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Posted: 1/2/2016 3:25:20 PM EDT
All right we have had hogs show up on my cousin's ranch. Seen and photographed small ones and two very large boars with two inch tusks.

Friday afternoon one of the boars decided to step out in day light. At first glance I thought it was a cow it was so big. About three and a hll at the shoulder when measured against my feeder legs. I use bright tape at three foot height to judge deer size and his back was above that.

I was using a 30-06 browning xbolt and the shot was at 100 yards. He stepped back as I fired and I hit him in the shoulder. I caught shoulder blade, no blood.
When he was hit, he went down on his side and dot from the dried mud on his coat went up. Last see walking across the neighbor's pasture and I could not see any blood on the side hit.

The round used was Remington corelok 150 grains. Works great on deer and the gun shoots clover leaf patterns with the load.

Now I do reload and plan on working up a load for next year but I would like to have a factory load with a heavier bullet. Currently thinking Barnes, nobler or hornaday in the 165 range.

Help, zombie pigs are loose.
Link Posted: 1/2/2016 3:56:37 PM EDT
[#1]
Dang, that's a bummer.  Sorry man.  You mentioned you hit him in the shoulder...are you confident on where the shot landed?  150gr (almost any type bullet) out of a 30-06 ought to have no trouble killing even a big hog...some bullets might be better or kill faster than others, but that's a pretty stout caliber especially at that range.  Sounds like the gun/load have worked for you well in the past with deer etc.  Have you confirmed POI at the distance you shot him since then with the same load (using several rounds to make sure you don't have a terrible grouping caused by some recently caused issue with the rifle/scope/mount?)?  I've had things screw me up in the past.  It's a bummer.  I don't think the bullet choice is necessarily at fault though.  That design has been around a long time.  1st thing I'd do is re-confirm zero and make sure there are no issues there.
Link Posted: 1/2/2016 4:05:46 PM EDT
[#2]
Zero confirmed, took a doe this morning no problem.

Now he was caked in mud and I saw the hit point on the shoulder because of a lot of smoked dust at poi. It did hit him because he went over.

Thinking back, the amount of dust that came up, makes me think a small stone may have been in the mud. Either that or they are now wear bullet proof vest.

I watched him cross the neighbor's pasture he gave no indication of being hit.
Link Posted: 1/2/2016 4:35:48 PM EDT
[#3]
Well dang...if you saw the impact point that rules out a lot.  If he was 3+ feet tall that's a dang big hog.  How far did you see him run in your neighbor's pasture?  I shot the hog pictured below at 50yds with two .308 150gr Winchester Power Points (Factory loads).  You can see both entrance holes about 2" from each other just behind the shoulder.  First shot it was standing still...second it was in a run.  This pig ran almost 250 yards with no lungs (with a change of direction mid way along his path).  Of course there was a lot of blood to trail since both shots exited, but the hog didn't even react to the shots.  If there would not have been blood I would have thought I missed both shots because it just ran off like nothing happened.  And this is a small hog (maybe 125lb).  Maybe your hog was large enough (and had additional protection of caked on dried mud...and like you said maybe even small rocks etc) that the bullet just didn't exit.  Really curious how far you saw yours run before you lost sight of him.

Link Posted: 1/2/2016 6:35:28 PM EDT
[#4]
He went about 123 yards to the fence and the pasture he went into is about 400 yards across. Both measurements was with my range finder. I measured the neighbor's pasture when I coyote hunted year before last. He entered brush when I lost sight of him.

As for the size of the hog, neighbor one mile down the road shot a 726 pound hog and it was weighed on certified scales last spring. Meat went to the church for the needy. Another hog weighing 500+ according to txdps caused the death of a motorcycle driver when he hit it at 60mph about 5 miles from the ranch. So monsters do roam in the neighborhood.

I may just go up a bit to 165 grain range. The rifle seems to like this weight range but I went with the 150 grain  because I have a large amount on hand.

Going by the picture posted above, the hit was toward the head about four inchs and up about two. I will proubly never figure the hit out but I will try to hit him in the head or lung next time.

