Testimonial
"Recently, I was presented with the opportunity to go on a Wild Pig hunt through William Jessup University. I have always wanted to go pig hunting and I was very excited. I was a little nervous before the hunt, because the last thing I wanted to was leave without getting one. Gene Bradley was my guide on the hunt. Gene is a brother in Christ and was very familiar with the ranch we were on.
We started at daybreak on a Saturday. We took a walk along the tree line that was the transition from the hills to a meadow. The pigs were feeding with some cattle in the early mornings. There was also a barn that the owner had seen some pigs in, feeding on some hay. Gene had the idea to try to cut them off on their way back to the hills in the early light.
We ended up walking for about 20 minutes without seeing anything until we reached the end of the property. We were turning around to go back, when we heard a shot from someone at the other end of the meadow who we were with. We literally ran back to see if we could get a glimpse of a fleeing pig when we saw a different one charging along a fence line into the hills. He had been spooked out of the barn we had been told about.
Gene said I could take a shot (about 300 yards), but the pig looked awfully small in the scope and he was on the move. I passed on the shot and instead decided to follow him up the hill. I noticed he slowed down to a walk as he got into the trees.
We walked to where he went up with the fence. I decided to follow him while Gene stayed below. As I was climbing, slightly out of breath from excitement and climbing uphill as quickly and quietly as possible, I spotted a group of pigs.
I got as close as I dared, about 80 yards. Like I said, this was my first time pig hunting. I didn’t want to spook them although I have heard they don’t have the best eyesight. I was worried they would smell me or hear me because, even though it was cold, I was sweating a lot from my climb and there wasn’t a breeze to speak of. Regardless, I wasn’t taking any chances, so I put myself in a position to shoot and got ready.
My first shot wasn’t an instant kill. It ran a little ways, lay down, and then took off again. I was pretty worried I lost it. I marked the spot where it rested and started to walk after it, hoping to see it again to finish it off. After about a quarter of a mile side hilling the mountain, I came to a spot where there were several chunks of rotted tree trunks strewn about the brush. Wouldn’t you know, one of those pieces of wood had a snout and was hiding under a manzanita bush. I consider myself quite lucky for noticing it and I nearly walked past it. Fortunately, the Lord was with me in finding it, and after getting in position, I was able to dispatch the pig on my next shot.
All in all, I was excited to have gotten my first pig. I would like to thank William Jessup University, Gene Bradley, and anyone else involved in organizing this hunt. It was very rewarding for me."
Michael Hudson
