asaxon
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Big Boar For Dinner: Better than Squirrel or Oak Tree
Times were tough. I had been reduced to shooting squirrels out of our avocado tree to make Squirrel Tikka Masala for dinner (Photo 1). The Admiral was not amused nor was this going to be a hit at the local Indian restaurant. So she ordered me to get some meat – yes Sir! At the same time, BJ contacted me; he was coming home after a prolonged stay in the Sea of Cortez, and he too was short on meat. We randomly picked a date with Tom Willoughby to chase wild hogs up by King City. Of course, we picked what would turn out to be the hottest days of the year so far with temps getting up 105F. That meant hunting in the little window between 5:30 - 8:00 am and 7:30 pm till dark.
We left LA at midnight and arrived in San Lucas at 4 am with TW showing up minutes later. We drove east and stationed ourselves near some barley fields where the hogs have a habit of feeding at night. As the sun rose, we saw nothing and then more of nothing. The day was already getting warm with the sun fully up at 7 am when we finally spotted a couple of nice sows. Only after we closed the distance were we able to see into the tall grass, the sows were accompanied by a passel of piglets = “wet sows” = no shooting.
After breakfast in King City, BJ and I went and visited the Mission San Antonio de Padua located in Fort Hunter Liggett. This Mission, a real gem, had originally restored in about 1907 with Hearst money and it is currently getting a major restoration. This is the only California Mission where you can rent a room (a former monk’s cell) to stay. The Admiral and I did that years ago with our kids; it was a kick. With the thermometer approaching 100F, we drove up to the crest of the San Lucia Mountains and took a 3-hour nap to catch up on lost sleep (Photo 2). Then it was boots off and a soak of tired hot feet in the lovely stream that runs down to Fort Hunter Liggett. (Photo 3 & 4)
Seven p.m. found us parked way up on top of the high ridge above Monroe Canyon glassing the valleys below. About Thirty minutes later, TW looks further up one narrow canyon that has a bunch of grazing cattle on the grass strip in the center it and spots 15+ hogs that just “appeared” out of the brush. Tom rolls the truck down to the canyon floor with the motor off (a ride they would charge extra for at Magic Mountain) to a place downwind of the hogs. We decamp and carefully work our way along the edge of the meadow toward the pigs. However, when we get in firing range, the hogs have become completely comingled with the cattle. (Photo 5) This is a big problem. Even if BJ cleanly shot a hog, the pass through could easily take out a cow or calf. Then BJ and TW spot a black shape lying closer to us off by itself in the tall grass. Checking the face, they can see it is a nice sow. After watching this sow for a while to be sure she does not have piglets with her, BJ lines her up with his Tikka T3 30-06 using Hornady GMX Superformance ammo pushing a 150 grain non-lead bullet. I have no idea how he could tell what part of the black shape he was shooting at given the way it was lying in the tall grass. BOOM. The hog flinches but then does not move. Meanwhile, pandemonium has broken out with hogs, piglets, cows and calves scattering. Unfortunately, none of the hogs ran toward me in the open so I try to shoot one of the large hogs that is running off into the trees with no cows about, figuring the trees would stop the bullet rather than some cow. I nailed one, one tree that is but certainly didn’t hit a hog or a cow. I started to wonder how the Admiral would like her oak tree cooked. It is nearly dark so we set up down by some fields with lots of hog tracks but no one showed except lots of sexually aroused frogs croaking in the local water hole. BJ’s sow went about 170# and the shot had gone through her spine just at the base of the neck – nice shot. (Photo 6) The hog was skinned and gutted and we agreed to meet the next morning at 4:30 am.
As the sun rose on Father’s day, we were in Monroe Canyon, downwind of the fields we had waited at the night before. There in the far side of a large field, again filled with cattle, was a lone hog, a large boar. Normally, I would hesitate about shooting male hogs but given a choice between boar and squirrel or tree, it is a no-brainer.
Tom and I then used Cow-moo-flage to close the 400 yards between us and the hog. Cow-moo-flage is walking upwind with a cow plus calf directly between the hog and us. We couldn’t see the hog but it couldn’t see us. We walked straight at the cow until we are about 20 yards from her knowing she would soon get uncomfortable and walk off. So I set my rifle up on my shooting sticks, a Browning A-Bolt II 30-06 loaded with Vortex 168 grain non-lead bullets, and the cow conveniently moves off. This uncovers the hog that is feeding 180 yards away. But he is facing directly away from us –shooting it in the butt, (aka a Texas heart shot) is something only the Admiral can pull off cleanly (http://www.jesseshunting.com/showthread.php/262705-Hunting-math-2-x-3-2-6-dee?highlight=asaxon). I wait until it turns sideways – BOOM.