On a side note, I ran up on about twenty pigs in the fifty pound range on the way out of the ranch. Not time to get a shot.
Link Posted: 1/3/2016 1:29:21 AM EDT
[#5]
Barnes vor-tx  '06 come in 150, 168, 180 grn ttsx. What I use in my '06, not a hogger. Thankfully we don't have that issue here in co, but any of those should work. Nosler loads custom and trophy both load up 150-200grns.  Doubletap loads both barnes tsx and nosler accubonds a little hotter then facotry, but you'll have to order his. My 280rem loves his 160 accubond and 175 partitons.
Link Posted: 1/3/2016 1:57:51 AM EDT
[#6]
Sorry about your bad luck.  Sometimes animals get lucky and a sure kill shot doesn't hit anything vital and away they go.
Link Posted: 1/3/2016 2:04:47 AM EDT
[#7]
Dang, you do have some monsters in the area apparently.  I'd try the TSX as some have mentioned or Nosler Partitions/Accubonds.  If those don't do the trick it's time to invest in a minigun. :)
Link Posted: 1/3/2016 2:17:00 AM EDT
[#8]
Head shoot them, that's the only way to get one shot stoppage. they are a plague in Louisiana. I've killed seven this year.
Link Posted: 1/3/2016 8:15:12 PM EDT
[#9]
I use a lot of core-lokt  100gr out of a .243 Win with good results.  The only thought that comes to mind is the 150gr is kinda light out
of a 30-06 and was maybe traveling so fast the bullet fell apart before it got enough penetration.
Not likely, but its all I got.
I kill 30 - 40 pigs a year with the core-lokt bullets, none of them that big, and quite a few will travel 50-60 yds.
I've also had them rollover and then just start walking off instead off running like you describe,  makes me glad for
hi cap magazines and auto loading rifles.
Link Posted: 1/3/2016 8:55:57 PM EDT
[#10]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Sorry about your bad luck.  Sometimes animals get lucky and a sure kill shot doesn't hit anything vital and away they go.
View Quote



I would think along these lines . 150 in a 30-06 is a stout load but sometimes freaky stuff happens.

Thing I would worry about most is you losing confidence in that bullet . Step up and go for a bigger /better true hunting bullet until you anchor Hogzilla . They won't be a world of difference but should be expected to perform at a better level than the run of the mill 150.

After you nail the big guy I would be interested to know the results of your autopsy and just what did or didn't happen with the first shot.
Of course the big boy could be dead back in the brush or swamp as we speak. keep an eye out for the vultures !

If you do get him we want pictures!
Link Posted: 1/4/2016 12:31:43 AM EDT
[#11]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:



I would think along these lines . 150 in a 30-06 is a stout load but sometimes freaky stuff happens.

Thing I would worry about most is you losing confidence in that bullet . Step up and go for a bigger /better true hunting bullet until you anchor Hogzilla . They won't be a world of difference but should be expected to perform at a better level than the run of the mill 150.

After you nail the big guy I would be interested to know the results of your autopsy and just what did or didn't happen with the first shot.
Of course the big boy could be dead back in the brush or swamp as we speak. keep an eye out for the vultures !

If you do get him we want pictures!
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Sorry about your bad luck.  Sometimes animals get lucky and a sure kill shot doesn't hit anything vital and away they go.



I would think along these lines . 150 in a 30-06 is a stout load but sometimes freaky stuff happens.

Thing I would worry about most is you losing confidence in that bullet . Step up and go for a bigger /better true hunting bullet until you anchor Hogzilla . They won't be a world of difference but should be expected to perform at a better level than the run of the mill 150.

After you nail the big guy I would be interested to know the results of your autopsy and just what did or didn't happen with the first shot.
Of course the big boy could be dead back in the brush or swamp as we speak. keep an eye out for the vultures !

If you do get him we want pictures!



This summer I was coyote hunting and had a great dog come in at about 75 yards, HARD on a call.  Had a perfect shot as he was checking out the call (fawn in distress), and let the shot go.  Saw him roll and thought I nailed him, only to see him get up and run away to about 200yds.  I shot at him again and held over a bit high,  and missed in my haste (I saw the puff of dirt just behind him from a shot just over the top).   He didn't stick around to give me a chance at #3.

