Was gonna post this update at the old NEF/MT board, when I got back, last weekend. With all that happened, while I was gone, I decided to wait a few days to see how the smoke cleared. I want to than Ranch Dog for turning me on to this site. Seems all the old board members are scattered between here, AR, GBO, leverguns, and some sites I probably don't know about. I like this site, and decided to post it here. On with the story....

Charlie and I left Sat., Jan. 31 for Del Rio Texas, at about noon. By 11pm., that night, we were in Texarkana. By 4:30pm., on the 1st, we finally made the ranch. It's a looong way from NW In. to Del Rio! The ranchowner and his foreman, were a pair of great guys. I didn't realize how mountainous their ranch would be[kinda reminded me of Colorado]. We saw a lot of different critters on that ranch, deer, exotic sheep[they were very spooky], varmints, and some hogs. My one and only chance came the second evening of the 4 day hunt. 2 sows came to the feeder about 6 pm. I was carrying my guide gun .45-70, loaded with 300 gr. nosler part. My scope was a VX-II 1-4x shotgun scope. The shot was about 110 yds. The sow was facing on to me. When she dropped her head, I put the crosshairs between her shoulder blades, and let fly. Before the recoil ended, she was flattened. The shot just missed her spin, but went down thru the heart/lung area, back thru the intestines, and out between her two hind tits. WHEW, I walked up, and saw the damage, and decided it would be worth the $20, to Matt, the foreman to gut, skin, and quarter this one[hee-hee]. In fairness to the ranch, the last two days of the hunt, the moon was out full and bright. If I wanted to hunt exotic sheep, I'd go back to this ranch in a heart beat. That being said, I was a little disappointed about the number and size of the hogs we saw. Charlie say a small meat sow opening morning, and shot it, with his NEF handi .30-06. I shot one of only 2 hogs I saw for 4 days. I looked hard for javelina, and saw where they were feeding, but never actually saw one, while at the ranch. Charlie, saw one boar that came in when it was to dark to shoot. I would[am] go back to Texas to hunt in a heart beat, but I think I'll look for another ranch with bigger, and moe plentiful hogs.

Mad Dog

M/D,

Nice report and good shooting.

To be fair, hogs are VERY unpredictable. Normally you see a herd of 20 of them or you don't see any. You're also coming in at the tail end of deer season so they've been a little spooked by the deer hunters, most likely.

Good shot!

exellent story mad dog! Congradulations and good shot. love hearing what the animals do after they get shot with 45-70 or anything far as that matters! Sounds like it anchored her down. and good penatration. Leadlum

Mad Dog,
I was wondering about the distance for the shot. If it reminded you of Colorado I suppose ther wasn't alot of cover to alow you to get close. I'm also wondeing about how you found them. Did you see or hear them first? Here in the salt marshes and Hammocks(small islands) we usually find the with our ears.. and when we do we are within 30 feet(always working upwind).We also found they a rather stupid(Cuz Deys from GA?) and we can kill a couple within an hour or so within 200 feet. An Example.. I killed one at 6 feet last sunday. After a 20minute round trip to the boat for the hand truck I came back to find a sow and her litter 40 feet away.That's after two shots w/ .35 (rather panicky) and dragging a noisy hand truck to the kill. When we first started hunting these hogs we thought they would get skittish after gunfire and folks hunting deer in the same area. I don't know.. mabe it is cuz deys from Ga! Sounds like you found a nice new place to hunt. I wish you had Killed more also.
cw

seaweaver, actually I was in a tower blind, hunting over a feeder. They came out of the thick brush, at about 150 yds. They came to the feeder, thats when I shot her. My buddy and I are already talking about another trip to Texas, maybe next year. I am going to look for a place with more and bigger hogs. The rocky soil, where we hunted, was so poor, that a hog would run off a lb. of weight, just to find a 1/2 lb. of something to eat!

