Georgia hogs

[RugerFan]

Last Friday was pretty productive for me. I saw a few does in the morning, but no antlers so I passed. Driving on a dirt road to my evening stand I spotted a hog about 150 yards off. I stopped and put on a stalk and was able to get an easy 20 yard broadside shot. The saboted RCBS 44-240-SWC (100 gns 777 - .50 cal CVA Optima Pro) hit behind the shoulder zipping through lungs and rib cage with ease. The hog went only about 5 yards and tipped over.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l449/wolf913/Sow.jpg

I had to hurry getting that one taken care of so I could still get in the woods for the evening hunt. I was running a little late and changed to a closer spot. I got up high in a pine with my climber overlooking a hillside with oaks. About an hour before dark about 15 hogs came out of the swamp and worked up the hill. The biggest of the bunch looped over in front of me and presented a broadside shot at 23 yards. I hammered the boar in the shoulder and dropped him like a stone.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l449/wolf913/Pahog216Oct09.jpg

I skinned and boned him in place (This is what we do with all hogs, but I couldn’t have moved him by myself if I wanted too). The bullet penetrated through his left shoulder, the chest cavity and lodged under the hide after passing through the gristle plate. For the uninitiated, let me explain a little about the gristle plate. It’s a kind of armor plating that grows under the hide on either side of a boar and protects it from fighting with other boars as they slash with their sharp tusks. The plating on this boar was over an inch thick and tough as nails (I don’t know how bow hunters get an arrow through that). I was having a hard time removing the bullet, so I cut out the chunk of plating and brought it home to operate on later.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l449/wolf913/armor.jpg

The RCBS 44-240-SWC started with a weight of 240 grains, a diameter of .430” and an OAL of .730”. The recovered bullet weighed 236 grains, expanded to a diameter of .714” and the OAL was .458” (Cast out of 10 BHN range scrap). Pretty impressive performance I would say.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l449/wolf913/RCBS240.jpg

[MT Gianni]

Nice going. Chops and roasts or just sausage?

[EMC45]

Perfect mushroom!

[RugerFan]

Nice going. Chops and roasts or just sausage?

The bigger boars tend to have a stronger flavor and can be a bit tougher, so it all got ground and turned into bratwurst and Italian sausage. In the last 3 weekends my son and I have downed 4 hogs and a deer, so we're getting pretty set on meat.

[stubshaft]

Good hunting! Thanks for sharing.

Great shot of the gristle plate. Alot of people who don't hunt hogs have no idea it even exists. I have plucked OO buckshot that didn't penetrate into the vitals out of one of the hogs I arrowed (use a REALLY sharp broadhead).

[docone31]

I never heard of a Bristle Plate.
Thanks for showing it.
I learn something new almost every day here. The Discovery channel did a special on the spread of hogs in the south. Apparently they are mixed in with Boars. Some large hogs.
They do a lot of damage.

[waksupi]

Good report! Congratulations!

[rickt300]

My TC Firehawk shoots the 250 gr. Keith non gascheck design just barely well enough to use it to get on paper. I did cast it from wheelweights water cooled which might be a bit hard. I used some green CVA sabots. The same bullet from my 44 magnum Handi rifle is a tackdriver. I have tried several different charges of pyrodex with averaging 5 inch groups at 50 yards. I have heard that gascheck designs shoot better without the gaschecks in sabots but I would sure like to get away from jacketed handgun bullets in my muzzleloader.

[Gee_Wizz01]

Nice hogs! I love to deer hunt, but ever since we became over run with hogs about 10 years ago, I am becoming addicted to hawg huntin! I hunt on the family farm in south Texas and you cant beat hog hunting; no season, no tags, no limits, and they are plentiful. The best part is, most of the farmers will let me hunt for free, and some are willing to pay to have hogs killed (I have never accepted money as these are small farmers trying to make ends meet). I usually find someone to take every hog I kill, if I don't want it. I love sausage, ribs and pork loin and tamales!

G

[Gee_Wizz01]

The bigger boars tend to have a stronger flavor and can be a bit tougher, so it all got ground and turned into bratwurst and Italian sausage.

Do you have recipes for Bratwurst and Italian sausage? I usually just make smoked sausage, but my wife says I need some change of "menu".

G

[acemedic13]

What part of ga did you get him in? I am down in long co. We have a lot of them down here also.