The hog is hit but still takes off at full tilt. We wait to see if he will fall over but no – he is now 220+ yards away streaking for the bush. I fire another round a good 5 feet in front of him and Tom says, “you hit it” but then is disappears into the tall grass outside the field – I am amazed at my lucky second shot but act nonchalant. We rush back to the truck and drive up into the bush to find the animal lying dead just 50 yards into the scrub. It is 6 am and we are done and it is Father’s Day although as we later learn, this big boar may not have been anyone’s father. Turned out the first shot was thru the lungs and liver with a big exit hole – it was the fatal wound (Photo 7). The second round had just gone through the loose skin in front of hind legs and then lodged under the skin of the back haunch (Photo 8) making the second shot superfluous but it was a freakin’ good shot just to hit the running beast. Fortunately, this shot didn’t ruin any meat.
This boar was a real big hog with TW figuring it went a solid 250lb. He even took a picture, something I have never seen him do before (Photo 9 & 10). This was not the size of KRads monster hog http://www.jesseshunting.com/showthread.php/263341-350-lb-boar-taken-at-Tejon but my boar did not smell at all much less stink (see below) while K_Rads was ultimately located by its pungent odor.
While dressing out the animal, we noticed that it has no shoulder shields, which are related to testosterone and fighting in boars and no pungent boar odor. Then TW, who has skinned/gutted more hogs than Farmer John, notices that this boar has tiny shrunken testicles. OMG, have I shot a pig with an extra X chromosome (XXY) - this genetic variant occurs in humans and pigs and affected individuals have a male phenotype (look male physically and have male genitalia) but are infertile and generally “tall” and lanky as the growth plate on bones fuse late due to lack of normal testosterone levels.
We break down the carcass; put it in a big ice chest with multi-bagged ice and “head for the barn.” On the way, we stop at The Place on route 46 where BJ visits with James Dean who is now working as a security guard there (Photo 11). The next day, a couple of hunting friends came over and we processed the boar (Photo 12). At first, the Admiral was very suspicious of me bringing home a boar rather than a sow even though she agreed the carcass had no odor. I cut off a small piece of meat with fat attached, which she microwaved. Even then, there was no odor so the Admiral pronounced the meat as “OK”. Phew, I wasn’t looking forward to more squirrel dinners and I find Oak Tree hard to digest. I had kept the jaw and after boiling it, I removed the tusks (Photo 13). . Maybe I’ll make myself a bellybutton ornament or the traditional New Guinea nose ornament…Or how about a face for Halloween? (Photo 14). I did put a bit of tissue in alcohol and froze it so I can get a genetic analysis done in the future to see if this was really an “XXY” hog.
Times were tough. I had been reduced to shooting squirrels out of our avocado tree to make Squirrel Tikka Masala for dinner (Photo 1). The Admiral was not amused nor was this going to be a hit at the local Indian restaurant. So she ordered me to get some meat – yes Sir! At the same time, BJ contacted me; he was coming home after a prolonged stay in the Sea of Cortez, and he too was short on meat. We randomly picked a date with Tom Willoughby to chase wild hogs up by King City. Of course, we picked what would turn out to be the hottest days of the year so far with temps getting up 105F. That meant hunting in the little window between 5:30 - 8:00 am and 7:30 pm till dark.
We left LA at midnight and arrived in San Lucas at 4 am with TW showing up minutes later. We drove east and stationed ourselves near some barley fields where the hogs have a habit of feeding at night. As the sun rose, we saw nothing and then more of nothing. The day was already getting warm with the sun fully up at 7 am when we finally spotted a couple of nice sows. Only after we closed the distance were we able to see into the tall grass, the sows were accompanied by a passel of piglets = “wet sows” = no shooting.
After breakfast in King City, BJ and I went and visited the Mission San Antonio de Padua located in Fort Hunter Liggett. This Mission, a real gem, had originally restored in about 1907 with Hearst money and it is currently getting a major restoration. This is the only California Mission where you can rent a room (a former monk’s cell) to stay. The Admiral and I did that years ago with our kids; it was a kick. With the thermometer approaching 100F, we drove up to the crest of the San Lucia Mountains and took a 3-hour nap to catch up on lost sleep (Photo 2). Then it was boots off and a soak of tired hot feet in the lovely stream that runs down to Fort Hunter Liggett. (Photo 3 & 4)
Seven p.m. found us parked way up on top of the high ridge above Monroe Canyon glassing the valleys below. About Thirty minutes later, TW looks further up one narrow canyon that has a bunch of grazing cattle on the grass strip in the center it and spots 15+ hogs that just “appeared” out of the brush. Tom rolls the truck down to the canyon floor with the motor off (a ride they would charge extra for at Magic Mountain) to a place downwind of the hogs. We decamp and carefully work our way along the edge of the meadow toward the pigs. However, when we get in firing range, the hogs have become completely comingled with the cattle. (Photo 5) This is a big problem. Even if BJ cleanly shot a hog, the pass through could easily take out a cow or calf. Then BJ and TW spot a black shape lying closer to us off by itself in the tall grass. Checking the face, they can see it is a nice sow. After watching this sow for a while to be sure she does not have piglets with her, BJ lines her up with his Tikka T3 30-06 using Hornady GMX Superformance ammo pushing a 150 grain non-lead bullet. I have no idea how he could tell what part of the black shape he was shooting at given the way it was lying in the tall grass. BOOM. The hog flinches but then does not move. Meanwhile, pandemonium has broken out with hogs, piglets, cows and calves scattering. Unfortunately, none of the hogs ran toward me in the open so I try to shoot one of the large hogs that is running off into the trees with no cows about, figuring the trees would stop the bullet rather than some cow. I nailed one, one tree that is but certainly didn’t hit a hog or a cow. I started to wonder how the Admiral would like her oak tree cooked. It is nearly dark so we set up down by some fields with lots of hog tracks but no one showed except lots of sexually aroused frogs croaking in the local water hole. BJ’s sow went about 170# and the shot had gone through her spine just at the base of the neck – nice shot. (Photo 6) The hog was skinned and gutted and we agreed to meet the next morning at 4:30 am.
