The Hog Blog

Just got this from the JHO forums (slipped right by my RSS feeds)…  in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, there’s an article about the MN DNR’s program to research the actual dispersal and performance of lead bullets.  The study is intended to see just how lead ammo fragments and spreads lead through a carcass using multiple ammo types, as well as shot placement.  The outcome will be a report for hunters describing ways to minimize the amount of lead in their venison. 

I’ll be interested in the results too.  I have a bad feeling that they’re not going to learn much we don’t already know, but at least they’re trying. 

For what it’s worth, if you’re concerned with lead bullet fragmentation, here are a few tips:

• Use a non-lead bullet - not a cheap option, and not viable for many calibers
• Use a “bonded” bullet - still pretty expensive, but bonded bullets hold together better, even on impact with bone
• Avoid highly “frangible” bullets, such as the ballistic tips
• Avoid lightweight, high-speed bullets as they tend to fragment more explosively
• Place shots to avoid large bones (think like an archer) - good choices are the pocket behind the shoulder or the neck (head shots are not a great idea, as a miss can result in really horrible wounding and slow death)

I’ll be curious to see if the MN DNR come up with more ideas.

Just browsing around and saw this in last week’s edition of the Savannah Daily News.  Looks like the time to get your applications in for limited entry hunts on the NWRs and other special hunt areas is coming fast. 

Although the deer hunting season is still a couple of months away, those who plan to participate in the area’s National Wildlife Refuge-managed archery and gun hunts can start marking their calendars. Jane Griess, manager of the Savannah Coastal Refuges (SCR), which includes Blackbeard Island, Harris Neck, Wassaw Island, Pinckney Island and the Savannah National Widlife Refuges, has released the hunt dates for each location.

As in past years, both quota (limited number selected by a drawing) and non-quota hunts are on the schedule, depending on the specific refuge area. Depending on the location, the allowable game is deer, feral hog, squirrel, turkey and waterfowl.

Applications for quota hunts are available at each refuge Web site - www.fws.gov/blackbeardisland; www.fws.gov/harrisneck; www.fws.gov/savannah; www.fws.gov/pinckneyisland; and www.fws.gov/wassaw.

Don’t miss it! 

Well, first of all… I didn’t get sprayed by a skunk. I’m a little gun shy of those things. In the last video, when he raises his tail I think there was a coyote down in the draw with him. He had no idea I was there.

For those who haven’t been keeping up, I was bowhunting blacktails during the California A-zone archery season. This was my first outing with the new Mathews Drenalin compound, after many years shooting a recurve. The hunt took place on the Hedgepeth Ranch, which is leased by the Golden Ram Sportsmen’s Club. It’s a great place, and I had success there with a hog and a deer last year.

Anyway, once again as in so many of my hunting videos, there won’t be any kill shots or spectacular close-ups with trophy game (except that skunk). But I hope you enjoy it anyway…

If you’re keeping up, you know I’m off hog and deer hunting this weekend.  If all goes well, my bowhunt will come up with some meat for my freezer and some great video for my YouTube site. 

So, anyway, while I’m gone hunting and you’re not, I thought I’d share one of my more favorite shows from MyOutdoor TV.  This show is called Quest for Adventure, and there are a couple of things that I really like about it. 

First of all, one of the hosts shoots traditional.  He does longbow instead of recurve, but I’ll forgive him for that (seriously, nothing to forgive).   He’s good, and if you watch the episodes where he’s target shooting you’ll be amazed at the smoothness and accuracy of his shots.  This is what I strove for when I shoot the recurve, but to shoot like he does is the result of hours and hours of constant practice and reinforcement. 

Secondly, these guys strike me as real people… not made-for-TV caricatures like some of the shows offer up these days.  They are definitely not perfect, but the fact that they let their imperfections show is part of the allure of the show.   One of the best episodes (and most relevant to this blog) is called Old Tusker.  Look it up and enjoy… it gets a little “hammy” (pun intended), but it’s good fun. 

Finally, I love that most of their episodes take place in the waterways of Florida…one of my favorite places.  I have yet to hunt in that state, but I’ve done a lot of diving in the same waters… the Rainbow River and Silver Springs… and I love fishing the offshore waters all up and down that coast.  It’s a unique and beautiful place, and this show offers it up in all its splendor. 

So, until I get home and post up my hunting stories for the weekend…  go check ‘em out.  You won’t be sorry. 

That’s right.  I’m gone hunting! 

Outta here for the weekend.  First shot at blacktail deer for the season, and maybe I’ll get a hog or two to come close enough to poke an arrow through the little piggy CPU.  (Boy, I gotta get away from this computer for a while!)

Heading back up the Hedgepeth Ranch (Golden Ram property) for this second weekend of the CA archery season.  I hope it’s as good there as it was last year! 

Hope to be back with stories, video, and maybe even some fresh venison or pork on Monday!

Ya’ll hold down the fort!

I’m a little belated in relaying this, so most of you in Minnesota already know this, but the State has decided to go ahead and allow venison distribution through the food banks.  Deer hunters will still be able to donate part of their kill to help feed the state’s hungry.

There have been several articles, including this one from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune, which quotes a senior official from the MN Department of Agriculture:

“It will be different from last year, certainly, [but] we can say that the venison program will continue,” said Heidi Kassenborg, director of the Dairy and Food Inspection Division of the state Department of Agriculture.

