Simson Suhl .405 Double on Okie Hogs
After several trips to the range to become familiar with the express sights and to zero the scope at 100 yards, it was time to move from paper targets to real game.



I set up a group hog hunt at The Boars Nest in Kenefic, Oklahoma, where we could shoot trophy hogs and meat hogs. The trophy hunts are done with hog dogs in the rough hilly and wooded East pasture and the meat hogs are hunted walk and stalk style in the more civilized west pasture. The MO was to do the trophy hunt first and to load up to eight hunters into center facing benches in the pickup bed and then drive slowly into the East pasture woods while the dog handlers try to locate a boar to chase. We had six hunters in the back and one in the cab with the staff driver.
The terrain was rough and we had to develop an expedient warning to alert one-another to duck so that we didn't get whipped and slashed by bushes and tree branches as we traveled up and down, and over and through the tracks, and across creeks and ditches, following the baying of the dogs. The bed of that truck was like a rodeo ride, with each hunter controlling his unloaded rifle with one hand and hanging on with the other. I believe that "LOOK OUT" and "DOWN" were the most used phrases of the morning.

Sterling, Fred, had bought the Trophy Hunt of the large boars 300 + pounds and ours were all between 300 and 400 pounds and the other hunters were along for the ride and the possibility of seeing a meat hog. Six of us were in the back of the pickup following the sounds of the dogs on false trails and it was about one hour before the dogs cornered the first hog and our driver took us within about 50 yards of it. Sterling went first, hopped out of the truck, loaded his 30-30 and disappeared down into a wooded draw where all the dog and hog noise came from. Nothing but woods could be seen from the truck. We heard the dog handler call off the dogs and then it was very quiet as Sterling waited for the hog to move to where he could see enough of it for a shot. Then his rifle cracked and it was silent again - when we heard voices again, it was obvious the hog was dead. A handler on an ATV drove past the pickup and wedged his way through the thick cover out of sight and down into the draw and came out a few minutes later with an enormous boar tied on it; he reported a big black boar had been there too, but it had escaped.


Now it was Fred's turn, and off the dogs went looking for another hog. This time they "treed" another big boar within about 30 minutes and when the truck arrived near the barking dogs, Fred bailed out (without falling out), loaded his .356 WCF rifle and went into the woods, again out of sight of the truck. Before long his shot rang out and it was quiet again. For some unknown reason, he decided to ride the boar and someone took a picture of that.



Our driver then parked at a high point where we could hear the dogs when they struck a hog trail. After several more attempts by the dogs, they finally struck the trail of the big black boar that had escaped earlier and we followed the sounds of their progress through the woods for several minutes. As they came closer, we heard them pass in a draw to the left and then passed behind us and then came up on the right from the rear. Then the black boar streaked through the woods a few yards to the right with the pack right on his heels.
Our driver drove slowly after them and stopped when the dogs bayed "treed"; he got out and legged it toward the barking and baying of the dogs. I hopped out, loaded two 300 grain .405 rounds into my double and walked toward the din of noise from the dogs and hog, followed by Rich with his .45 auto as backup. We eased down the track into a creek bed and finally saw the quarry backed up to the side of a stream facing the baying pack (one of which he had already slashed and given some bad cuts).
When the handler saw I was within 20 yards and ready to shoot, he called off the dogs and they backed away from the boar, leaving him looking around for an exit path - time to shoot before he took off again! The orange front bead settled on his left shoulder, the rifle went off and down he went. As I moved forward to examine my prize, a large hound streaked in from the left, grabbed the dead boars right ear and began shaking the head violently, causing them both to slide into the muddy creek. The shaking and dragging went on for a while as the handler called the dog to the creek bank and then the handler dragged the hog out and onto some dead limbs where the picture was taken. My boar was too muddy and wet to ride so I kneeled behind it for pix.


Rather handsome for a pig with much of his right ear missing!

We trophy hunters now took a break while the staff began skinning, gutting, and quartering our hogs while the meat hunters took turns moseying around the walk-and-stalk pasture and shooting their hogs. In all, seven hunters took eight hogs as these capes demonstrate:



After lunch and taking pictures, we loaded our coolers full of fresh pork into our vehicles and drove back to our respective game processors(in my case, Po Boys Outback Game Processors) to take the next step in the process of turning wild porkers into breakfast sausage.

Fini

Nice rifle and nice hogs make for a great experience.
It's nice to put doubles to field use.
Cal

Thanks Cal.
The nice thing is that it is sooo much like shooting my Parker guns, that I do not remember pushing off the safety or squeezing the trigger! Almost like instinct shooting. I am ready for my next hunt with it!

Congratulations on the hunt,glad to see the 405 did well,double rifles & lever actions what a great combo

Looks like a great hunt. The fact that you were able to use your new double is icing on the cake. The photos are appreciated as well.

I've been trying to work a similar hunt here in South Texas.

Eric

Very cool, CR!

Nice; I am more interested in the rifle; who built it, details of it, more pictures of it.

dpcd,
Here is a link to my post on AR earlier this year and that should answer most of your questions:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...0101804/m/8371038612

Yes, I do remember this one now; nice rifle.

quote:

The fact that you were able to use your new double is icing on the cake.

Eric,
How goes the 45-120 project?

It is progressing nicely. Regulation is good, top and bottom ribs installed,sights installed, top rib modified to accept Talley rings.

The side lock plates have factory engraving that still needs to be removed, then some new engraving added, final polish and blue and stock work. The original stock was hideous so a new stock is in order.

I am currently working in China and expect a fair amount of travel the first half of this year so I won't have much time for anything other than work.

Rest assured that when I get it in my hands I will post photos.

I enjoyed your hog hunt story/photos. I plan on breaking mine in on a hog or two. Still working on finding a reasonable hog spot. My brother's ranch near Goliad has some hogs but they aren't very predictable. Maybe next winter.

Eric

I have a friend with a high fenced exotic ranch near Hondo if that is not too far to drive from Corpus.
Several of us shot some hogs there a couple years back. The MO is for one of the staff to drive you around until he locates some hogs and the you shoot them - could not be easier than that.

Hondo isn't too far at all. I'll have to keep this in mind.

Thank you

Beautiful hunk of lumber.
This is a hunt to believe with all the great pictures.
Sounds like a great time you all had.
Thanks for sharing.
George

NICE!!!