceptible to being a target. There might be a lesson here for us: don’t take the free stuff, earn your own way, remain free from dependence on anyone else.

Morning shows that it was a shoulder shot, not the intended neck shot. However, the
25-45 Sharps loaded with 117 grain round nose ammo does the job once again (Hornady Interlock). The bullet entered the shoulder and exited the opposite neck. Hanging in the skin was the copper jacket of the projectile. Excellent performance at about 50 yards.

Also, using the girth/weight estimate, the sow came in at 160 pounds. (Sows don’t have the thick shoulder shield. This shot may not have worked on an old boar.)

Now the butchering begins. I have adopted a technique where I hang the hog by its hind legs, skin it, take the shoulders, hams, and backstraps. The body remains intact with the guts contained. I have some sausage spices at home, so I’ll probably just grind this myself and do bulk packaging.

Life is good.

Porcus Hogrelius
Make Yourself a Better Hog Hunter