Spurchaser
Well-known member
I have multiple properties I trap and thermal hunt and get paid to remove critters. These properties are owned by RICH landowners that want more wildlife or to be able to see certain wildlife on their properties and realize the removal of predators is their best chance of achieving that goal along with good habitat.
Some of these properties have hogs on occasion and they’re on the removal list. This one particular property just happens to have hogs right now and we’ve been putting a hurting on them.
While I’m not Buddy/Buddy with the landowners, we do communicate and they trust me with 24/7 access to their properties. This landowner called and told me he was coming up this weekend and bringing some guest. He knew I’d been killing hogs and after arriving yesterday evening he called and asked about the pigs showing up and commented on all the carcasses he noticed while riding around.
He has one field within what I consider a short walk from his house and has one of those green motion activated lights on the feeder in that field. Now when landowners are in town, I try to remain vacant from the properties just out of respect and for safety reasons. When I got pics last night I sent him a text and a pic. I told him they were only about 60-70 yards North of his lighted feeder and they may show up there.
He immediately called and asked where I was and did I think they’d be able to see them through “regular” scopes? I honestly answered “maybe” due to the moon and if they did in fact make it to that feeder. I then told him I knew for 100% certainty they’d show up in my thermals. He again asked where I was and I told him I’d be in his driveway in 8-9 minutes.
When I arrived we did some quick intros and I gave a quick tutorial on the guns and thermals each of them would be using. I also gave a quick safety speech and off we went in his electric UTV.
We drove half way with a green light and parked and took off on foot. His guest have done some hunting but were both amazed at how well we could navigate without lights and just using the moon and surprisingly clear skies.
I spotted the pigs a couple hundred yards away and told them just to follow me and we’d get a lot closer. I only brought one tripod due to time and got the older gentleman with the SFAR on it and had his other guest with the Go Wild use the feeder we had made it to as a rest.
I stood between them and told them after the initial shots to not move and not to cross fields of fire. I was using the scanner and counted down 3,2,1 and they both shot…the same pig!!!
This was any of their first times using thermals and shooting suppressed. They were impressed with the noise reduction and hearing the bullet “thump” the pig. I swear we stood around and had a Q&A for 15min before ever walking down to look at their hog.
At the shot the remaining pigs had went East so when we got back to the UTV we went back and loaded up the pig and decided just for fun we’d ride to the other field. Surprisingly enough, we get to it and I see pigs. This time the guest said it was our turn.
I put my landowner on the Go Wild .243 and I had the SFAR. These were close to 175yd shots and with him using the UTV as a rest and myself on the tripod, one of the guest counted down and we both shot. Immediately after the shots I told everyone to not move and told the landowner to take another shot if one stopped. He was on my left and the hogs went left so I went to safe and was just watching. He ended up making a real nice running shot that I saw in the thermal and one of the guest got to see it with my scanner.
We ended up with 4 piggies for the night and the we rode around the property for the next hour with them using unloaded weapons with thermals and the scanner to see what else the darkness had to show us. The were honestly in awe of the thermals and suppressed weapons and didn’t shut up about them the entire time. I believe I earned a lifetime property to “protect” after last night, lol.
Sorry so long and for no pics or videos, but it wasn’t exactly planned and that was my first time “guiding” someone I didn’t know. I just wanted to share the experience with y’all!
Some of these properties have hogs on occasion and they’re on the removal list. This one particular property just happens to have hogs right now and we’ve been putting a hurting on them.
While I’m not Buddy/Buddy with the landowners, we do communicate and they trust me with 24/7 access to their properties. This landowner called and told me he was coming up this weekend and bringing some guest. He knew I’d been killing hogs and after arriving yesterday evening he called and asked about the pigs showing up and commented on all the carcasses he noticed while riding around.
He has one field within what I consider a short walk from his house and has one of those green motion activated lights on the feeder in that field. Now when landowners are in town, I try to remain vacant from the properties just out of respect and for safety reasons. When I got pics last night I sent him a text and a pic. I told him they were only about 60-70 yards North of his lighted feeder and they may show up there.
He immediately called and asked where I was and did I think they’d be able to see them through “regular” scopes? I honestly answered “maybe” due to the moon and if they did in fact make it to that feeder. I then told him I knew for 100% certainty they’d show up in my thermals. He again asked where I was and I told him I’d be in his driveway in 8-9 minutes.
When I arrived we did some quick intros and I gave a quick tutorial on the guns and thermals each of them would be using. I also gave a quick safety speech and off we went in his electric UTV.
We drove half way with a green light and parked and took off on foot. His guest have done some hunting but were both amazed at how well we could navigate without lights and just using the moon and surprisingly clear skies.
I spotted the pigs a couple hundred yards away and told them just to follow me and we’d get a lot closer. I only brought one tripod due to time and got the older gentleman with the SFAR on it and had his other guest with the Go Wild use the feeder we had made it to as a rest.
I stood between them and told them after the initial shots to not move and not to cross fields of fire. I was using the scanner and counted down 3,2,1 and they both shot…the same pig!!!
This was any of their first times using thermals and shooting suppressed. They were impressed with the noise reduction and hearing the bullet “thump” the pig. I swear we stood around and had a Q&A for 15min before ever walking down to look at their hog.
At the shot the remaining pigs had went East so when we got back to the UTV we went back and loaded up the pig and decided just for fun we’d ride to the other field. Surprisingly enough, we get to it and I see pigs. This time the guest said it was our turn.
I put my landowner on the Go Wild .243 and I had the SFAR. These were close to 175yd shots and with him using the UTV as a rest and myself on the tripod, one of the guest counted down and we both shot. Immediately after the shots I told everyone to not move and told the landowner to take another shot if one stopped. He was on my left and the hogs went left so I went to safe and was just watching. He ended up making a real nice running shot that I saw in the thermal and one of the guest got to see it with my scanner.
We ended up with 4 piggies for the night and the we rode around the property for the next hour with them using unloaded weapons with thermals and the scanner to see what else the darkness had to show us. The were honestly in awe of the thermals and suppressed weapons and didn’t shut up about them the entire time. I believe I earned a lifetime property to “protect” after last night, lol.
Sorry so long and for no pics or videos, but it wasn’t exactly planned and that was my first time “guiding” someone I didn’t know. I just wanted to share the experience with y’all!
