Hunting & Fishing Heli hog hunt anyone actually been on one?

Re: Heli hog hunt anyone actually been on one?

I haven't seen anything in TX for less than about $3000. It looks like fun, but I'm really not THAT mad at them.
 
Re: Heli hog hunt anyone actually been on one?

We're booked with the guys I mentioned above. $880 per person for two hours. It was the cheapest/closet we could find. They are a helicopter flight school first and foremost so cheapest doesn't equate to safety concerns.
 
Re: Heli hog hunt anyone actually been on one?

We do it at our place a couple times a year, tried a helmet mounted Go-pro cam last time, will switch to gun mount next time.

Our pilot is very concerned about rotor strikes - point a firearm UP at any time.... walk home. We use a shotgun with buckshot a lot, I built a 20 gauge benelli slug gunto shoot up a bunch of slugs but never got it in the air.

I did use a 6.8 SPC AR15 - had to build a deflector to satisfy the pilot. Mounted a 1x4 Trijicon on it - 4x is almost too much, better luck on 1x, he gets you on top of the trees, not long shots.

We have a lot of hills on our place, when the wind gets up, we sit down. When using the R22 Hughes, there is a "fat Man Limit" too - about 450# total, and the pilot is 195#. Only way the Big Guys can fly, is early in the morning, with half tanks of fuel. And as mentioned, about 45 minutes is a good turn, before the motion sickness mal de mere sets up. When your head is on a swivel, heli going up and sideways, you can get disoriented in a hurry.

Take video, pics and post up!
 
Re: Heli hog hunt anyone actually been on one?

Have done it for Coyotes but not hogs. Used a Benelli 12ga. Got 10 in under an hour on private property that one of my friends family owns in the Texas panhandle. The copter was a Robinson R22. Cool little copter and the pilot was incredibly skilled. I'd definitely do it again.
 
Re: Heli hog hunt anyone actually been on one?

When we do it we're also doing deer survey so the price of shooting really ins't considered. However those little helos are expensive by the hour. I think our guy is bout $700 an hour, an experieced pilot is also something you really want and not just on the safety stand point. The pilot we fly with made a comment to us, that after being an instructor for several years he really didn't learn how to fly till he started flying the brush country. It's about an un-natural feeling flying backwards at 35 ft when a coyote starts juking & jiving. A competent pilot is what it takes to gets some of the shots. Anyhow, as long as it doesn't put you in the poor house you need to give it a try.
We've used .223, buckshot, & .308 which is my preferred choice it puts the hammer down. I've heard some outfits like to just use shotguns, our guy was that way at first. They do strickly enforce brass catchers/deflectors at not to throw a spent into the rotar or hot brass back into the cockpit down someones shirt.