[RugerFan]

My TC Firehawk shoots the 250 gr. Keith non gascheck design just barely well enough to use it to get on paper. I did cast it from wheelweights water cooled which might be a bit hard. I used some green CVA sabots. The same bullet from my 44 magnum Handi rifle is a tackdriver. I have tried several different charges of pyrodex with averaging 5 inch groups at 50 yards. I have heard that gascheck designs shoot better without the gaschecks in sabots but I would sure like to get away from jacketed handgun bullets in my muzzleloader.

The gas check bullets I use tend to seat a little better in the Harvestor sabots I use. You could try a different brand of sabots, propellent, bullet type, and if all else fails, try hand lapping the bore with an LBT lapping kit.


...you cant beat hog hunting; no season, no tags, no limits...



Amen brother!


Do you have recipes for Bratwurst and Italian sausage? I usually just make smoked sausage, but my wife says I need some change of "menu".



I scoured the web to find recipes and also have purchased a pretty good cook book ("The Venison Sausage Cook Book" by Harold W. Webster). PM me if you would like a specific recipe. The easy way is to buy seasoning packets from Bass Pro or Gander Mountain.


What part of ga did you get him in? I am down in long co. We have a lot of them down here also.

These two I got on Ft Benning, but I actually live much closer to Ft Stewart and have shot a bunch there as well. My son got a big sow on Stewart just before Christmas.

[rickt300]

Harvestor Sabots? Where can I order some? I just cast a bunch of the Keith bullets up and the hogs are taking over my lease.

[RugerFan]

Harvestor Sabots? Where can I order some? I just cast a bunch of the Keith bullets up and the hogs are taking over my lease.

I get them through Cabelas (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/standard-pod-wrapped.jsp?id=0012633&navCount=1&parentId=cat200005&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat20712-cat200005&parentType=index&indexId=cat200005&rid=) I use the standard sabots (as oppsed to the "Crushed Rib" version).

[357maximum]

Thats the last mushroom that feller will eat...good form.

[Screwbolts]

My TC Firehawk shoots the 250 gr. Keith non gascheck design just barely well enough to use it to get on paper. I did cast it from wheelweights water cooled which might be a bit hard. I used some green CVA sabots. The same bullet from my 44 magnum Handi rifle is a tackdriver. I have tried several different charges of pyrodex with averaging 5 inch groups at 50 yards. I have heard that gascheck designs shoot better without the gaschecks in sabots but I would sure like to get away from jacketed handgun bullets in my muzzleloader.

I have only shot cast Boolitz in muzzleloaders since 78. I have now evolved to using / Building my own smokeless muzzle loaders. This mostly requires a saboted projectile in 50 Cal.

IMHO! The Very best Cast Boolitz I have ever shot out of 1 in 48 and faster twist barrels are these. LBT/Harvester Hard Cast. I have a mold that Veral of LBT made for me to cast them, they are .452 333gr Smooth side LFN. The Boolit on the right was the only recovered boolit we ( Family and friends total harvest Number this year) have after shooting 23 deer with them this year. It traveled the length of a nice 9 Pt , (Buck was previously wounded, that was the reason for the shot placement on this deer, I believe as my family friends do. A wounded deer reguires Max effort to cleanly end it's life!! Bryan only had this 60 yard shot when they came across the deer looking back over it's shoulder looking at him.) it entered the deer just below and right of its a$$ and destroyed the Rt side of the pelvis and hip socket then traveled forward going threw the dip in the spine between the front shoulders, stopping in the skin, just under the head, front of neck. 48+ inches of smashing bones. and going threw tissue and paunch. Water dropped WW 308.5 gr recovered. IMHO They don't make a better Boolit for Muzzleloaders. .326 Metplat from my mold. By brothers load was 38 gr. of SR 4759. Black short Harvester sabot, Savage ML10II.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/flyboyd8/LBTfromdeer.jpg

If you want to try this Boolit, Harvester sells them as their Hard cast. Graf and sons has the best price on them. Graf's also has the best price on sabots that I have found. I buy sabots from them by the Case!!

