Congrats on your hunt!! I like those big red hogs for a change of pace and have one mounted in my office.

Good Hunting,

Bob

Gentleman (and ladies) my report on the weekends hunt. Have to call the butcher back today and cancel the pork steaks and get more sausage. They say meet will be done some time this week.

Friday evening I met up with Blake Willoughby in San Miguel at 6:25pm and followed him and another pair of hunters that were booked with him and his dad out to the place where we were all meeting, about 10 miles Northwest of San Miguel. Got there, met with Tom, and we divided up, the other two hunters who have hunted with them before went with Tom�s son and I went with Tom. We were probably on the hunt by 7:00pm or a bit before.

I think it is a good point to make that the ride alone is reason to go. Both Tom and his son drive older Chevy/GMC trucks that typify a hunting rig. I was surprised a few times at the places he could get that truck to go and also expecting a couple of inclines to create a real adventure. But the truck was up to the task and Tom really knew how to drive it. Anybody that has driven enough in difficult spots knows that the same truck is capable of different things depending on the driver, he�s one of the good ones.

There were about 4 dogs per truck. We had split up checking some areas that they normally find the pigs. Tom was glassing their trails to find the brush that they were going to for feeding. From time to time Tom would let a pair of his dogs down to try and find them and get them moving. But after a while of this we hadn�t turned up any. Just as he spotted and we observed a group of hogs off on a distant hill Blake called to say that from the spot he and the other two fellas were watching they could see a lone hog feeding by a stump that Tom knew the location of.

We went to change spots and get to where this pig was, stopping to drop off two of the dogs that he said might bark and alert the pig. We then went to the piece of property where this was and along this dirt road till we came close to the hill it was supposed to be on. Here we got out and went on foot to keep from alerting the pig with the sounds of the truck. We walked quietly a ways, crossed a barb wire fence (yes, I handed him my rifle before crossing it myself, always observe good safety precautions). I was carrying my 1903 Springfield in 06, Weaver 4x marksman scope, muzzle brake (we�ll get into that) with Wisner 2 position mod. 70 safety. I was loaded with 165g Coreloks chrono�d at about 2600fps.

Tom broke off a branch at this point from a stump with a good fork at the end of it. Now we had to crouch low to work our way closer to the pig who was feeding on the face of a hill facing us, just over the rise of the low hill that we were on. When closer we went to hand and knees, which I must admit I had never thought of practicing but will in the future, moving on hands and knees with a rifle in one hand is awkward if you haven�t done it before. But it wasn�t a great distance and as out of shape as I am I was glad for a chance to catch my wind. :-) Tom gave me the stick and had me come around and sit down and use it as a rest to line up my shot.

This was my first shot on big game (big game being larger than a squirrel) and while getting my shot lined up I went to flick the safety off. In my excitement I brushed the trigger at the same time I hit the lever and BOOM!! Shot into the hill, which was not what I was hunting. I was surprised, and deaf, Tom was surprised. The pig was now running to our right across the hill it was on, probably about 100yds. out. Tom said something like,�there he goes, get it!� I stood up and took an offhand shot, hitting it in the face and it turned to us. As it came up and over our hill I took another shot pulverizing dirt, and it turned to our right again and started up another steeper hill. Tom had grabbed my arm and told me to sit down, always a good idea for a steadier shot, I dropped to my amply padded seat and fired again, hitting low and just to the front of the last couple of ribs. He took a couple more steps, stood for a minute, and then laid down to wait for us.

There were two things that I came away with this from, aside from a 55lb dressed out (guts, skin, head and forelegs gone) pig at the local butcher. One, muzzle brakes are evil and should never ever go on any hunting rifle, better to have it weigh 15lbs and take two people to carry. I couldn�t hear right till the next morning. Two, familiarity with the rifle cannot be over emphasized. I had probably only shot the rifle less than 150 times since having the new safety installed and one thing that I seldom before practiced was taking it off safe before each shot. By the time deer season starts I will be able to do everything with the rifle blindfolded (that included loading it from my cartridge holder).

Did I mention that muzzle brakes are bad? I should mention that. This rifle is going up to have that little problem corrected as soon as I get a chance. Having that cut off and never looking back.

