This morning I looked out my portch window towards the new hole the g-hogs had dug Sat. morning. The hole seemed a little bigger and there was more dirt around. I was glad it was still an active burrow and returned 10-15min. to check it again. A young g-hog was digging at the entrance of the hole with his behind turned to me! He was cautious, standing up looking around every 30-45secs and made me freeze a couple of times when he looked my way. He continued his business for about 15min, more like playing than digging, immitating its mother and spreading dirt around but not a significant amount. I guessed this was the last of the litter from Saturday when I saw the large female with 3 of them before I shot 2 of the young ones. That was probably their mother I shot yesterday at the other side of the house by the shed.
The little one now begins venturing away from the hole and starts feeding. I load an 8.3gr Superdome in the 36 and take it out with a shot to the ear. Its head goes down but there was some slight movement so I grabbed the cocked and loaded 850 .22 and put a CP in the back of its neck at about 18-19yds out because it had turned away from me after it got shot the first time. I keep the 850 close now for follow-up shots and because it has an 8-shot magazine and can be reloaded very quickly.
I take a couple of pics and put both guns away and go back to work. About 2-3hrs later in the afternoon, I go back out to the porch and to my amazement see another young g-hog laying at the entrance of the burrow on the grass waiting for its sibling or mother. I leave it alone to see what happens. An hour later it's still there at the same spot keeping low and looking around but mostly up towards the hill. This confirms that I had taken out their mother the day before, and the squealing sounds she was making were probably to call the 2 youngs that I had shot on Saturday. I couldn't take a shot at this "little guy" because it was completely facing away from me. I check back 20min. later and he 's feeding about 25ft off to the left. Distance about 22-23yds according to my Bushy Legend's A/O. I load another Superdome and aim for the spot between the eye and ear. Its head goes down immediately and for the next 3-4secs with its hind legs it pushed and dragged itself forward about a foot or more and stopped moving. No follow up shot this time. I noticed a red trail behind it on the grass. Superdome hit right above the eye and went right through causing a lot of bleeding.
I 'm pretty sure that was the last of that entire g-hog family except the male which I saw yesterday and early this morning around 8:30 hanging out around the neighbor's shed just a few feet from the property line. Every time I approached the window he 'd spot me and run under that shed which is 35-40yds from my position. I wouldn't doubt if he watched me from under that barn shoot a couple of the others.
Oh well 5 g-hogs in 3 days is pretty good I thought and called it for the day. The g-hog herd has definitely thinned out after today..
