Home› Main Category› Hunting
More Pigs!
Farmer told me about a new property he just harvested and plowed. Said the pigs were leaving craters in the field. More work to be done.
So, I packed up Perdition and 180ge HST bullets along with my trusty .243 Medium which has become a rather effective pig slayer. Headed out about 9 o'clock this evening and followed the directions to the field. Arriving, I looked across the new field to a SWARM of pigs and deer. To say that it was a target rich environment was an understatement. In fact.......it was SUCH a target rich environment that......coupled with the deer........there was no way I could stalk out into the field without spooking SOMETHING!!! The wind was wrong and I'd have to pass deer before I could get close enough to the pigs. The deer would spook and the gig would be up.
I actually stood there on the edge of the field for quite some time. Trying to figure out what I was going to do. I finally saw some pigs enter the field to my left, which was down wind. Being the closest and clear of deer, I headed down the edge of the field towards them. When I got to where they had entered the field, I turned right and started closing the distance towards them with a cross wind now.
I got about 140-160 yards from them and leaned up against a pivot tire. Two boars were returning towards the edge of the field and entering the down wind side of me. So, I lined up on the front boar and sent a 105gr A-Max from the .243 Winchester into his shoulder. Heard the hit and saw him take off left towards the field's edge. I panned right to the second boar who had run the opposite direction, further into the field. He stopped and spun around looking for his partner. Shooting him behind the shoulder and hearing the impact, he took off again towards the field's edge his partner had taken. Working the bolt, I hit him again before he reached the tree line and dropped him at the edge of the field. The first boar had exited the field, crossed the dirt road, and entered the neighbor's bean field where I couldn't go. Oh well. I had one down in the field.
Gathered my things and walked over to the second boar.
I figure he is about a 200 pounder. Give or take a bit.
After the pictures, I gathered my gear again and walked back out into the field. The vast herds had moved off to the other side of the field with all the commotion. But, there all by himself........in the middle......was a rather large boar. Oh, it was ON!!
Had a cross wind, so I started closing the distance. Made it to about 110 yards and laid down prone. Got him in my sight picture as he fed along and sent a 105gr A-Max on it's way. At the impact, he roinked and took off for the brush. I worked the bolt, swung past him with the crosshairs, and sent another round on it's way. The impact dropped him as he tumbled over end. Then, he sat up on his butt unable to regain his feet. Slowly, he sank to his chest.
Moving closer.....slowly. He got bigger. At about 20 yards.........he looked pretty big.......and not dead. But, he wasn't moving. Just laying there upright with his ears up. That ain't a dead posture. So, I threw a dirt clod at him. Nothing. I threw another. Nothing. He didn't look like he was breathing. Wasn't making any noise. I took a few more steps towards him and............Up raised his head and looked my way. OK......he ain't dead......and he's a bit big.
Sat down and put another A-Max below his ear. Now.............he was dead.
That's a big pig. And the way he's laying is the way he was when I shot him under the ear. I didn't move him. I COULDN'T move him! Well, I could roll him, but there wouldn't be any dragging. I would have loved to weight him. There ain't no way in Hell I was dragging him off the field and even if I could drive to him.........I couldn't get him in the truck bed. No.........way.
I am not one of those that exaggerates pig size and calls a 250 pounder a 500 pound pig. If I can't scale him, I won't say a weight. But, I couldn't move him and I've drug a 325 pound pig before. So........it is what it is. A big pig!
He has some pretty good tusks I'll go back for tomorrow..
Ended the night by loading the second pig into my truck and taking him home.
I have 4 quarters with hide and all........sitting in a cooler on ice........to be used as ballistic media this afternoon!!!!!!
Going to test the following:
125gr SJHP - .357 Mag
125gr Gold Dot - .357 Sig
185gr Federal Classic - .45 ACP
230gr Federal Classic - .45 ACP
250gr RNHP Cast Reduced Load - .44 Mag
So, I packed up Perdition and 180ge HST bullets along with my trusty .243 Medium which has become a rather effective pig slayer. Headed out about 9 o'clock this evening and followed the directions to the field. Arriving, I looked across the new field to a SWARM of pigs and deer. To say that it was a target rich environment was an understatement. In fact.......it was SUCH a target rich environment that......coupled with the deer........there was no way I could stalk out into the field without spooking SOMETHING!!! The wind was wrong and I'd have to pass deer before I could get close enough to the pigs. The deer would spook and the gig would be up.
