Thumper Shoots! He Scores!

[TXGunNut]

Decided I wanted to put the smackdown on a big hog I'd been seeing this past weekend so Ol' Ugly stayed in camp Saturday night, this boar is so big he looks huge 150 yards away in the dark or in the fog. Others have seen him recently so I know it's not just me.
Well, the big boar didn't show but a certain nice, fat sow and her sisters wandered by about sundown and most of you know I generally won't let a decent hog pass by, just sorry I wasn't able to get at least one of her sisters. RD 460-350 broke her back and dropped her in her tracks. She'll eat good, meat had almost no smell when I butchered her, better than most store-bought meat.

123995

[richhodg66]

Mmmmm...Bacon! Nice hog, I really need to get down to Texas and hunt them sometime. Also need to work on that back burnered .45-70 project of mine.

[trails4u]

Excellent! Kill the sows first.....you've done a service by saving her breeding again, and again, and again...... :)

[DougGuy]

Nice work!

[35 shooter]

Of course you know now that you shot something with 'Thumper', 'Ol Ugly' is gonna sull up like a possum and not shoot right for a month now lol!! Better pet her up and tell her she's going hunting again soon. Nice hog!:smile:

[Tom_in_AZ]

Nice sow, should be tasty!

[Bzcraig]

Nothing like the smell of bacon in the morning

[w5pv]

Raid on woods hogs meat very good table fare

[smokeywolf]

Congrats on the nice sow TXGunNut. I'm so envious, I'm gonna go put a fresh pot of coffee on, throw a pound of bacon in the pan and start mixin' up the pancake batter.

One plus to having a feral hog problem, you can eat 'em without having to feed them.

smokeywolf

[micky_blue]

I want to try smoked feral hog shoulder some day. Brine it for a couple days with maple syrup and peppercorns in the brine, the just smoke it for hours and hours.

[44man]

You guys don't know what it takes to make bacon, curing and a slow smoke. Apple wood the very best. Ham is another hard thing. Cure and smoke slow and cool. Age just right.
Eat the hog fresh but please don't call it bacon.
Micky says it best.
I am a bacon nut and 1/2# for breakfast is just a start. Store bought is OK but nothing like home made.

[Cowpoke]

Looks like Bacon in the Makin to me! And several other potential pork products. Nice shootin!

[TXGunNut]

It takes a really big hog to make bacon, have a few lbs of porkbelly but it's headed for sausage. I was thinking about brining a ham and giving my new smoker a little workout. I think some brats should hang out there for awhile too.

[TXGunNut]

Of course you know now that you shot something with 'Thumper', 'Ol Ugly' is gonna sull up like a possum and not shoot right for a month now lol!! Better pet her up and tell her she's going hunting again soon. Nice hog!:smile:

Thanks, but Ol' Ugly was already ticked off at me for blowing that first shot on the spike.

[smoked turkey]

Nice work on the hog. You guys are makin me hungry.

[kawasakifreak77]

Way to go! Man I want to shoot a piggy!

[micky_blue]

We have a butcher shop here that makes "Columbus Ribs". He takes the spare rib and leaves the pork belly attached. They are SO GOOD!!!

just an idea for your piggy.

[hog]

Very nice , thumper is a great name for your rifle. Smoke that meat.

[richhodg66]

Nobody's asked yet so I will; what is the load you used with that Ranch Dog bullet? Been contemplating off and one what kind of mold to get for my .45-70 to start working on it in earnest, the other Ranch Dog designs I've used are good ones.

[TXGunNut]

My RD moulds were made by Lee, but I hesitate to put the exact load out as it's unsafe for Trapdoors and other weaker guns. It's 46.0 grs of Reloder 7 but again it's only safe in strong actions in good repair. It's not the upper end of the 45-70's capability in a strong rifle but it's all that I want to deal with and it's up to the task of smacking down big hogs.

[TXGunNut]

Very nice , thumper is a great name for your rifle. Smoke that meat.



I call him Thumper for obvious reasons, he dishes out a thumping on both ends. ;-)

[TXGunNut]

Gotta brag on that sow a little, just put 31 lbs of awesome meat and 12 lbs of PORK fat into the freezer. That is one sweet-smelling pig! I think this wasn't her first trip to the feeder, lol. All that fat will keep me from having to go to the meat counter for PORK fat when I get ready to make sausage.
I'll probably find a reason to drop by anyway, some sweet young ladies work there. One even got my Italian sausage recipe. ;-)

[Uncle Jimbo]

All that fat will keep me from having to go to the meat counter for fork fat when I get ready to make sausage.