Mad Dog

MadDog, just moments ago my publisher called and offered to buy my ticket to Abilene in three weeks for a hog hunt near there. I have about five or six lever-actions that I could take, but I think I will take my Guide Gun, and now, to consider loads. Though one of my handloads would be fun, I am probably one of the few guys in the country that has a box or more of Randy Garrett's short-lived 300-grain cartridges. i might have to take them. In any case, I will re-read your report carefully to learn and to get inspired.

That is fantastic, hope you have a great time!!!

Sunday, take the guide gun! The hogs could be small, but you never know when the TEXAS GRIZZLY might show up. If I didn't learn anything about my first trip to Texas, I learned this-EVERYTHING down there has a big ole sticker on it. You want to anchor the hog on the spot! You don't wanna chase a pi**ed of pig in the thickets after dark!

Mad Dog

SC... Not to take anything away from the GG but don't you have a Marlin in .375 Win? If so, how about a hunt with it and a future column in support of that cartridge? I've always thought that it would be a great Texas hunter! Congrats on the hunt offer... I've heard there are some real big hogs up in that area.

MD... Next time we need to keep you a little further South and East in Texas. In about a month I'm going to meet VTDW and another fellow near Crystal City. We are hunting with an outfitter named Jeff Myers (http://www.huntingwithjeff.com/). I normally wouldn't pay for a hunt but it is a good chance to meet Dave and leave the worries of the hunt with someone else... the outfitter. I will make sure we get pictures and a tale in the hunting section of this forum. I haven't told the real ranch dog, Sheila, about the hunt. I don't think she was invited.

Sunday Creek,

I would certainly be interested in hearing about how your hog hunt goes in the Abilene area. I have a standing invite to go there for a free hog hunt any time but haven't take the person up on the offer yet. They say that either the hogs are there or they aren't. So I suppose they just travel thru the ranch from time to time. Wish I knew how to time the times. ;)

RanchDog I am SOOOOOO ready to get outta here for a while. Sheila is cool with me. :)

Dave

Sunday, take the guide gun! The hogs could be small, but you never know when the TEXAS GRIZZLY might show up. If I didn't learn anything about my first trip to Texas, I learned this-EVERYTHING down there has a big ole sticker on it. You want to anchor the hog on the spot! You don't wanna chase a pi**ed of pig in the thickets after dark!

Mad Dog

Absolutely.... and the only thing worse than chasing one into the mesquite / cactus, is having to drag it back out!

For the most part, you're better off with the best optics you have, then combine that with the biggest bullet. Then shoot them in the head :)

Yes, you can see that I like to cover all the bases......

Ranch Dog, you and VTDW have yourself a hoot of a trip! It was a week ago, today that was my last day of the hunt. I been goin thru withdrawal for a week. If the hunt with Meyers turns out good, I'll look into them next year. Found another place that looks interesting-White Oak Outfitters, in Mt. Pleasant, Tx. Anyway, I got a year to put something together. Maybe we need to put a "cowboy" hog hunt together, and anybody from the board can go and shoot hogs with their leverguns.....Just a thought.

Mad Dog

Mad Dog and Sunday Creek...
I started a topic in the Hunting/Southwest Hunting portion of this forum, Feral Hog Hunting In Texas (http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?p=55955). If you have some pictures, I will help you get them posted.

Michael

Brrr. I thought I caught a chill then I looked and saw that Coldfingers was viewing this thread. No doubt the North Pole boy wants to go to Texas with me.
Hey guys, thanks for all the well-wishes. I will confirm tomorrow whether I am going, pretty sure I am. I can take one of the following lever-actions: Guide Gun, M375, BLR.358, or .35Rem. I have bullets made by Stone Fence that I could use in the .375. I will be one of the first three and I am leaning toward the Guide Gun because I have never taken a hog before and I was wanting to see how many different species I could take with the Guide Gun. Presently. I have a mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bull elk, wolf, bison, and one charging skunk. Be glad to report back in when I get back. The column Ranch Dog is referring to is my new GunHunter magazine column. I will be on the back page every issue.
By the way Ranch Dog, a horse I raised is standing at stud near Pleasanton, Texas, south of San Antone. More in your neck of the woods. The horse trainer there says their place is over-run with hogs and he really wants me to come down there sometime.

