Limits of Technology

#0055

You will find attached a photo of a spotted boar hog from my game camera. This photo is now a month old having been taken on 11/19/2021.
 
I managed to get down to the tree farm on the afternoon of 20 DEC to do some hunting and other work. There was some time to spare when I drove in, so I put corn into the pig pipe, changed batteries, etc. As you may recall, I have a telephone camera in place at my pig pipe that sends me pictures in real time. Also, I have a green motion light at the same pig pipe that is on only when something is present.
 
Getting to my deer stand before sunset, I hoped to see a buck come out. However, no deer were harmed or sighted last afternoon.
 
Supper and to bed. Our little house there has a nice fireplace and plenty of firewood, so it’s a very pleasant place to spend a winter evening. Forecast low was to be be near freezing.
 
Through the night, the camera went off several times, but no animals were in the picture. I’m guessing a rabbit was enjoying the corn but staying out of the camera’s aim.
 
At 0450, the phone went off. There was that big spotted boar. Time to suit up and go to work. Having geared up, I stepped outside. We had just had a full moon a few days ago, and everything was bright with moon light. But, the clear sky and calm air had allowed some fog to set in. Not so good.
 
It was easy to get down the drive in the moonlight. As I neared the pig pipe, I could see the green motion light on, and with the thermal I could see the image of an animal through the trees. Good.
 
As I have done before, I made it to the edge of the trees where I could get a view of the pig pipe and have a good rest against a pine tree. Thermal up - lone boar, large. With my naked eye I could see an animal in the dim green light. Good. Rifle up, night vision on, blank screen. The IR illuminator was on high, but the light was simply reflecting off the fog. Drat!!. What to do… When the green light was on, I could get a dim image of the light through the night vision. Again, this particular light turns off quickly when there is no motion, so it was intermittent. The green light was going on and off, so I knew the pig was there. I could hear it push the pipe around. With the thermal, I could see the big boar with no problem. I simply could not target the thing. There was a moment or two when I saw the pig’s eye glow in the IR light. That would be my only way to target this beast. So, I waited…and I waited…and I waited. I could not get that pig’s eye to shine in the light. This was further complicated because the only way that I knew exactly where to look was when the green light was on which was not continuous. I even tried making some noise thinking that he would look my direction so I could see his eye shine. No joy.
 
Finally, he left. He may have not liked my noises, or he smelled me. In either case, all my technology couldn’t seal the deal. The solution is to buy a thermal scope - not in the budget.
 
The hog left at 0519, total elapsed time: 29 minutes.
 
I have another night at the tree farm, and this boar knows where the food is, and I’ll make sure there is plenty of corn in the pig pipe tonight. (There was plenty of corn in the pig pipe this morning. One hog eating for nearly 30 minutes did not empty the pipe. Also, I put a few rocks in the pipe. Even if the pipe is empty, it will sound like there is still corn inside, and he’ll keep rolling it.)
 
For today, there is always some project here at the place to attend to.
 
Assuming I put it on the ground tonight, I’ll take a measurement around his girth to estimate his weight. Based on the photo, I’ll guess his weight is 240. He is a full grown hog. He is traveling alone and sure looks like a boar. However, I don’t see any tusks. A full grown boar should have his cutters visible.
 
Also, including a photo showing how far I could NOT see with the night vision. The dead hog in the photo is where the pig pipe and camera are located. To the right in the photo are the trees where I was set up to shoot. As you can see it wasn’t far. My frustration with the IR scope and illuminator would be comparable to driving in fog with your high beams on.
 
This narrative resumes at 0051 Wednesday morning. The big spotted boar is on ground. But, I am getting ahead of myself.
 
He came earlier tonight than he did Monday night. That was good. It’s another clear crisp calm night so fog later is possible, although it feels less humid now. (The internet tells me local temp is 44F, no fog.) My phone woke me at 0016, the lone boar was eating my corn. Out of bed and geared up. I didn’t bring the tripod tonight since the same tree to lean on has been working well lately. All is in order, out the door.

Very bright moon almost at its zenith. Scan with the thermal, all clear, down the drive I go. I move from shadow to shadow trying to be quiet. As I get closer, I can see the boar’s image through the trees using the thermal, good. He is completely focused on the pig pipe dispensing his midnight snack.
 
At the firing line, the green motion light is on, rifle up, great image. At this point he is facing me, not the best shot. Fortunately, the pig pipe is tethered so as he keeps pushing it he will eventually position himself for my shot.
 
Patience. There is hardly a breath of wind, so I don’t think he’ll smell me. He keeps eating and pushing. Wait. Wait. There’s the shot, broadside through the neck. I squeeze the trigger, bang, flop, a few twitches. A good, clean, quick kill.
 
I watch him through the night vision for signs of movement. He’s on his side and barely moving. Good.
 
I walk across the food plot, stand at his tail end, and look him over with the flashlight. He’s big, but not a monster. I’ll stay with my 240 estimate and confirm in the morning.
 
For now, back to bed.
 
No more pigs in the camera overnight. So, after breakfast the work begins.
 
For starters, the pig’s heart girth was 40 1/2 inches. This translates into an estimated weight of 205 pounds. I’m still lacking skill at estimating live weight.
 
I picked him up with the tractor and hosed him down. He was dirty, but his coat was very nice, sort of a blonde color with black spots. Hair was very long, his winter coat.
 
Rather than butchering the whole thing, I simply took out the back straps. Also, I skinned the head to make a skull mount. My process is to place the skull under a washtub after all the hide is off. The dermestid beetles and their larvae consume everything else leaving the bones and teeth. Now, I’ll wait while they do their work.
 
The round impacted just behind the ear, DOA. I was aiming a little lower, but if I can’t be good I’ll just be lucky.
 
So, the buzzards and coyotes will be well fed.
 
This was good fun to outsmart the big boar and to have the time available to stay the second night.
 
For now, I’ll keep watching the camera feed to see what else might show up.
 
Porcus Hogrelius
Make Yourself a Better Hog Hunter