Author Topic: Piggin' (Read 4682 times)

Longshot · « **on:** March 01, 2008, 09:51:54 AM »

Had a little time on Friday so I ran out to the shooting spot and got my first pig of 08. They were at the surface chirping but only a few actually ventured out. nailed one and missed three others. OOOOH I can't wait till it warms up a little more......
LS

Nomad · « **Reply #1 on:** March 02, 2008, 08:01:08 AM »

I see range time in your future, reloading and a range finder....NOW PIGGEN A
relocation working.....

Michael N · « **Reply #2 on:** March 02, 2008, 09:15:31 AM »

I have a 1000 pieces of .223 loaded , a new barrel on my 10/22 courtesy of Tac-Sol and a Ruger 77/22 Magnum switchbarrel rifle sitting here ready to go . The Vermin are in trouble .

Spiff · « **Reply #3 on:** March 02, 2008, 10:46:29 AM »

We may not be shooting pigs much longer.

According to a pamphlet that I picked up at the Sportsmans show yesterday one of the squirrels in this area is literally called the 'Southern Idaho Ground Squirrel'. It is a candidate for placement on the Endangered Species list.

Here's a quote about the Southern:

"Candidate for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Remaining populations are small, isolated, and in decline. Degradation of rangelands, and loss of native food plants due to invasion by exotic annual grasses are the main threats." However it does say in an earlier section that "Human threats to ground squirrels such as sport shooting (plinking) and poisoning can be devastating to some species when their populations are small and isolated"

The Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel is in this area up by Weiser and it's already on the Endagered Spicies List.

Others in this area are the Townsend's Ground Squirrel (bit more to the west from here) and the Merriam Ground Squirrel.

All four of these squirrels are of a type called the 'Small Eared Group' of ground squirrels.

I *think* the squirrel we shoot is the Merriam Ground Squirrel (However there is a possibility that it's the Southern Idaho Ground squirrel!). The Merriam Ground Squirrel not endangered but it is a 'candidate for concern' when it comes to the Endangered Species List, and so is the Townsend's Ground Squirrel.

Jeff · « **Reply #4 on:** March 02, 2008, 11:10:38 AM »

Remember that you need a hunting license to shoot pigs.

Michael N · « **Reply #5 on:** March 02, 2008, 12:07:41 PM »

As much as I hate to see it happen (listing of the squirrels) a couple years on the list and they will be begging us to shoot them again . Of course it could wind up like the Wolves where it will take us a decade to get them de-listed .

Look at the Sand Hollow area or Lick Creek road in Mountain Home . Both areas that had so many you ran over almost as many as you could shoot and now there is nothing (or very little) . Sad to say boys but it could be the end of an era .

Longshot · « **Reply #6 on:** March 02, 2008, 02:56:26 PM »

Well if they do list them there are always feral cats. Do we need licensing for those too??? Can we truly be considered free when we can't even burn leaves in the backyard? Oh well when they finally list all species as endangered they'll have to open a season on all those now unused environmentalists!!!

LS

Idaho_Gun_Nut · « **Reply #7 on:** March 02, 2008, 05:04:14 PM »

Quote from: Nomad on March 02, 2008, 08:01:08 AM

I see range time in your future, reloading and a range finder....NOW PIGGEN A
relocation working.....

Range time definitely.... he can't hit the broad side of a barn!

luckypunk · « **Reply #8 on:** March 02, 2008, 05:11:45 PM »

Quote from: Jeff on March 02, 2008, 11:10:38 AM

Remember that you need a hunting license to shoot pigs.

or a condom

Idaho_Gun_Nut · « **Reply #9 on:** March 02, 2008, 07:23:10 PM »

Quote from: luckypunk on March 02, 2008, 05:11:45 PM

or a condom

Nice one....

Shortmag · « **Reply #10 on:** March 02, 2008, 08:27:36 PM »

Just got the AR ready for the Pig season with a couple new toys.

New to me Eotech 553 (thanks Jeff!) and a new YHM BUIS.

SM

Longshot · « **Reply #11 on:** March 03, 2008, 08:26:34 AM »

You're right I suck.

Orbital-Burn · « **Reply #12 on:** March 04, 2008, 01:05:49 AM »

whistle pig attack - this is why you needs to be armed and have backup guns too!

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88071

fj40mojo · « **Reply #13 on:** March 04, 2008, 07:14:31 AM »

Anybody that believes that ground squirrels are endangered should take a drive from Kuna to Swan Falls where the little bastards are protected because they are in the Birds of Prey area. This will give you an idea of what the rest of the Kuna/Mora Desert will look like after a few years of protection, and if you are a shooter it will give you a terrible spasm in your trigger finger.

