My first official hog hunt with Thumper Using FLIR and ATN

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My first official hog hunt with Thumper Using FLIR and ATN

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Tue Oct 18, 2016 12:00 am

Ain't technology the bees' knees?
Yesterday around 3 o'clock my uncle called asking if he could come out sight in his rifles. I said sure. So he brings his ARs out and we set up some targets. So we goofed around with his ATN X-Sight II 5-20 day/nightvision scope that he's put on his new 300 Blackout. Man. That thing was awesome.
Anyway, as the sun started setting, my uncle invited me to go with him down the road to a place where his kin folks had been reporting hog sightings. It was a full moon. At first I was kind of reluctant but I started thinking about the chance to use my new FLIR Scout so I agreed. I took the 450 Bushmaster AR. I took some of those 230 Grain FMJs with me. Anyway, we pulled into the field just as the moon had cleared the trees on the eastern horizon. After a phone call from my cousin who was on his way to join us, we set up out in the field behind a huge clump of trees. My uncle was using his 300 Blackout with the ATN scope and I was using thumper with a sniper hawg light and the Nikko Stirling scope. I have a Gen 1 NV scope but it's currently on my HBar. So it stayed home.
Anyway, we had been there about 20 minutes. I turned the FLIR back on and rescanned the eastern tree line. Holy cow! Out at about 100 yards, I saw all these little glowing dots moving out into the field and as they cleared the brush it was pretty obvious we had a nice little herd of piggies coming right at us. I got my uncles' attention and pointed him to the far end of the field. He finally got his scope on them. We got pretty excited. That little FLIR thermal monocular was working like a charm! I hit the record button on the scope to record what I was seeing. Suddenly, there was something behind me shining a light and that's when I realized my cousin had just drove into the pasture and was driving towards our position. My uncle was trying to wave him off and I was giving him the old "cut" signals trying to stop him but it was too late. The hogs had locked up. So I put down the thermal and pulled up my rifle. My uncle had a pig in his crosshairs. I flipped on the SniperHawgLight and picked the closest pig who's eyes I could see, pulled the trigger and thumper roared. A split second later the 300 Blackout roared. We had pigs running all over the place. No hits though. My cousin was tripping out and we were tripping out and the pigs, some pushing 350 pounds, all ran across the road into another guy's pasture.
Anyway. I pulled up the FLIR and scanned the field. No casualties. About 45 minutes later, Using FLIR, I picked up two more hogs coming out of the tree line further north about 250 yards away. As I sat there and observed with the FLIR, they moved to within about 100 yards. I didn't shoot this time but my uncle did and he missed. The big pig ran towards the road and the other smaller one turned and ran back to the woods.
Once again, that FLIR provided us an early warning of their presence long before they even knew we were in town. Now to get our scopes sighted in better. I've not been able to hunt for several years so my shooting skills are pretty rusty as well. I need a tall bipod and a chair. My offhand skills are awful.
Anyway. That's all I've got for now.
-Texas Sheepdawg

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Re: My first official hog hunt with Thumper Using FLIR and A

Postby kottke_35 » Tue Oct 18, 2016 10:47 pm

Keep at it Robin! Sounds like you guys had a good time and that's all that matters!

B.
Warriors don't shoot bull's-eyes.

” Blessed are those, who in the face of death, focus on the front sight.”
-Col.. Jeff Cooper
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