It's All About Being Prepared

This story actually starts last night when I set up for pumpkin eater number 2. While sitting there, waiting for him to come out on the other side of the pumpkin field 150 yards away, my gaze drifts right, into the field I’m set up in, and a dark shape catches my eye. I pull up the binos and there one stands 50 yards away. Not big, but not one of this year’s crop either. I ended up seeing at least two more after that one.

Now I pride myself on being prepared. I was a Boy Scout after all, but I was caught with my pants down this time. I only had one gun with me, the 22-250, and it was trained on the pumpkin field. The dilemma is, should I go for the Savage, risk spooking the one that’s looking my way and possibly the one I’m waiting for, or just let him go and continue to wait. I decided to wait, but vowed not to be unprepared again. And to make matters worse, Mr. Pumpkin Eater never showed. It’s now almost 8 and I’m going home.

But, while I was waiting it out, I see the bushes move about ten yards away in the hedgerow I’m next to. There’s no breeze, so I know exactly what it is, a hog. I’m just sitting there in the truck watching the vegetation disappear when the movement stops; nothing. A minute or two goes by and I look back into the pumpkin field and there on a rock ten feet away is a young hog staring straight at me. I don’t think he’s ever seen one of me before. I got nothing else to do, so I reach for the camera, he squeals and disappears. But he comes back four more times to check me out and I finally get a picture.

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/q...n/IMGP6020.jpg

Tonight, I go back and set up for the pumpkin eater again. Only this time I’ve got the 17 HMR with me and I’m loaded for bear. Well, you know what I mean. Doesn’t take long and the first thing that moves are the bushes again. You guessed it, my little friend is back. And he reappears on the same rock as last night. This time he only visits for a few moments and he’s gone.

Not long after that I catch movement in the grass where I saw the other hogs last night. Now I’m contemplating whether to take the shot and risk spooking the pumpkin eater. I sit and wait for a while and then he decides, for whatever reason, to go back into the woods from whence he came. But less than ten minutes later, there he is. Okay, that’s it!, Up comes the 17. I take aim, wait for him to stand and just as I pull the trigger he decides to go prone. But I did see him go down and not move. Success!

I decided to let him lay there until I was ready to go. Now I’m spending my time glancing back a forth between the two fields looking for movement, something to shoot at. It’s getting late and I’m close to packing it in when there in front of me on a rock, about thirty yards away, sitting up straight and staring at me is – yep, you guessed it again, my little buddy. At least I’m pretty sure it is. Same size, same color. Oh well, I’m on a roll. Up comes the 17, down goes the hog. He rolls off behind the rock. I see the weeds move for a few seconds and then everything goes still. Number two is in the books. Sorry, no pic of this one.

Now it’s definitely time to go. I walk over to the first kill and there he is, right where he was shot. But except for some pink foam on his nose, there's no evidence of an entry or exit wound. Another immaculate kill. Maybe I should start using the V-Max instead of CCI 17 grain hollow points? Whatever, dead is dead.

Hope you enjoyed this rather lengthy hunting story. And the pics.

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/q...n/IMGP6021.jpg

Pictures NOT GORY enough

YUP, you just scared him to death.

Steve

Yep, look at that big toothy grin... you can see he died laughing :D

gotta love the 17hmr. the only thing i have shot with mine that did not fall over dead right there was a raccoon, but they are pretty tuff anyhow.