Jr size Georgia Swamp Rhino

[Supercracker]

Got this fat little guy with about 2 minutes of shooting light left yesterday on the edge of the swamp. I'm guessing about ayear old. He had a LOT of fat on him. He was actually visibly a bit chubby. lol
He'll make a fine stew or curry.

Left work early and had been sneaking around the swamp in 10" of water, stalking from small island to small island, for about 5 hours. Blew 2 stalks on small pigs, got within 75yds of a doe without her knowledge which was satisfying but ultimately fruitless with the season out, got the living daylights scared out of me by a spotted fawn that I didn't see until it exploded out of the brush at my feet. I had called it a day and was actually back at the truck, had my gear put away then as I was lighting up my pipe for the ride home heard pigs growling at each other and fighting about 100 yds away.

Being unable to resist such blatant taunting by nature I grabbed the rifle and bag and headed back out towards the sounds still smoking the pipe to provide some measure of bug proofing for my head. I saw this guy rooting around on the edge of a small island between me and the noises. I think he was hanging out on the periphery of a fight between 2 bigger boars that I could hear but not yet see. Having only, literally, a minute or two of acceptable shooting light I decided his number was up. Didn't occur to me til after that I had primed the rifle and made the shot and stalk with a lit pipe in my mouth. lol

Hit him a little high and center punched the spine right over the boiler room. .490 PRB and 90grs of FFF did the job as about a 3" section was basically missing. DRT in his own rooting.

I'll be back this weekend to look for his two buddies. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

Fat pig = dynamite chili verde!!!

 

[sb 54 cal.]

Very Nice :hatsoff:

 

[Patocazador]

The fatties are rare in my neck of the swamp. Glad you scored.

That's the first gator possibles bag I've seen. Care to give us a better look and a description?

Real nice-looking gun too.

 

[bigbore442001]

Good shooting. I checked the weather map on Weather Underground for your region.

I think I would roast. :grin:

 

[Spikebuck]

Great story! Almost like hunting all day to come out of the woods and see your game feeding next to the truck!

I, too, noticed that alligator hide on your bag. :thumbsup:

 

[Bob J]

Now that's the way to spend an afternoon! :hatsoff:

 

[Sean Gadhar]

My brother had a birthday today, & you post reminded me of my year in Port Charlotte. I was 15 and he 30. We hunted nearly every weekend that winter. Never saw a hog though we did come close enough to find steaming piles of what they ate 2 hours ago.

Shot some quail & doves, a rabbit or two. Hunted with my brother & my first dog......seems like 10 years ago :shocked2: not 35!! Thanks for the walk down memory lane. :wink:

 

[sooner]

Some fine eating there .Good shot . Tom :thumbsup:

 

[Supercracker]

Yeah, it was a "little warm". Not too bad by SE Ga swamp standards, about 92, not sure about the humidity but it's been worse. IIRC there's a week long hog hunt in July, that one will be BRUTAL. I grew up in it, so the heat doesn't bother me too bad, despite being fat and out of shape. lol

I kind of prefer hunting pigs after the regular seasons are over and it's hot. Pigs can't sweat and their bodies aren't very good at cooling down. So when it's really hot they get really predictable. They'll find spots, outside of the thick brush they like in the winter, where they can lay in the shade but also get the breeze. Even then if they don't get up and find some water or mud to cool off in periodically they'll heat stroke out. So they'll always be close to water. Or find water and bed down in it with just their heads sticking up. Very hard to spot and they'll let you walk right by.

The catch is that they're super smart and know they're vulnerable, so they're on high alert all the time. It's great fun.

As a bonus it's hot enough to chase everyone else out of the woods. :thumbsup:

Some of the most fun I've had is when it's in the high 90s and you can see steam coming off the ground in places. It can be dangerous though. A few years ago during a super hot drought I was about 4 miles back in the newly dried out swamp in the middle of the day and found out a snag had poked a hole in my water bag and I had no water. By the time I got back to the truck I was severely dehydrated, starting to hallucinate and had to crawl because I couldn't stand up. All I could do was lay on the ground in the shade and sip water til well after dark. I don't think it's possible to carry too much water in these places!

I'll take some pics of the bag tomorrow. Nothing special though. Simple bag made from whatever leather I had around. The flap is part of the belly skin of a small gator I got on the Kissimmee a few years ago. I used one of the leg skins to make a nice sheath.

 

[satx78247]

NICE Porky Pig!!!! = CONGRADS.

That's my favorite size for the BBQ pit.

yours, satx

 

[Ben K]

Awesome fun! Good on ya!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Very interesting report sir. Thank you and well done you :hatsoff:

 

[Alden]

I love seeing pigs fall. What range did you take him at!?

 

[robinsroost]

Nicely done, congratulations! Fat pigs make spectacular barbeque, put some of him in the smoker. Robin :bow:

 

[Silex]

Congratulations!

Well done, and mighty fine eating there!

Silex

 

[Patocazador]

"A few years ago during a super hot drought I was about 4 miles back in the newly dried out swamp in the middle of the day and found out a snag had poked a hole in my water bag and I had no water. By the time I got back to the truck I was severely dehydrated, starting to hallucinate and had to crawl because I couldn't stand up. All I could do was lay on the ground in the shade and sip water til well after dark. I don't think it's possible to carry too much water in these places!"

Back in the '60s 2 of us were trailing a wounded deer in central Alabama. We had no water and had been trailing since morning. He entered a big swamp and we searched the swamp in thigh-deep water until 4:00. I was so thirsty that I spread apart the duckweed, etc. and sipped the water from the swamp in desperation. I was afraid of Giardia etc. but I never got sick. :idunno:

 

[hanshi]

Congratulations on a nice eatin' pig. As a native Georgia Cracker (moved to Va) I'm familiar with the jungle heat/humidity and bugs almost as mean as the hogs.

 

[bigbore442001]

"A few years ago during a super hot drought I was about 4 miles back in the newly dried out swamp in the middle of the day and found out a snag had poked a hole in my water bag and I had no water. By the time I got back to the truck I was severely dehydrated, starting to hallucinate and had to crawl because I couldn't stand up. All I could do was lay on the ground in the shade and sip water til well after dark. I don't think it's possible to carry too much water in these places!"

Back in the '60s 2 of us were trailing a wounded deer in central Alabama. We had no water and had been trailing since morning. He entered a big swamp and we searched the swamp in thigh-deep water until 4:00. I was so thirsty that I spread apart the duckweed, etc. and sipped the water from the swamp in desperation. I was afraid of Giardia etc. but I never got sick. :idunno:

To the best of my knowledge, giardia is spread through the feces of beaver. So I guess the water was beaver free.

 

[Patocazador]

Actually, all kinds of animals and birds can spread Giardia. Mayo Clinic's website has this:
"Giardia parasites are found in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams worldwide, as well as in municipal water supplies, wells, cisterns, swimming pools, water parks and spas. Ground and surface water can become contaminated from agricultural runoff, wastewater discharge or animal feces. Children in diapers and people with diarrhea may accidentally contaminate pools and spas."