Momma got a long distance call

Looks like we have another member of the 200 club, Shawn Taylor’s the name, knocking pigs down is his game. Johnson invited Shawn Taylor out to hunt some hogs this night. Also out with us was a previous hunter named T, who you might remember from an earlier POST. Really, it was an earlier POST, a green post. Anyway, back to the story, we got out early today because I wanted to test some reloads for my 45-70, (which shot great) and afterwards we took a stroll through the woods hoping to spot some hogs that might want to come home with us. Johnson took T to one side of the property with instructions not to shoot behind him which is where we would be. I took Shawn through the woods and after seeing 4 does run past us we decided to move to another spot trying to figure out which way the hogs would be traveling, and trying to put Shawn on some hogs so he could nail one with his 7 mm mag. Shawn reloads for his rifle and apparently enjoys shooting long distance shots.

So after moving to another area we climbed up 15 feet onto a platform that leads into a deer blind. I didn’t have the key to get in but all we needed to do was get some elevation to see the back part of the field, and also to look back at the tank where our vehicles were parked, which was probably over 800 yards away. As we looked through binoculars checking the field we saw nothing but cows in the back pasture. Looking back towards our vehicles that’s when we saw a large group of hogs in the back part of that field where the tank was at. It was getting dark so I told Shawn we could probably get there before the sun went down, but we’re gonna have to move very fast. Being in the Marines, you can guess what his answer was, “lets go”, so we did. He had his backpack on (probably with bricks in it), and his bull barrel 7mm mag with scope on it and I was traveling heavy with my binoculars and seat cushion and we were on very fast walk headed to the hogs. About three fourths of the way I told him, lets stop so I can check with the binos where the hogs were at. I actually wanted to catch my breath, but I noticed he wasn’t even breathing hard. After glassing the field I could see more hogs were in the field tearing up the ranchers winter oats that were planted. So we continued and arrived at the first gate, with him going through it and me going over it. We continued on to the second gate and came up to the vehicles and then crept up to the tank where we lay prone on top of the tank.

A couple of weeks ago I had a good friend, Elliott and his son Collin and with their range finder they were able to get a reading of 480 yards to the fence. There were about 9 hogs off to the left right in the corner which was about at the 480 yard mark. Then there was a large group (about 20) in front of us somewhere around 450 yards out. I told Shawn to pick one out and knock it down and a few seconds later kaboom, he fired and I could see the dust kick up close to the pigs. Miss, I yelled out, then kaboom more dust as the hogs ran towards the back of the field. I told him they’re going towards that big tree, and I don’t know why, but for some reason all the hogs had to go underneath the barb wire at the same place. There was a lot of dust being kicked up at that spot and I couldn’t make out how many hogs hadn’t gone under the wire, but apparently Shawn still had them in his scope and then fired again. Kaboom, a third round was headed down range followed by a loud whack, then immediately the loud WWWEEEEEE WWWWEEEEE, WWWWEEEE. YOU GOT IT!!!!!! What a shot, right at the fence, that’s some good shooting. One of them hogs got a long distance call from a 7mm mag. Now lets go get it, so Shawn switched rifles to his Ar15 and we started walking out to the hog. Halfway there I could see hogs at the fence walking back and forth which was not good. Uh Shawn, have you ever been hog hunting, I asked to which he replied no, never have. Okay, lets hold up here and lets go over some things. They might be around the wounded hog protecting it and if they charge us, you need to shoot whatever moves our way. I’ll break off to your left and take care of anything on the left. I was thinking to myself, we just crossed over 400 yards of flat pasture land, the only trees close to us, in case we needed climb them is where the hogs are at, and there was no way I was gonna out run this marine, so I better make it to the barbwire fence in a hurry if we had to. We moved closer and now we could hear the very distinct sound of hogs chomping or gnashing their teeth. We moved closer and we could hear something moving in the brush which turned out to be the wounded hog. I spotlighted it since it was dark now and Shawn finished it off with two more rounds. Johnson and T drove up and Shawn and T crossed the barbwire to retrieve the hog which it was found to be a very big sow.

It turns out this sow was pregnant with 6 little mobile plows (piglets) that would not be tearing up any fields. She was big as you can see.