I actually stood there on the edge of the field for quite some time. Trying to figure out what I was going to do. I finally saw some pigs enter the field to my left, which was down wind. Being the closest and clear of deer, I headed down the edge of the field towards them. When I got to where they had entered the field, I turned right and started closing the distance towards them with a cross wind now.
I got about 140-160 yards from them and leaned up against a pivot tire. Two boars were returning towards the edge of the field and entering the down wind side of me. So, I lined up on the front boar and sent a 105gr A-Max from the .243 Winchester into his shoulder. Heard the hit and saw him take off left towards the field's edge. I panned right to the second boar who had run the opposite direction, further into the field. He stopped and spun around looking for his partner. Shooting him behind the shoulder and hearing the impact, he took off again towards the field's edge his partner had taken. Working the bolt, I hit him again before he reached the tree line and dropped him at the edge of the field. The first boar had exited the field, crossed the dirt road, and entered the neighbor's bean field where I couldn't go. Oh well. I had one down in the field.
Gathered my things and walked over to the second boar.
I figure he is about a 200 pounder. Give or take a bit.
After the pictures, I gathered my gear again and walked back out into the field. The vast herds had moved off to the other side of the field with all the commotion. But, there all by himself........in the middle......was a rather large boar. Oh, it was ON!!
Had a cross wind, so I started closing the distance. Made it to about 110 yards and laid down prone. Got him in my sight picture as he fed along and sent a 105gr A-Max on it's way. At the impact, he roinked and took off for the brush. I worked the bolt, swung past him with the crosshairs, and sent another round on it's way. The impact dropped him as he tumbled over end. Then, he sat up on his butt unable to regain his feet. Slowly, he sank to his chest.
Moving closer.....slowly. He got bigger. At about 20 yards.........he looked pretty big.......and not dead. But, he wasn't moving. Just laying there upright with his ears up. That ain't a dead posture. So, I threw a dirt clod at him. Nothing. I threw another. Nothing. He didn't look like he was breathing. Wasn't making any noise. I took a few more steps towards him and............Up raised his head and looked my way. OK......he ain't dead......and he's a bit big.
Sat down and put another A-Max below his ear. Now.............he was dead.
That's a big pig. And the way he's laying is the way he was when I shot him under the ear. I didn't move him. I COULDN'T move him! Well, I could roll him, but there wouldn't be any dragging. I would have loved to weight him. There ain't no way in Hell I was dragging him off the field and even if I could drive to him.........I couldn't get him in the truck bed. No.........way.
I am not one of those that exaggerates pig size and calls a 250 pounder a 500 pound pig. If I can't scale him, I won't say a weight. But, I couldn't move him and I've drug a 325 pound pig before. So........it is what it is. A big pig!
He has some pretty good tusks I'll go back for tomorrow..
Ended the night by loading the second pig into my truck and taking him home.
I have 4 quarters with hide and all........sitting in a cooler on ice........to be used as ballistic media this afternoon!!!!!!
Going to test the following:
125gr SJHP - .357 Mag
125gr Gold Dot - .357 Sig
185gr Federal Classic - .45 ACP
230gr Federal Classic - .45 ACP
250gr RNHP Cast Reduced Load - .44 Mag
"To Hell with efficiency, it's performance we want!" - Elmer Keith
Replies
Sako
The beauty of the .243 is that it is just right for maybe 90% of game in North America and can be stretched a little to compensate for the bigger animals, by a good shooter. That pig is big enough that he might have withstood a heavy blow from a bigger gun, too.
How do you deal with the muzzle flash at night? I am using H4350 and 100 gr bullets and no flash suppressor / brake, and in dusk I lose everything to the flash.
