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#0003 I did a European mount for a hog I shot a while back. It weighed about 240 pounds. The two photos are the before and after shots. I removed the head and skinned it. Then, I placed it on the ground under a wash tub. As time went by the dermestid beetles and their larvae did the rest. They ate all the non-bone and non-tooth matter. The skull was black with dirt when they got finished. I then placed the skull in a bleach solution which cleaned it up nicely. You will notice that the tusks are barely visible on the live (or dead) hog. Then, with the flesh removed, the tusks can be seen in their full length. Obviously, the hog could do lots of damage with their tusks. The tusks in the jaw are the “cutters” for obvious reasons. The tusks coming from the skull are the “whetters” because they keep the cutters sharp. Both grow continuously which is how that stay sharp. At least half of the tusk remains inside the bone. Once they are removed, they become even more impressive. The base of the tusks are hollow and the material is paper thin, Until next time, and in memory of Luther Billis. Porcus Hogrellius Make Yourself a Better Hog Hunter
#0002 After enjoying a quiet day at the tree farm, we prepped for the night. This has been the coolest temps in July in anyone’s memory. The lows in the low 60’s and the highs only in the 80’s. We put out more corn near the three green motion lights. Mike sat in the elevated stand near the road. I stayed near the house. I was able to see each of the three green motion lights: the one near Mike and the two near the house. All was quiet except for the neighbors who conducted a fireworks show from 2130 till 2230. I only wish that I could have watched it. Was it the cooler weather? Was it the fireworks? Don’t know, but the hogs were not moving in their normal pattern. Mike had texted me that he would want to come back at 2300. I planned to help him get down in the dark and walk back with him. At about 2245, one of the green motion lights came on, the same one where Mike shot his hog the night before. I moved that way with my 30-06 and leaned against a pine tree. This hog was harder to see than Mike’s. This one was black, his was light brown. But, I could see him ok nudging corn out of the pig pipe. The challenge is to get the non-illuminated crosshairs on the black hog under a green light. I was patient and got everything right before I squeezed off the shot. Down he went. It was another lone boar just like the night before. After I confirmed that the boar would not be running away, I collected Mike on time. Another good night. No more hogs came to the telephone camera through the night. The corn on the road where Mike was sitting was not eaten as of this morning. It was a great hunt: two neck shots, two downed hogs, two less invasive vermin assaulting local agriculture. The buzzards are busy. Until next time. Porcus Hogrellius Make Yourself a Better Hog Hunter
#0001 I collected Mike from the airport on time Tuesday afternoon, and we rolled toward my house. We made a stop at the local gun store where Mike drooled over various guns that he would not be allowed to own in his home state of California. Another hour and a half on the road and we stopped at the Tex-Mex restaurant near our destination for tacos and fajitas. The food received good reviews from California native Mike. Just a few miles down the road we took arrival at the tree farm where we partially unpacked, ate our to-go supper, and got familiar with the night vision scope and layout of the property. There were also pig pipes to fill with corn. I showed Mike how the green motion lights work. The pigs are not bothered by the green LEDs, but we humans can see the hogs well when they are at the lights eating the free corn. Among the wildlife we saw the first afternoon were a fawn (alone) and a doe. We sat outside enjoying an unseasonable cool evening. The moon was in its third quarter and had not yet risen. We were positioned to see any of the three green motion lights activate. We had a couple of false alarms at the two nearer lights. The lights came on, but there were no animals. Shortly, the light down the road came on. We moved that direction to less than 100 yards from the light. I could see a hog and set up the tripod for Mike. Shortly, Mike got the pig in the scope after some adjusting to the brightness, IR illumination, and focus. I waited for the shot, but after a minute or so, the hog moved on. I had encouraged Mike to only take a good neck shot. Unfortunately, the only shot Mike had was a “Texas heart shot.” I’ll let you figure that one out on your own. There was a very, very light breeze at out backs. I think the hog smelled us and ran. (It was the end of the day, and, yes, we may have been a bit ripe.) We sat outside for a while enjoying the night air and listening to the coyotes sing. Finally, Mr. Sandman came to visit us, and we turned in. The newly remodeled small house is very comfortable, and soon I was out. I woke at about midnight and took a short walk down the hall. Later, I heard Mike get up. In just a minute, my phone alerted me to a picture coming in from my telephone camera. There was a big hog. That photo came in at 0240. Mike had also heard the call. Looking out the window, we could see the green glow of the motion light. Mike got the AR, and I got the tripod. We moved closer in order to see the hog. It was there, a large boar. Mike wasn’t able to find it in the night vision. The hog got nervous and moved away. I moved and looked at the nearby motion light - it was on. I moved closer and could see the hog with my naked eye eating corn. Going back, I got Mike’s attention, and we moved. After some repositioning, Mike could see the hog in the cross hairs. Shortly, he sent a round toward the hog, and the hog fell in its tracks. Beautiful. As I was slapping Mike on the back, the hog got up and left. Ugh! We moved toward the green light and could see blood on the grass. Mike heard some noise back in the brush. We agreed to look for the hog after daylight. Daylight came, and we found the hog about 30 yards away. It was a very good neck shot. Somehow, the hog regained its footing and began to run after being hit. But, it didn’t go far. Tonight, we’ll try again. Porcus Hogrellius Make Yourself a Better Hog Hunter