Got back yesterday afternoon from a weekend hog hunt in North Carolina.......

Just a little teaser......

Full details and photos to follow.

I can't speak for all, but I am awaiting anxiously for pictures and report. I'm sure you had a great time.

I did have a great time. It was the best hunt that I have had in a long time -- very satisfying!

Quit talking and start posting pictures dangit!!!!!

LOL! I will, I will........

What part of NC were you hunting?

I was in Johnston County, about 15 miles off of I95.

Been through the area but don't know it. Lookin' forward to some pictures.

Okay, here goes......

Left early Friday morning for Johnston County, North Carolina. Got there in the early afternoon, headed to the range on the property to sight in a Smith & Wesson .460 XVR that I was testing. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to dial the revolver in prior to heading to NC. Just got a box of CorBon 395 grain WFN loads. With my limited amount of ammo, I got it dialed in at 50 yards, which was probably the maximum distance I would be shooting. I also checked the zero of my custom .475 Linebaugh Ruger Super Redhawk.

The range.......



I was scheduled to sit in a stand over a bait pile that night. The outfitter has lights rigged i certain area making it possible. For this hunt I chose my .475 with a red dot. After 9:00 pm, two hours into my hunt, the hogs started moving, but never made it to the lights as they may have been winding me. But, another group showed up near 10:00 and I picked the biggest one, put the rod dot on its shoulder and squeezed. The hog squealed and headed off into the brush. It was a sow that went 175-lbs, that piled up within 30 yards with a double lung hit.

And here she is........



I hit the same stand early the next morning and the cool weather had us out most of the day trauling for hogs.

That evening, I tried a different stand over a feeder. I poured out some more corn, dumped a gallon of concentrated cherry KoolAid on top of it and tried a couple of attractants as well. I really wanted to blood that .460. I actually brought some Game Ears with me as the .460 is so bleeding loud. Night was falling right around 8:45, so I was hoping to get one before.

Thought I heard some grunting around 7:45 pm and quietly put the Games Ears on and cranked them up to full volume. I turned back towards the feeder and there are four hogs feeding there! Not big, but I'm not that picky, so I turned the Game Ears off, picked one out under the feeder, put the sights on his shoulder and squeezed......BOOM, but the hog didn't really react and moved off a bit, so I shot again. Then he took off into the forrest. Meanwhile, the other pigs kept eating! That .460's like a howitzer going off. Very strange.

Since I wasn't sure I even hit hog number one, I picked another, put sights on his shoulder and squeezed. Same thing, no real reaction, just moved off a bit so I hit him again, and he took off along with one other hog.

One hog remained despite all of the racket. Just kept eating. So, I whistled at him, yelled at him, called him names......nothing, just kept eating. So, I put the .460 down, put my camera in my pocket, my flashlight in another, and climbed down. I walked within 10-ft of the eating hog, when he looked up with a mouthful of KoolAid and corn, and decided it would be best to leave.

Here is hog with the hearing problem.......



I called the outfitter and told him I had some traking to do. He showed up and we started. No blood on the ground at all. Very strange. But, we found some at the edge of the clearing heading down into the swamp. We tracked a blood trail down to the water's edge and I went one way and the outfitter went another. After some traipsing around in the swamp I heard a hog and followed the noise. I saw him and he was obviously sick, so I pulled my Model 29 and shot him and he took off running, so I shot at him again. Now the race was on. I jumped into a section of water and went in to my waist -- camera and cell phone submerged, so I pulled the memory card and stuck it in my dry breat pocket and continued the chase. Caught up with him again and took another shot -- he's still running, so I shot at him again. I have two rounds left and I catch up with him on dry land and he turns towards me, and starts popping his jaws at me, so I shot him again and he took off again! Damn, what a tough bugger! Now when I catch up to him he's really sick and I have one round left, so I carefully aim behind his ear and squeeze. He falls over in the water and starts paddling. It was finally over.......except for dragging his bullet riddled carcass back out of the swamp in the dark.......aaaahhhhhh, I love hunting!

Got him out of the swamp, and he weighed all of a hundred pounds and he was as full of holes as a piece of swiss cheese. The initial shot was true and was a double lung shot behind the shoulder. Sadly, the only picture I have was taken with a cell phone as my camera is deceased -- sacrificed in the name of hunting. I am tweaking the photo and will try and post it.

The other hog I shot was lost, but such is life.

Here is a photo of the back of the bunk house.



Here's the lake in front of the bunk house -- and yes, it's full of fish!



The staff was great, the hunt takes place on 2,000 acres and the hogs are free ranging. The price is right and the best part is that it's close to home.

Contact details are as follows:

Hog Heaven Outfitters
www.hogheavenoutfitters.com
Call Milton Turnage at:
(252) 560-5082

I highly recommend this outfit!

Damn good story and pictures.

Glad you had a good time and a really good hunt.

Many Thanks for sharing the story.

Thank you sir!

saahhhwweeetttttt!!

