Mulefoot Double & Sounder

[Double Naught Spy]

Got a call about some hogs at TBR where I normally hunt and did a couple of quick sets there resulting in a mulefoot double.

[ame]https://youtu.be/mX_CK6rqVjc[/ame]

After that hunt, I went out with a different group and ended up on a sounder in some abysmal wind conditions, but we managed to land 6 hogs.

[ame]https://youtu.be/UsLCX_VLvec[/ame]

I am really enjoying shooting with the IR Hunter MKIII 4.5x thermal sight. The extra magnification really helps make possible longer shots that not too long ago I would have considered to be extreme and now that seem almost common.

 

[geo4061]

Awesome hunt. I recently got to compare a Pulsar and Reap- IR. The Reap blew it away. Looked like your IR Hunter blew the Armasight away? How did the Reap IR on your hunt compare to your IR Hunter?

 

[Double Naught Spy]

LOL, comparing a Reap-IR 640 resolution 2.5x 35mm 12 micron thermal sight to a Pulsar (I assume it was an Apex XD38a or XD50a) at 384 resolution, 38 or 50 mm, and 25 micron scope with less than 2x magnification just isn't a comparison. Neither is the cost which is about double for the Reap-IR, LOL. Similarly, comparing to the Armasight 2x 640 resolution 17 micron scope to the IR Hunter MKIII 4.5x 640 resolution 60mm 12 micron scope really isn't much of a comparison either. I paid about 70% more for the IR Hunter than I did for the Armasight.

All of these scopes are good scopes. A Lamborghini blows away a Camry, and both are good in their own respects, but which one do you want to be going fender to fender in during rush hour traffic in the big city on a daily basis? Which one gives you the best value for your $? I think the MKIII 60mm is the best scope on the market right now for my needs. It is not the most cost effective scope. It isn't the lightest scope. It isn't the smallest scope. It isn't good for CQH (close quarters hunting). It does have about the best image going of any thermal scope I have seen and what you are seeing in the video is significantly degraded compared to what is being seen through the eyepiece (which is typical of IR Defense scopes).

For most hunters, the Pulsars would be perfectly functional for most of their needs that typically include shots of 100 yards and less, particularly at night. Beyond that, Pulsar is coming out with a new line of 640 resolution scopes that will be fairly cost effective as well that have a really nice image, but not a whole lot of magnification. They will also be decent budget thermal scopes that will suit the needs of most hunters.

So for me, it really isn't about what is the absolute best scope, but the best scope for your needs given your budget concerns.

 

[geo4061]

The comparison was done because that is what I could try before I bought. The Pulsar has some great reviews. However, save your money and move up to the 640's. They are that much better!!! Thinking the Pulsar would be great on a shotgun for close up work when calling. Would love to hear what you think about the new Pulsar 640 after some field work. Please post us a review, whenever possible, under thread titled Thermal Review. Thanks. At several thousand less than the IR maybe it's the one to buy?

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

DNS,

Another interesting video! Your video and history with the mulefoot hogs causes me to think back to the days of my science classes regarding dominant and recessive genetic traits. It would be interesting to definitively know how long this particular trait has been passed through multiple generations.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

It is supposedly homozygous recessive trait meaning that it must be present in both the male and female parents and must match up. I can't find where it has been specifically studied for hogs, but that is what it is in most other cloven hooved animals when they are syndactyl.

I was speaking with Glenn Guess. He has also killed two mulefoots which happen to have been within a few miles of where I have killed mine. Apparently, there was at least one rancher in the area historically that bred and raised mulefooted hogs. So it is his belief, and I would agree, that these are likely descendants of that operation (escapees? turned loose?). Either way, we have a concentration of them.

People have reported them from numerous places across the south and along the east coast. So they are around and potentially killed and not noticed by hunters on many occasions. You have to be looking for the trait or really looking at their feet to take notice of it. Otherwise, it is easy to miss visually.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

What do you guys do with all that meat? Those looked like perfect eating sized hogs. Ive never seen so many hogs in one spot like that.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Funny you should ask. Mr. TBR wanted the backstraps. The 240 lb sow had the thinnest of backstraps that either of us had ever seen. They looks like something you might cut into squares and quickly pan fry on each side. They were weird, particularly on such a large hog.

The smaller 95 lb sow had okay backstraps, but I put a shot right through the middle of them when I spined the hog, so all that was left was the ends.

We get hogs regularly enough at TBR that we rarely take more than the back straps. Every once in a while, we might take a ham, but usually not.

Generally speaking, a lot of people shy away from eating larger boars because of the smell and sometimes tainted flavor. So we could have butchered the sows from the sounder hunt, but nobody wanted any of the meat. So everything there was donated back to nature.