Went deer-hunting with no luck today so I decided to go sit in the field and see if any hogs showed up. I finally heard something a few hundred yards away, so I made my way as close as I dared by moonlight. I hit the spotlight and there was a lone boar about 50 yds away. He was already moving towards the fence and my shot hit him just behind the right shoulder knocking him onto his left side like a ton of bricks. He never moved until I got about 25-30 ft away then he scrambled onto his feet and was under the fence before I could get another shot off. I followed him onto the neighboring property and could hear him laboring pretty close by but the brush was too thick and my spotlight was dying. I didn't feel like tangling with a 250-300 lb. boar in the dark so, I went to the house for another light but never found and sign of him. I'm sure he died pretty quickly as hard as he was hit, but I'm going back in the A.M. to see if I can find him. I hate to lose any animal but his hoof-prints are near softball size and he's got some pretty serious tusks on him-no fun if he's still alive.
Game animals are tough. Even when hit well, they can still get up and run. You only need to take your eyes off them for a second. I have been there and done that. Good luck finding him before the coyotes do.
You raise an interesting point. In TX if you shoot an animal and it crosses a property fence can you go after it?
By law it's not legal, but we get along with all of the neighbors out there pretty well. They all want them gone as much as we do. The way the law is written, authorization from the property owner is required before crossing property boundaries to retrieve any game animal (or anything else). In a situation like this, if the property owner hadn't o.k.'ed me to go after that hog and he found him dead on his property, he could legally keep him to do with as he wanted. well i'm off to try to find ole porky. Wish me luck!
Welp, I spent a couple of hours looking for this guy and never found any tracks or blood anywhere. The area that he disappeared into is what we call "shinnery". It's basically an impenetrable (for humans)mix of small oaks, mesquites, and various types of cactus that has hundereds of game trails running through it. The daytime temps are still in the 80's so I can prob. follow the smell in a few days. From the size of the hoofprints and the spacing of them, we're estimating that he's around 300 lbs. This makes me sick!
I know nothing of hog hunting toolman, but i have heard they have a, for lack of a better word "fat pack" is it possible that you didn't hit any vitals and just stunned him for the moment?
Also are the trees just so close together that you cannot get into it? How large is it? Very interesting forest feature.
I know nothing of hog hunting toolman, but i have heard they have a, for lack of a better word "fat pack" is it possible that you didn't hit any vitals and just stunned him for the moment?
Also are the trees just so close together that you cannot get into it? How large is it? Very interesting forest feature.
SS, I generally prefer to shoot them in the neck just behind the jawline but this one was moving pretty fast and I was holding a cordless spotlight in my left hand and my M-44 in my right, so I aimed for just behind the shoulder. After the shot, I was pretty blind from the muzzle flash and didn't see where it actually landed. There is the possibility that I pulled the shot and hit him in the shoulder which is covered by what some call the "shield", which is basically a thick layer of fat and scar tissue from their constant fighting. The "shinnery" that I wrote about is not a large area, maybe 1\2 acre in size and is very dense with a maze of game "tunnels" all through it. I'm going back out tomorrow and will try to get some pics.
Wow, Toolman! You had the same kind of night I did! Friday nothing was happening because of the heat, so I went out to kill some yotes with my Bushmaster. They weren't biting either, but I kept hearing what sounded like calves about 50 yards behind me in the brush. I got curious and put the light to them. Two boars. I shot the big one dead, then got a second shot off at #2. I must have gut shot him because he took off squeeling into the neighbors brush. I followed with my flashlight and .45. I came up on him about 50 yards farther lookin like he was game over. I shot him again at about 5 yards and he took off again. Another 30 yards and there he was, accept this time when I got close he charged me. I shot him again at about 8 feet, and he turned and ran. Long story short, he charged me twice and I shot him 7 times with my .45 before he croaked. My last shot was at about 2 feet. It took 1 .223 and 7 .45's to drop him. Thats more fun than deer hunting anyway!
__________________ "I'm your huckleberry. Thats just my game!"
You don't have a dog for tracking them "lost" hogs? I know here in Pa we never used to be allowed to use dogs to track a lost deer. I always thought that was a shame, since most lost game lies dead somewhere. My friend always just says, well, something will eat it.
all these hog stories has me wanting to jump in the truck and head down. I bought the truck on ebay about four or five years ago, and it still has a dead Texas plate on the front of it.
I cant wait to get charged again! It really is a rush! I'm thinking maybe a .357 next time. Or not making the mistake of chasing him with only one .45 mag.
__________________ "I'm your huckleberry. Thats just my game!"
Lost a hog. 