Thank you, Jeff!

quote:

he was as full of holes as a piece of swiss cheese

Hah!! That reminds me of a story about why one of our high blinds on our lease was called the "Ten Shot Blind" but I'm not gonna tell it.

But--all in all, sounds like an enjoyable time. I think I'll go sit my stand tonight, even with 103 deg temps and a near-full moon!!! Beats sitting at home.

I'd say buy some more ammo for the hand cannon and go back to the range--then go back to the blind.

Nope, it was with me for testing purposes only and I have no interest in playing with it further. My .475 has never let me down and that is my hammer of choice. It was a great hunt, and I look forward to returning there soon.

Good luck tonight, dustoffer!

Very nice Whitworth. Everytime I read these posts I want to move somewhere there are hogs close by.
Thanks for the great story and pictures.

Thanks Paladin, I appreciate the kind words!

Whitworth-

Nice going! Looks like ol' reliable -- the .475 -- was up to the task once again. That piggie should make for some fine table fare.

Have you had a chance to check out the 460 anymore and see what may have been going on?

Yes indeed, the .475 did its job once again. Thanks, Bobby. You know, I might shoot the .460 one more time before I give it back, but since it's not mine, I'm not too interested in spending too much time on it. I really think it needs to be scoped to get the most out of it. The accuracy potential of this revolver is very high.

quote:

Hah!! That reminds me of a story about why one of our high blinds on our lease was called the "Ten Shot Blind" but I'm not gonna tell it.

But--all in all, sounds like an enjoyable time. I think I'll go sit my stand tonight, even with 103 deg temps and a near-full moon!!! Beats sitting at home.

I'd say buy some more ammo for the hand cannon and go back to the range--then go back to the blind.


An old pilot, not a bold pilot, aka "the pig murdering fool"

Now I know how you got your name! Gees, 103*, you blow off the stand like dust!

Yep, with the heat and drought, that name might be appropriate...

Both the heat and drought have set and are setting some pretty dubious records.

Today is either the 38th or 39th day of 100 degress or more. The previous record was 36, and we still have most of August -- typically the hottest month in Texas -- to go.

The other night around 10:15, during the weather on the San Antonio news, they noted that the heat index even then was still 104.

Great going Whitworth!

Now's a good time to try out Kenati's recipe.

Matt

quote:

Originally posted by hnts4fun:
Great going Whitworth!

Now's a good time to try out Kenati's recipe.

Matt

Yes indeed it is!

I am going to try out that recipe this weekend. I can hardly wait for Saturday to get here so I can make it. The second I showed my wife the recipe she issued the orders for me to make it.

I just might do the same this weekend if I can find the time. I have some backstraps that are just begging for it!

Marko, send me the recipe too.

It's posted here somewhere.......

Great job! But how can you hunt in that damn heat?! (I know,Africa is HOT too,but it's just "different")

Tom, the desire to hunt overules discomfort!

Thanks, Tom!

Enjoyed that, bud! Nice feeling to know I'm not the only one who donates occasionally a pound of flesh on my outdoords pursuits. OK, maybe more than occasionally, but...

Nice job!

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:
Enjoyed that, bud! Nice feeling to know I'm not the only one who donates occasionally a pound of flesh on my outdoords pursuits. OK, maybe more than occasionally, but...

Nice job!

LOL, you are definitely not alone!

Thanks, Gari!

Some times animals just don't want to die...I took a cow elk a couple years back...it took 3 rounds through the lungs before it decided it should fall over.

Granted it was just a 270 but still...lots of elk been killed with a 270

Mike-

You are dead-on with that comment. Last summer, I shot a larger sow (220 or so IIRC) at a little over 240 yards using a .308 WCF and a 150 grain Sierra Pro Hunter spitzer that left left the 28" barrel right at the 3000 fps mark.

The hog took off at the shot, dipped into a small gully and then, to my utter surprise, crested the bank and disappeared through a fence and into the brush. I actually thought that may have been another hog.

I went to pick up the trail, and there was blood in abundance. I followed and followed and kept thinking "she can't be far."

To make a long story short, I found her piled up...and at least 200 yards from where I shot her. Considering the pattern she ran, she probably covered more like 220-230 yards before giving up the ghost.

A quick look at the entry and exit had me puzzled. I then opened her up and saw that the entire top half of her heart was destroyed.

Adrenaline must have caried her that far. I have never had an animal react like that with a similar impact.

Very awesome Marko!

What are your thoughts on the 460? Like it?

One of my buddies has a .500sw with a 2" barrel I believe in his gun safe...I may try getting that one out of his grasp in the near future lol

Justin

Thanks, Justin! I prefer my .475 to the .460. I just don't think you need the long case and consequent huge revolver, nor all of the velocity. But, that's just me. If you need more than a .45 Colt or .454 Casull, step up in diameter.

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
If you need more than a .45 Colt or .454 Casull, step up in diameter.

I always knew you were a smart man

quote:

Originally posted by Buglemintoday:

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
If you need more than a .45 Colt or .454 Casull, step up in diameter.

I always knew you were a smart man

I've been called worse!