The Hog Blog

Something gelled for me the other day.  I’ve been pondering for a while, and when I shot that buck a couple weeks ago it came together.  This past weekend, when I checked the zero on my .325wsm, I decided it was true…

I believe that my bowhunting and practice has actually improved my skills with the rifle.  Here’s the deal.

I’ve been shooting guns for as long as I could hold one up.  For a long period of my life, I was able to grab a gun and go out behind the house to shoot to my heart’s content.  As a result, I became a pretty good marksman.  Like many country kids, my friends and I would have “shoot-outs” and pick apart the tiniest targets we could come up with.  One of my favorites was to cut kite string. 

Since moving to the city life, I’ve often bemoaned the fact that I don’t get those shooting opportunities anymore.  The closest place to shoot is a public range about 45 minutes from my house.  It costs about $15 to shoot there, and while it is a nice facility, it’s very strictly run and managed.  You can shoot from the benches, or you can shoot from hunting positions… but to do so you are working on a concrete platform with other shooters on benches on either side of you.  It’s not real comfortable.

Anyway, I’ve been concerned that my shooting skills were suffering. 

A few years ago, I started shooting a recurve bow.  I practiced a ton with it, right in my backyard (although that’s technically illegal in city limits, no one has complained).  I work hard on form, on visualization, and on repetition.  I am no Robin Hood by any means, but I’m comfortable enough to hunt with it and can consistently put my arrows into a “kill zone” on the target.

Anyway, at the range a while back I was a little surprised at how tight my shooting was, even though I hadn’t fired the rifle in months.  When I shot my deer in August, and then this last one, I was very confident in the shot, and it went exactly where I pictured it. 

That’s where it all came together.  I was applying my archery skills to the rifle, and it makes perfect sense.  Archery is all rooted in consistency and focus.  Every movement must be measured and careful.  The release is nothing more than an extremely calculated form of trigger control.  Picking a spot (”aim small, miss small”) is emphasized in archery, especially traditional archery, far more than it is in rifle marksmanship, but when you apply that level of focus through a telescopic sight…  it pays off, big. 

So I’m wondering if any of you other bowhunters have experienced the same transfer of skills to your firearm shooting. 

Some of you already know this, but for those who don’t…

The Hog Blog will only see a couple of intermittent posts over the next two weeks.  I’m going to be off guiding hunts in the Eastern Sierra from Oct 29 through Nov 11, and there will be no Internet access during that time. 

I’ve got a handful of posts scheduled to go live during that time, but there will be some gaps in between updates.  I simply don’t have time to write and pre-load two weeks-worth of blog posts. 

Of course, this means I won’t be around to reply to your comments in the interim either.  If you’re new here, or even if you’ve been around a while, please don’t think I’m ignoring you… I’m just not home. 

Thanks to all of you who’ve participated in this blog so far, by the way.  Your comments and input are my primary reward for doing this.  I look forward to continuing the fun when I get back.

OK, so I said I was done with live posts, but this just came in… 

Dang, I thought I was having a good season, but just got this email from my little brother! 

Just wanted to pop in and say, if anyone is looking for some fun Halloween-type stories, Rex seems to be on a roll over at the Deer Camp Blog.  Whether it’s alien abduction/mutilation stories, or a haunted tree… he’s got a couple of doosies over there.  Check it out.  ‘Tis the season, after all. 

Oh, and while this isn’t technically an edition of “The Porcine Press”, this news story just sort of caught me…

In Australia, the Harley Owners Group (HOG) national rally was cancelled for two riders after their motorcycle collided with a wild hog on the highway.  The two are doing OK in hospital, apparently, but the story provides a cautionary tale for all of us on the road.  Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife. 

Deer/car collisions are pretty commonplace, and we all know they’re an indicator of population density…and are often used to justify increased hunting pressure.  Well, hogs are beginning to cause the same problems in areas like Australia, California, and Texas where the populations are swelling rapidly. 

Hitting a 150 lb deer is bad enough, but slamming into a 250lb hog is gonna leave a mark.  Drive carefully, wherever you’re going!  The Hog Blog wants all its readers to be around for a long time.

That said, I’ll be driving carefully as I head out for two weeks in California’s eastern Sierra.  It’s finally time for our long-anticipated mule deer hunts on the Coon Camp Springs properties.  Actually, our first two clients showed up Thursday night, and I got a call yesterday that they already have one deer on the hooks! 

My hunters are scheduled to arrive this coming Friday (Nov 2), so I’m gonna be there to start scouting for them on Monday. 

