Thanks for all the nice replies!!!
Steph read them last nigh and one of the first things she'll do after work tonight is read all the new ones. She really enjoys and appreciates your comments.
Vernon,
She said she did feel the recoil, but it was like in a dream. The whole experience is distorted in her mind. She was so focused on the shot that she didn't see it drop or the others run off. She says she heard the shot, but it wasn't real, just a noise.
Tom,
Saturday, Sunday, Monday and for the next couple weeks we should be eating pork!!!! Your welcome anytime!!!
Her son, who's just 5, is a big fan of wild game and really enjoyed the one I shot last month. Now he's all exited that we have more to eat!!!
Larry,
Great minds think alike. I don't even want to gues at how much money I have into hunting gear and clothing and she shoots her first hog wearing bright red scubs and white sneekers!!! We laugh at the picture becuase she's also all made up, fresh lipstick, earings and other jewelry and even her hair is perfect!!!!
I've spent untold weekends hunting hogs in different places and I can gurantee you that I looked pretty rough when I finally shot one.
Greg,
Thank you.
Robert,
Not sure of your exact location, but I drove here three times from Oakland when moving out here, and my fastest time was 44 hours with a two hour nap. But if your up for it, we'd love to use that Dutch oven of yours!!!!
Chad,
Very true. If I'd let her shoot the .30-06 while practicing, I was worried that she'd flinch or pull the trigger when she got on her first hog. The .22 is a perfect weapon to learn marksmanship with since there is almost no recoil and she was able to learn to breath properly and how to squeeze the trigger.
What's always amazed me is that when I shoot an animal my ears never ring afterwards. Even with my .338 mag, they don't ring. But if I shoot a .22 without hearing protection, my ears ring for the next day.
There's allot to say for adrenaline.
Sigarms,
Thank you. I told her that her finger never goes in the trigger guard until she's ready to squeeze it. While she was working on calming down for the shot and watching the hogs through the scope, her finger was straight and off the trigger.
She's much smarter than I am and learns things instantly. I tell her once, explain why we do things a certain way and she gets it. I've never met anybody like her.
Scotty,
You might need more than $20 to get here, but your always welcome here anytime!!!
Bob,
The rifle is a Remington 700 BDL. I put a Timney trigger in it that I have adjusted to about 3 pounds. The stock is a Hogue and the scope is a Redfield. I'm using Federal Premium bullets in 165 grains the I can group under an inch at one hundred yards. I spent years working on reloads with a few friends and did have a load usins Sierra botails that I could get half inch groups with at a hundred yards with practice. My best groups was 9 out of ten that touched and one zinger.
Problem with Sierra bullets is they are terrible on game. The don't expand very well and have a habbit of zipping right through causing very minimal damage. I like a large exit hole and maximum destruction when I kill something. Especially if I'm in another country or 20 miles into the wilderness on a horse.
My Profesional Hunter on my Africa Safari made it very clear to me that you shoot every animal in the heart. It's the only place you can be guranteed of killing it in a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes instantly, but always by the time you walk up to it. Lung shots, brain and spine shots all have more chances of missing the target by deflection of bone or heavy muscle. You place the bullet in the armpit of a broadside shot, or center of the chest on a frontal shot, and the animal will die with one shot. Clean and easy.
I've told this to Steph since the first time she shot my .22. I reminded her of this several times as we snuck up on the hogs. Wait for a broadside shot when the animal is clear of the others and standing still. She did, and put the bullet exactly in the armpit.
The exit wound was pretty large and destroyed that shoulder. Small animals suffer more damage with medium caliber weapons. Another advantage to shooting hogs in the pocket is the skin is very thin there.
Steve,
I agree that large hogs taste just as good as smaller ones when were talking sows. Big ole boars are a different story though. They can get right nasty to eat!!! The real advantage to a small hog is I can clean it, bag it and have it in the freezer in an hour. Bigger animals are allot more work.
Interesting thought about the months with R in them. I've sort of been doing the same thing without thinking of it as clearly as you do. Shoot em in winter and sping is about what I got it down to. hahaha
Steph wasn't up to the precessing, or even watching me take care of it. Her Dad gave her a hard time about that, but all in good fun. I have no problem with it and know I can get it done pretty quickly on my own. Besides, American Idol was about to start and she didn't want to miss that!!!!!!
Skypup,
Just for pictures alone, the red scrubs add interest and a detail that you rarely see hunting pics. I've shot my share of animals and hogs around here, but don't post them because it's not that big a deal. But her shooting her first hog, AND doing it in her scrubs is pretty unique!!!
I do have a coat rack next to the door of my shop that she has a camo jacket at for when we go for our walks. We've walked miles all over our land without getting a hog, but while working in the shop, 26 of them come out to feed 200 yards away with over an hour of daylitght left.
Who would have expected that to happen?? hahahaha
Don,
That's funny. My Dad's email in response to the pics I sent them is almost the exact same wording. Great minds think alike!!!
Rick,
Your right. The other side is a bloody mess. You can tell some of it if you look close in the pictures, but I tried to hide it as best I could.
Thanks again for all your nice comments. It's really nice to be able to share something like this with people who understand and appreciate what it means to take your first animal. She did it cleanly with one shot.
Eddie