Christmas is just 11 days away. I bet that sausage is really good. Hint hint! ;) ;) ;). :kidding:
I don't know what fork fat is, but I think that you and the young ladies at the meat counter have been making up receipts already and . . . . . . . . never mind, I don't think I'm old enough for this conversation.
Enjoy your hog and all the good meals that will come from it. [smilie=s:

[Rufus Krile]

TX... congratulations on a nice hog. Shot one about like her Friday morning at my daughter's place north of Bastrop... unexpectedly. Wasn't hunting... had no rifle with me... was sound asleep about 0600 when the screaming started and I was made to understand a pig was eating her dog right there in her back yard. Pulled on my robe, found my glasses, no shoes.... gathered up a flashlight and the only gun I'd brought in the house... a massive .380 KelTec (sorry no cast loads here...) and ventured into the fight. The pig was somewhat distressed and claimed her innocence, but the dog was having none of it. As I approached, the dog told me in no uncertain terms "I've got this... F....off.... Get your own pig..." I started shooting the pig where it was biggest and farthest away from the dog which brought still more complaints from the pig and not a few from the neighbors... Thought I'd shot about 3 times when the fight slowed down to the point I could get a decent angle for a head shot... which finished the fight for the pig but not entirely for the bulldog. Later discovered it wasn't a total of four shots but the whole magilla... standing there with an empty pistol. After another 5 or 10 minutes the dog figured out that her new chew toy wasn't making those squeaky noises anymore and turned loose. The bulldog was covered in blood but didn't have a scratch on her... really pleased with herself after fighting WAY out of her weight class. Dog at 55lbs and the girly hog would go about 120lbs. Moral to the story, I guess is don't leave the .45 in the truck. Sorry for the lack of cast bullets in the story... wish I'd had some... bigger maybe.

[TXGunNut]

The "little" sow hanging out in my freezer is from a little north of you near the border of Bee and Refugio County. Glad your dog is OK, pigs love a good fight as much as any bulldog and she was indeed out of her weight class.
Speaking of fighting out of one's weight class my EDC is a P3AT. I've actually had pretty miserable results with a hog using a .45, may have been just as well off with your .380.

[rexherring]

Mmm, side pork and mashed potatoes and white gravy. Or my recipe for pork roast in the crockpot, 1 package each of dry au jus and ranch dressing on top of the roast, 6 pickled yellow peppers on the sides and one stick of butter on top. Slow cook for 6-8 hours. Best piggy ever.

[texassako]

Good job on the successful hunting trip. I am a bit jealous since I my hunt was not successful, but my uncle(who filled all his tags) felt sorry for me and sent a care package of venison and wild pig sausage to tide me over a while.

[Rufus Krile]

TXgunnut... like around Blanconia? Familiar with the area. Since I still have the .45 stuffed with old-time Black Talons, I'd have much preferred something a bit bigger... hell, I'd have settled for an ax about that time. Daughter tried to bring me a shotgun but I didn't think the dog would approve of that choice. Just as well... turned out later that it was empty, too. Things get a little confusing when the adrenalin starts pumping. So... in the immediate aftermath... in the middle of a yard that looks like a bulldozer has churned it up is an old fat guy in a robe, holding an empty gun, standing over a dead pig and a blood-soaked dog, waving at the neighbors. In South Texas we call that "Friday".

[TXGunNut]

Hang in there Jeff. Tonight I'm cleaning up my cooler before heading out again...but the cooler is staying home this trip. Only way I'm shooting anything other than birds this trip is if it starts up the steps of the blind or gets between me and the coffeepot back at camp.
Yessir, Blanconia is where we go if we need more ice. We're bordered on two sides by high-fence operations where we have to bring in our own gravel if the weather gets ugly.
Black Talon is the exact round that failed me, Rufus. Long story for another time.

If that's Friday In S TX what do you do on Saturday? Reload and release another hog? I think some of my neighbors would go for that. I hear roosters all the time but nobody's selling eggs, if you know what I mean.

[taco650]

Mmm, side pork and mashed potatoes and white gravy. Or my recipe for pork roast in the crockpot, 1 package each of dry au jus and ranch dressing on top of the roast, 6 pickled yellow peppers on the sides and one stick of butter on top. Slow cook for 6-8 hours. Best piggy ever.

That recipe does sound tasty!

[taco650]

TXgunnut... like around Blanconia? Familiar with the area. Since I still have the .45 stuffed with old-time Black Talons, I'd have much preferred something a bit bigger... hell, I'd have settled for an ax about that time. Daughter tried to bring me a shotgun but I didn't think the dog would approve of that choice. Just as well... turned out later that it was empty, too. Things get a little confusing when the adrenalin starts pumping. So... in the immediate aftermath... in the middle of a yard that looks like a bulldozer has churned it up is an old fat guy in a robe, holding an empty gun, standing over a dead pig and a blood-soaked dog, waving at the neighbors. In South Texas we call that "Friday".


Too funny!