 For several months we had been planning a week-long vacation/hunt at the fabulous Diamond A Ranch in Leakey, Texas. A bonus fell into our lap shortly before our trip. Big Timber Trails Outdoors wanted to film some of our hunts, which to us was nothing other than a great opportunity for LongShot Rifles advertisement. In addition, it just so happened that a professional NFL player came to the ranch to do some hunting of his own. What a vacation!
Filming began on our fourth day of hunting. It was a beautiful afternoon, somewhere around 4:30, about 50 degrees. We sat atop one of the infamous West Texas hills, overlooking a small pasture that was a favorite feeding spot for the hogs. Our rangefinder ranged the center of the pasture at about 400 yards.
 My husband, Chris, and I planned to take a double shot on two hogs. Using a predator call, our expert hog caller, Bob, called in the first of the hogs after only 30 minutes of settling in. Watching these pigs shove each other around reminded me of the game I played as a child, Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Finally, we were on. Chris and I each had a black hog picked out. No sooner than we were ready to count down, an even bigger white sow with a black spot came to join the frenzy. “She’s mine!” I exclaimed, before Chris had a chance to claim her. THREE- TWO- ONE- FIRE!! Instead of hearing two shots, I heard one shot and a click. After verifying the shot on my own hog, I turned to Chris to ask what happened with his shot. His shaking head and smirk told me that he forgot to chamber a round into his rifle. OOPS! It must have been all the chaos with me switching hogs on him.
 Since it was almost dark, we hurried down the hill to find the hog. After four of us followed a blood trail through the cedar tree maze for half an hour or so, we were starting to get nervous. With only a little light left in the sky, on his hands and knees and only eight feet away from my husband was an angry, jaw-popping boar. Chris had no choice but to empty all six rounds of his pistol in the hog’s direction. When the hog finally turned, only 2 feet away, we decided to resume the tracking first thing in the morning.
After a scrumptious breakfast prepared by Diamond A’s primo chef, we headed out to find my pig. Again in our search, we were charged by angry hogs. Seeing as how I was the only unarmed tracker, I decided to do my tracking from the bed of the truck at the bottom of the hill. I put down the bi-pod and set my 7mm-08 up on the cab of the truck, ready for whatever headed my way. Both of the guys were somewhere atop the hill, trying to push whatever hogs might still be lurking up there towards the bottom of the hill . . . right toward me!
 Adrenaline was definitely pumping. Besides rustling around in the cedars and rocks rolling down the hill, the next thing I heard was, “I found your pig!” Before I could even respond, I heard what I assumed was my husband being charged by yet another pig. I had heard that 1911 of his go “fully automatic” again. I looked, listened, and watched as the black hog ran down the hill.
At the bottom east side of the hill was a gate we had closed just this morning, in hopes of keeping these hogs out of the next pasture. The black hog was partially trapped at this point. I fired one shot at him and apparently missed. He appeared unphased and a sow had now joined him in his attempt to escape. I was determined to stop at least one of them. It is fair to say that I was a little more ready to take a shot on the black hog since he was my husband’s “tormentor.”
 From right about 270 yards, I stopped Mr. Mean in his tracks, square between the eyes. The sow had run off and managed to hide from the three of us again. I hollered up to the guys to let them know the black boar was down.
I met Chris somewhere halfway up the hill and we walked towards the voice of Wes, who had located my sow from the night before. After some photos and video footage of the hog, we trekked back to the bottom of the hill where the black boar lay to take some photos of him as well.
This was one bad pig. He had to have been hit by at least two pistol shots. Those armor plates you’ve heard about really do exist! What did I learn from this experience? Wild hogs are MEAN and next time I go hog hunting, I WILL be carrying a pistol.
Besides the thrill of this hog hunt, I want to mention what a great time I had at the Diamond A Ranch. Damon, his family, Keith, the primo chef, and the whole gang really put forth a lot of effort in taking care of us. Our stay at the ranch was the best vacation I’ve had. In addition to some great people, the scenery is beautiful, the food aplenty, and a bunch of gorgeous animals to hunt!
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