Yeah... you can walk up to turkeys around here in a Tim Horton’s parking lot and smack them over the head with a hockey stick. They are nowhere near as elusive as they used to be.
That should be fun! The great hockey stick hunt. Make sure you take pictures. Ha. One thing I didn't mention, is that Georgia has a remarkable comeback story for the Eastern turkey. They were practically gone when I was a kid, but through conservation and re-introduction, they're now fairly prolific. They stay in rafters (flocks) when it's not hunting season. It's not uncommon to see full grown gobblers and a few jakes with a bunch of hens in the fall, but they definitely are not like that during hunting season.
plus the wild ones taste like shit unless you brine them for a good while. Easier to just go get one from the store. I have wild ones in my yard all the time, scare the crap outta me when they look in the windows to see what’s up. My boys think it’s cool though and the turkey eat the nasty bugs. I could see how they’d be a cool trophy for someone not used to them, but for us they’re just good pest control. also some high comedy when the toms get all frisky and try to fuck anything that moves. Good entertainment this time of year with the morning coffee. No deer or vulture is safe.
I somewhat agree, but it does sound like after the 'splosion someone was administering kill shots. If they just set off the tannerite and walked away leaving the pigs in agony, fuck them. That would be incredibly messed up, but at least to me it sounded like they were dispatching them.
yeah it looked the same to me too, I just don’t like seeing animals in pain, even for a bit which they clearly were. I’m of the camp that “there’s no such thing as overkill” so use more than enough gun for the animal. That’s why I hog hunt with an AR in 308. You can kill them cleanly with a .223 or less, and I certainly have, but a .308 will ensure that even a poor shot is a deadly one, and quick. I’ve seen otherwise great shooters make rushed shots, jerk the trigger, or otherwise just fuck it up. When you’re talking about taking the life of an animal, have some respect for it and ensure that it dies as quickly and painlessly as possible. If you have that many pigs and want to take them all out at once, either shoot quickly (why I prefer the AR platform for pigs) or get multiple shooters. Trapping pigs can get quite difficult so I get that.
I've never hunted wild hogs, but I've raised and put down domestic hogs About the only sure kill shot with the domestics was a behind the ear shot. Is it the same with wild hogs?
ideally, yes you’d take them in that exact spot. But unless you are really close, it’s hard to hit and there’s very little margin for error. I once shot a pig between the eyes with a .243 and it flattened against the skull, blowing off large portions of tissue but otherwise not penetrating bone (it was a soft tip, I guess literally). Because of their anatomy having the heart lower than most “game” animals like deer who have it behind the shoulder, if I see them broadside I now aim for the lower center of the front shoulder, which I can do with that heavier .308 round. Best case it goes through either the heart or lungs and kills them basically immediately. Worst case, you still break that shoulder and “anchor” them for a follow up shot to the head. I would not suggest a shoulder shot with a caliber you aren’t completely certain is up to the job on that size of animal (for example, I don’t attempt to shoot through the shoulder with my .223). If I get them facing me and can put it low on the neck, i do that to get the heart and lungs, otherwise they’re getting a .308 facial. A well placed shot on the neck with a heavy bullet is almost always fatal as well. Quartering away, I’m going low behind the shoulder to get at the pump house. I’ve also successfully harvested wild hogs with the “Texas heart shot” method when they’re facing away from me, that is, aim directly at their asshole and the bullet will destroy the pelvis and make the innards look like they got put in a blender. I’ve taken several pigs with the bullet enema method, and each one dropped on the spot.
Welp my compound bow Met its end with an unfortunate accident with my car. I had picked it up a few years ago off Craigslist and never got too big into shooting it. I’d like to get a more advanced bow that is customized to me. Anyone have good experience in the bow selection process?
Mathews, Hoyt, PSE - in that order. All depends on what you want to spend. I shoot a PSE but that because I have a longer draw length than most people and the bow feels comfortable. Best thing to do is go to a local shop and shoot a few different models.
I really like my PSE. It's my first bow and I shot several brands before deciding on it. It's a (I think) 2016 Drive LT and it still has IBO speeds that rival a lot of the bows coming out today (336). With my 29.5 inch draw at the 63 pounds I'm drawing, I'm getting ~270fps with a 455gr arrow and enough ke to ethically hunt anything in North America. It'll blow through a white tail no problem and I routinely take squirrels at 25 yards no problem. The key is to shoot as many as you can. They're all quiet and fast enough and most handle will regardless of ATA or brace height.
Most stores I've shopped have a firing range right in them so you can shoot different brands/models/setups. It's been a lot of years since I bought my compound, but I found that really helped a lot. Might want to call around and find one that offers that.
Here's a "do you shoot" scenario... You have two does standing broadside at 20 yards so close to each other that they're probably touching. It's 1 min from end of legal shooting time. Your pass through on the first will almost definitely go into the second, but likely not enough to be fatal. Do you send the arrow? Some other factors include that you're hunting in a few acres between neighborhoods and a deer could easily run 100 yards and be on someone's patio.