I could have sworn that first round nailed him and I couldn't believe I missed.   Guy working the call thought I hit him too as he saw him roll, but never saw a cloud of dust from the round to show a clear miss like my second shot.  I was really kicking myself, and after calling for another 15 minutes hoping to get him back in, we packed up.  As I was getting up, I saw what was a perfect 3/4 circle about .224 diameter in a big thick horseweed that was in the fence row we used as cover.   Only thing I can think of is that I hit that weed out of the muzzle, and maybe the bullet either veered way off course (and he rolled as a reaction to the crack of the gun) or maybe it shed the jacked and a fragment hit him but wasn't fatal.

Of course my confidence was shaken so had to go out the next night and confirm my dope.  Put a 16oz bottle of water out at the ranges that I shot at (75 and 200) and hit them both 2 for 2.  Yeah, I was taking my time and didn't have the stress of a shot at a live animal, but it helped me confirm that if I put the scope where it needs to be, the gun will do its part.


Hope the doe kill got your confidence back OP, and you can nail some hogs again.
Link Posted: 1/4/2016 9:33:10 AM EDT
[#12]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


Thanks for the replies.

I have not lost confidence in the bullet but I am just trying to figure out why it did not put him down for good. Also what I want is to increase my taking of hogs in a more ethical level IE: dropping the animal and not losing the meat since the animal is giving it's life up to feed me. I have gotten read of rifles and ammo that did not perform up to my standards of a quick efficent kill as long as I do my part in shot placement.

In this case my shot placement could have been better.


This summer I was coyote hunting and had a great dog come in at about 75 yards, HARD on a call.  Had a perfect shot as he was checking out the call (fawn in distress), and let the shot go.  Saw him roll and thought I nailed him, only to see him get up and run away to about 200yds.  I shot at him again and held over a bit high,  and missed in my haste (I saw the puff of dirt just behind him from a shot just over the top).   He didn't stick around to give me a chance at #3.

I could have sworn that first round nailed him and I couldn't believe I missed.   Guy working the call thought I hit him too as he saw him roll, but never saw a cloud of dust from the round to show a clear miss like my second shot.  I was really kicking myself, and after calling for another 15 minutes hoping to get him back in, we packed up.  As I was getting up, I saw what was a perfect 3/4 circle about .224 diameter in a big thick horseweed that was in the fence row we used as cover.   Only thing I can think of is that I hit that weed out of the muzzle, and maybe the bullet either veered way off course (and he rolled as a reaction to the crack of the gun) or maybe it shed the jacked and a fragment hit him but wasn't fatal.

Of course my confidence was shaken so had to go out the next night and confirm my dope.  Put a 16oz bottle of water out at the ranges that I shot at (75 and 200) and hit them both 2 for 2.  Yeah, I was taking my time and didn't have the stress of a shot at a live animal, but it helped me confirm that if I put the scope where it needs to be, the gun will do its part.


Hope the doe kill got your confidence back OP, and you can nail some hogs again.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Sorry about your bad luck.  Sometimes animals get lucky and a sure kill shot doesn't hit anything vital and away they go.



I would think along these lines . 150 in a 30-06 is a stout load but sometimes freaky stuff happens.

Thing I would worry about most is you losing confidence in that bullet . Step up and go for a bigger /better true hunting bullet until you anchor Hogzilla . They won't be a world of difference but should be expected to perform at a better level than the run of the mill 150.

After you nail the big guy I would be interested to know the results of your autopsy and just what did or didn't happen with the first shot.
Of course the big boy could be dead back in the brush or swamp as we speak. keep an eye out for the vultures !

If you do get him we want pictures!


Thanks for the replies.

I have not lost confidence in the bullet but I am just trying to figure out why it did not put him down for good. Also what I want is to increase my taking of hogs in a more ethical level IE: dropping the animal and not losing the meat since the animal is giving it's life up to feed me. I have gotten read of rifles and ammo that did not perform up to my standards of a quick efficent kill as long as I do my part in shot placement.

In this case my shot placement could have been better.


This summer I was coyote hunting and had a great dog come in at about 75 yards, HARD on a call.  Had a perfect shot as he was checking out the call (fawn in distress), and let the shot go.  Saw him roll and thought I nailed him, only to see him get up and run away to about 200yds.  I shot at him again and held over a bit high,  and missed in my haste (I saw the puff of dirt just behind him from a shot just over the top).   He didn't stick around to give me a chance at #3.

