Airhog
05-07-2011, 07:38 PM
I was asked to post this on the forum. This occurred this winter before we were up and running so I thought it would be ok to put it in now. I hope you enjoy it. Airhog
Just click on the pics and you will get a full size picture.
The day started out snowing so hard you could barely see 300ft. As I was looking out the window drinking my first cup of coffee, I was thinking that when the snow stopped, it would be a good day for my son and I to try and claim our first Arkansas Razorback. The snow finally stopped about 3:30p.m., so Josh and I armed ourselves with our new 6.5 Grendels that we had built over the fall, and mounted our 4 wheelers. Our hog hunting territory is conveniently a 1,000 acre cattle ranch adjacent to our property. The owner had decided he was tired of the hogs destroying his pastures with wallows and the remains of many hours of rooting for grubs and such. It had turned out to be a serene winter day of about 30 degrees with a beautiful sky.
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Our first obstacle came when we found the creek an interesting level. It would tend to push the 4 wheeler to the side and cause the rider to make necessary correction as we went. The alternative would have been washing down the rapids. Little too cool for a swim.
122
We were riding across the pastures, slowly, through 8 to 10 inches of snow looking for the elusive Arkansas Razorback, knowing that if and when we found them that the noise from the 4 wheelers could possibly have already alerted them as to the possibility of danger. As We rounded a curve, wood line to the right and pasture to the left, I spotted something black partially obscured through some brush, that I did not recognize from earlier trips through the same terrain. Josh did not have a scope on his grendel only a red dot, so I raised my scope a saw movement. Could be a hog but not sure, there are plenty of black calves around too. Our strategy was to move up to get a better view. Only problem, we alerted whatever it was and it was now running. We raced up to the area and found a black sow scrambling for cover followed by approximately 10 pigs. Josh went for the sow as I went for the pigs. Several shots later we have results. Josh got his first Arkansas Razorback and I secured 4 of the pigs.
123
We decided since our luck was with us today we would make a sweep of the rest of the pasture and see if we could round up some more of the rancher's headaches. We had made it to the lower end of the pasture and was headed back when Josh spotted a sounder of large pigs cutting across the pasture from whence we came. They were apparently already alerted because they were moving fairly rapidly. We positioned ourselves approximately 100 yards away and took our shots. The results were......
124
One bark from the Grinner as Joe(one of my hunting buddies), would call her and DRT. Another red one, shot placement was not so good and she got into the brush on us. We tracked her down and finished her off, but she got into the green briars on us and proved to difficult to get out. All in all a great finish to a great day. Father and son both got their first Arkansas Razorback on the same day. This is what I call quality time. Next comes the hard part getting it to the house and field dressing. Since we had a good snow cover, it proved to not be so hard . We had ratchet straps with us so we looped one around the hocks and away we went. Giving her two baths as we crossed the creek twice going home. Hitched her up to the scales and she weighed exactly 180lbs. This one is going in the freezer she was fat and healthy and will make plenty of ham and pulled pork with breakfast pork chops for the morning. It all started out with a cup of Joe on a snowy day.
125
Just click on the pics and you will get a full size picture.
The day started out snowing so hard you could barely see 300ft. As I was looking out the window drinking my first cup of coffee, I was thinking that when the snow stopped, it would be a good day for my son and I to try and claim our first Arkansas Razorback. The snow finally stopped about 3:30p.m., so Josh and I armed ourselves with our new 6.5 Grendels that we had built over the fall, and mounted our 4 wheelers. Our hog hunting territory is conveniently a 1,000 acre cattle ranch adjacent to our property. The owner had decided he was tired of the hogs destroying his pastures with wallows and the remains of many hours of rooting for grubs and such. It had turned out to be a serene winter day of about 30 degrees with a beautiful sky.
121
Our first obstacle came when we found the creek an interesting level. It would tend to push the 4 wheeler to the side and cause the rider to make necessary correction as we went. The alternative would have been washing down the rapids. Little too cool for a swim.
122
We were riding across the pastures, slowly, through 8 to 10 inches of snow looking for the elusive Arkansas Razorback, knowing that if and when we found them that the noise from the 4 wheelers could possibly have already alerted them as to the possibility of danger. As We rounded a curve, wood line to the right and pasture to the left, I spotted something black partially obscured through some brush, that I did not recognize from earlier trips through the same terrain. Josh did not have a scope on his grendel only a red dot, so I raised my scope a saw movement. Could be a hog but not sure, there are plenty of black calves around too. Our strategy was to move up to get a better view. Only problem, we alerted whatever it was and it was now running. We raced up to the area and found a black sow scrambling for cover followed by approximately 10 pigs. Josh went for the sow as I went for the pigs. Several shots later we have results. Josh got his first Arkansas Razorback and I secured 4 of the pigs.
123
We decided since our luck was with us today we would make a sweep of the rest of the pasture and see if we could round up some more of the rancher's headaches. We had made it to the lower end of the pasture and was headed back when Josh spotted a sounder of large pigs cutting across the pasture from whence we came. They were apparently already alerted because they were moving fairly rapidly. We positioned ourselves approximately 100 yards away and took our shots. The results were......
124
One bark from the Grinner as Joe(one of my hunting buddies), would call her and DRT. Another red one, shot placement was not so good and she got into the brush on us. We tracked her down and finished her off, but she got into the green briars on us and proved to difficult to get out. All in all a great finish to a great day. Father and son both got their first Arkansas Razorback on the same day. This is what I call quality time. Next comes the hard part getting it to the house and field dressing. Since we had a good snow cover, it proved to not be so hard . We had ratchet straps with us so we looped one around the hocks and away we went. Giving her two baths as we crossed the creek twice going home. Hitched her up to the scales and she weighed exactly 180lbs. This one is going in the freezer she was fat and healthy and will make plenty of ham and pulled pork with breakfast pork chops for the morning. It all started out with a cup of Joe on a snowy day.
125