A rancher near my home of Salmon decided that he didn't want people shooting on his property for fear that one of his cattle would be shot, so he closed gates and posted fences etc. etc....Within 2 years he was calling people to come out and shoot pigs. My first visit back he took me to a hay field irrigated by wheel line, approx 150 acres-it was eaten down to bare dirt. The badger population was concentrated to about 1-3/acre. This was a target rich environment to say the least. Said rancher limited us to rimfires only to protect his cattle-that only lasted a year as he discovered that the population was still out of control and he freed us up to use centerfires too. I moved down here shortly after that, but spoke to the rancher last summer-he finally had to resort to poisoning to get the population down enough to keep them under control with just shooters and natural predators.

Idaho_Gun_Nut · « **Reply #14 on:** March 04, 2008, 09:30:11 AM »

Quote from: fj40mojo on March 04, 2008, 07:14:31 AM

Anybody that believes that ground squirrels are endangered should take a drive from Kuna to Swan Falls where the little bastards are protected because they are in the Birds of Prey area. This will give you an idea of what the rest of the Kuna/Mora Desert will look like after a few years of protection, and if you are a shooter it will give you a terrible spasm in your trigger finger.

A rancher near my home of Salmon decided that he didn't want people shooting on his property for fear that one of his cattle would be shot, so he closed gates and posted fences etc. etc....Within 2 years he was calling people to come out and shoot pigs. My first visit back he took me to a hay field irrigated by wheel line, approx 150 acres-it was eaten down to bare dirt. The badger population was concentrated to about 1-3/acre. This was a target rich environment to say the least. Said rancher limited us to rimfires only to protect his cattle-that only lasted a year as he discovered that the population was still out of control and he freed us up to use centerfires too. I moved down here shortly after that, but spoke to the rancher last summer-he finally had to resort to poisoning to get the population down enough to keep them under control with just shooters and natural predators.

Damn...

Spiff · « **Reply #15 on:** March 04, 2008, 04:24:59 PM »

The problem is that *we* are not in control of whats considered 'endangered'.

egress81 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 05, 2008, 11:50:04 AM »

Finally got my first day off in 3 weeks and went out and popped a couple whistle pigs yesterday. The wind made hitting them a little diffcult with the 10/22 but the AR didnt have any problems. There werent as many out as i thought there would be but there were still quite a few out.

I thought the whistle pigs were the Beldings ground squirrl ?

http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0122

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belding's_Ground_Squirrel

fj40mojo · « **Reply #17 on:** March 05, 2008, 09:23:51 PM »

Quote from: egress81 on March 05, 2008, 11:50:04 AM

Finally got my first day off in 3 weeks and went out and popped a couple whistle pigs yesterday. The wind made hitting them a little diffcult with the 10/22 but the AR didnt have any problems. There werent as many out as i thought there would be but there were still quite a few out.

I thought the whistle pigs were the Beldings ground squirrl ?

http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0122

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belding's_Ground_Squirrel

I'm not totally up on taxonomy, but the species I believe is the Columbian ground squirrel and the rest of these are sub species within that. As far as numbers of squirrels, if you would hold off shooting them until the yungins get out of the den there will be a lot more to shoot later on. For every female you shoot now you are killing 4-6 more littluns.

fj40mojo · « **Reply #18 on:** March 07, 2008, 07:43:17 AM »

I did some research and it turns out that ground squirrels are probably one of the most study and diverse animals in the world. There are something like 14 different species just in North America. This is all thanks to college students all over the country finding minor differences in isolated populations that happen to be in close enough to the college of their choice to make them convenient to study. Anyways here are a couple of pics to illustrate the differences between the endangered Idaho Ground Squirrel and the more common Columbian Ground Squirrel.

Don't shoot this one unless you got lots of $$$

Fire at will!!!

luvmy45 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 11, 2008, 08:22:50 AM »

I need pictures from the front of them standing up. From the side, they do me now good

bk

luckypunk · « **Reply #20 on:** March 11, 2008, 10:01:50 PM »

they are EVIL I say....

they will turn on their own kind

They will break into your house & kill you

unless...

