I went up to the Texas Rolling plains where I'll hunt deer in a few weeks to service the blinds and feeders and make sure everything will be ready. I took along my half-century old Sako .264 in case one of the many hogs in the area decided to show himself while I sat in a blind scouting next month's deer.

The blind is at the intersection of hundreds of acres of mesquite brush, a wheat field, and a 150 acre cotton patch. Just before sundown as I was watching two young bucks spar with one another, I spotted a large hog about a half-mile away across the cotton field. It started to walk slowly toward the brush, angling more or less toward me. When it was at what I judged to be the closest its path was going to bring it to me, between 250 and 300 yards, I put the crosshairs just in front of its ambling snout and about backbone high. After I shot it seemed an eternity until a huge "WHOP" came drifting back to me along with a hog's squeal -- and the hog disappeared among the cotton rows.

I got down from the blind and stepped 250 yards in its direction. Nothing. Stepped another 50 yards and still nothing. Then I caught a glimpse of it between two rows of cotton several more yards ahead. When I got to it and saw its size I realized why I had underestimated its distance. I lasered the distance back to the blind at 335 yards.

I don't know where the 140 grain Nosler Partition hit it because I wasn't about to try to roll that big bruiser over to look, but it obviously did the jobs since the porker was DRT.

Here's the Sako lying atop its victim:

Nice rifle and good shooting.

Congrats on a nice boar and some fine shooting as well!

Good pig fine shooting and fine rifle. Be Well, Packy.

Good shot.

Can't beat those Sako's.

I have a 7mmag, believe it's my most
beautiful rifle.

Thanks for sharing.

George

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Nice rifle, pig and story! Thanks for posting.



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Stonecreek - What a great day. Bucks sparring, nice boar, great shooting.
Did you indulge in some loin medallions for dinner?
Get dem hogs.
custombolt

Same cotton patch as the first one (but after harvest this time). This one also came from across the field, this time toward the feeder I was watching, which was at 175 yards. It disappeared behind a sand berm and I thought it was gone, but soon appeared atop the berm at about 260 yards. I was afraid it would move out of sight again, so took the shot. The boar squealed and wheeled, running pall mall back from where it came from. I threw a shot after it which kicked up dust behind it. Jacking another one in I held a bit higher and further in front of him and sent a Hail Mary on the way. WHACK! I was gratified to see the piggy skid to a stop. When I got to him and laser ranged back to the blind I was in it was exactly 400 yards. Truly a Hail Mary and more luck than skill.

Used another of my Sakos, a .280 Remington loaded with obsolete Nosler Solid Base lead tipped 150's at just over 3,000 fps.

That's another good piggie from the cotton patch...congrats. Those old-style, long-discontinued solid base bullets are among some of the best medium-game bullets ever devised.