Thermal Optics Used To Control Hogs and Coyotes

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Thermal Optics Used to Control Hogs and Coyotes
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• A few nights ago, I pulled into a freshly
  harvested peanut field about 845 to conduct a
  hog control mission for a local farmer. The field
  is in close proximity to a cow pasture that has
  had coyote problems in the past.
• I picked up my 100mm thermal scope to glass the
  field hoping to find a sounder of 30 hogs that we
  had spotted two nights before. As I panned
  around, I saw several deer feeding in a cut corn
  field, about 700 yards away, and then I found it.
  A single boar at about 650 yards. He was rooting
  from the south side of the field toward the
  north. I quickly secured my AR10 .308 rifle with
  my Armasight Zeus 3 640 75mm thermal scope
  mounted on top. I checked the wind, it was
  blowing out of the northwest at about 3 to 5 mph.
  I started my stalk on the west side of the field,
  moving to the south for about 200 yards, then to
  the east to get the wind in my favor.
• While stalking the wild boar, I noticed that we
  were joined by two coyotes that also seemed to be
  on the stalk. I stopped for a few minutes to
  observe the coyotes, only to learn that they too
  were on the boars trail. Once they came upon the
  boar, they quickly changed their minds about the
  attack they had planned. I resumed my stalk and
  the coyotes moved to the north side of the hog,
  one laid down and the other seemed to be feeding
  on something about 50 yards from the boar.

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• When I got within 90 yards of the boar, I took up
  a stable firing position on my tripod. I once
  again observed both the boar and coyotes for a
  few minutes as neither knew I was there. The boar
  was downwind of the coyotes and knew they were
  there, as I watched him put his nose up and take
  in their scent. He then turned to move south
  presenting me with the perfect opportunity to
  introduce his right shoulder to an 180gr Hornady
  .308 bullet. He dropped as quickly as the hammer
  on my rifle. I then transitioned to the coyotes
  as they ran off in different directions. One
  headed north and the other headed northeast. The
  coyote that headed north stopped and offered up a
  perfect Texas heart shot. I took it.
• I went back to the truck to refit and reposition
  my OP (Observation Post) to the southwest side of
  the field. Once in my new position, I continued
  to scan the field to the north and east. About 45
  minutes passed, when another coyote stepped out
  onto the peanut field, from the cotton field on
  the north. The coyote was walking around as if he
  were looking for his buddy he had left behind
  earlier. I moved to about 200 yards from him and
  set up on the tripod again. I sent him a mouth
  squeak, which he responded to quickly. He
  approached at a galloping speed and stopped about
  100 yards to my east. I took a deep breath,
  paused and squeezed the trigger, sending another
  180gr Hornady downrange, into the awaiting
  coyotes chest.

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• I picked up my gear and went back to the OP that
  I selected. Maybe 30 minutes went by, when
  another coyote appeared on the field. He was
  about 500 yards away, hovering over the boar that
  I had taken earlier. I quickly maneuvered into a
  firing position about 200 yards from the coyote.
  I sent him a mouth squeak, expecting the same
  result I had gotten from the second coyote. When
  out of nowhere, another coyote appeared in my
  scope at less than 50 yards. This coyote was at a
  full sprint now, as he had closed in to find me
  standing in the open. I quickly transitioned
  targets and began tracking the newly acquired
  coyote. I sent a round in the direction of the
  third coyote, missing high, the coyote turned
  back to the north and changed gears. I sent a
  second round in his direction, missing short. I
  increased my lead to about a full body length and
  sent my third round into the shoulder of the
  target at about 200 yards.
• The thermal optic allowed me to perform my hog
  control mission and then transition to coyote
  control without ever changing tactics or
  equipment.