Here are some pics, I forgot till too late to get my pic with it. But you can see it was probably 120+lbs. On the hoof. You can also see where last shot was on the one side, and if you look close on the first pic you can see where it exited.

Congrats on the pig hunt. I was thinking on getting a rifle with a muzzle brake but I believe that I will take your words of wisdom "that muzzle brakes are bad" and I will be sure to practice more with the safety on my 300WM before Deer season. Enjoy the sausage.

Great Story!!

yep... muzzle brakes and hacksaws.. the pefect combination!!!


Speaking of off hand shots to the head... I was stalking hogs with a pair of newbies... they were durn quite in the woods for newbies, though...

newbie#1 misses a couple easy shots with is 300 win (braked, for waht it matters) and I see the third shot throw a dirt shower 25' IN FRONT of his target.. okay... (empty rifle, yank bolt out, quickly LOOK for bore sight... it's ~15" LOW at 25.... spin it up, 2 sight ins, and we are back in biz).. did i mention newbies? It was right from walmart.....


Second guy.. well.. this is is second hunt with me (first hunt he missed everything.... he then wanted my 358 (slayerofpork) and made his first kill.. anyway... he now has a scoped 270... ok.... we see a small herd scatter, and to javelina run out.... he pops one at 75 yarrds, off hand..

first thing out of my mouth "are you going to eat that" ... he says yeah, he likes hog... I says, so do I but you shot a giant RAT.... we all laugh.....


remember, this was a PAIR of javelina.....


so, we take our hogs to the road, and decide to pursue the smal hog herd... blackjack oak for THICK cover...

the 300 winnie guys taps me on the shuolder...

heavy brush mind you....point back.....

20 yards away is the second, thoroughly PISSED OFF javilina... since newbie #2 will eat it, i decide i'd rather deal with a second dead one than a live giant rat...

flick off the safety of the 416 and put a 400 gr hornady RIGHT into his charging (?) head... except I aimed a touch LOW and it went right through his sinus....

he shakes his head like the dog in "mask' spins around about three times, and DOES A GAINER flip in the air.....(that's tail first)....

I say "and I never thought i'ld live to see pigs fly" and gave him another 416.....

jeffe

Jeffe, that gave me a great laugh!

Swede, I will enjoy the sausage, maple sausage they are making me. And definitely do not get a muzzle brake, Jeffe is right, the only thing they are good for is dulling hacksaws. I will never own another gun with a brake, except maybe a 50bmg (if it were given to me).

Red

Congratulations on a fine hog, sounds like you had quite an adventure. Tom and Blake always put on a fine hunt.

You are right, sometimes a ride with them in the hills is adventure in itself.

I imagine you were very excited shooting at your first head of big game, what a thrill. Too bad about the first shot when you were not ready, but hey you sure learned something.

Maybe I will see you at Weiberts, I got lucky enough to kill a hog on Friday as well. My dad and I went up on a ranch near Mariposa that a friend owns. We caught a nice hog coming to water at dusk and I dropped it with my 25-06.
This hog was similar in size to yours and that 100 grain Parition from the 25-06 dropped it in its tracks.

Man, now I bet you can't wait for deer season. Again, sounds like you had a great trip and you will have some fine eating soon.

R F

Bob, people were surprised by the color, "I thought pigs were supposed to be black?"

RF
It would be nice to run into you, I'm the big guy with red hair, hard to miss. they said it should be done some time this week. I have enough requests for the meat that if I filled them all I'd have a bit of sausage left for myself. :-)

I am really looking forward to deer season, have plans to send this rifle off for muzzle brake removal and am going to get the others ready too. I prefer the Whelen and will get the misfire problem sorted out in short order. Then maybe do something with my 308 norma that has been shot 5 times in 3 years! Congrats on your hog!!

Red

Red,
Decent! Given the dry conditions of the last few years, that's not a bad piggywig. If we can get a good wet year or even two, the weights will go up substantially. Of course, for eatin' the mid-sized ones are better, anyway. Glad you had fun. My first head of big game was also a pig, up next to Red Bluff. I never have managed to score on a deer, unless you want to count a Canadian caribou, but pork will feed the kids right well.