North Carolina Hunter Bags Huge Hog
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.13.14
One Conetoe, North Carolina hunter is being lauded as a bit of a celebrity after harvesting a wild pig upwards of 500 pounds in Bertie County. According to WITN, Jett Webb, 34, took the large animal on February 28 with an AR-pattern rifle chambered in .308.
“Clean kill, dropped him, stoned him right in his tracks,” Webb recalled.
The hunter and his companions loaded the seven-foot-long pig onto a 4×4 and took it to the White Oak Ranch Hunting Club for the weigh-in. The club’s certified scales only went up to 500 pounds, which the pig maxed out. Club president Michael Mansell told the North Carolina Sportsman that the hog likely weighed much more.
“He pegged the maximum weight capacity of the certified scales with his head and shoulders still on the skinning shed floor,” Mansell said. “It was a true beast!”
Mansell also added that the pig was well known among the members of the club and is believed to have first been sighted about eight years ago. Since then, hunters would occasionally get glimpses of the animal through trail cameras.
“We have pictures of him going back to 2011. He was a hard one to get on the ground for he moved around a great deal,” Mansell said. “These hogs are smart; we stay scent free, watch the wind and hunt from elevated stands.”
Like in many other states, wild pigs in North Carolina are non-native animals that can be a threat to both the environment and the agricultural industry. North Carolina introduced new legislation and regulations in recent years to make it easier for hunters to harvest wild pigs. Hogs can be hunted year-round with no bag limits, although hunters are not allowed to take pigs with firearms on Sunday.
Webb said that he is unsure whether he will be mounting the hog on his wall, but does say that the animal will provide a lot of pork chops for his family in the near future. You can see an interview with Webb below:
Updated 3-13-2014 for specification of firearm used.