Sunday, ya go gettem with that guide gun! That's what I used last week, and I think it might be the only gun I take back to Texas next year!

Mad Dog

I know right where Pleasanton is. At at the DQ there a time or two (or is it in Jourdanton?). Doesn't really matter which city it's in.... not like you'll miss it either way!

Stop by and I'll give you a lift down there!

Brrr. I thought I caught a chill then I looked and saw that Coldfingers was viewing this thread. No doubt the North Pole boy wants to go to Texas with me.
Hey guys, thanks for all the well-wishes. I will confirm tomorrow whether I am going, pretty sure I am. I can take one of the following lever-actions: Guide Gun, M375, BLR.358, or .35Rem. I have bullets made by Stone Fence that I could use in the .375. I will be one of the first three and I am leaning toward the Guide Gun because I have never taken a hog before and I was wanting to see how many different species I could take with the Guide Gun. Presently. I have a mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bull elk, wolf, bison, and one charging skunk. Be glad to report back in when I get back. The column Ranch Dog is referring to is my new GunHunter magazine column. I will be on the back page every issue.
By the way Ranch Dog, a horse I raised is standing at stud near Pleasanton, Texas, south of San Antone. More in your neck of the woods. The horse trainer there says their place is over-run with hogs and he really wants me to come down there sometime.
I headed down to Pleasanton March 6-7 to refill my freezer, as the two hogs I shot out in Taylor are nearly all cooked up. I'm in Austin, but am always going to SA to see my folks or do business, so if you need help putting a dent in the local pig population, give me a hollar!
SFT :D
PS-both my most recent hogs dropped in their tracks, hit with a 220 FN out of my .35 Remy!

Okay, hog guys, if I use the Garrett ammo, which is a 300-grain Nosler Partition traveling about 2150 fps, should I expect a lot of meat damage?

Not if you shoot them in the head......

But seriously, that is a good question. Here's my thoughts.

Head shot - no problem. A hog's head is pretty big too, and it tends to stay down on the ground eating. MUCH easier to head-shoot than a deer, 100 yards or less, ...ahem, a 'no-brainer', please forgive the pun. Just - please - if you are in a tower blind, give the hog a few minutes to make sure it stays dead.

Neck - popular shot for dropping them on the spot. Works, ruins more meat than you would suspect. There is considerably more meat on a hog's neck than an entire shoulder.

Behind the shoulder - BAD idea unless you can slide it up into the chest cavity. The lungs end right where the backs of the shoulders do. I've just clipped them behind the legs and caught the lungs, I've also done this and blew most of the liver out the exit hole. You'll have to chase them on this shot.

Shoulder - frankly, if it's far enough away I don't feel good about a head shot, it's the middle of the shoulder, top to bottom and left to right, for bullet placement.

High on the shoulder, you won't lose much meat (at least on the 'on' side, normally), and quite often you break the backbone (it runs pretty low through the shoulder) and anchor them. If you hit the backbone, the off-side shoulder will be dog food.

If you bust one shoulder, they might run a ways, so you'll need an exit wound. They will die, but can be a bit hard to track, tend to not leave much of a blood trail. Just try to watch what direction the hog went (tough to do when the entire herd 'explodes' at the shot). If you can figure out where it ran, should not be too bad, they tend to just run in a straight line till they keel over, regardless of brush, trees, cactus, you, etc. Have found a few by the trail of carnage, even though there was little or no blood.

Heart is low in the chest right between the front legs. If you have that good of a shot.... you can probably brain it, anyway.

Best of luck. Ruin a little meat, so you can collect a bunch.