I could have sworn that first round nailed him and I couldn't believe I missed.   Guy working the call thought I hit him too as he saw him roll, but never saw a cloud of dust from the round to show a clear miss like my second shot.  I was really kicking myself, and after calling for another 15 minutes hoping to get him back in, we packed up.  As I was getting up, I saw what was a perfect 3/4 circle about .224 diameter in a big thick horseweed that was in the fence row we used as cover.   Only thing I can think of is that I hit that weed out of the muzzle, and maybe the bullet either veered way off course (and he rolled as a reaction to the crack of the gun) or maybe it shed the jacked and a fragment hit him but wasn't fatal.

Of course my confidence was shaken so had to go out the next night and confirm my dope.  Put a 16oz bottle of water out at the ranges that I shot at (75 and 200) and hit them both 2 for 2.  Yeah, I was taking my time and didn't have the stress of a shot at a live animal, but it helped me confirm that if I put the scope where it needs to be, the gun will do its part.


Hope the doe kill got your confidence back OP, and you can nail some hogs again.

Link Posted: 1/4/2016 9:58:05 AM EDT
[#13]
I've used 150gr 30.06 CorLokt for years, and it will do the job just fine on any size hog.
My biggest was 450lb, running at 200yd, dropped it with a shot right behind the shoulder.
If you want it punch through the shoulder joint on a giant hog, you might go with a tougher bullet, but I have a tough time believing you hit the actual shoulder and didn't just make a high "shoulder" shot where there is nothing important if it was trotting off like nothing happened, but I've seen stranger things...

I've used it on everything down to two 15lb striped piglets that lined up.  The first one was through the skull, the second one vaporized...

Link Posted: 1/5/2016 2:19:19 PM EDT
[#14]
If he was just easing off, why did you quit shooting?
Link Posted: 1/7/2016 9:26:50 AM EDT
[#15]
That hog is dead somewhere, guaranteed. I have shot a ton of animals with Remington Core-Lokt 150 gr. .308 and never lost one. That's what I use for hog hunting as well. It's a good bullet and has never failed to penetrate and kill anything I've shot with it.
Link Posted: 1/8/2016 3:00:55 PM EDT
[#16]
Sometimes they just don't realize they are dead.   Get up and walk off as it was a miss.    Might look for buzzards to confirm kill.  

Your bullet was good enough, shot placement good if you can hit a small water bottle at 100 yards.  

Btw...if you need some "help" let me know.  I have a 6.8spc that needs to be hunted.
Link Posted: 1/8/2016 6:02:47 PM EDT
[#17]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
If he was just easing off, why did you quit shooting?
View Quote

I quit shooting because I short stroked the bolt and had an empty chamber for the second shot(yes I got buck fever).

As far as looking for buzzards, I talked to my relatives and they spotted the hog with tow sows and another bore Wednesday. They said it looked like I hit too high on the back because they could see a crease on top of him. Yes even as I grow older I still get buck fever. They also spotted two sounders with 30+ in each, all under 100 pounds.

Big problem with the pigs is that they travel around the area and they will not stay on the ranch. You have to be patient for their return.

Right now I am building two new ar's. One to fit a 7.62x39 upper I got for Christmas and either a 6.5 grendel or 25-45 sharps. Until they are built I will be using a winchster model 100 in 308(made in 1961, 4 rounds in mag one in the pipe) that drives nails at 100 yards. Going semi means no short strokes next time.
Link Posted: 1/27/2016 2:59:47 PM EDT
[#18]
Keep us posted on that monster! Hope to see pics of a downed hog soon!
Link Posted: 1/27/2016 11:19:20 PM EDT
[#19]
oopssssssssss.......dbl post
Link Posted: 1/27/2016 11:20:25 PM EDT
[#20]
Realizing you made a mistake is a sure to to remember how to avoid it next time.   Seeing a huge hog makes me get "buck fever".  

 I was slowly  driving a friends acreage and as I rolled along, I glanced across a fence into some very thick mesquite brush and at first thought I was seeing the head of the ugliest cow ever.  It was 4'+ at the shoulders and the head was just damn ugly as hell squashed up and it was standing absolutely still. The brush was so thick I could only see a few pieces of this creature.
I rolled about another 50' feet before my slow reflexes said........that's a damn big hog.   Of course, once I had turned around, that huge hog(because it is a very smart hog) had run off and I missed any chance at all.
So, you did good...........you got a shot.   Which is much more than I was able to do....lol.

