Double Naught Spy
Well-Known
Landowner in St. Jo said he was having problems in the west pasture and I did find some fresh rooting there. That is his cash crop hay pasture. So I cancelled my regular trip to TBR and guarded the pasture for several hours with no luck.
Before going home, I decided to walk about the east side of the property. I spied the hog with my handheld thermal and it kept disappearing on me. So I stalked about 150 yards or so closer to where it was after having lost it. What I did not realize is that there was a water retention berm and a steep dropoff behind it. That is where the hog was and where I finally glimpsed him again and not wanting to lose him again, shot him almost immediately. That went surprisingly well.
Did a little necropsy work and then headed back up the hill to finish my circuit when almost immediately I saw a coyote moving along. She was downwind and uphill from me and did not respond to my lipsqueaking. Even worse, she was moving away and was about to crest the ridge. I dropped her on the move at 182 paces.
So while it was a mildly successful night, the landowner still sent me an image of where a hog had torn up more pasture, less than 75 yards from where I spent the first 5 hours of the evening. Errrrrr!
Before going home, I decided to walk about the east side of the property. I spied the hog with my handheld thermal and it kept disappearing on me. So I stalked about 150 yards or so closer to where it was after having lost it. What I did not realize is that there was a water retention berm and a steep dropoff behind it. That is where the hog was and where I finally glimpsed him again and not wanting to lose him again, shot him almost immediately. That went surprisingly well.
Did a little necropsy work and then headed back up the hill to finish my circuit when almost immediately I saw a coyote moving along. She was downwind and uphill from me and did not respond to my lipsqueaking. Even worse, she was moving away and was about to crest the ridge. I dropped her on the move at 182 paces.
So while it was a mildly successful night, the landowner still sent me an image of where a hog had torn up more pasture, less than 75 yards from where I spent the first 5 hours of the evening. Errrrrr!