5-1-13

Today it was back to the hills, but this time we were after pigs. My hunter for today was Patrick Michael and his father Dale was along to watch the show. First thing this morning we headed up to a high vantage point and it did not take long for us to spot a group of 12-15 pigs that were feeding down in a wind sheltered bowl. The only problem was that the pigs were a few miles away and I knew if we did not hurry and get there they would retreat to the thick brush. After a quick ranger ride we got to another vantage point and located the pigs and the stalk was on. The wind was blowing out of the North but it was swirling in the canyon so we were going to have to be careful and watch the wind. As we made our way towards the pigs I continued to check the wind every couple of minutes and it looked like we were going to be ok. As we neared the top of the ridge Patrick got ready as the pigs could be any where. We hadn't gone 50 yards when I spotted a nice boar feeding on the other side of a small knoll, not 10 feet from us. I set up the shooting sticks but all we could see was the top 5-6 inches of the pigs shoulder. As we tried to get a better view I felt the wind hit the back of my neck and then the pig bolted down the hill, Busted! The pig had went down hill and the others had not heard or seen him so we were still in the game. We continued to move towards the big group of pigs but as we closed in there was a pair of 125 pounders feeding between us and the big group. There was no way to get by these two pigs in order to get to the others so Patrick decided to take one of them. He got set up on the sticks and when the pig presented the shot Patrick nailed him. The pig was knocked off of his feet but before he could cycle in another round he was up and moving again. As the pig headed away from us we took off on a dead sprint to try and get a finishing shot. The pig beat us to the brush but as we were looking for sign Patrick spotted the pig laying in the middle of a small brush patch. After a quick shot to the temple it was over and Patrick claimed his prize. The pig ended up being around 100 pounds but will be great on the table. It was a great hunt and it's always alot of fun to stalk in on the pigs when you can get that close. Just seems to add a little excitement to the day.

Casey