Thermal - Long Range Hog Hunt - 16 Hogs Down

[geo4061]

My brother and I rented thermals from Ultimate Thermal and headed off to Ranger, Texas. Where he has a small place and had secured us hunting permission on two adjoining ranches. The ranchers loved hearing that we were coming with thermal gear. Hogs had just torn up eighty bales of red cane in one night. They ask that we try to take out the"Factories." The first morning I was on top of the Bad Boy with the 300 RUM 230 Bergers at 3000 fps over looking a feeder at 520 yards. A cross wind of 30 was blowing and a black hog stood facing me under the feeder. I squeezed off a shot. He squealed spun around and disappeared. No blood. The buzzards found him. While still positioned I spotted the red hog running right to left along the fence line at 226 yards. I lost him but got ready at the next opening if he continued down the fence line. When he hit the opening I held on his nose and hit him in the front of the rear ham. It spun him around. He ran fifty yards to the nearest cedar cactus thicket. We found him there. Once again no blood trail. Bullet did not exit. We spent the rest of the day sighting the DPMS 308 AR with 155 grain Hornady bthp's using hand warmers and the thermal scope. Excitement began to build as it began to get dark. We also rented a monocular and used it for spotting. It was amazing. We drove around in the Bad Boy and everything lite up like daytime. Rabbits, hogs, deer, coons, possoms, cows, horses, and birds all wonderful. We drove up on several single hogs at 100 yards. Usually Boars. Then several large groups of thirty or more at 100 yards. We would shoot from a tripod and then open up with lights and a second rifle after the first shot. It got a little Western.They are very nervous so no head or neck shots. We were also trying to take out the "Factories" or the biggest ones. There were no DRT. There were heart, lung, and anal to head shots. No blood trails. They ran at least fifty yards most much farther and most were found a day or two later by the buzzards. I can not tell you how tough these "RHINOS" of Texas are. Deer, elk, and bear are not even in the game.

 

[FEENIX]

Posting pictures for GEO4061 ...

 

[Barrelnut]

Okay, ya gotta stop it! You're having too much dang FUN!

 

[J E Custom]

Posting pictures for GEO4061 ...

Nice pigs. and a real nice platform to shoot from.

Sounds/looks like you had a great hunt. I know the farmers were happy.

J E CUSTOM

 

[geo4061]

Oh, Barrelnut, but I haven't gotten to the finale. This was a four night hunt.On the last night. After hearing of our success one of the ranch owners wives ask us if we would help her out with a problem in her orchard. The raccoons had eaten all her peaches and now that her pears were ripe they were going to eat them all. Well how could we refuse a lady in distress. We pulled within fifty yards of the couple of pear trees and set up the AR. The HUGE raccoons lite up!!! We took seven of them out in short order. Head shots. Looks like huge flying squirrels. This was way too much fun. Even though I caught heck from the wife. "Their too cute to shoot." The ranchers wife was very thankful. I do not know how you could have more fun or find a better hunting experience anywhere. These four nights were filled with excitement and thrills. Everyone should try this.

 

[Barrelnut]

I do not know how you could have more fun or find a better hunting experience anywhere. These four nights were filled with excitement and thrills. Everyone should try this.

Would have to agree with you there. Guess there's not much other hunting that offers that kinda continuous excitement and thrills. A hunting trip you and your brother will remember for ages, I'm sure.

My brother is coming out from Georgia next month and we are headed over to central Oregon for mule deer. I'm sure we will have a good time. But, after reading all this, I'm just hoping I can find a way to turn up the excitement meter a bit! We will do some coyote hunting too, that should help.

7 raccoons out of a pair of pear trees is just wow.

 

[geo4061]

I thought I would put together a few tips and a list of things I would bring just in case some of you want to do this. Accurate 308 Ar, Stanley Fatmax red lense, Benadryl, tweezers, heavy denim jeans, heavy long sleeve shirt, leather gloves, multiple surgical gloves, sharp knife and sharpener, heavy duty thick sole steel toe 10" top heavy leather work boot Walmart $69. Find an outfitter that has several areas or stands for you to hunt. Did I mention They are very intelligent. You shoot once on a stand ,make it count ,cause they will not be back. Do not bring your expensive hunting clothes. Not only are the hogs big and nasty so is the terrain. If you wound one and choose to follow you will have to over come some nasty stuff. Cedar thickets filled with mesquite thorns and cactus thorns that will penetrate your hiking boots and shred your pants. Then the small thorns of the cactus get into everything and everywhere. They will ruin your boots and your clothing. Oh that's not all. Then be on the look out for scorpions, rattlesnakes, and killer bees.

 

[geo4061]

Oh ,and do not forget the FIRE ANTS and wear a hat. If you drive do not get off the road. The thorns will penetrate six ply tires. Practice, practice, practice on moving targets. After the first shot if you are quick enough you can take out a second. Good Luck!

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

Awesome hogs! Thanks for sharing!

 

[geo4061]

This was a hunt of a LIFETIME!!! Please do not expect to hire a guide and come down here and be able to do this. I would think a good guide would be able to get you three or four shots. What made this hunt special. The Thermals, the stalk, the three ranches. The Thermals were unbelievable. We owned the nite!!!We only used our flashlights to make sure we did not step on cactus, fire ants, or rattle snakes. We could see the road, trees, rocks, bushes, and animals glowed white. We even enjoyed watching the Jack Rabbits. While waiting on my brother I watched one of his barn cats catch a large field rat. What a hoot. The Bad Boy made the stalk. It helped us cover a lot of country quickly. Down on ground level. On their Turf. I never liked sitting in a stand. The three ranches. One was not good. Nothing for the hogs to eat. The other two were great. My brother has a small place but feeds year round. The large ranch also farms hay,red cane,sunflowers, and something for quail. Plus no one had hunted these ranches since last deer season. If you still want to do this Google it. Find several guides. Get references. Check them. Make sure they have multiple FRESH places, with food, for you to hunt.

 

[geo4061]

Thanks for the thumbs up scrmblr1982cj8.

 

[geo4061]

Deer hunters this may help. The Thermals helped us do a game survey on three ranches. On the first ranch about 250 acres there were very few deer and no hogs. There was no cultivation and the feeders had not been used since deer season. The second my brothers 250 acres where he feeds year round. No Cultivation. He has fenced protein and hen scratch feeders and then six corn feeders. He had lots of deer and hogs. Including the largest bucks and pigs we saw. For a small place it was loaded. The large ranch a 1000 acres plus cultivation of red cane, hay,sun flowers, and something for quail. Hundreds of hogs around the cultivated fields. Some deer in same areas. Lots of feeders and blinds. However, they had not been used since deer season and no activity around them. Hope this helps.

 

[geo4061]

Hog number update. I think the hogs on these three ranches got the message. My brother said he and his neighbors are seeing far fewer hogs. The corn is piling up under his feeders and he planted a small deer plot. The hogs would normally wipe these out in one night. It has been a month now and not a single hog has returned to the feeder where I made the 520 yard shoot. Amazing to me how quickly they learn and move to safer ground.

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

They are smart! I've read that they are in the top 5 smartest mammals. They pick up quick!