My mold and some wrinkled Boolitz cast with cold Mold. I find that 80 grains V of BH209 and up to 100 grains is all that is needed with these Boolits. Bryans load was equal to 110grV Bh209

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/flyboyd8/DSC00038.jpg

A small pile of them just 700+

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/flyboyd8/DSC00040.jpg

My rifles I shoot them out of Top is Remington Rolling block I bult as a 50 Cal Smokeless Muzzle Loader. Bottom rifle is a Knight T-Bolt I modified to use Win. 209 primer for the express purpose of shooting BH209. it consumed 4 LBS of BH209 Before I built the Roller.
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/flyboyd8/T-BoltandRemingtonRoller.jpg

This is a typical 103 yard target with 33 gr of 4759 out of the Roller. They do shot well, this load is equivalent to what 95 Gr BH209 gives me out of the T-bolt. I do have a crony
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/flyboyd8/DSC00051.jpg

My first do with Roller:

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/flyboyd8/NiceDoewithRemRollerSnowinghard.jpg

My Buck this year,

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/flyboyd8/firstphotoofbuck.jpghttp://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/flyboyd8/frontrifleinhornes.jpg

Nice Hogs Rugerfan!

I am glad we do not have them in our part of NYS yet. This is because I am a farm boy, My youngest brother still runs the family farm.

I am sorry If I have hi-jacked this thread I hope this is on subject for this thread.

:cbpour: :bigsmyl2:

Ken

[Johnch]

(I don’t know how bow hunters get an arrow through that)




I don't even try


I let them give me a quarting away shot and put the arrow in behind the gristle plate and let it angle forward through the lungs to do it's job
But I use a cut on contact head for hogs
Not the expandables I use on beer

BTW well done
I wish Ohio had more hogs

John

[wilddog45]

Pretty good fur DEER huntin' .

[Cheshire Dave]

Nice hogs! I love to deer hunt, but ever since we became over run with hogs about 10 years ago, I am becoming addicted to hawg huntin! I hunt on the family farm in south Texas and you cant beat hog hunting; no season, no tags, no limits, and they are plentiful. The best part is, most of the farmers will let me hunt for free, and some are willing to pay to have hogs killed (I have never accepted money as these are small farmers trying to make ends meet). I usually find someone to take every hog I kill, if I don't want it. I love sausage, ribs and pork loin and tamales!

G

Do out of state hunters need license's and tags for hogs? I sure would love to hunt them. The closest to me here in Oregon is probably California and no offence to any Californians but I don't want to hassel with all the red tape. Lead free zones what BS. By god it's unamerican:(

[Gee_Wizz01]

In Texas, it is my understanding that you will have to purchase a license to hunt hogs and an out of state license is $315.00 (ask me how I know!) if you are from out of state. If you are a land owner you technically dont need a license if the you killing them for depredation. Apparently its a gray area in the law, I discussed this with the game warden at length one afternoon, as I am a landowner, but live out of state. He told me I could kill them but had to let them lay, or call him to pick them up for the orphanage. I ask him why you had to have a license to kill feral animals, and he didn't have a good answer, but he has a badge and I had the hog hung up in the tree and was almost finished skinning it. At that point I showed him my license and he was P.O. ed (we haven't gotten along very well since we were little kids). I have to purchase the license to hunt deer and doves anyway, I just don't like this game wardens attitude.

G

[Bodydoc447]

You don't need anything but a hunting license. A small game license is sufficient for hunting hogs for residents and non-residents alike. I took my dad hunting for hogs a couple of years ago and he bought a 5 day non resident license for much less than the $315 for a full license. It doesn't have to be expensive to hunt hogs if you have someplace to go. Finding someplace to go is the problem for many of us.

Beautiful hogs, RugerFan!
Doc

[RugerFan]

Nice Hogs Rugerfan!

I am glad we do not have them in our part of NYS yet. This is because I am a farm boy, My youngest brother still runs the family farm.

I am sorry If I have hi-jacked this thread I hope this is on subject for this thread.

:cbpour: :bigsmyl2:

Ken

Ken,
Fine looking buck you have there. No hi-jacking at all. Wouldn't be a problem anyway because hi-jacking threads is a time honored tradition here.

[wills]

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/general/hunt_licenses/

Exceptions: a hunting license is not required to hunt the following:
• Coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack, or have recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowl.
• Depredating feral hogs, if a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner's agent or lessee is taking feral hogs causing depredation on the landowner's land.
• Fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a trapper's license or if the fur-bearing animals are causing depredation.