It’ll be fun, but I’ll be offline until November 11th or so, this is my last “live” post until I return.  I’ve scheduled some posts to pop up between now and then, so hopefully ya’ll won’t miss me too much. 

If you get a chance, check out Skinny Moose Radio today, or check the archives for Moose’s show.  This week, part of the show includes an interview and discussion about wild/feral hogs in North Carolina. 

Of course, when I left NC 11 years ago, it was all you could do to find a wild boar up in the mountains.  Now they’re spreading across the state, just as they are all over the country.  Figures, doesn’t it?  My favorite thing to hunt…  in my home state… and now I live 3000 miles away! 

Fortunately, we’ve got plenty of hogs in CA to keep me occupied. 

My brother sends me pictures from his game cam from time to time.  He’s been managing his little piece of coastal NC property for a couple of years, and it looks like it’s paying off.  For you northern and midwestern hunters, these deer may look like dinks, but for this part of North Carolina, they’re pretty respectable bucks! 

The best thing is, I’ll be there for a few days after Christmas to see if I can hang a tag on one myself! 

Click the thumbnail for a full-size view.  Then check out the timestamp! 

Click the thumbnail for a full-size view.  Another view.  I think I count 8 points…very nice conformation.

Click the thumbnail to view the full-size pic.  This is another nice buck… looks like seven points.  Kinda spindly and young, but pretty nice. 

Well, by the time you see this, many of you will have already seen these press releases.  But I found it worth mention anyway.

First, Browning Arms has announced the release of their new “X-Bolt” rifle.  The new design is intended to build on the success of the very popular “A-Bolt”, with a handful of key improvements. 

Taking a cue from Savage’s “Accu-Trigger”, Browning has rolled out the “Feather Trigger” on the X-Bolt to provide an easily adjustable trigger pull… offering the user a custom-quality trigger pull on a production rifle.  In addition to the adjustability, the trigger angle has been optimized for even better performance. 

The X-Bolt will also offer a bolt unlock function.  Like many bolt actions with tang safeties, the current A-bolt rifles require the safety to be disengaged before the bolt can be opened for loading or unloading.  While this offers only minimal risk, I have never been really comfortable releasing the safety with a round in the chamber… especially with other people around.  The bolt unlock button alleviates this minor discomfort and adds a new level of gun safety. 

The X-bolt will also come equipped with the new, Inflex Technology recoil pad that will reduce felt recoil and muzzle climb by directing the recoil forces away from the shooter’s face.  I know that one of the few alterations I had to make to my A-bolt was to add an after-market recoil pad.  The recoil wasn’t terrible, but a good pad goes a long ways toward reducing flinch. 

Additional new features include an innovative new scope mount that incorporates four screws into the bases instead of two for further stability, and a rotary magazine that will feed cartridges straight up into the chamber, directly inline with the bolt which should make for cleaner, faster cycling…especially when combined with the short, 60-degree bolt throw. 

The short-action X-bolts will weigh in at around six pounds, five ounces, while the long-actions will come in right at seven pounds.  The rifle will be chambered for calibers from .243 Win to .375 H&H.  MSRP will run from $799 to $1049, depending on caliber and configuration.

The other big news may come as a welcome surprise to Winchester fans. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, it’s not news that hogs are invading the U.S.  I’ve been writing about it for quite some time now, and I’m hardly the first to bring it up.  They’re here, and they’re spreading out fast.  Anyway, what is newsworthy is that many states are encouraging hunters to step in and help with the reduction by killing wild hogs on sight. 

I wrote a while back about Michigan’s efforts to get hunters to help out with hog eradication.  Well, my friend John Martin over at the Western Wanderer blog dropped me a heads-up about a press release from Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources, asking deer hunters in the Buckeye State to try to take wild hogs if they find them.  There are no seasons or limits, as the State will be treating them as “pest animals”.   One important note if you’re planning to chase Ohio hogs during the upcoming deer season is that you can only use a weapon that is legal during that specific deer season (archery, muzzleloader, shotgun, or rifle).  You can read the press release in its entirety over on the Buckmaster’s website.  It’s also making wide rounds across the outdoors press.

New Hampshire is another state that I wouldn’t normally associate with hogs.  This article in the Union Ledger proves me wrong, though.  The animals have apparently established a foothold there, and are expanding their range.   I couldn’t find any information about the regulations around hunting these hogs, though…or if it’s even permitted. 

It’s definitely not news that Florida has a burgeoning hog problem.  The Sunshine State appears to be stepping up efforts to give hunters an opportunity to help thin the herd a bit, though.  The article here is only one example of many hog control projects going on down there. 

Finally, here’s one that really IS newsworthy. 

