I haven't been out hunting in quite some time.... been to busy playing with my new smoker
but this afternoon I did quite a bit of shooting in the backyard range with my .22 RWS Panther, my .22 350 magnum and my .22 Air Force Talon which I switched over to C02 for the summer. All that shooting got my air gun hunting juices flowing so I decided to end the day prowling the duck farm for g-hogs. Grabbed the .22 Condor, a pack of Kodiak pellets and headed for the farm.
I parked my truck in my usual spot, grabbed the Condor and headed off to find a furry critter. I hadn't gotten 20 yards when I suddenly saw a medium sized g-hog standing in some tall grass about 40 yards away. I was planning out my stalk when he suddenly darted away and disappeared. Oh well, at least it was a good sign. I moved off and began slowly working my way around the farm and while I did spot 4 more g-hogs I couldn't get a shot at any of them.
About an hour into my hunt I had worked my way to the far end of the farm where there are several large ponds. The ponds are filtration ponds, where the water from the duck farm is cleaned prior to be pumped back into the nearby stream, but the g-hogs love to build their burrows on the steep banks of the ponds. As I approached the first pond I spotted a really large, dark brown g-hog laying in his burrow entrance which he had dug right in the steep side of the pond. He was 35 yards out and hadn't seen me so I decided to take the shot. Leaning against a large oak tree I put the crosshairs on his eye and pulled the trigger. The kodiak slammed home and at the hit the g-hog rolled over on his back and started twitching. As I reloaded I was watching the g-hog closely and what I was most afraid of happened..... his body weight caused him to roll off of his burrow mound, roll down the steep bank of the pond and plop into the thick black disgusting waste water circulating in the pond. He was a really huge g-hog and I stood there watching as he slipped under the surface and disappeared forever. I've had this happen a couple of times at the ponds and each time it happens I feel so helpless. Oh well, at least it was a quick, clean kill. I moved off to find another target.
I hunted for another hour and 30 minutes and saw several more g-hogs but never got within range. I decided to head back to the truck and head home for some dinner. I was walking through an over grown field 50 yards from my truck when I saw a g-hog darting through the grass 20 yards ahead of me. I shouldered the Condor and watched the critter as he raced through the grass. 35 yards out he did what I was hoping he'd do.... he stopped and stood up to look around. The Kodiak was sent on it's way and hit home with the loudest "POP" I've heard so far. I reloaded and ran to the spot where he fell but he was gone. When I shot him he was standing on his burrow mound and after the hit he used his last ounce of energy to slide down the hole. There was blood all over the top of the burrow mound and a steady trail of blood in the dirt where he slid down the hole. I know he's dead down there but there was no way to retrieve my dinner
I decided to call it a day and headed home. My game pouch was empty but I did have a great time and the farmer has 2 less g-hogs to steal his grain so it was a good day....... I took a nice pic of the burrow by the pond where I shot the 1st g-hog, but the server won't let me post pics right now so I can't post it.......
Jeff
