Heli Hog'n

[KySongDog]

Now this is the way to DO it!       Turn up the sound.   

[Hawks Feather]

That is a lot quicker than Fos's trap.

Jerry

[HaMeR]

That is soooo cool!!     Not the hog problem. The solution!!

[KySongDog]

If they ever offer rides, I think I'll sign up.   

[Hawks Feather]

What caliber do you think they were using?  I am guessing at least a .30 cal or higher.

Jerry

[securpro]

I have seen that before and was amazed by that pilots flying  I have flown a heli before and it can be quite challenging but to fly a heli while chasing and accurately shooting hogs running at full throttle is simply amazing. I could understand how it could be possible if the gun were mounted on the front of the heli with a remote trigger but in this case the gun is mounted next to the pilot out the door and he still has to aim and pull the trigger so that means he has to fly at a right angle to the target. For anybody that knows anything about heli's it's a 2 hand operation ALL THE TIME.. unless there is a second person in the heli that we're not seeing. I don't know how it is humanly possible to have you right hand on the cyclic and your left on the collective  and a gun at the same time       
I guess it's possible knowing that the heli is a Robinson R22 and most of them have the seats mounted next to each other, but my old boss had one that was an early '70s model (I think) that had the seats mounted one in front and one elevated behind the front (kinda strange for a heli) 

[5 SHOTS]

Definitely a pilot / gunner team. You can see the gunner point out hogs a few times in the video. That is a lot like shooting coyotes from a plane, other than the coyotes aren't usually that close together, and we used a shotgun because the plane flew faster than the coyotes could run. I sure do miss the plane now. Thanks Semp.   

[coyote101]

Yeah, definitely pilot in the right seat and gunner in the left. In fact, if you look near the end when they're getting ready to take off to do the paint ball thing, there are no controls on the left side.

Hard to tell what caliber they are shooting, but it appears they are using an EOTech holographic sight for aiming. Every once in a while the front of it appears in the picture.

Pat 

[FOsteology]

A friend of mine that manages a Ranch out in Hondo hired a company to come out and lay the smack down. They took out over 130 pigs in an hour. Probably the best way I have heard of to control hog numbers, but there are some draw backs and it's not full proof.

Flying choppers over dense brush doesn't work very well as it's simply way too dense. Hogs are pretty damn smart and adapt quickly. After awhile, the pigs get wise to the thump of rotor blades and just lay low or hang up under trees in thick dense brush. Whacking hogs from helicopters is best in open fields and crop land.

Up until this year, only companies certified by the State could conduct aerial kills. The State legislature passed some legislation in Sept. that now allows the average "Joe hunter" off the street to participate. Several companies have jumped in ready to make a quick $$.

Joe hunter has to take and pass a specialized hunter safety course ($350) before getting strapped in. I think the going rate for an hour in the chopper is $475 plus other incidentals.

Most that will fork out the $$ are going to eat some humble pie too! It's not as easy as it looks!!! It's extremely difficult and a lot harder than it looks
(as the guys in the various videos are pro's and been doing it for a long time).
Shooting out of a helicopter that is going between 30 and 65 mph 50 feet up in the air, at a hog that is running 35 mph is no easy feat. Add to the fact that it's not
particularly comfortable as you're strapped in, and leaning out and trying to get on target. There's a lot of movement. And the field of fire is restricted.

It's going to be a huge eye-opener, and a punch in the gut, because most people wont be able to hit the target. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against it. I just see lots of issues and consequences that will crop up. Just wait until one crashes and kills a few people.....

You can bet deer hunters that lease hunting land are not going to be happy with choppers flying over or around a lease they spent 2-10 grand to hunt!

[wv_yoter]

They make it look easy, but I'm sure it's not. Cool video Semp

[HaMeR]

I can only imagine the difficulty of those shots. What with angles & different speeds & all it also appears the gun can/does not move much either. This is the 2nd video I've seen like this & in the other one they talked about the .308 they were using on an AR platform.

[coyote101]

As a helicopter pilot I think the shooting would be much more difficult than the flying. Then again, it takes a lot more time to learn to fly than to shoot.

Pat

[FinsnFur]

mannnnnnnn that would be the flight of a lifetime