Non-resident Special Hunting (Type 107): $132
Valid to hunt: Exotic animals, all legal game birds (NOT VALID FOR TURKEY), all nongame animals, squirrel, javelina and alligator (not valid for other game animals, NOT VALID FOR DEER). Stamp endorsement requirements apply.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/nongame/index.phtml#exotic
EXOTIC ANIMALS AND FOWL
Exotic animal refers to grass-eating or plant-eating, single-hoofed or cloven-hoofed mammals that are not indigenous or native to Texas and are known as ungulates, including animals from the deer and antelope families that landowners have introduced into this state. Includes, but is not limited to feral hog, Aoudad sheep, Axis deer, Elk, Sika deer, Fallow deer, Blackbuck antelope, Nilgai antelope, and Russian boar. Exotic fowl refers to any avian species that is not indigenous to this state, including ratites (emu, ostrich, rhea, cassowary, etc.).
There are no state bag or possession limits or closed seasons on exotic animals or fowl on private property. It is against the law to:
• Hunt an exotic without a valid hunting license.
• Hunt an exotic on a public road or right-of-way.
• Hunt an exotic without the landowner's permission.
• Possess an exotic or the carcass of an exotic without the owner's consent

Exceptions: a hunting license is not required to hunt the following:
• Coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack, or have recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowl.
• Depredating feral hogs, if a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner's agent or lessee is taking feral hogs causing depredation on the landowner's land.
• Fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a trapper's license or if the fur-bearing animals are causing depredation.

[Gee_Wizz01]

Willis
Thanks for the clarification. The law is real clear? I dont need a license to kill a depredating feral hog on my land, IF a landowner is taking feral hogs causing DEPREDATION on the landowners land. What if the depredating feral pig is just crossing my land and not depredating on my land, or if it's a non depredating feral pig, but is depredating on my land? I love reading law. It's all so clear now.

G

[Blammer]

Have to be careful not do get double depredation, depending on the depredation that's going on.:bigsmyl2::kidding:

[wills]

Willis
Thanks for the clarification. The law is real clear? I dont need a license to kill a depredating feral hog on my land, IF a landowner is taking feral hogs causing DEPREDATION on the landowners land. What if the depredating feral pig is just crossing my land and not depredating on my land, or if it's a non depredating feral pig, but is depredating on my land? I love reading law. It's all so clear now.

G

Its unlikely a feral hog will be on your land without doing some depreditating.
http://texnat.tamu.edu/symposia/feral/feral-10.htm
http://southwestfarmpress.com/mag/farming_trapping_hunting_best/

The links previously posted were to the TPWD website, which tells you what the TPWD thinks the law is, which is pretty near as important as what the law actually is. If you want to read the actual law you should look at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, to which I would happily post a link, except our online statutes have not worked worth a #$%^ since they upgraded them a couple of years ago, and aren’t working at all right now.

[Gee_Wizz01]

Its unlikely a feral hog will be on your land without doing some depreditating.
http://texnat.tamu.edu/symposia/feral/feral-10.htm
http://southwestfarmpress.com/mag/farming_trapping_hunting_best/

The links previously posted were to the TPWD website, which tells you what the TPWD thinks the law is, which is pretty near as important as what the law actually is. If you want to read the actual law you should look at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, to which I would happily post a link, except our online statutes have not worked worth a #$%^ since they upgraded them a couple of years ago, and aren’t working at all right now.

What I was getting at was what a particular game warden interpreted what the law was, I had read the code about 5 years ago, but I haven't seen the latest code. I always buy a hunting license when I hunt, but when the game warden asked me for my license for killing a feral pig, I ask him if it was really required to which he said yes. Your links on the feral hog damage are quite interesting. I have seen first hand the damage caused by feral hogs, as we don't grow grain anymore because the hogs can destroy 100 acres in several nights. They also plow through my fences like little tanks. I have been doing my part to cut down the population. A couple of my neighbors hunt them with helicopters, which I have some problems with and has caused a little friction.

G

[dualsport]

The Cal. lead free zone covers the coastal range south of SF to about LA and part of the valley in same vicinity. The rest of the state is still 'normal'. There are no condors in about 98% of this zone, it's a pretense to discourage hunters and shooters. It'd be a shame if something bad happened to the condors.

[wills]

Sec. 43.158. LANDOWNER PERMIT EXEMPTION. Nothing in this subchapter prevents a landowner or the landowner's agent or lessee from taking depredating feral hogs on the landowner's land without having acquired a permit under this subchapter.

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/DocViewer.aspx?K2DocKey=odbc%3a%2f%2fSOTW%2fASUPUB LIC.dbo.vwSOTW%2fPW%2fS%2fPW.43%40SOTW&QueryText=feral%3cOR%3ehog&HighlightType=1