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  1. #1
    Site Owner
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Madisonville, Texas, United States
    Posts
    265

    TTHA gets Tactical!

    Steve Grams, the Director for Marketing and PR for the Texas Trophy Hunters Association, decided to trade his PR duties in for a little R&R....Tactical style! Steve and a couple of friends, Elizabeth and John, came down last week to have a little fun....and that's what we did! After getting everyone set up with night vision goggles and familiarizing them with the night scopes and thermal sights, we loaded up in the Land Rover and set out, in search of pork. The search didn't take very long either....we might've gotten 200 yards from the truck when Jed spotted the first group of hogs and the stalk was on. We circled around downwind and stalked to within about 50 yards. After a quick 3-2-1 countdown, 3 porkers got a one-way ticket to Hog Heaven! Hunts are supposed to be fun, but they can also be educational. Two of the three hogs that Steve's crew killed were "mule-footed"....ie. they had a single hoof of each foot, like a mule or horse, rather than the normal split-hoof. We don't normally see many of these crittters but the ranch manager said that they are common on that property. After the anatomy lesson was over, we were back to the hunt. A half-hour later, I spotted a large ,single hog off in the distance but it was on the neighboring property. We've got about 100,000 acres to hunt on but you still have to respect the boundaries! Our disappointment didn't last long because a couple of minutes later, we spotted a pasture poodle....and this wiley coyote had dinner in his mouth. I could see that he had something in his mouth as he trotted across the pasture but I thought that it was a rabbit. After Steve anchored him with a single .308 round, we discovered that we weren't the only ones hog hunting that night!....A 2 'fer! Thirty minutes later, we're back on the pork! After a long stalk across open country, Steve and friends cut loose on another large sounder. When the smoke cleared, 8 more rooters had met their maker. Good Shootin' The stars must've been aligned that night because we ran into another group a few minutes later....and they were heading straight at us. We waited until they got close and then Steve, Elizabeth and John went to work. They took 5 out of that group!....the total of dead hogs is up to 17. As we made our way back to the trucks, we had one last treat. Remember that lone hog on the neighbor's place? Well, he decided that the grass was greener on our side of the fence....either that or he wanted to come visit his friends. Either way, he wound up on the receiving end of 3 lead injections. I didn't get a picture of him, but he brought the final count for the night up to 18 hogs and a coyote. We had a ball and I think Steve and his friends did too! Maybe we'll get to read his version of it in an upcoming issue of the TTHA magazine!

  2. #2
    nice hogs, good hunt

  3. #3
    That's awesome Clark!!! Great write up Bro!!!

  4. #4
    Way to go Clark!!!!!!!! Dougepoo actually shot a "Mulefooted" hog the last time at their place east of Centerville a few miles.

  5. #5
    Site Owner
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Madisonville, Texas, United States
    Posts
    265
    Gary, That hunt was outside of Buffalo, almost to Oakwood. (not too far from Doug's place) We rarely see a mule-footed hog down around Madisonville but they're pretty common in that neck of the woods. There must be something in the water in Keechi Creek!....(that might explain some of Mike's "issues" too. LOL!)

  6. #6
    Nice hunt. Really enjoyed reading it. Makes we want night vision & thermal imaging equipment even more!

  7. #7
    Kind of one of those things that makes you go "Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm" LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. #8
    Question for the Pros: If I want to buy 1 piece of specialized night equipment that we can both use, what would you recommend? Thermal? Goggles? My wife & I both have good scopes that use moonlight well, Sniper Hog Lights, & a military grade laser. I am leaning toward something thermal. Ideas???

  9. #9
    Site Owner
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Madisonville, Texas, United States
    Posts
    265
    I would base my decision on the answers to a couple of factors. One is obviously your budget..... How much are you willing to invest? The other big issue is your intended use.... Are you looking for a "viewing" device (like goggles or a monocular) or do you want a weapon sight? Your budget will probably make the decision between night vision and thermal a lot easier. Thermal is great, but it is expensive. A good Gen 3 night vision weapon sight will retail in the $4500-5000 range....but a thermal scope is going to start in the $12000 range. (for one that will hold zero anyway) Your intended use can make a lot of difference too. Monoculars will be cheaper than PVS7 goggles....there's less to them. Weapon sights cost a little more because of the bigger optics and windage/elevation controls. The aviator style goggles cost more because there are 2 image intensifier tubes, rather than one. Let me know what you're trying to do and I'll gladly help you make a good choice.

  10. #10
    We want to be able to scan the darkness to see what is around us. Is that a monocular? What brand, price, & dealer would you recommend?

 

 

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