Seriously, believe if I had more experience seeing monster hogs, I would have reacted much better.  darnit.

Wherebouts are you seeing these zombie hogs?
Link Posted: 1/29/2016 6:29:50 PM EDT
[#21]
Probably hit him high, but on a deer would have been a good shot.

I did the same thing, smoked a boar, or I thought. Saw the hit and the hair fly through my scope. He took off and I knew it was a good shot.

Looked for a couple hours and then gave up.

Guy shot it about a month later, when they cleaned it, sure as shit I smoked it in the shoulder. Didnt even bother that stupid boar.

I keep kicking myself, should have shot it in the ear, but took the "safe" shot. Im not a big hunter, so of course my heart was beating and I didnt want to miss completely from like 70 yards.
Link Posted: 1/31/2016 11:06:13 PM EDT
[#22]
If he hit him high more than likely it would of clipped his spine and he would be laying on the ground. He probably hit him way forward in his brisk and the initial shock brought him down and he got up.  

How far did you track him?  Many times you will not find blood where you hit them. Sometimes there cavity needs to fill up before they will bleed from their exit wound. Very common when slapping em with a arrow.

I've killed several thousand pigs, and my round of choice are core lokts in my .308. Cheap, accurate and they kill the shit out of them.  Big boars are tough sob's though. I've seen them soak up hits and go a long ways with well placed shots.  

Hope to hear you getting back after em.
Link Posted: 1/31/2016 11:33:29 PM EDT
[#23]
My brother shot one @ 15yards with a 180gr power point, no blood, no exit, the pig charged them and busted its tusks out on the house(they were on the porch) it did die.  Corelokt bullets blowup in whitetail deer so I have no doubt that may have happened to you.
Link Posted: 1/31/2016 11:48:46 PM EDT
[#24]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Realizing you made a mistake is a sure to to remember how to avoid it next time.   Seeing a huge hog makes me get "buck fever".  

 I was slowly  driving a friends acreage and as I rolled along, I glanced across a fence into some very thick mesquite brush and at first thought I was seeing the head of the ugliest cow ever.  It was 4'+ at the shoulders and the head was just damn ugly as hell squashed up and it was standing absolutely still. The brush was so thick I could only see a few pieces of this creature.
I rolled about another 50' feet before my slow reflexes said........that's a damn big hog.   Of course, once I had turned around, that huge hog(because it is a very smart hog) had run off and I missed any chance at all.
So, you did good...........you got a shot.   Which is much more than I was able to do....lol.

Seriously, believe if I had more experience seeing monster hogs, I would have reacted much better.  darnit.

Wherebouts are you seeing these zombie hogs?
View Quote


North east Burnet near shady grove. Over at Briggs a neighbor to the place we have there, took a 726 pound boar. It was weighed on certified scales. The bbq'ed roast tasted good, just a pound worth and the rest went to feed the hungry.

This not the only large monster seen on my cousin's ranch. I got a photo in 2011 of a sow. The camera was set up at a three foot height and her back was about a foot higher.

Most of the hogs I have seen or have photos of right now are about 100 pound size.

Right now I am working on a 7.62x39 load using a Barnes ttx bullet for my new ar. I plan on a mid March hunt for hog and coyote.

Current problem is turkey. We worked on feed grinding and had 53 toms and hens come up. Actual count.
Link Posted: 2/4/2016 12:42:49 AM EDT
[#25]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
If he hit him high more than likely it would of clipped his spine and he would be laying on the ground. He probably hit him way forward in his brisk and the initial shock brought him down and he got up.  

How far did you track him?  Many times you will not find blood where you hit them. Sometimes there cavity needs to fill up before they will bleed from their exit wound. Very common when slapping em with a arrow.

I've killed several thousand pigs, and my round of choice are core lokts in my .308. Cheap, accurate and they kill the shit out of them.  Big boars are tough sob's though. I've seen them soak up hits and go a long ways with well placed shots.  

Hope to hear you getting back after em.
View Quote


Several thousand? Damn I am so jealous. If I ever win the powerball I am buying some property in Texas.
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