STICK&STRING
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 81
- Reaction score
- 3
Well guys, I Finally DID IT! I got my First Tusker! I got a phone call from a buddy of mine inviting me up to his families ranch for the weekend. It was more or less a trip for relaxing and a ranch house clean up but I also got a little hunting time in as well. My buddy and I arrived at the ranch late thursday night, got settled in and called it a night. Woke up just before first light Fri morning and was greeted with RAIN! We decided just to stay in for the morning. We got to bed late so neither of us were complaining when we decided to call off the morning hunt.
We started to get breaks in the rain around 5pm, I loaded up my .243 and we headed for the shooting range they have set up to verify our rifles were on. We both took 3 shots, our equipment was dead on and ready to put some meat in the freezers. We headed back to the house and my GF krista arrives with one of her friends. We ended up staying the inside the rest of the evening eating and having drinks. Saturday morning came and we were all VERY excited with what we saw! CLEAR SKYS! We loaded up at first light, threw our gear in the Polaris's and headed for the hills. Within the first 20 minutes, still moving on a ranch road, I spot a hog roughly 150 yards down a draw watching us drive by. I yell HOG, and my buddy slams on the breaks. By that time, the one hog I spotted turned into a herd of 10-15 (including babies) and decided they weren't going to stick around. We knew exactly what trail head they were escaping on and where they "should" end up.
We started to move and we circled around the ridge top 500 yard run/climb, got down where we thought they should come out and got our rifles ready for the first opportunity. We waited for maybe one minute which seemed like an eternity and I began to second guess our decision of where they where headed. At that very moment, I spotted movement in the tree's 50 yards below the opening where we thought they would come out. It was them! They were still on the move but staying in heavy cover! The herd eventually moved out of site (over the next ridge) and never giving us an opportunity. We were both pretty bummed out. We packed up, regained our composure and started heading back where we first encountered the hogs as they left a group of 4 piglets under the bush's they broke from.
By the time we got back the piglets were no where to be seen, we searched around a bit and found no piglets. We started walking back up the trail towards the Polaris and I catch movement to my right. I turn my head and there he was! I remember only a few things as it all happened SO fast. As I turned my head, I spotted 2 ears, a snout and I new I was looking at a big head. I hear grunt sound, the pig lifts up and lowers his head and begins charging directly at my GF, my buddy, and myself. I was on the right side of the trail making me the closest person to the hog. When I first spotted him he was exactly 50 yards from where we were standing. I pulled my .243 off my shoulders, racked a round into the chamber and remember thinking I HAVE to put this pig on the ground! By this time my GF grabs ahold of my shoulder in fear and my buddy is still trying to figure out what is going on as he has yet to see the pig. I now have the hog in my scope but I dont remember what the cross hair was on! The only thing going through my head is STOP THIS HOG!
I suppose I chose a good spot and pulled the trigger. To my amazement, I watched the hog Drop head first go head over heals once and then began rolling down the hill! I dropped to one knee, put my crosshairs on the center of his vitals as he was rolling down the hill and pulled the trigger. We watched him roll 200 yards down the hill and stopped in a creek. That entire scenario happened in just a few seconds! What an AMAZING HUNT! My gf was shaken up, still not believing what just happened, my buddy kept saying "WHAT THE F!@#$ !" We regain composure again, leave my GF with the Polaris and my pistol, and my buddy and I began our decent down the hill after him. By the time we got to him I was SO DAMN EXCITED! I just realized I killed my FIRST BOAR! He had one good cutter, and the other was broken off. His upper teeth are not THAT long like some of the monsters you guys bring home up they were THERE!!!!!! It took us 1 1/2 hrs to get him out of the creek. Once we got back to the ranch house we weighed him out at 232 lbs..
After further inspection the first shot (head on) hit just below his lower jaw, made a HUGE wound channel through his neck and destroyed his spine at the lower neck. The second shot entered at the top of his right shoulder and lodged in the other shield. The second bullet went through both lungs and just barley missed the heart!
