South Texas Hog Hunt

dnonac

dnonac

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Recently, my daughter, son and son-in-law had the opportunity to do a little south Texas hog hunting. None of them have done much hunting but all love to shoot and grew up shooting with me at the range or in the field, usually with my S&W's. But now....they are talking about making it an annual trip.
I offered $50 for whoever took the biggest hog......and my daughter has the bragging rights...and the cash! And...she's not letting the guys forget about it! She and a guide stalked her hog for about 1/2 mile in the dark and at one point, could hear it snorting and growling but couldn't see it. She did tell me she was so nervous that she kept her hand on my Model 29 that she wore on her hip. She called it "comforting". Once she spotted the hog, she shot it with a .308; it ran 10 feet and dropped. The wound you see in her photo is the exit wound. She caught it in the right shoulder and right through the heart.

Her husband got a smaller one (and she mentioned that to him several times) that was very aggressive. My son didn't get a shot at any hogs but picked up a really nice turkey with a Remington 1100.

They came home with lots of pork, a healthy turkey and some amazing stories that they'll tell for a long time. Matter of fact, there was a mess of pork ribs grilled yesterday! I'm proud of all of them.
Craig
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That, my friend, is a HOG. The expression on your daughter's face says it all.

I haven't so much as spoken harshly to a whitetail in 25 years, and the last time I shot at a duck Dick Nixon was in his first term. But hogs are another matter. It's the best hunting you can do in Texas. There are some monsters in the San Bernard river bottom and every couple of years, I hear them calling my name.

Congtatulations to them all.
 
Texas1941 said:
That, my friend, is a HOG. The expression on your daughter's face says it all.
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Thanks. She killed it after 10pm and I don't think she slept at all that night. Tell you what though....I was so excited you would have thought that I got it!
Craig..
 
I'm not a veterinarian, but my layman's opinion is that the turkey pictured is not at all healthy...
 
The smiling faces say it all! The best of hunting companions, good times, good hunting and even better eating! What more can a family want? Maybe we should coin a new phrase... "The family that hunts together dines together!"
 
Great pics! I love how your daughter was comforted by the .44 on her hip! Those are some fine looking mean hogs with nice cutters!

I too am taken with wild boar hunting. I had a .44 loaded with Elmer Keith's 250 grain bullets and 17.0 grains of 2400 behind them on my hip just in case.

Here's my 215 pound red wild boar from Tennessee last December:

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mm6mm6 said:
Great pics! I love how your daughter was comforted by the .44 on her hip! Those are some fine looking mean hogs with nice cutters!

I too am taken with wild boar hunting. I had a .44 loaded with Elmer Keith's 250 grain bullets and 17.0 grains of 2400 behind them on my hip just in case.

Here's my 215 pound red wild boar from Tennessee last December:

BoarHunt078.jpg
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Outstanding! Those things almost look prehistoric! What caliber is your rifle?
 
wow!!did your daughter weigh her hog?he is impressive!my son and i hog hunt in western NC...he uses a M29 and i use a 500 mag.both work just fine...excellent that they all had such a great trip!
 
kennyb said:
wow!!did your daughter weigh her hog?he is impressive!my son and i hog hunt in western NC...he uses a M29 and i use a 500 mag.both work just fine...excellent that they all had such a great trip!
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The guide just estimated it at around 200 lbs. My first impression was at least that....but just don't know for sure.
That raised wire hair on the back of it's neck just makes it look mean though!
 
I've been promising my son I'd take him squirrel hunting this fall, but now I'm starting to think a hog hunt may be better. I used to be an avid hunter, but lost my taste for hunting while in the army - as happens to many. Something that needs killing , rat, rabid animal, etc., I have no qualms of shooting them. Given the destruction the hogs wreak, I don't think I'd have a problem shooting them. Would either a M-1 carbine or a .357 Magnum be adequate, or should I use a 12 gauge with buckshot?

Thanks,

Dave
 
Double-O-Dave said:
I've been promising my son I'd take him squirrel hunting this fall, but now I'm starting to think a hog hunt may be better. I used to be an avid hunter, but lost my taste for hunting while in the army - as happens to many. Something that needs killing , rat, rabid animal, etc., I have no qualms of shooting them. Given the destruction the hogs wreak, I don't think I'd have a problem shooting them. Would either a M-1 carbine or a .357 Magnum be adequate, or should I use a 12 gauge with buckshot?

Thanks,

Dave
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Sounds like it would be a great trip with your son. I'll have to defer to some of the experienced hog hunters here as to what would be adequate to take these guys.

I know someone that killed one with a .45 ACP and several have taken them with .44 Magnums. I've also read about people using AR15 .223/5.56.

Just like most things, shot placement is critical. A vital organ shot (heart/lung or brain) will take one down and I have no doubts that a hot .357 would do it. But seeing the cutters on these big guys makes me want to drop it immediately!
Craig...
 
Shot placement is the key. Notice in the first pic how low the wound is on the chest. That's a heart shot on a feral hog. Head shots are more difficult because the brain is so small (kinda like a liberal).
 
My Marlin is a .35 Remington and used 200 grain Remington Core-Lok factory ammo. One shot, through the left shoulder, left lung, heart, and right lung, and then out the other side. He jumped once and tried to run and made it about 3 feet and he crumpled and expired immediately.

When the boar was gutted, I saw my shot went dead center through the heart. Shot placement is key.
 
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