Hotness & her pet Bald Eagle save the day

Spiff · « **Reply #21 on:** March 12, 2008, 06:26:57 PM »

That was kind of different LP.

luckypunk · « **Reply #22 on:** March 12, 2008, 10:38:04 PM »

sorry, Haven't gone piggin lately...a little antsy

luckypunk · « **Reply #23 on:** March 22, 2008, 06:21:37 PM »

OK, got some action today, so I should be good for a bit.

while out at the OTA I came across this
Guess what it is and you win a prize

Precise · « **Reply #24 on:** March 22, 2008, 07:49:22 PM »

Aluminum 20 gage shotgun hull?

luckypunk · « **Reply #25 on:** March 22, 2008, 08:17:49 PM »

no, sorry for not posting something to scale it by.

the "casehead" is 39.5ish mm

Lefty_OMorrow · « **Reply #26 on:** March 22, 2008, 09:59:01 PM »

If it's not rainin' I'm goin' piggin' for Easter. It's what the Easter Bunny would want me to do.

fj40mojo · « **Reply #27 on:** March 23, 2008, 04:17:57 PM »

I went out yesterday. Shot a couple with my 77/22, one with the old Rem Mod 12, and one with my Howa 1500 .223. Bonus, scared up a jack rabbit and busted him too, wish I'd had the .223 in hand at the time, but the old pump .22 did the job. The shooting was pretty slow, not to many pigs out yet and the ones I did see were already getting gun shy.

Lefty_OMorrow · « **Reply #28 on:** March 23, 2008, 06:41:14 PM »

Same thing today. I saw no pigs out at my two favorite locations. Very few along the way either.

Luckily, I brought a case of outdated soda and put it out of it's misery.

fj40mojo · « **Reply #29 on:** March 24, 2008, 05:44:17 PM »

Yea,

I gotta find some new hunting grounds. Pleasant Valley is gettin overrun with people. It's just too close too Boise. Best AOs seem to be near agriculture, but the majority of land owners don't like you shooting center fires and that is my prefered MO. Anybody wanna share their honey holes?

Shortmag · « **Reply #30 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:24:30 PM »

My best "honey hole" is soon to have houses on it and thus, has been closed to shooters.

SM

Lefty_OMorrow · « **Reply #31 on:** March 24, 2008, 10:41:26 PM »

Quote from: fj40mojo on March 24, 2008, 05:44:17 PM

I gotta find some new hunting grounds...

I think you're right. The colonies didn't look like they had much activity.

But I'm not too familiar with their hibernation cycle. Is it still early for them to be out in full force?

Orbital-Burn · « **Reply #32 on:** March 25, 2008, 07:11:00 AM »

Quote from: Lefty on March 23, 2008, 06:41:14 PM

Same thing today. I saw no pigs out at my two favorite locations. Very few along the way either.

Luckily, I brought a case of outdated soda and put it out of it's misery.

where do you go out? Do you only go out on Sundays?

Longshot · « **Reply #33 on:** March 25, 2008, 08:59:29 AM »

LP,
It looks like a 30mm shell casing. Is there any finish on it at all the ones I dealt with had a green varnish.

LS

Lefty_OMorrow · « **Reply #34 on:** March 25, 2008, 05:26:43 PM »

Quote from: Orbital-Burn on March 25, 2008, 07:11:00 AM

where do you go out? Do you only go out on Sundays?

Pleasant Valley Road. Generally west or south of the observation tower.

Quite often on Sundays. So they are probably all in church. (Or hunted out/shell shocked from Saturday's rampage.)

fj40mojo · « **Reply #35 on:** March 25, 2008, 06:25:21 PM »

I generally hunt east of Pleasant Valley and just south of the high tension power lines. It used to be good, but anymore there are so many people it's almost unsafe. You really have to be consious of your backstop since there are people pretty much in every direction. I think I am going to have to try some points west of Boise

luckypunk · « **Reply #36 on:** March 25, 2008, 08:50:12 PM »

Quote from: Longshot on March 25, 2008, 08:59:29 AM

LP,
It looks like a 30mm shell casing. Is there any finish on it at all the ones I dealt with had a green varnish.

LS

and the answer is

M127 A1 parachute flare

OK back on topic...I got my first squirrel last saturday. caught him square with one of these...sent him flying like he a little jetpack on, nothing left but a shitstain on the mound.

Lefty_OMorrow · « **Reply #37 on:** March 25, 2008, 10:57:52 PM »

LMFAO!!!!

I'd love to see a video of that!

luckypunk · « **Reply #38 on:** March 26, 2008, 09:46:48 PM »

Excellent Idea.

those remmys are getting low, but I have the next batch of varmint loads ready, they are 60 gr ballistic tips, either vmax or noslers, can't remember...but I'm calling them "Agent Orange"

Shortmag · « **Reply #39 on:** March 27, 2008, 12:01:33 PM »

if they're orange, they're Noslers.