“There’s still a lot of specifics that need to be ironed out,” she added. Officials still are discussing potential changes to the program.

As I understand it, one of the major changes will be to provide whole cuts of meat, rather than ground, due to the increased incidence of lead fragments in venison burger and sausage.  That sort of makes sense, since the trim and “mangled bits” usually end up in the grind bucket, while the whole cuts avoid the shot-up area.  Good, clean trimming should alleviate that issue, though.

Anyway, just wanted to provide a follow-up on my previous post. 

Well, only a few more days until my first blacktail deer hunt of the 2008 season, and my first bowhunt with the new Matthews.  This will be my first outing, ever, with a compound bow… something I’ve avoided for several years through my hard-headed insistence on doing it “the hard way” with traditional archery tackle. 

So how do I feel about it? 

Here are a couple of representatives of my current groups at 20 yards with the new bow.  I realize it’s not much compared to folks who’ve been shooting a bit longer, but I’m pretty happy with it.  That’s six arrows in there, four of which are in the yellow and two of them on the X.  I actually shot several groups that were even better than this, like the one below. 

The average groups at 40 yards aren’t quite as tight, but they’re still all going into the red and yellow when I don’t cant the bow (a bad habit from shooting the recurve) or jerk the shot. 

Point is, I’m feeling pretty good about the decision to adopt the compound bow.  Training wheels or whatever, it was the right and ethical thing to do. 

So this weekend, when I’m up there in Sonoma County hunting deer (or hogs), I feel very confident that I can put an arrow into the kill zone at reasonable ranges, and that the arrow will do what it’s intended with plenty of precision and energy. 

We’ll see, of course.  There’s no guarantee, and heck, if I can miss with a rifle I can sure miss with a bow.  But I now feel that I’ve done what I can to make sure my kill is as clean and humane as possible… a confidence I no longer have with the recurve. 

Seems like feral pigs and wild boar are wearing out their welcome from one end of the continent to the other lately.

To begin with, folks in Alberta, Canada have decided they don’t want wild boar rooting up their landscape, and have now declared a total free-for-all on the invasive animals. 

According to this article from the United Press International (UPI), the porcine invaders are making a menace of themselves. 

The non-native animals have decimated crops and burrowed dangerous large holes in the ground from central Alberta to near the U.S. border, CTV News reported.

The article declares the animals pests, and have issued a “shoot-on-sight” policy.  What’s more, landowners who fail to participate in the cull will have to foot the bill for having someone else do it.

Under a new law, landowners must now report and eradicate non-captive boars, otherwise provincial officials can kill the boars and send a bill to the landowner, the report said.

Not sure I agree with an eradication program if the population is already well-established, but I guess hey’re going about it in a pretty direct way.  The new law should keep folks from harboring a population, either for sentimental or sporting purposes. 

From the sounds of things, Texas may be heading in much the same direction.  The State Department of Agriculture recently awarded a $1million grant to the Agri-Life Extension office to drive an eradication and control program.  As a July 8 article in the Lone Star Outdoor News site reported:

“The feral hog population has exploded in Texas over the past 20 years,” Agriculture Commisioner Todd Staples said. “This invasive species will destroy anything in its path from sorghum fields in the rolling plains to pastures in East Texas to plants in a suburban San Antonio landscape.

“Eliminating these animals also means safer driving conditions for Texans and for our many visitors. This grant will test the critical strategies we have developed to control this pest.”

I posted recently regarding the new feral hog and wild boar hunting regulations in Texas, and this grant came hot on the heels of those new rules. 

Not to be outdone, New York state is encouraging hunters to shoot any wild boar they happen to see running arund too.  I just read this article in the Press & Sun Bulletin online, wherein the reports of wild boar running loose in New York are generating a quick an lethal response from the wildlife management authorities. 

… The DEC is asking licensed hunters to shoot any and all wild hogs on sight at any time of year. Although there is no season, a small game hunting license is required. Permission must be obtained to shoot hogs on private lands and local and state shooting regulations are in effect.

It’s a rough time to be a wild boar, but it’s a great time to be a wild boar hunter! 

I know, I’m no Shakespeare and I’m definitely not a crown prince of Denmark… and it’s really not even an existential question… but still, it’s a tough one!  What to do, what to do? 

So as I just wrote on Friday, deer season opened on Saturday.  I didn’t go, as I had other obligations, but my sights are set on next weekend anyway.  I usually avoid opening day anyway, due to the crowds and yo-yos. 

OK, get to the point, Phillip… right? 

The place I’m going to hunt has a mess of pigs.  I did some hunts there last year, so you may remember the posts and video.  The thing is, from the looks of things the deer are in one area and the hogs are in another.  I’m sure there’s some overlap, but I have to decide which area to focus on… and that’s tough! 

To top it off even more I’m not even sure if my tags will be here in time for the hunt, so I may have to totally shift gears.  Fortunately, Michael over at Native Hunt has offered to let me come up there to break out of my “archery slump”… a tempting offer.  He’s got some great feral hog hunting down there, on top of the excellent lodging and hospitality.  Even if I get a tag, it’s tempting to blow off the Hedgepeth Ranch and go visit at Native Hunt. 

Ahh… decisions! 

Maybe I’ll just stay home instead.