Sherrin Wattenbarger

Wild Russian Boar harvested in GA

I had a whole list of reasons to stay at home. As I glazed from the comfort of the of the truck cab, the frozen dew made the landscape look like it had snowed. Two days after Christmas and I was already hunting again.

It was a special day for me because my family had talked about me hunting these hogs for around three years. When I received the call late one night, of course I said I would be there the next day.

After we greeted each other, my uncle and aunt told us how the hogs were destroying their property and injuring their animals and where the hogs had been spotted.

My husband and I suited up in our cameo and began to walk up the muddy road. We parted about half way up the logging trail. Steve, my husband went to the right. I existed the road to the left and began walking up a bush hogged trail. I found a spot and settled in. I watched a couple of squirrels for about an hour as the sun began to rise higher in the morning sky. The chill of the weather front moving in had brought them out to gather food. They disappeared up a tree as I heard the bushes move to my right. I looked through my scope but could not tell what was making the noise. I lowered my gun but the bush began to rattle closer to me. I place my 270 Winchester up to my shoulder again to look thought the scope. When I got the bush into focus I saw something black. What was it? My heart began to pound. I began to try to slow my breathing down. I kept my gun up hoping it would step out of the tick it so I could tell what it was.

Suddenly, it started crossing the open patch of ground. I almost did not have time to get the safety off my gun before I saw the monster. I aimed for the head, took off the safety and fired. The bullet went flying out of the barrel hitting the massive hog. The hog ran into the tree line across the trial to my left. I hoped I had place the shot well enough for the hog not to go to far. I could hear leaves moving and noises. I sat still knowing that if a shot is placed right an animal will not go far if he's left alone.

About 30 minutes later I went to look. The blood trail looked promising so I began to follow it. Sure enough about thirty feet from where I had entered the woods the biggest hog I have ever seen lay. Luck was on my side that day because my aunt and uncle had heard my shot and came with the tractor. When they saw it they were surprised to say the least. I had shot from about 300 yards and hit my mark with one shot.

The perfect ending to a day I had waited for about three years. A trophy kill,

355 pounds of wild Russian boar hog. The biggest one any of us had ever seen. We all talked about what luck I was having this year. My husband had just harvested one buck this year and I had harvested three deer of my own. I could not help but think of what we tell each other every time we go out. "It's 90% luck and 10% skill."