SM

egress81 · « **Reply #40 on:** March 27, 2008, 01:43:54 PM »

I have been hitting up the rock chucks more then the whistle pigs but i think this snow put a hamper on the piggin and rockchucking for a little while.

ohh well just gives me time to develop a load for the wifes .223

fj40mojo · « **Reply #41 on:** March 30, 2008, 08:28:10 AM »

Took the family out Saturday on a Piggin/Shooting safari. Wife shot her first pig ever. 75 yards, first shot with the Howa 1500 .223. Pig did a double layout back flip off the top of it's mound. Wife was thrilled. Took my AR too and busted a bunch of milk jugs with it. Still not hords of pigs out, but there were a few more than last week. We went just north and west of the Range Tower out Pleasant Valley.

Orbital-Burn · « **Reply #42 on:** March 30, 2008, 03:50:17 PM »

I was out there with my dad too

fj40mojo · « **Reply #43 on:** March 30, 2008, 10:58:13 PM »

Quote from: Orbital-Burn on March 30, 2008, 03:50:17 PM

I was out there with my dad too

Did you see many squirrels?

Michael N · « **Reply #44 on:** March 31, 2008, 07:00:04 PM »

Took the kiddo's up skiing and next weekend I will be in San Antonio so no Love for me getting out yet

Hopefully there will be a few left when I get back .... LOL

Orbital-Burn · « **Reply #45 on:** April 01, 2008, 07:05:48 AM »

there was a couple. The wind was way too icy

Orbital-Burn · « **Reply #46 on:** April 03, 2008, 07:07:00 AM »

takes quite a bit of practice to shoot offhand. Best way I know of is with a 10/22, iron sights, sling, and small bore target at 25 feet.

fj40mojo · « **Reply #47 on:** April 04, 2008, 12:39:03 PM »

Quote from: Orbital-Burn on April 03, 2008, 07:07:00 AM

takes quite a bit of practice to shoot offhand. Best way I know of is with a 10/22, iron sights, sling, and small bore target at 25 feet.

Here is my personal fave for this type of shooting! Rem Mod 12 pump, unsure of actual production date but it's old, features halfmoon butt plate, octogonal barrel, very fine buck horn sights, and it's a takedown gun. Bore was very pitted from corrosive primed ammo that had been shot thru it for years prior to it coming into my family, so I had it sleeved a couple of years back and chambered with a match reamer-I know you collectors are cringing right now I can feel it, but it's always been a shooter and will continue to be, so why not have it shoot good. Here's the best part-purchased as a bucket of parts at a yard sale for $3 by my dad before I was even born. He knew how much I liked it and passed it on to me a couple of years ago.

NGO · « **Reply #48 on:** April 04, 2008, 01:23:53 PM »

Piggies don't like the shot gun...

fj40mojo · « **Reply #49 on:** April 04, 2008, 10:33:33 PM »

Quote from: NGO on April 04, 2008, 01:23:53 PM

Piggies don't like the shot gun...

I gotta remember to take the digi cam with me next time I go out piggin. I'd a had some great pics from last weekends outing.

quadidaho · « **Reply #50 on:** April 26, 2008, 11:34:39 PM »

Great day out Pleasant Valley today--- right at the high tension lines. Target rich environment!

Michael N · « **Reply #51 on:** April 28, 2008, 08:28:14 PM »

Looks like I know where I am heading Sunday .

fj40mojo · « **Reply #52 on:** April 29, 2008, 06:58:23 AM »

Went out Sunday. Definitely a lot of furry targets running about!

Farlo · « **Reply #53 on:** April 29, 2008, 07:31:34 AM »

Sand Hollow was crawling with them Saturday. I tried the grenades out finally. They're messy. All I found was the head, tail, and feet. Too bad they're so expensive. It not nearly as fun watching them limp away when I hit them with FMJ.

fj40mojo · « **Reply #54 on:** April 29, 2008, 04:43:40 PM »

Quote from: Farlo on April 29, 2008, 07:31:34 AM

Sand Hollow was crawling with them Saturday. I tried the grenades out finally. They're messy. All I found was the head, tail, and feet. Too bad they're so expensive. It not nearly as fun watching them limp away when I hit them with FMJ.

Don't you enjoy that lingering cloud of pink mist? It's my fave!

Farlo · « **Reply #55 on:** April 30, 2008, 10:14:02 PM »

Quote from: fj40mojo on April 29, 2008, 04:43:40 PM

Don't you enjoy that lingering cloud of pink mist? It's my fave!

Actually, I didn't see a mist with that one. I thought I'd missed. All I saw was the dust plume as I laid there on-scope about to start swearing (I *knew* I was on target when I fired). Then a furry red chunk of aforementioned pig parts plopped down in front of the plume. Nasty.