As the sun rose on Father’s day, we were in Monroe Canyon, downwind of the fields we had waited at the night before. There in the far side of a large field, again filled with cattle, was a lone hog, a large boar. Normally, I would hesitate about shooting male hogs but given a choice between boar and squirrel or tree, it is a no-brainer.
Tom and I then used Cow-moo-flage to close the 400 yards between us and the hog. Cow-moo-flage is walking upwind with a cow plus calf directly between the hog and us. We couldn’t see the hog but it couldn’t see us. We walked straight at the cow until we are about 20 yards from her knowing she would soon get uncomfortable and walk off. So I set my rifle up on my shooting sticks, a Browning A-Bolt II 30-06 loaded with Vortex 168 grain non-lead bullets, and the cow conveniently moves off. This uncovers the hog that is feeding 180 yards away. But he is facing directly away from us –shooting it in the butt, (aka a Texas heart shot) is something only the Admiral can pull off cleanly (http://www.jesseshunting.com/showthread.php/262705-Hunting-math-2-x-3-2-6-dee?highlight=asaxon). I wait until it turns sideways – BOOM.
The hog is hit but still takes off at full tilt. We wait to see if he will fall over but no – he is now 220+ yards away streaking for the bush. I fire another round a good 5 feet in front of him and Tom says, “you hit it” but then is disappears into the tall grass outside the field – I am amazed at my lucky second shot but act nonchalant. We rush back to the truck and drive up into the bush to find the animal lying dead just 50 yards into the scrub. It is 6 am and we are done and it is Father’s Day although as we later learn, this big boar may not have been anyone’s father. Turned out the first shot was thru the lungs and liver with a big exit hole – it was the fatal wound (Photo 7). The second round had just gone through the loose skin in front of hind legs and then lodged under the skin of the back haunch (Photo 8) making the second shot superfluous but it was a freakin’ good shot just to hit the running beast. Fortunately, this shot didn’t ruin any meat.
This boar was a real big hog with TW figuring it went a solid 250lb. He even took a picture, something I have never seen him do before (Photo 9 & 10). This was not the size of KRads monster hog http://www.jesseshunting.com/showthread.php/263341-350-lb-boar-taken-at-Tejon but my boar did not smell at all much less stink (see below) while K_Rads was ultimately located by its pungent odor.
While dressing out the animal, we noticed that it has no shoulder shields, which are related to testosterone and fighting in boars and no pungent boar odor. Then TW, who has skinned/gutted more hogs than Farmer John, notices that this boar has tiny shrunken testicles. OMG, have I shot a pig with an extra X chromosome (XXY) - this genetic variant occurs in humans and pigs and affected individuals have a male phenotype (look male physically and have male genitalia) but are infertile and generally “tall” and lanky as the growth plate on bones fuse late due to lack of normal testosterone levels.
We break down the carcass; put it in a big ice chest with multi-bagged ice and “head for the barn.” On the way, we stop at The Place on route 46 where BJ visits with James Dean who is now working as a security guard there (Photo 11). The next day, a couple of hunting friends came over and we processed the boar (Photo 12). At first, the Admiral was very suspicious of me bringing home a boar rather than a sow even though she agreed the carcass had no odor. I cut off a small piece of meat with fat attached, which she microwaved. Even then, there was no odor so the Admiral pronounced the meat as “OK”. Phew, I wasn’t looking forward to more squirrel dinners and I find Oak Tree hard to digest. I had kept the jaw and after boiling it, I removed the tusks (Photo 13). . Maybe I’ll make myself a bellybutton ornament or the traditional New Guinea nose ornament…Or how about a face for Halloween? (Photo 14). I did put a bit of tissue in alcohol and froze it so I can get a genetic analysis done in the future to see if this was really an “XXY” hog.
No animals were harmed unnecessarily in the telling of this tale and the truth escaped remarkably intact.
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