02 June 2009, 03:21
Mke / TxGot a good meat sow yesterday...
I have been trying hard to get a couple of the hogs crossing our place with my bow for the past few weeks. Well three weeks ago, I managed to get one with the bow, but had others slip away simply due to being out of range. So I upped the anty and started toting along one of my revolvers.
This weekend it happened to be the Tarus Raging Bull in 454, and man did it hammer this one.
When first seen, it was only a few minutes after the butt crack of dawn, and I slipped up on a watering hole it was wallowing in. Just before I got set up it left out, but not in an overly big hurry, into the thicket below. Well I knew it would hole up in there and that a shot with the bow would be a miracle if at all, so I dropped the quiver and bow and headed in.
After getting inside the thick stuff around 50yds or so I could hear things happening a little ways further so I stopped and waited. To my dismay some of it was the neighbors cattle heading up front to feed, but still there were hog sounds as well, so I held tight. Kneeling on one knee to see under the brush was killing me so I opted to stand up and swap knees.
About the time I got fully upright I caught motion to my left. There where 2 seconds before there was nothing, now stands this hog looking right at me in somewhat disbelief. As I raised the big revolver, I instinctively drew the hammer back as I took aim. The hog however wanted nothing to do with this and now beat feet straight away and behind a three some of trees.
Well it had the option to go left and take it in the arse, or go right and hope for the best through the thick stuff. It chose right and I planted the 260gr Mag JHP right in front of the onside shoulder through a small hole in the brush. At the shot it hit the ground so fast I actually was mad thinking I missed, that was until I saw the one leg working slowly in the mud.
The impact had slammed the thing down hard enough in the muck that about one whole side was under it, and crud was splattered up in the bushes close to three feet behind it.
I must say that I fully expected things to be pretty bad on the offside and especially on the inside. This was the first hog I have taken with this bullet and it performed excellent. Nice full caliber hole entry, and slightly bigger exit, with about 1.5 - 2" hole of tissue and bone gone, straight through in between the entry and exit.
Not the way I really wanted to bag one, but heck I will take them any way i can. This one will be great for the pit on the 4th, if I don't manage to get another between then and now.
