The boys and I had a chance to spend 4 days at a friend's ranch in Texas on an Axis deer and hog hunt. We ended up with 5 deer using powder burners (6.5 Grendel AR, a 6.5 Grendel Ruger American and 300 blackout pistol), 1 pig 6.5 Grendel Ruger, but 2 pigs went down with a 45 Cal Western Rattler topped with an Athlon Thermal.....That thermal is the BOMB!!!!!!
We hadn't seen any pigs the entire trip, but a cold front came in on the last night we were there. The boys and I hit the ranch ready to go for a late night hunt. We got to the blinds right as the sun was setting. There was almost a full moon in a cloudless sky. The boys were in a blind about 200-300 yards away from me over a small hill.
I get into my ground blind and turn on the thermal and nothing happened....Dead battery.
No worries I had a spare in my pocket. Turned on the thermal and the battery indicator showed a red ! meaning the battery was almost dead. Yeah I didn't plan very well
So there I am in the blind as the sun is going down and a nice Whitetail buck shows up.
At 6:36 PM I heard a lot of snorting coming towards the blind. I looked outside using the binos and saw 6 pigs working their way down the hill toward me. I turned on the Athlon Thermal and got one in the crosshairs and let the 290 grain Nielson slug do it's thing from about 35 yards. DRT (Dead Right There) This one was about 200 pounds.
The pigs ran up the hill and I texted the boys they were heading that way. At 7:04 PM. I hear a shot and got a text from the boys they just hammered a pig at 110 yards. (6.5 Grendel Ruger)
Well at 7:10 I hear crunching from my right and I looked out and 3 pigs were out about 30 yards and I turned on the Athlon and lined one up in the reticle. Right when I took the shot the pig turned it's head. The slug hit forward of where I was shooting.....If any of you remember the original Predator movie, with all the blood spattering in the night vision, that is what it looked like. Pig went down put continued to squeal so another slug did the job. (No photo of this one lots of blood)
We started texting and decided it was time to stop....After cleaning the 3 pigs it was almost midnight and we were beat....
A great time with the boys for sure.
Tony P.
We hadn't seen any pigs the entire trip, but a cold front came in on the last night we were there. The boys and I hit the ranch ready to go for a late night hunt. We got to the blinds right as the sun was setting. There was almost a full moon in a cloudless sky. The boys were in a blind about 200-300 yards away from me over a small hill.
I get into my ground blind and turn on the thermal and nothing happened....Dead battery.
No worries I had a spare in my pocket. Turned on the thermal and the battery indicator showed a red ! meaning the battery was almost dead. Yeah I didn't plan very wellSo there I am in the blind as the sun is going down and a nice Whitetail buck shows up.
At 6:36 PM I heard a lot of snorting coming towards the blind. I looked outside using the binos and saw 6 pigs working their way down the hill toward me. I turned on the Athlon Thermal and got one in the crosshairs and let the 290 grain Nielson slug do it's thing from about 35 yards. DRT (Dead Right There) This one was about 200 pounds.
The pigs ran up the hill and I texted the boys they were heading that way. At 7:04 PM. I hear a shot and got a text from the boys they just hammered a pig at 110 yards. (6.5 Grendel Ruger)
Well at 7:10 I hear crunching from my right and I looked out and 3 pigs were out about 30 yards and I turned on the Athlon and lined one up in the reticle. Right when I took the shot the pig turned it's head. The slug hit forward of where I was shooting.....If any of you remember the original Predator movie, with all the blood spattering in the night vision, that is what it looked like. Pig went down put continued to squeal so another slug did the job. (No photo of this one lots of blood)
We started texting and decided it was time to stop....After cleaning the 3 pigs it was almost midnight and we were beat....
A great time with the boys for sure.
Tony P.
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