Posted: 1/29/2026 3:48:34 PM EDT
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4 years in a row - always a great time. This morning was 35° just south of the Brighton Seminole Reservation. Up at 0500 in the cabin on the property, guide picked us up at 0530, in our stands by 0545. About 0630 three little 40# piggies jogged through in the pre-dawn darkness - I watched them through my NOD but they didn't even slow down. Daylight comes and four fat does take over the spot and just hang out for about an hour. I hear my friend shoot off in the distance and check in - his hog is down by 0715. I see nothing else until the guide comes to pick me up about 0830. Load up on the buggy with the dogs. Within 5 minutes they're off and baying up a pig. We get out to it and see that it's even smaller than the ones that I had seen earlier. Turn it loose and load back up. Go about 50 yards and the dogs explode into action. You can tell by the sound that it's a big one. The big sow he had been banging charged out of the brush and ran between us with two young dogs on her tail but she's off like a bolt of lightning. The dog guys get in there with the serious boss dogs - one guy pulls up a leg and pins down the hog while the others work the dogs off the hog. It's clearly too big to let go safely and I don't want to wade into that furball of several dogs and the Seminole/black/Cracker contingent of local guys with my 6.5 Grendel SBR so I draw my G21 and get on in there. Once everyone and everydog are clear, I put a round in its head just below the ear. It didn't really seem to get the message so I gave it another round between the ear and eye. Still not convinced, so it got one more right in the forehead between the eyes. This time it understood the message and got with the program as it's ear started filling up with blood. The guide estimated ~250# and said the yellow fat is from him eating fireweed (I was always told that it was from acorns). He said it's like jalapeños to us - the hogs will squeal while they eat it like it is burning their mouth but they keep going back for more. I'll let you know how this big boar tastes in a week or two. Attached File |