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
I was feeling that midway through your first post. Guys'll hunt tiny little antelope in Africa with 200-250 grain and bigger bullets not because the plains game needs them, but because of what else they might run into while they're looking for it. It seems that you are now encountering not just dinosaurs, but HERDS of dinosaurs. Since you're in the extermination business, trying to take out multiples, yet still programmed to execute a fast kill before moving on to the next one, something that makes a bigger drain in the tub seems indicated.
All that said, that shorty, braked .243 looks like a SWEET tool to do it with. You might need to think of building a near clone of it in. . .358 Winchester, maybe? Top it off with the Leupold 1.5-5 with the 30mm main tube and the light-up reticle? Maybe even spring for the 2-12x42 VX6 for a greedier objective? It seems like you're deep enough into this pig thing to specialize.
These have been boring a hole in my brain since I learned of them: http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/tipologia-prodotti.asp/l_en/idt_72/rifles-model-86-71-lever-action.html Their scout version tends to offend my traditional sensibilities, but it might work well for the game you're playing.
BTW, "ROINK!" has become one of my favorite words, and these posts are NOT getting old. Dead pigs. . .HEEE!:tooth:
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
Chill out deekwad. It's an '86. A John Browning lever action. . .the GOOD John Browning lever action. Not that quaint little '94 he came up with after Winchester said "We really like this idea, but can you make it cheaper?" None of that silly straight-wrist stock nonsense either.
The long and short of it is that my dad has been playing around with some serious steamrolling cast bullets in his .45-70's that make my smile ALMOST as wide as the area they will spread the contents of a milk jug across. This thing's long enough to take some of the 500 grainers as well. I can maybe tolerate the mechanism for something like that.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
Now you're talking! A big, heavy, hardcast bullet with some speed could punch through two or three of those at a time. Something like a 45-70, 405win, or 375win can all sling a big blob pretty fast. I've clocked 405gr cast bullets at over 2000fps out of my 26" 1895 and they weren't even max loads.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nicely done on the hunt, thought you were going to do some field testing with Perdition to finish that big one off.
Put something on the end of it.
Nice pigs, great hunt, looking forward to the ammo tests
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
You have good ideas. But, it enhances the experience watching you beg. Draws it out and makes it last longer.
The key is running in Stealth Mode when possible. In larger fields, it allows the ability to take care of business on one side of the field, then move to the other side and take care of business without disturbing the natives too much.
So, upping to .308 is the next option from the .242 Winchester.
From the get go, the farmer told me to leave them where they lay. In plowed fields, I do. If I shoot them in standing wheat or corn, I try to drag them to the field's edge if possible. Just for my own peace of mind as the buzzards and yotes create about a 20 foot circle of destruction when demolishing a dead pig.
But, to answer your question. They are rendered to bones rather quickly and the farmer just plows over them.
It has a certain ring to it. Thanks.
I saw one last night while stalking that last pig. But, the pig took president.
How much time (Guessing of course) expired from first to last shot?
"The Un-Tactical"
The farmer is pretty frustrated with them.
First pig to last pig? Maybe 30 minutes, give or take.
This does make me wonder: Will coyotes have the stones to try taking piglets? Yes, coyote packs bring their own set of problems to the party, but given the destruction pigs are causing, maybe helping out the coyote population with some free pork chops in the short term isn't a bad idea.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
This is what I was wondering also, thanks. The wolves we have don't leave anything bigger than a tooth to find.
I drug him out in the road and took a picture.
He is about the size of the second one I shot. 200ish pounds.
Walked over to the big one and scared about 15 buzzards off him.
Measured him with my 3' tape.
5' from tip of nose to base of tail
5' in diameter around his stomach
Cut the jaws off..........
.......and headed for the truck.
There is harvested corn all over the field. And pig tracks. Lots........of pig tracks.
I'm gonna need a bigger boat!
I sent him pics last night. He's very pleased.
Ya know that scene in Legends of the Fall where Brad Pitt rides back into the Canadian Army camp wearing about ten German scalps?
That's how I imagine Zee coming home to his wife every day.
Awesome! :worthy:
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee