A little off-season fun

[Wildfowler]

Sometimes things just don’t go quite as anticipated. Like last night for example.

Farmer called me yesterday morning and told me the hogs are eating up my field and asked when can you get back out here?

Well of course I’m on get back out there pronto.
Sure enough there are hogs out here eating up his field. I spotted them about 500 yards away and began my approach.

Here is some video footage from the final few yards of my approach before I started shooting or actually it was before....... you’ll see......

https://youtu.be/vSRRqbsR3VY

This is flir breach helmet video footage of me walking from approximately 175 yards away down to about 75 yards away when I decided to set up for the shot.

When I loaded my rifle after seeing these hogs initially, I thought to myself that it didn’t quite sound right. I checked the bolt carrier and everything appeared to be close to home correctly so I went on my way. What I didn’t realize is that round that was chambered was not fully chambered. And I discovered this at the worst possible point in time.

You’ll notice in this next video there are some loud sounds with no reaction from the hogs. Luckily they did not hear me dry fire the weapon, nor did they hear me clear the malfunction and reload the rifle. I wanted to cry when I pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

And to add insult to injury, I just couldn’t seem to get out in front of this hog. If you listen closely I did hit him on the very last shot but I was fully expecting to have six or seven down from this group.

The madness!!

https://youtu.be/8CNhiCUZzi4

[Wildfowler]

So after walking the trail of shame back to my truck I decided to load up and go check another spot nearby.

Much to my delight there was one lonesome for having the whole place to himself. Problem was that as soon as I slowed and pulled off the road so I could jump out and get set up, he took off for cover.

I decided to camp out for a while in hopes that he would step back out, periodically scanning the field with my roof top mounted flir Vue. I must’ve dozed off in the truck because when I came to I made a 360° panoramic scan and there he was right in front of me, having just popped back out of the tree line.

This one took two shots to be brought down, and I found him just inside the tree line.

https://youtu.be/L7k4MGp4UaI

This was the best photo angle I could come up with as the foliage was pretty dense.

[Wildfowler]

Now come on y’all? I did not make this post so I could hear myself breathing.

I know y’all are doing fun stuff and I know most of y’all post your stuff on your Facebook pages. Can’t y'all post up here also?

Are we really going to let this place die?

[Wildfowler]

Ventilated a few more last night.

https://youtu.be/CGkPPZ7QAzQ

https://youtu.be/A2M6Hz4fKQQ

[mshunter77]

Have you thought investing in a suppressor? Seems like you may could get a few more quality shots in.

[Wildfowler]

Have you thought investing in a suppressor? Seems like you may could get a few more quality shots in.

Good idea.

Yes I’ve got one. They’re not totally silent though. This last hog event, the first one I shot was far enough away that the others didn’t take off running like they normally do.

It usually doesn’t work out the way seen in this video for me. I don’t use subsonic ammo anymore. Bullet impact is still loud enough to send a group running for cover regardless.

For me, a silencer is more for my benefit than anything else. Not as loud to shoot.

Just for fun I shot this rifle at 200 yards again today at the range. Had to adjust the scope again. It was shooting about nine inches to the left. I may have a problem with scope or it’s mount?? Yet To be determined.

[mshunter77]

Yeah hard to tell in video if you had one or not. You are correct if you are not using subsonic rounds it’s more for protecting your ears than not spooking the hogs. Now a 300 blackout with subsonic and suppressor is pretty dang quiet, just not sure what the lethal range is on that setup.

[Wildfowler]

Ya, the audio quality is not great on these videos.

I’m shooting full power 308. When I started this I was shooting 300 blackout but always felt like it was under powered and required precise shoots.

With full power 308 hunting ammo often times even with a poorly placed running shot will knock them down and/or slow them down long enough to get a better shot off to finish them off.

[booger]

What fun!!! I didn't know what this topic was about, just checked it.

I respect a man who knows how to sling lead at night with infrared gear.

Friggin' hog's are such a nuisance. I'd offer my services but don't have the scope for the game plan. I have suppressors, ready for .308, 7.62x39, 5.56 etc. and long magazines, drums, beta-C mags, tons of ammo etc. I guess I am a daylight lead slinger only. Maybe OpticsPlanet is having a sale, hmmmmmm, I have to keep up with the Wildfowler man.

Looks like you could use something with a bi-pod and carry handle, belt fed?

Thanks for posting, excellent work, waaaaaay too much fun!!!

[booger]

Utterly hysterical, I love the crosshairs out front, leading as they're on the run.

Will they hit the same field the next night, or most every night, or is it shot out for a few days?

[ufgators68]

So what do you do with all of that free bacon?

[Wildfowler]

Utterly hysterical, I love the crosshairs out front, leading as they're on the run.

Will they hit the same field the next night, or most every night, or is it shot out for a few days?

I don’t think it’s necessarily the same hogs, but I have shot the same field two nights in a row. I generally recognize the same individual hogs in a location and my experience is they need several days to come back once being fired upon.

I’ve shot two hogs within 10 or 15 minutes off of the same corn feeder more than once so persistence always pays off.

The first time I shot this peanut field I got a couple out of a group. Two minutes later I see the piglets about 300 hundred yards in the bottom of the field. Did the spray and pray firing schedule on them, resulting in two more kills. Drove down to retrieve them, left my truck running. A few minutes later I get back to my truck and glance at the thermal monitor on my dashboard and I see large boar walking straight towards me about 75 yards away. Headlights and engine were still running when I made that shot. Crazy!!


https://youtu.be/jxNinWengDM


That was one stupid hog who obviously had not been bothered by headlights before.

If they don’t get disturbed, I think they will stay in a field rooting it up for hours at a time at night. So the chances of catching them in a spot are pretty good if you just go ride around and check different spots.

A buddy and I kept saying we were going to bait them up on a corn feeder and both of us were going to sit on it with an M-16 on tripods and try and do the whole village that came under the feeder.

Neither one of us have an extra 25K for M-16s, so we never got around to this. Haha

Sometimes backstrap go home with me, or the landowner. Much of the time I’ve got guys on a phone call list begging me to call them when I get another one. Unfortunately sometimes the field is too wet or they are just simply too big to get out and they ultimately become coyote bait.

[Wildfowler]

What fun!!! I didn't know what this topic was about, just checked it.

This topic isn’t about anything in particular. I was hoping the former regular users of this site will share their own form of “off season fun” with us.

Thanks.

[Duck Engr]

That's a sweet setup. We've considered one like that but we don't have hogs regularly enough to justify it, yet. Have you considered using one of the trail cameras that sends a picture to you as soon as it's tripped? This has helped us tremendously with killing hogs. Phone buzzes, look at the pic, hogs are there, hop in the truck, ease up to the field, and let the fun begin!

[Wildfowler]

That's a sweet setup. We've considered one like that but we don't have hogs regularly enough to justify it, yet. Have you considered using one of the trail cameras that sends a picture to you as soon as it's tripped? This has helped us tremendously with killing hogs. Phone buzzes, look at the pic, hogs are there, hop in the truck, ease up to the field, and let the fun begin!

How far away do those trail cameras work at night? If the range is just a few yards I’d have to be very precise on my placement to get them to work? Never know exactly where in a field they may come out.

Thanks