BTW, Iam was using 85g Barnes TSX's. Very happy with its performance. Wish that second round would have blown through the other shield/shoulder but what are you going to do?
We started to get breaks in the rain around 5pm, I loaded up my .243 and we headed for the shooting range they have set up to verify our rifles were on. We both took 3 shots, our equipment was dead on and ready to put some meat in the freezers. We headed back to the house and my GF krista arrives with one of her friends. We ended up staying the inside the rest of the evening eating and having drinks. Saturday morning came and we were all VERY excited with what we saw! CLEAR SKYS! We loaded up at first light, threw our gear in the Polaris's and headed for the hills. Within the first 20 minutes, still moving on a ranch road, I spot a hog roughly 150 yards down a draw watching us drive by. I yell HOG, and my buddy slams on the breaks. By that time, the one hog I spotted turned into a herd of 10-15 (including babies) and decided they weren't going to stick around. We knew exactly what trail head they were escaping on and where they "should" end up.
We started to move and we circled around the ridge top 500 yard run/climb, got down where we thought they should come out and got our rifles ready for the first opportunity. We waited for maybe one minute which seemed like an eternity and I began to second guess our decision of where they where headed. At that very moment, I spotted movement in the tree's 50 yards below the opening where we thought they would come out. It was them! They were still on the move but staying in heavy cover! The herd eventually moved out of site (over the next ridge) and never giving us an opportunity. We were both pretty bummed out. We packed up, regained our composure and started heading back where we first encountered the hogs as they left a group of 4 piglets under the bush's they broke from.
By the time we got back the piglets were no where to be seen, we searched around a bit and found no piglets. We started walking back up the trail towards the Polaris and I catch movement to my right. I turn my head and there he was! I remember only a few things as it all happened SO fast. As I turned my head, I spotted 2 ears, a snout and I new I was looking at a big head. I hear grunt sound, the pig lifts up and lowers his head and begins charging directly at my GF, my buddy, and myself. I was on the right side of the trail making me the closest person to the hog. When I first spotted him he was exactly 50 yards from where we were standing. I pulled my .243 off my shoulders, racked a round into the chamber and remember thinking I HAVE to put this pig on the ground! By this time my GF grabs ahold of my shoulder in fear and my buddy is still trying to figure out what is going on as he has yet to see the pig. I now have the hog in my scope but I dont remember what the cross hair was on! The only thing going through my head is STOP THIS HOG!
I suppose I chose a good spot and pulled the trigger. To my amazement, I watched the hog Drop head first go head over heals once and then began rolling down the hill! I dropped to one knee, put my crosshairs on the center of his vitals as he was rolling down the hill and pulled the trigger. We watched him roll 200 yards down the hill and stopped in a creek. That entire scenario happened in just a few seconds! What an AMAZING HUNT! My gf was shaken up, still not believing what just happened, my buddy kept saying "WHAT THE F!@#$ !" We regain composure again, leave my GF with the Polaris and my pistol, and my buddy and I began our decent down the hill after him. By the time we got to him I was SO DAMN EXCITED! I just realized I killed my FIRST BOAR! He had one good cutter, and the other was broken off. His upper teeth are not THAT long like some of the monsters you guys bring home up they were THERE!!!!!! It took us 1 1/2 hrs to get him out of the creek. Once we got back to the ranch house we weighed him out at 232 lbs..
After further inspection the first shot (head on) hit just below his lower jaw, made a HUGE wound channel through his neck and destroyed his spine at the lower neck. The second shot entered at the top of his right shoulder and lodged in the other shield. The second bullet went through both lungs and just barley missed the heart!
BTW, Iam was using 85g Barnes TSX's. Very happy with its performance. Wish that second round would have blown through the other shield/shoulder but what are you going to do?
Attachments
Last edited:
