Went to woods today down near Allendale SC on the Savannah river to my old hog haunt. Been a while. Weather: 90* with heat index of 104. not a breath of wind this morning so you can imagine. Took new Savage 220 with Uncle Dino's plastic base 20 ga 3/4oz slugs over 43 grn Lil Gun ~ 1700 fps. 870 pump with full choke and my "perfect" buckshot load.
1st encounter: Made a loop about 1/2 mile near an old oxbow that usually hold pigs.
Reminder to self: It's not usually the one you see that busts you. Yep, I saw one move on the other side of a recent blowdown and was trying to get a shot and woof, another one made me and they both blew out. I took a running shot through the top, miss.
2nd encounter: Drove further down in the swamp where there's some pretty open areas sided by a big, mostly dry slough. Quickly had a broadside shot on about 150 pounder, offhand, 80 or 90 yds. Could have gotten closer but wanta see what this slug will do. Dang gotta do something about this ultra light trigger! Bad hit, no blood, outta sight through the swamp.
3rd encounter: Reminder to self: take more bullets! Kept walking toward the river down a slough, over a hump, downanother slough and so on for about a mile. Another reminder: take more water! Soaking by now. But caught movement in the sandy end of a long slough and got about 60 yd from a buff/spotted sow, 150 lbs. Could see two more hogs. Propped on a tree and boom! Knew I hit her but hogs went everywhere. Took another shot just as she dissappeared in the palmettos. Look back to where hog was originally standing and there's one spinning in the sand on it's side. How about a 2for! Had to administer a coup de grace before I tracked the other. This was a 40 lb snack pig that was on the other side of the one I shot and never saw!
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Hit the palmettos and reed cane looking for the real target, only got about 30 yds in and see a black hog, cant' tell heads from tails in the thick stuff from 10 yds. Finally guessed right.
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Go about 50 more yds and hogs are back and forth in front of me, confused about the noise I get on one quick, about 40 yds.
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Hogs actually run toward me, click! Load, boom. Hog goes down squealing, Looks down for the count. I'm about to pass out I'm so sweaty hot. I've got a wounded hog, one slug left on me and in this thick stuff, really need water, so make the longish slog bacl to the truck for water and a change of weapons: gimme buckshot!About 45 min. later I can drive not far from where this mayhem took place, and start tracking the original hog I shot with the 870. Don't go far and there she lay,,,,but she stands up and huffs and took a load of buck in the head for her troubles. This was a pass through that killed the pig behind her, an hour later. Look at that entry and tell me a hog ain't tough!
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Cramping up pretty bad so no pic of the other one I shot. Did spot this little 4 footer out for a stroll later.
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