BRIAN JOHNSON ON OUTDOORS: Whiteface vs. Grandy’s gun

Published 11:11 pm Saturday, December 2, 2017

Over the past several years I have begun to rely heavily on my trail cameras.

They tell me the species, quality, and time that animals pass through my area.  Every now and then I capture and image of an animal that really grabs my attention. 

This year, on my hog lease, I had one of the moments.  The picture was of a giant hog.  Now when I say giant, I mean way bigger than anything I had ever killed or seen killed. After comparing the photo with other photos of hogs that I had killed it was estimated that this hog would go well over 400 pounds. 

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Hogzilla in my opinion! Not only was he huge, he also had a white face and looked like a cow. I nicknamed him Whiteface and set out on a mission to harvest him.

Every time Whiteface was on camera he had two buddies with him.  One was around 150 pounds and the other was just over 200.  This motley threesome was very regular at the feeder and came in daily.  They always came in right at daylight and right before dark.

Now, most people who know me know that I have been a bowhunting snob for years, and haven’t hunted with a rifle in a long time. This was about to change.  As I put together my plan of action, it dawned on me that unless I dropped this beast in his tracks, I would never get him out of the woods.  The woods were thick and the mud was boggy in the land that this beast called home. I needed to drive my atv right to him.  This situation pretty well ruled out bowhunting.  I opted instead for my Remington 30-06 semi automatic.  The gun had previously belonged to my wife’s grand father and had seen its share of action.

To say that these hogs were smart would be an understatement.  Numerous trips to the woods had proven futile as they simply refused to show up when I was there. It seemed that the winds would always be swirling and possible tip my hand to these beasts. Whiteface clearly had the upper hand. Finally, I caught an evening with the perfect win and it appeared my luck was going to change.

I made sure to get to the stand plenty early and I was glad I did. About an hour before the feeder went off I could hear hogs squealing and fighting in the distance. This was a good sign. Shorty have the feeder had spun I began to hear grunting, growling, ears flapping, and teeth popping.  These were some mean sound boars!  Finally, they started to appear. First the smaller on, then the middle on, followed by … you guessed it … no one.

I couldn’t believe it.  Where was Whiteface?  They always came together and now he was missing. I began ask myself if maybe he had been shot or trapped. 

A twig cracked … I thought it was him but nothing.  Had a decision to make.  Did I shoot the hogs that were already under the feeder, or did I wait for Whiteface? 

The pigs were getting nervous so I had to act fast.  In that moment I thought about killing Whiteface and kind of got sad.  He had become a legend.  He was the reason I went hunting.  He was king of the jungle.

A grin came across my face as I slowly raised Grandy’s rifle to my shoulder.  I placed my cheek against the glossy wood and thought about the many times he had probably done the same.  The scope was a little crooked to me but I left it just as I received it.  I had shot it before and knew it was spot on. The middle sized boar was facing right at me. He would have been safe at that angle if I had my bow.  Little did he know today I was shooting Grandy’s gun.

With the cross hairs between his eyes, I gently pulled the trigger. In an instant the rifle roared, the beast fell, and the smell of gun powder filled the air.  It was sensory overload as my heart pounded in my chest. I had taken a great boar, 214 pounds, to be exact, and I had done it with Grandy’s gun.

As the shot rang out I heard a large hog running away and no doubt in my mind it was Whiteface.  He is  now a legend and maybe some day we will dance again. He may be able to fool me a few more times, but if he ever meets up with Grandy’s gun … we will be having pork roast and sweet potatoes!