*Almost* cool enough to keep using them on pigs, but not quite.

fj40mojo · « **Reply #56 on:** May 01, 2008, 02:41:30 PM »

Farlo,

SWEEEEET!

Farlo · « **Reply #57 on:** May 01, 2008, 07:36:08 PM »

Lefty_OMorrow · « **Reply #58 on:** May 01, 2008, 08:15:42 PM »

Think I'll go out this weekend. I feel need to eradicate the planet of cannibalistic vermin.

fj40mojo · « **Reply #59 on:** May 04, 2008, 07:06:05 PM »

OOOOH the humanity!

Kcboats · « **Reply #60 on:** May 04, 2008, 08:44:45 PM »

WHAT!!!!?? Its just a flesh wound, (nice shot)!

Kcboats · « **Reply #61 on:** May 05, 2008, 09:27:32 AM »

Okay, where is this at? I dont really know the area very well and I am looking at breaking the DPMS in... anybody wanna pm me directions to a honey hole? It would be really appreciated!

Farlo · « **Reply #62 on:** May 13, 2008, 10:08:44 PM »

It took me a while to figure how much my scope was off, but once I did...

For the record, 50 gr Varmint Grenades on 24.0 gr of H335 in Winchester brass and WSR primers out of my Rock River 20" Varmint.

Warning...these are nasty...

Above and below are the same piggy...only these were taken 20 yards apart...

Cannibalism has a price...

Lefty_OMorrow · « **Reply #63 on:** May 13, 2008, 10:24:19 PM »

That's freakin' nasty! Thanks for sharing the load recipe!!!

The last time I saw that kind of carnage was with my .204 Ruger. You were pushing some serious fps there.

Farlo · « **Reply #64 on:** May 13, 2008, 10:32:43 PM »

Thanks! I should chrony those loads some day. From the load data I collected, I'd guess they're around 3100 fps. I don't care too much really. I care about them one-holing at 100 yards which they do when I do my part.

Too bad I didn't have someone with a video camera out there. The flying parts would have made great entertainment.

Norton1 · « **Reply #65 on:** May 26, 2008, 06:04:59 AM »

That's what my 220 Swift does to them. I load it down to 3800 fps. It's always who can make them fly the highest! Glad to see the population is back up a bit this year.

Farlo · « **Reply #66 on:** May 28, 2008, 10:18:00 PM »

Despite the sky opening up and soaking me (yay for stainless steel), I sploded about a dozen more piggies this afternoon. I say "about" because there were a few I couldn't verify. I saw parts fly, but I couldn't actually find anything to confirm the kill. Nasty. Sorry, no pictures this time. You'll have to take my word that the first kill was a head-shot.

These little buggers amaze me. I popped one and two others hopped about a foot and started chomping on him before all his pieces hit the ground. You have to wonder about a creature who, when the guy next to him explodes, thinks "Oooh...fresh food!" instead of "OMFG RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" There is something very wrong there. Yeah...I sploded one of the chompers, too.

egress81 · « **Reply #67 on:** May 29, 2008, 09:03:49 AM »

I took my dad out yesterday and we shot a couple pigs and rock chucks and of course i forgot the camera.

Also missed a long (over 500 yrds) shot at a coyote that was stalking a badger (I missed that as well) ...but i think i found a new load for my .243 using a 58 grain V-max and varget pushing 3700 fps. It does beautiful things to small furry creatures.

Hubby_MC · « **Reply #68 on:** July 24, 2008, 04:46:44 PM »

I turn my young marines loose on the pigs this year with the 12 guage and the M-4s, they have a good time!
Yes, thats really them LOL, and they both tag dear for us in 48 & 49
[attachment=1]

Wifey_MC · « **Reply #69 on:** July 28, 2008, 10:18:34 AM »

ok there going HIGH tec on us check this one out!!!

Jeff · « **Reply #70 on:** July 28, 2008, 10:21:13 AM »

Haha. JollyRoger keeps saying that he's saving me from whistle pig assaults. I never believed him.

Hubby_MC · « **Reply #71 on:** July 28, 2008, 10:29:19 AM »

We spent the weekend on the MPRC, great times, dont let wifey fool ya, we didnt find any "actual" Pigs. But we had fun!, I need a supply of free 5.56mm and 308
[attachment=1]

Hubby_MC · « **Reply #72 on:** April 07, 2009, 06:27:57 AM »

flare

Author Topic: Piggin' (Read 4682 times)

Michael N

Michael N

Lefty_OMorrow

Lefty_OMorrow

Lefty_OMorrow

Lefty_OMorrow

Lefty_OMorrow

Michael N

Michael N

Lefty_OMorrow

Lefty_OMorrow

Norton1