Why good optics are so important and don’t shoot the gay pigs!

Just a quick story from the field notes as to why it is so important to have good optics when hunting. I set out with my hunting partner, we will call him “GD”, one morning in search of wild hog. We were driving a 3500 acre lease and normally shoot them at distance when ever possible. We spotted a really nice group of 8-10 pigs casually rooting up an area of pasture and there were several pigs in the 175-200lb range and the rest ran in the 60-70lb range.

We were at 175 to 180 yds and had a clear picture of the group and I was shooting this monster Wetherby Magnum affectionately nicknamed ” the Whore”.  As I glassed the group I registered the smaller hogs, but my mind kind of wrapped around shooting one of the larger pigs in the group. We normally shoot the smaller pigs as they are better eating. With my breathing under control and my jitters subsiding, I got ready for the shot. The pigs were shuffling around doing what pigs do (eating) and the next thing I know the largest of the group mounts up on probably the next largest of the group. While I don’t normally like to break the mood on anyones party, they are turning towards me, so I may have a mounted double developing here. If they continue their current dance, I should have a pretty nice chest shot on the bottom and a gut shot on the top. Keep the Sow and kill the Boar, right!

I don’t want to sound wasteful, but wild hogs are a big issue here in Florida, we rank second behind Texas when it comes to number of pigs. So anyway back to the action, the dance continues and there is my shot, I squeeze the trigger and the shot is off. I try to recover from the kick of the “whore” to see if I need to make a follow-up shot. Nope one bottom pig down and lots of pigs running.

So here we go, lets drive up to it load it up, clean it up and go home to make some sausage or something. As I get up to the pig and give it a walk around just to make sure its dead I see something I wasn’t expecting to see. Balls. Balls and more Balls.

I had shot a GAY PIG!!! In my rush to hasten “Bullet Interuptus” I hadn’t looked for any protrusions on the bottom pig. I assumed that a Boar would mount a sow, I would shoot it out from under him and take it home and eat it. Such was not the case and I could hear “GD”starting the verbal beating that would continue all the way home!! Always shoot the little ones! Don’t shoot the Boars! Why did you shoot the ones fucking! What kind of asshole are you!!!

I admit it, I let my greed for a mounted, fucking, double get the better of me. I thought I would be cute and take them both in the midst of carnal bliss and I screwed up!

There is no real guilt and the pig meat was clean and cooked up great, but having that hanging over my head when ever I hunt with “GD” is no prize I assure you. He doesn’t bring it up often, but when he does it takes most of the morning to get him off the subject.

That is why good optics are so important and unless you want to hear about it for ever, try not to shoot the Gay Pig.