I went north for aprox three hours to a small town called Young were I met with my hunting buddies.

The farm looks like taken out from a Hitchcok movie. Imagine a nasty rainy day with a couple of old little farm buildings, one was closed and in one of the other two was a dead calf so we sleep in the floor of what used to be the kitchen of the estancia. The name of the farm was "La Tristona" that translated means something like "The Sad One" (but female).

Between the dead calf, the rainy day, the name of the farm and the gaucho in charge of the place that looks like a mythologic dwarf covered with long hair, the only thing that was missing that night was a couple of howling wolves outside the kitchen.

Early in the morning we went to a big swamp were we released the hounds to move the pigs. I walk along the swamp trying to find some place to go inside to intercept some of the pigs escape trails when suddenly I hear something running in the water towards me. I run and run but it was impossible to arrive and when I do it the wild boar (a big one) already passed infront of me so I missed my chance, the visibility was under 7 or 8 metres and the water was up my knees. Maybe next time.

At least we don't get out empty handed as one of my buddies was able to shoot a big sow using buckshots in his o/u 12 gauge.

Good Hunting
LG
Maybe the story isn't very interesting but I'm trying to turn round the page of the latest topics, any colaboration is welcome

[ 08-26-2003, 23:32: Message edited by: Lorenzo ]

Believe it or not, I had almost the same experience. In a dark, misty night we entered a maize field with a pack of dogos (argentine hounds). Soon I lost sight of the pack and was walking in a somber mood, what with that hideous mud sticking to my boots....suddenly a big hog and a calf erupted from the maize, coming right to me at great speed. At the very last moment the hog veered off to my right. I never could shoot, just mounted the calf and run

Lorenzo, which one of your amigos whacked the pig ?? I have to know who to envy ..... Also, having been there ... (with you and your friends .. ) how good is buckshot normally on those big fierce shaggy Russian wild pigs ???

Richard Powell: this is no joke. In last April I was hunting a location at La Pampa Province, where the same kind of boars (or bigger, in fact very much bigger) can be found. One of these took one shot from a 7.65 Mauser (solid) and 5 shots from a 44 Magnum and another solid before giving the ghost. Of course the pistol shots were mostly placed around the edges, but we butchered the critter and found all pistol projectiles embedded in the grease beneath the skin or deflected by bone. I�ve never shot a hog with 00buck but don�t believe too much in it. Perhaps Lorenzo�s experience is greater, I�m keen in hearing it.
I guess the hog�s live weight at about 300 pounds.By the way I always use a 375 H&H with 270 grainers in these fellows.
Regards

I bet a 12 gauge slug (Foster or Brenneke) would put a world of hurt on any pig inside of 50 meters.

I love the South American hunting stories. More, More...

We used Brenneke slugs, .44 Mag rifles, .45 muzzleloaders, .30-06 and .30-30 while I was stationed in California. One did about as well as the other. I never knew anyone to use buckshot on hogs...

[ 08-29-2003, 02:02: Message edited by: Hobie ]

My wife and I have both killed pigs, around 175 to 185lbs, with slugs [Remington 12ga.low recoil foster type, they shoot good in my wifes drilling and in my Beretta single bbl folding shotgun]. Both pigs hit at about 20 yards broadside behind the shoulder [do not want to mess up the shoulder roast ]. Both pigs ran 80 yards. The slugs went all the way through the pigs. Only meat lost was a couple of bites of ribs at entrance and exit.

Having seen the thick bush in some of that country .. and knowing how fast those varmints move ... at one stage I traded a bolt action rifle for a Benelli with 5 slugs .. I thought that I had a better chance of hitting a streaking pig with it than a scopesighted bolt rifle .. Maybe the only time in my life I felt so handicapped ..

Hi everyone!!
Just back from the countryside, only yesterday I made 900 kilometres!!

Richard, Pancho was the one that shot the pig using buckshots, some of them went through the pig, the shooting distance was aprox. 6 metres.

I was near and saw the pig running towards us first but I noticed it was going directly to Pancho so I leave it. When we skin it was incredible the perfect circle the pellets have done when they hit the pig, was a big "0", so to be honest I don't recomend using them at a larger distance (in the other barrel Pancho was using a slug).

I've to leave but leater I will continue with some hunting stories....

Regards
Lorenzo

Good for Pancho !! A Russian wild boar at 6 metres .. I ain't done many things in my life that exciting .. and I'm a bit grizzled from the years piling up !!!

Richard,
I just send an e-mail.
LG

I wasn't there, but that must have been an awfully small boar, Russian or otherwise for buckshot to completely penetrate. I've seen a pig shot at 4 feet in the shoulder with a 10 ga and buckshot that ran off, and would still be rooting around, but another hunter shot him end to end with a .303. The whole load of buckshot penetrated about 2 inches and flattened out on the shoulder gristle. While buckshot will work on pigs, it is a very close range proposition. I wouldn't use it period, unless I was hunting in cover like along the local Sulfur River in the cane brakes where the maximum shooting distance is under 10 feet.

Pigs are fairly tough, and if you're using dogs and have running shots, then you need all the horsepower you can get, a .45-70 with 350 grainers is nearly ideal, but they are not nearly as tough as people seem to believe IF you have the luxury of shot placement. Shoot them from the shoulder forward and they are dead, right there, with anything that will penetrate 12 inches or so. Pigs are commonly killed around here with a .223, usually because that is what the rancher has in his truck. Not the ideal choice, but it makes dead pigs.

Gato, the sow wasn't so small, aprox. 70 kilos, for us that is a "linda chancha"

Pancho always use two barrels, one with buckshots and the other one with a slug, if the pig ia near and running as in this case, he slow it down with the buckshots, then he have more time to aim with the slug, this time that wasn't necessary as as soon he shoot it and the pig was kicking near him he jump on top and with a big knife he finish his job

He decide what barrel to use depending the moment. I was with my 444 marlin.

LG

Lorenzo .. thanks for the e mail. I have replied .. That 444 Marlin of yours sounds like a pretty good gun for that kind of shooting .. I hate iron sights ... but in that thick stuff I suspect I would change my mind pronto .. And I do know that I need another knife as the sissy kinds that I own now have blades only about 4 inches long .. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought them .. although I don't usually slug it out with the elk and moose .. that close and personal ...