My first Hog (Warning Blood)

[puma guy]

We started getting Hogs on our deer lease a little over two years ago after eradicating them back in the 1990's. I never shot one back then.The ones we now are plagued with have been showing up almost exclusively at night. I was watching a nice deer , contemplating maybe taking him when I looked at another shooting lane and saw this guy we've been after walk up at 4:30PM. The distance was 120 yards and the sun was in my eyes. I was wearing electronic ear protectors, so I couldn't hear the "whumph" that a hit makes and he took off like a scalded cat. No blood at the shot site nor on the trail he took. Found him by a tree about 80 yards away. We were estimating him at two hundred pounds, but after loading him in the back of the Kubota bed we're thinking more like 250.

upload image on web

[AF-Odin]

Nice size hog and appears to be a good hit right behind the shoulder. Did you dress him out or feed him to the coyotes? I usually only butcher for meat those under about 100#

[tomneal]

[The Annoyed Man]

.270, or .30-'06?

[cmgee67]

Nice size hog and appears to be a good hit right behind the shoulder. Did you dress him out or feed him to the coyotes? I usually only butcher for meat those under about 100#

If you are leaving the bigger ones, try this. Get the larger ones ground into summer sausage, snack sticks, breakfast sausage, German link sausage, ground meat, anything ground basically. My processor does that for me when I bring him a large hog. I cannot tell the difference between a sow, boar, or small pig when they are ground up. However, for regular butchering 100lbs and under is about my limit also. I like the them to be 60-80 preferably if I’m just wanting some good chops.

[der Teufel]

Nice size hog and appears to be a good hit right behind the shoulder. Did you dress him out or feed him to the coyotes? I usually only butcher for meat those under about 100#

If you are leaving the bigger ones, try this. Get the larger ones ground into summer sausage, snack sticks, breakfast sausage, German link sausage, ground meat, anything ground basically. My processor does that for me when I bring him a large hog. I cannot tell the difference between a sow, boar, or small pig when they are ground up. However, for regular butchering 100lbs and under is about my limit also. I like the them to be 60-80 preferably if I’m just wanting some good chops.

Agree. The smaller ones fit a variety of recipes, the larger ones end up as ground meat or sausage. For me, "larger" starts somewhere around 125-140Lbs. Often I'll save the back straps from a larger hog and cook them in a pressure for stew. The pressure cooker makes 'em real tender!

OP — Nice hog! Keep After 'Em!

[puma guy]

.270, or .30-'06?

.270 It's a Model 70 with a detachable mag. I think it was in the 1990's that they reverted back to the old design controlled feed rifles and put a detachable mag on this model. I have a Zeiss Conquest 6-20 x50 on it. I thought the shot was 120 yards, but I looked at my sheet in the stand today and that feeder is 178 yards away and he was right next to it.

Odin

Nice size hog and appears to be a good hit right behind the shoulder. Did you dress him out or feed him to the coyotes? I usually only butcher for meat those under about 100#

We just took the hams and backstraps. My hunting buddy is giving it to his next door neighbor. The rest for the Coyotes and Buzzards. He was a big boy. My estimation was wrong he was 253#.

[The Annoyed Man]

.270, or .30-'06?

.270 It's a Model 70 with a detachable mag. I think it was in the 1990's that they reverted back to the old design controlled feed rifles and put a detachable mag on this model. I have a Zeiss Conquest 6-20 x50 on it. I thought the shot was 120 yards, but I looked at my sheet in the stand today and that feeder is 178 yards away and he was right next to it.

Nice! Looking at the picture, I figured it was a long action. That same scope is on a custom-built rifle (Shilen barrel on a Sako action, in a McMillan stock) I’ve been holding and trying to sell for a friend who can no longer own firearms…chambered in .264 Winchester Magnum. Sadly, the caliber has entered into the domain of tinkerers rather than mainstream hunters, so it has been hard to generate much interest in the rifle.

But that’s cool that you have a classic wood-stocked controlled-feed Model 70. I like it.

[puma guy]

.270, or .30-'06?

.270 It's a Model 70 with a detachable mag. I think it was in the 1990's that they reverted back to the old design controlled feed rifles and put a detachable mag on this model. I have a Zeiss Conquest 6-20 x50 on it. I thought the shot was 120 yards, but I looked at my sheet in the stand today and that feeder is 178 yards away and he was right next to it.

Nice! Looking at the picture, I figured it was a long action. That same scope is on a custom-built rifle (Shilen barrel on a Sako action, in a McMillan stock) I’ve been holding and trying to sell for a friend who can no longer own firearms…chambered in .264 Winchester Magnum. Sadly, the caliber has entered into the domain of tinkerers rather than mainstream hunters, so it has been hard to generate much interest in the rifle.

But that’s cool that you have a classic wood-stocked controlled-feed Model 70. I like it.

I shoot Federal Premium 130 gr Sierra Gameking Boat Tail Soft Points. I got a nice 9 pt buck this morning with it. The first firearm I bought and paid for my self was a Model 70 .243 in 1964, It was the first year of the newly designed and cheapened rifles that Winchester produced. My dad went with me because I was only 16 and I put it on lay-away at a discount store named Globe Shopping City. I started working for them two years later and eventually was a sporting goods manager. I reloaded back then and we had some zippy loads, glass bedded the action and adjusted the trigger for pull and over travel. It shot well. From 60 gr Sierra to 100 gr Nosler, we had a blast. I built a shooting bench and target frame. We vaporized quite a few small mammals with those 60 gr bullets. My .270 is much nicer than the .243 with cut checkering, though it's probably machine cut and nice smooth grain. You may have noticed the slip on recoil pad. I use them to extend the LOP for my long arms. It's a habit I picked up years ago because I I put a Pachmayr on a rifle that eventually sold and the guy had average arms and I had lost the original butt plate.
When I was selling guns .264 was quite popular. Besides run of the mill American brands we had high end firearms as well, Sako, Steyr Mannlicher, Colt Sauer, Franchi, Charles Daly, Beretta and others. We even acquired a Colt franchise, though we couldn't discount them.
The rifle your selling sounds like a really nice weapon. As you said probably a niche gun these days. As for classic wooden stocked rifles, I used to joke that after handing Colt AR-15 to a customer to peruse I I would have to pick up a nice Walnut and Blued Steel rifle to get the ich off my hands. I never sold a single AR-15 while I worked there, (5 years). People just didn't go for aluminum and plastic back then. Boy have things changed, including me. I now think they are the most beautiful creation going. Well, I hope you find a buyer for your friend's rifle. Sad he's had to give up his guns. I know a guy who's in the same boat.
I know we've never met at any of the little get togethers that Andy put together at Elm Fork, but I feel I know you from your many interesting and informative posts. Perhaps they'll be a meet up in the future. I travel to Mansfield several times a year to visit my daughter there.
I've prattled on far to long. Thanks for the comments and Merry Christmas!

[puma guy]

I got a nice 9 point buck the day after I killed the hog.

[03Lightningrocks]

Nice Buck

[TomV]

Nice pig and nice deer.

Congrats.

[mrvmax]

Looks like you had a profitable hunt, congrats.