Doing my normal Google search on hogs and hog hunting, I found this article from the Paly, the student newspaper for Palo Alto High School.  First, I was pretty blown away that a student paper in the San Francisco Bay Area (Palo Alto is south of SF and just above San Jose) would even publish an article about hog hunting.  I was even more surprised and pleasantly shocked when I read the well-written piece and never found any negative bias.  I mean, sure, the writer doesn’t know anything about hunting or firearms, but that’s acceptable as long as there’s no editorial prejudice based on misinformation or ignorance.  I applaud the Paly and the author of the piece. 

The empty ice chest rattling in the back of my truck all the way home reminded me that, sometimes even the surest thing isn’t guaranteed when it comes to hog hunting.

When I first started planning this hunt with Deedy Loftus, at Bryson Hesperia Resort, her confidence was pretty danged high that we’d be on pigs right away, and it would be a great opportunity to blood my new rifle.  In fact, she was so sure the hunt would be over quickly, she practically apologized for how easy it was probably going to be.  

The weird, early rain, and the super-abundance of acorns changed the tune a little bit.  The week before our hunt, Deedy was less optimistic.  She told me the hogs were still there, but they weren’t as consistent as they had been.  It might be a tougher hunt.

Boy, was she right!  (Deedy is right a lot, when it comes to “her” hogs… it pays to listen to her.)

I won’t go into a blow-by-blow report on the hunt, as you won’t find it very exciting if you weren’t there.  Suffice it to say that the hunting was tough, and the pigs we did see never presented a shot opportunity.  We saw ample evidence that there were plenty of pigs there, but they seldom showed themselves in the daylight unless we went into the really thick brush to push them out.

There were a couple of factors that I believe were really working against us.

First, the amount of food available was an issue.  There were, literally, carpets of acorns on the ground.  In a couple of places, the trail was like walking on crunchy ball bearings.  With this much food, the hogs didn’t have to venture out into the open to eat. 

Even if the acorns weren’t as plentify, there was very little other food available to draw the hogs into the open.  The barley fields were all cut and dry, and at this time of year there’s very little green vegetation.  The other food sources, like wild oats were pretty much done for the year.  What few stands there were had no seed heads, and the stems were either trampled or eaten by cattle.

There’s not a lot of water in the area, but there are enough sources to keep the hogs scattered.  With the moon waxing past the halfway mark, there was plenty of light at night, so the hogs also moved primarily under the cover of darkness. 

So the hogs had food, shelter, and water all in fairly small areas.  This allowed them to stay secluded and safe… and to cause my brother and me to come home without pork.

But not killing hogs did not ruin the trip.  We still managed to have a great time down there.  Deedy, and her daughter/assistant guide Karin are great hosts and really a lot of fun to hunt with.  They both know the place extremely well, and there’s no question that the both of them have done their homework on the animals there. 

The resort itself is really top-notch, and I wouldn’t hesitate to bring my family down for a long weekend.  The cabins are all nicely appointed, cozy, and efficient.  They all have a kitchen with a cook-top stove, microwave oven, sink (of course) and a dishwasher.  They’re also all outfitted with basic kitchen utensils, silverware, and dishes.  Each unit also has a charcoal grill outside.  All you really need to bring is the food you want to cook.

It is important to note that there aren’t a whole lot of really convenient locations to go out for dinner, so you should definitely plan on bringing and cooking your groceries.  There are a couple of stores nearby, though, where you can get the basics if you need them. 

The unit my brother and I stayed in had a “master” bedroom with a queen-sized (I think) bed, and a second bedroom with bunk beds.  There’s also a full bathroom.  Linens are provided, and were clean and actually very luxuriant (not the cheesy, thin towels that seem to only get you wetter instead of drier).

There’s a TV and DVD player in the unit also, and while I don’t think you get any TV channels, you can bring your own DVDs or get one from the “library” in the resort office. 

All in all, empty ice chest and all, it was still a really good time and a fun hunt.  You’ll be hearing more from me about this place.

Yupp, as you’re reading this I’m at Bryson Hesperia Resort chasing wild hogs.  There’ll be a full report later, and there’s also the possibility that I’ll be able to pop in a time or two via satellite to update folks on the hunt.

My brother, Scott, has flown in from North Carolina to join me.  The original plan was to get some good video footage of some archery hunts, but the early rain threw a monkey wrench in that plan.  The roads are too muddy to get into the archery area with camera gear and equipment. 

I’ll still be trying to get some video, but it’ll be done on my little digital camcorder so the quality will be more of this YouTube stuff I’ve been doing.  Should be fun anyway, and I expect we’ll come home with pork in the ice chest.

Stay tuned!