Young Trio Takes Down 500-lb. Hog

Heath Paul, 26, and his fiancé Rebekah Lee, 27, of Sandy Cross, with a 500-lb. boar taken in Oglethorpe County.

There is arguably no greater feeling than when hard work finally pays off. In a flood of emotions, you reflect on the journey that brought you here, celebrate the achievement with loved ones, and sometimes even grieve the end of the path that led you.

Most of the stories featured in each GON issue showcase this sentiment perfectly. Sometimes it’s a young girl outsmarting her first gobbler. Other times it is someone’s granddaddy taking down a monster buck with just a rifle and a stool.

This story falls somewhere in the middle, with three young hunters who call themselves the ‘Dawgs of the Woods.’

Heath Paul, his fiancé Rebekah Lee, and her brother Ethan have been the ultimate hog-hunting trio in Oglethorpe County. Together, they’ve harvested nine hogs in the last year.

In early January, Heath recovered a trail-cam photo that had the team zeroed in on one hog.

“We began tracking the smartest, most elusive hog,” Heath said. “He only appeared at the dead of night, all by himself. He was cautious and unpredictable. We attempted to hunt him twice and missed both times; not because we missed the shot, he was just such a big hog, he outsmarted us.”

On April 19, the hunters went after the hog again, getting to the woods at around 1 a.m., and the hunt started off slow.

“It was a beautiful night, the stars were out, it was warm. Perfect weather for a hunt. The wind was blowing in the wrong direction, so we didn’t know what was gonna happen. We still wondered and had our doubts he’d outsmart us again.

“We ran into a pack of coyotes, about 50 yards from us, hollering at us. We were worried it’d spook the pig and ruin the hunt.”

The group was hunting with a Pulsar thermal scope mounted onto an AR-556. The thermal scope was linked to Heath’s phone, so they were able to spot the hog standing at their feeder 300 yards away.

“He looked like a grizzly bear, he was huge. Our hearts started beating so fast and the adrenaline was pumping so hard.

“We had to be stealthy going down on the other side of the field. The sounds of the grass we were walking on sounded like glass dropping in an auditorium with no one in it; it was so loud.”

Rebekah was watching the pig as they descended, making sure to signal a stop when the hog was picking up on movement or scent.

Ethan was the one to take the shot. He found the hog in his crosshairs and waited.

The thermal scope was linked to Heath’s cell phone, which allowed them to have the whole hunt on film.

“I was about to take my shot when he turned broadside. But he was moving around, so I had to calculate it right. Then he lifted his head and started running after he caught our scent,” said Ethan.

“I had to make the decision: do I let him run off, or do I just take it? I took the shot while he was running since he was still broadside.”

Ethan made a 70-yard shot, stopping the hog in its tracks.

“It looked like he just fell over, but on camera he flipped up in the air!” said Heath.

“We were so excited when we got up and saw his size. The closer and closer we got, the faster our hearts were beating, and the bigger the hog got. We’ve only dreamed of killing a hog like this. He was the size of a small Volvo. The pictures don’t do it justice.”

Ethan Lee, 22, poses with the huge Oglethorpe County hog.

The hog had 2-to 3-inch tusks and was longer than Heath, who stands at 6-1.

“Rebekah was there to film the whole thing and make sure the hog wasn’t seeing us. And to help move the hog!” Heath laughed. “I hadn’t really thought about how to haul this thing out. He weighed every bit of 500 pounds.”

Ethan plans to get the hog shoulder-mounted.

The group definitely set the bar high for their future hog adventures. After months of tracking and two missed attempts, the team’s hard work paid off.

The ‘Dawgs of the Woods’ have certainly earned their bragging rights and are blessed to have a lifelong story to share.