Helicopter Hog Hunting

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 4/6/20 | N Perna

[w1n1]

A hunter and his wife take to the air to help eradicate invasive feral pigs, fulfill bucket list dream.
It had been on my bucket list for a long time. I’ve been fortunate to do a lot of cool things from helicopters. I've parachuted out of them, rappelled out of them, and have even been in a low-speed crash landing in one (no injuries, but we ran like hell!). But the one thing I hadn't done, and had always wanted to, was shoot from a helicopter. Lean out the door with a rifle and engage some targets!

So, when I had the opportunity to do this in conjunction with one of my favorite hobbies, hunting, I jumped at the opportunity. My wife made it all possible for my 50th birthday, the perfect time for a middle-aged man to satisfy one of the items on his "bucket list."
A couple of shout-outs first. We’re members of Wilderness Unlimited (wildernessunlimited.com), a members-only club that gives members access to some of the best hunting and fishing in California and Oregon.
They also team up with companies that offer the same opportunities in other states and countries. Through WU, we hooked up with Serge Engurasoff of Urge 2 Hunt (urge2hunt.com). Serge works with Wilderness Unlimited but also coordinates trips through outside vendors. Serge set us up with two firms in Texas that would make this trip possible. First, lodging. We booked with 10-2-4 Ranch (1024ranch.com) in Commerce, a small town about an hour and a half northeast of Dallas.

The 10-2-4 Ranch is a first-class act. They have over 11,000 acres of property available for hunting. They have what you’d expect in Texas, like deer and fowl, but they also offer exotic hunts for game imported from Africa and elsewhere. The 11,000-square-foot ranch house is awesome! With eight large rooms, it is big enough to host a lot of hunters. We made this a family trip, so we rented two guest rooms, each with a private bath and two double beds. The ranch has great WiFi and an enormous pond (stocked, of course, with largemouth bass) just a short walk from the great room.

AS GREAT AS the 10-2-4 Ranch is, I didn’t travel 1,500 miles to play shuffleboard or teach my kids how to play pool (although we did have some great family fun).
I came to hunt. Specifically, I came to hunt pigs from helicopters. Texas, like a lot of states, is overrun with feral pigs. These formerly domesticated beasts tear up crops and threaten native wildlife. According to the USDA, there are over 5 million feral swine in at least 39 states.
It is estimated that they cause over $1.5 billion in damage annually. In many states, including Texas, you don’t need to purchase expensive tags to hunt feral hogs. Even in a restrictive state like California, you can hunt as many as you want (no limit) during a year-long season (tags are required, though).
Other states have similar depredation types of permits, as the feral hog issue is not unique to Texas or California. Texas makes it easy for out-of-state residents to hunt. Temporary hunting permits can be purchased online and are mailed to you. The state also provides you with your license number online, in the event you don't have the physical tag in your possession.

THE ONE THING we can't control is the weather. We planned our trip far in advance for mid-February. We thought our four-day itinerary would provide us plenty of blade time, a night hunt, along with some sightseeing and fishing at the ranch. Unfortunately, it started raining the day we arrived and didn’t let up until the day we planned to leave. This was not your normal winter drizzle either. Rather, it was a storm of biblical proportions, a Texas-sized rain that caused roads to flood over.

Finally, on the last day of our trip, the weather cleared enough for us to go airborne. We met Chris at the “airport” – basically, a hangar large enough to house a few aircraft and a small, dirt air strip. It reminded me of some clandestine “Air America” airfields used to resupply guerillas in Central America. Chris provided everything. We were geared up with AR-15s (with red dot optics) and unlimited .223 ammo. Our rifles were equipped with GoPro cameras, and additional cameras were mounted on the helicopter Shooters are seated to the left side of the aircraft. My wife occupied the front left seat, Chris manned the controls to her right and I sat in the rear seat. Read the rest of helicopter hog hunting.

[bobby.223]

“That ain’t no shit neither. I’ve done got me one hundred and fifty seven dead gooks killed. And fifty water buffaloes too. Them are all certified.”

[Candor7]

I would think .30-06.>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You know, chosing a caiber is like choosing two pairs of shoes.One for yourself and one for the target. The one caliber has to fit both the shooter and the target.

There is a lot of variation in reference. For this reason there is no best caliber. Although it was against the law 50 years ago, I saw a native Canadian shoot a moose with a .22 cal. short, single shot trapping rifle. It was a side on shot at about 70 yards with the moose in the water up to his shoulders, a full racked bull.

Dropped him like a sack of potatoes, hit him right in the ear canal and went right to the brain. It was dead before it fell.

Ever since then I don’t tell anyone but myself what caliber should be used.

[sgt_lau]

“Any women?, children?” “Sometimes!” “How can you shoot women and children?” “Easy. You just don’t lead ‘em as much!” “Ain’t war hell?’