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Boar Hunt - 04

Note the terrain: Tens of thousands of saplings among the trees, streams, and rocks. Beautiful and rugged...

 

Some weeks ago, I was in a local diner. I met a bud from years back who loves to hunt. He's been everywhere - done everything. Excellent bow hunter with a trophy lodge full of mounts. He told me of a group he'd put together who were going Boar hunting. And ... he invited me to go! Well, I had to think it over for most of a second and a half before I gave him a big old stupid grin ...

The small detail of the fact that I had no rifle crossed my mind briefly ... (I'd sold mine) it would have to be dealt with ... hummm. As I've explained on the daily brief, I have pcs. and parts all over the place. I often make up an extra part which I say is for myself. It will lay there for a year or two on the shelf and, occasionally; another part will be added to it (usually for a different rifle ... ha ha). If I need to develop a process or tooling for a customer's project, sometimes a prototype part or two will need to be run to test the process. Thus, I'd accumulated many of the critical parts of a rifle.

The offer of the hunt came at a welcome time and was just too good to pass up. The winter has worn on me this year and many of the small details of the year past pulled a thread loose here and there. I was ready for a break. So, I took the break, finished a shooting rifle for the hunt, tested it, and sighted it in. I got this all done at 11:30 pm the night before the hunt. I had to get up at 4 am the next morning and leave.

All pretense of luxury ceased when the cushy new 4 by 4 I was being hauled in left the asphalt and engaged about a foot of mud. Progress was steady despite the snow, and ice. Sudden course corrections took place as the truck would hit a rut and jerk sideways like a car entering an automated car wash.

Arriving at the end of the road, we piled out into the frigid morning. A half sheet of plywood was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground to stand on and put on our hunting overlay clothing. Brief instructions were repeated, verified, and we hit the trails in various directions. Taking positions a few hundred yards apart, we were soon alone with the snow squalls, the wind, the ice, the snow, the creaking dead falls, and the rocks all around.

I sat atop a stump on a rocky outcropping. The wind found me very quickly there as I watched two game trails. One about 38 yards and one about 63 yards, according to my laser. When the first game appeared, it was at a dead run - a string of about a dozen bristling, snorting, charging Boar - in one heck of a hurry to be someplace else.

The rifle came up - and a kaleidoscope of hair, tusks, and hooves thundered by. In seconds, I was alone with the cold again. Feeling alittle stupid. I surveyed my vantage point. This will never work. Thousands of little saplings filled in between the hundreds of trees. The boar charged thru without the courtesy of a pause between trees. I had the wrong optics for this situation where no time was available to make adjustments.

Over the next few hours, I witnessed a couple of different versions of this similar Boar behavior. Numb and hungry (about half past noon), I wandered back to the truck. Munched on a smoked turkey sandwich, and pondered my fate ...

Story continues below ...

The hunt was scheduled for 2-21-04. The location was a game reserve in Pennsylvania. The rest of the group were bow hunters who had never seen (nor even ever heard) of a big bore airgun. They know now! ha ha. ;?)

Here's the beast I finished up. A Yukon 58 GS (Grand Slam). I was shooting a 510 grain Barnes slug @ approx. 775 fps. It was well up to the task.


Hunt Story Continues ...

After lunch, I decided to try a different approach. I hiked up to alittle higher ground and came across a logging road. I began to slowly walk out the road. There were wild goats on the property. I'd seem them here and there all morning. At this moment, a group of them were walking out the same logging road as I was - up ahead maybe 75 yards. A plan began to form ...

The Boar are probably very familiar with the goats and hardly spooked by them. If I let them take the lead, and they run across the herd, I might get a shot where the Boar are not running full tilt.

The goats knew I was there and kept hanging back and looking at me. I'd sort of turn my head, absently humm to myself with an airy whistle thru my teeth, and try to look like any normal tourist strolling thru a museum. Nothing to be concerned about ... wshhh ... wwhshhh ... shhh ...

Oddly enough (I mean due to great planning) our paths did intersect that of the Boar. I could see dark objects crossing the vertical lines of the saplings maybe 100-120 yards ahead thru the trees. I crouched down to make my profile less obvious. The goats were on a rise in the road and that helped too. I closed the ground some until I felt I could see clearly down the road for a ways. Kneeled down with my left knee up and my left elbow atop that. Rifle at the ready. Let's see what comes out of the woods.

The pigs started to appear and cross. They milled around just alittle and crossed. I can imagine them seeing the goats and one of them saying ... "HEY! ... Wait!" And the lead pig calling back and saying ... "It's just the GOATS dummy". And the spooky one saying ... "What about that one in the back ... it's wearing glasses!" And, the lead pig glances at me, looks back disgustedly at the spooky pig, and says ... Can't you see those blaze white chin whiskers? ... it's a GOAT I tell you". And, with that, walks on across the road - being a scrawny pig - and out of danger.

I knelt there for a few moments, and after maybe five to seven pigs had passed, here came a fine Boar trotting along. I got on him thru the scope, followed, and squeezed off the round. He dropped. Dragged into some nearby brush and it was soon over. A fine male tusker.

 

The area was very rugged. Snow, ice, rocks, logs, and mud made for interesting walking. Funny - these hunts are always up hill all day! ;?)

It was beautiful out there ...

You see alot of things that bring a smile too. The Woodpeckers have been real busy here. I saw them working while I hunted.

Good boots are worth gold ...

Can you believe that one of the hunters was carrying a hunting knife I'd made about 20 years ago? He'd never met me - didn't know who this old guy with the white beard and the popgun was ... something came up about knives and he thought maybe I'd like to see his hand forged custom knife ... amazing. Wasn't he surprised!!! ;?)

I wish I'd have had a "Pause" button out there in the woods. Oh ... by the way - you realize you are looking at about 10 wild Boar here?

The camera stopped them and brought them closer in this pic. When we'd see them, they were charging down trails through the rocks and trees ... a thundering blurr behind obstacles. Try to get a scope on that once!! ha ha.

On previous Boar hunts (different location), the woods had been more open and there were grassy meadows, etc. Here, you'd catch a flash of the little buffalo charging through the trees. I had the incorrect optical set-up for this situation. (Much more about that later).

Still, I bagged a fine Boar tusker.

As with previous stories ... and in an attempt to not surprise those who'd rather not see where the lead went after it left the muzzle, you decide and click over the traditional successful hunt pose pic.

Your Choice - Hunting Pictures of Dead Game animal

I'll tell the story later. It was a fine and very exhausting day. Thanks for your interest in sharing it with me ...