Bill with a piglet he got just above Old Camp, while driving out to get Paul & company. He used his .44 mag, two shots, as I remember, using old bullets cast by Joe Amaral years ago. He let it lie by the road so that he would not be late meeting Paul. As he drove back in, he did not tell them that he shot a pig, just stopped and told someone to get out and get something. That is when they saw the pig!
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The kids got to see their first pig and watched as we butchered it. It was a great experience for all the kids. They were very tentative, as expected, but they were very interested. The expression on Mary's face is priceless.
 Start with the hind quarter... . |
 Release the femoral head from the acetabulum (the socket in the pelvis), and the hind quarter is free. |
 Release the forequarter by separating the scapula (shoulder blade) from the spine... |
 That just leaves the backstraps. Once they are out, the job is done! |
The kids got to see the whole process, and I got to practice. This was the first pig I assisted on the butchering. Came in handy later that day...
I was off on North Flat, with Polly and Grace, lurking in the blind I had made near the shooting bench. Polly and Grace saw the line of about 12 pigs before I did: "Are those black things cows?" They were hidden from me by a branch, and were coming from upper Oak Park to the Pond. I said, "No, those are pigs. Plug your ears!" Grace: "Are you going to shoot?" "Yes!"
I nailed the lead sow (82 yards, running, no rest, kneeling), and Bill & Paul heard the pig squealing all the way to Prune Ridge Hook (see additional tale, below). The other pigs took off so fast that I did not get off another shot. This pig went down, but then got up and was slowly moving a bit directly toward the Arroyo. A second shot from my .270 planted it.
I emptied the chamber and had the girls get up, to check out the pig. I noticed out of the corner of my eye a bit of motion at the upper corner of North Flat, above Doe Heaven: pigs! They had taken a turn and were heading out as fast as their little legs could carry them. I put a round back in the chamber, used a branch for a rest, and scoped them. All I could see was a mass of black pigskin heading out. I could not see one pig as separate from another. I would like to see these vermin externimated, so I shot into the mass, with another pig squeal, again heard by Bill and Paul. 182 yards.
I again emptied the chamber and we went to the upper area, to see if the pig was dead or had run off. We found it, spine shot, and did a coup de grace (having used up 4 precious sighted-in Wyoming rounds!) We walked to the other one, dead, and went back to get the jeep. As we were heading out, Bill and company came into camp, and joined us.
Turns out, Paul had seen a group of pigs crossing Ronnie's Swale, but had only a handgun. He ran over and got Bill, who was on Hill 41. Pigs long gone. As they were talking, they heard my shots and the squeal. They knew I had one, so came back to help. On the way in, heard three more shots and wondered what in tarnation I was doing.
All the gang got into the act: Bill and Paul did one pig, and Carrie and I did the other. Carrie was a great help: Thanks, Carrie! The kids also helped, holding the lantern or flashlights, or even a leg! I put the back straps from one into my cooler, for home, and Bill and I discussed smoked hams vs sausage, etc.
Bill found my .270 Nosler Partition in the pig he butchered. My first shot was a broadside double lung shot and went all the way through. This was my second shot. It went in near the shoulder, along the spine almost along its full length, and was found at the far end of the pig, just under the skin. Plenty of penetration for an elk. The partition held up well yet was fully opened anteriorly.
I also got this trophy by walking from the cabin to the fire:
This guy darted out from under the cabin and I accidentlly stepped on him. Three trophies in one weekend: what a time!
As far as deer hunting goes, we did not see much. Here is a view off to the Arroyo side of Ronnie's Swale, with fog creeping in from SF and the sun lighting up the clouds.
This is a closeup of the clouds a bit later, the sun just coming into its own.
The fog kept flowing into the valley, but just as quickly dissipated.
Nature Journal
We found some lovely wild cucumber at Prune Ridge Hook.
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There was also some poison oak with berries.
These are the dried blossoms of Cream Bush, also from Prune Ridge Hook. When in bloom in the spring, the flowers are so numerous it looks as it the bush is covered with cream or snow.
We also saw dried Fairy Lanterns
These are the berries of California Honeysuckle.
