I'd let my honey hole cool off for about 3 weeks. Got to go back there last weekend. Friday evening I got set up about 4:30 PM. I saw a young buck, a cull, but figured he'd be better next year, so I held my trigger. At 5:55 PM, I told myself, five more minutes and I won't be able to see squat. I fiddled for about another minute and then took a look through the binocs. A sounder of hogs had just run in. It was dark enough that the black ones were just blurs, but this one just happened to stand out. She was facing me head on. Not my favorite shot, but I had no time to wait. Was shooting my 325 WSM and 180 gr. ballistic tips. Caught her just to the right of her withers, on her right side. Exit on her left side about midway between front and rear legs. She was DRT. No tracking this time, which was fine with me, as it was starting to mist.

GWB

yeeeeehah!
and my fav shot on hogs.. facing me, head down!

Nice one GWB

Oh Ya, facing is my favorite on anything.
My 9.3 really likes them that way.

Cheers, John

GW:
What don't you like about face on head shots?
TO me, that's the very best there is. No questions asked when you put it thru the brain. Most anywhere above the eye's will do on a pig it seems.
Guys I hunt with that butcher several every week put the muzzle right against the bridge between the eye's and they drop & paddle everytime.

Wild boars I shot in July/Fla. hit centered 2" above eye's, 2nd one was 1/2 the distance from center to ear. Both squirted blood out the bullet holes for two minutes. really quite a show the way it pumped out 6" high. Made quite a mess, is that your reason maybe?
George

Lets see if I can explain my thinking. My favorite shot is broadside, two inches below the ear on a line between the ear and shoulder. It severs the spinal cord. They just drop and paddle. No tracking in the dark. I guess my reluctance to do straight on shots stems from a situation that resulted many years ago when I was enthralled with velocity and suffering from "magnumitis". I was shooting a 257 Weatherby mag, and 100 gr. partitions. The angle was less steep than the angle at which I shot this hog. The bullet entered about the same point, only at about 800 fps greater velocity. It hit the alimentary canal. Drove shit all through the back end of the pig (which was not near this size) before it exited. Nasty work skinning the guy. I ended up just tossing him. I love shooting hogs, but I like recovering the meat even more. I very rarely shoot game now with anything that has more than a 2800 fps muzzle velocity.
As to head shots, I typically don't do head shots even though I have no problem putting a bullet within a couple inches of my point of aim at 135 yds or so, the problem is that these dudes are hogs first and foremost. As such they are always fighting with there brethren for a better spot in the wallow or one more grain of corn. If its a single, he/she is usually much more calm, but when they come in,in a sounder, they are constantly moving. I like percentage shots. To me a broadside shot gives one more leeway and a higher percentage of an actual hit. IIRC, I've only not recovered four hogs out the legion that I've shot with a rifle.
Best

GWB

NICE HOG and even better shooting! Congrats!!!

There seems to be much confusion about shots that a butcher makes to slaughter an animal.
The shot is NOT made to kill it !! The shot mearly knocks it out and that permits the neck to be slit so the animal bleeds out . Bleeding makes for a more palatable meat. This is why I don't like neck shots .Mine are usually lung/heart shots to bleed it out !!

Best hog is a dead hog!!!

Nice one GW, can't believe you killed something with lowly Ballistic Tips.

Scott, don't tell anyone, but just between you and me, ballistic tips will actually kill hogs,and even kill them DRT.


7 mag. 150 gr. Ballistic Silvertip (a two-fer)


30-06, 168 gr. Ballistic Tip


270 win., 130 gr. Ballistic tip


270 WSM, 130 gr. Ballistic tip


338 RUM, 180 gr Ballistic tip.

Although Accubonds have become my bullet of choice, I have no problem using the B-tips.

GWB

This one was dusted last year with a lowly 115 NBT from a 257R. Went straight through, he went about 15 yards.



Still haven't seen any hogs this year. Lots of sign but haven't been in the right spot at the right time yet.

Here is an inside look. I should also mention the shot was at 50 yards so impact velocity was about 2700 fps. Ballistic Tips work great if you don't push them too fast.

10/4 on that.

GWB