Success on another hog hunt.

 Before I start the narrative I have to thank the landowner for his hospitality and use of his lodge and equipment, and I want to thank the Squirrel Dog Kennel Guide and Taxi Service for the use of the their private jet, chauffeur and limousine, and free hunting advice.

We had another successful hog hunt at Ivy Creek.  Brian Barker, Tim Cosby, and I went for a two day hunt at the lodge courtesy of the owner.  I had to leave early but still managed to get one with my flintlock.  I got in the stand at 5:30am and didn't even have time to sit down when this one walked out 30yds. away.  You should have me scrambling in that shooting house to try to get ready for the shot and not spook him at the same time by whacking the fiberglass wall of the house with my 38" barrel.  It would have been like beating a bass drum over his head.  I had to dig my primer out of my bag, move the chairs so I could sit down to shoot out of the window, and then dig my headphones( I always try to use hearing protection.) out of my backpack all without making any noise.   I used a .526cal. ball and 80gr. of 2F.

Since I donated the hog to Brian's daughter's wedding reception for a Kentucky BBQ wedding reception, he gets the cleaning honors.  Brian also shot the hog below the previous evening.

While we were discussing where the ball went on my hog, he reached in and found it under the gristle shield on the far side of the shoulder.  The ball had penetrated the both shoulders and the chest cavity stopping under the gristle/fat shield on the other side.  The gristle/fat shield is about 2" thick on this hog.  He went down in his tracks when hit.  The ball expended all its energy in the target. 

Because he was broke down but not dead, I delivered the coup de grace at close range to speed him along to hog heaven.  At first I didn't realize what happened, but in the still air of the morning the smoke blew into the hair and was rising straight up out of the hair.  It looked like one of those scary movies where the evil spirit rises out of the person.  Kind of eerie in the early morning light when you are way off in the woods by yourself. 

We have a final update on the hog hunt.  Brian Barker maxed out this pm with a double pinch on the hogs.  He shot a big barren sow( never been bred good as it gets in wild hogs) with his trusty 30-30 lever gun.  About 300 #.  Because of the cooling rain she came out before dark.  Brian also shot a smaller one today that we didn't get a picture of.

Here is a picture of the hog hanging flanked by Brian on one side and Phil, our host, on the other.  Tim Cosby hunted hard, but all he got was a trip to an urgent care center for a non-hunting related illness.