Reliable back up for hog hunting?

[dmills]

I have given up on hunting the limited public lands in North Texas and have taken a lease in East Texas that has a strong deer population but also has too many hogs on it.

I will be hunting hogs some with the Lyman GPR in .54. If in the stand, I will have the T/C .45 loaded and next to me for follow-up.

On the ground, I think I will want a "reliable back-up" as suggested in another thread.

I am thinking I'll get at least one Lyman pistol in .54 as a back-up. Any other thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[Old Ironsights]

1 to 1-1/4 oz lead at a throw... and you get 2 .690/12ga throws. :grin:

 

[roundball]

"...any other thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated..."

Minimum for me would be a S&W .44 Magnum in a quick access holster...or a buddy with a Marlin 35Rem, .444, etc.

 

[TN.Frank]

I think if ya' hit em' right with the 54 you'll not need any "back up" but, that being said, I'd go with a Ruger Old Army and conical bullets with a max powder charge. That way you'll have 6 shots instead of 1 or 2. Old Army revolvers in stainless steel can still be had used for around $250-300 if you look around and they're the most reliable, toughest cap n' ball revolver going.

 

I've spent a lot of my life around hogs, domestic and wild, and I believe they're being greatly overrated, at least on this board. They can be ornery and nothing is any meaner than a bitin' sow with pigs. They're tough, but they ain't all that tough. I also believe a wild hog RARELY actually charges a person with malicious intent. They'll sure run in your direction and maybe take a swipe if you're close enough but 99% of the time they're running away in the direction a person happens to be. I've experienced what a lot of folks would probably call a "charge" but all those pigs wanted to do was get away.....NOW! Consequently I have a very difficult time believing most of the so called charges are remotely similar to a full blown charge such as bear or cape buffalo are capable of.

I've killed several with a 54 roundball, all well hit, and none required a second shot. Two or three went over 300 lbs. All were shot within 50 yards and I made certain to place the shot well. I agree with TN.Frank in that if you put the shot where it ought to be you won't need a back-up.

Having said that, I carry one of two handguns when hunting. Not necessarily for back-up purposes, mostly I like to carry a handgun in case I get a really close shot at a deer, bear or hog. One is a 45 cal. custom Kentucky flint and the other is a 54 cal. Lyman Great plains pistol. I don't believe I'd use the 45 on hogs or bear but within 25 yards I wouldn't hesitate with the 54.

Moslty it's gonna be up to you and how well you handle the excitement of the moment. If you get excited and gut shoot a hog instead of putting the round in it's boiler room you're gonna have a job ahead of you. That's true of any larger game.

Enjoy thinning them.....they're great fun to hunt.

Vic

 

[riverrat43]

I have to agree with Sharps...we shouldn't give 'em a college education. I've hunted them for years and have killed the last 6 or so with a spear. It increases the pucker factor a bit, but once the blade goes in the right place, they die. Same with a rifle or pistol ball. Put it in the right place and they'll die. I've shot them with everything from a bow, to a .22 mag up to a .416 Rigby ( just to see what it would do). I've also used my flint .50 with a patched RB to take a bunch of them. Again, it's all about range and shot placement.Remember also that their vitals are a wee bit farther back than on a deer. I've had a few run past me like Sharps was talking about and I suppose if I had tried to block their path or hem 'em in, I'd a had a bit of trouble. Most of the time they are just trying to get away.
The majority of the injuries I'm familiar with are caused by folks being careless. Poking at a downed hog before he dies, trying to get a close look at tusks, again, before he is dead, reaching in between catch dogs and the hog, etc. ( If I were to carry a back up pistol, it would be for one of them danged catch dogs in case he got me confused with the hog.....now them critters is dangersome!)
Enjoy your hunt, shoot straight and make some bacon. It's a great deal of fun and enjoyment.

 

[roundball]

"...also that their vitals are a wee bit farther back than on a deer..."

Thought they were a little more forward than on a deer.
I'd sure love to get in on some (free) hog hunts with my Flintlock...
:hatsoff:

 

[riverrat43]

Correct Roundball...they are a bit more forward than on a deer. Don't know why I said that...also the spinal column dips a bit lower from the shoulder.

 

[rebel727]

I also believe a wild hog RARELY actually charges a person with malicious intent.

Tell that to the guy from Iowa who came to Mississippi and went hog hunting. All they found of him was an empty rifle.

 

[riverrat43]

If all they found was an empty rifle, then I figure he probably met one of those Mississippi Belles and ran off with her!

 

[rebel727]

If all they found was an empty rifle, then I figure he probably met one of those Mississippi Belles and ran off with her!

She'd have took the rifle. :grin:

 

[riverrat43]

Yeah..on second thought you're probably right. Any right minded Southern Belle would have known not to leave a perfectly good rifle gun in the woods....her Daddy would disown her....musta been kidnapped by aliens or sumpin.

 

[Hoyt]

I doubt you will need a backup, but if you want more shots a Remington New Army comes in handy. I carried mine a few times when the pubic land I hunted allowed handguns..some public land around here don't. I finished off this little dry sow with mine one time. Shot her too far back behind the ear with .50cal. and she ran into some thick dried up cypress bramble. I think I shot 5 times at about 10' before she fell over and died.
It was so thick in there I had to belly crawl army style to get her.

 

[dmills]

Probably won't really NEED a back-up, until I NEED one. I think I'll stick with my plan to carry a Lyman .54 pistol along. If two shots won't save me, I hope I at least kill the hog that kilt me. A .44 magnum would do the job but I'll be hunting in 1836 or so, and I don't think that the .44 magnum came along for a few years after that. :grin:

I have bow-hunted boars in South Texas some years ago and woke up a few during their afternoon nap. They all ran away, except the big one. He snorted and charged. He stopped after short charge and then retreated. I never got a shot off.

 

[Rebel]

Yep, it is hard to line the sights up when you are busy slippin' and slidin' in all that doodoo ain't it. :grin:

 

[dmills]

Yep, it is hard to line the sights up when you are busy slippin' and slidin' in all that doodoo ain't it. :grin:

Wasn't that so much as that I started levitating when he charged and it's hard to aim when you ain't grounded. :grin:

 

[paulvallandigham]

May I recommend that you use a conical bullet in your .54 if you are shooting any boar that weighs more than 200 lbs? My experience is that while a PRB in that caliber will kill a boar, no matter how hard he is hit, it will take time and he can still hurt you. With a conical, you have bone crushing energy that will also shock the nervous system and put him down with a good chest hit. Going through that 3/8" thick shoulder blade takes a lot out of even a .54 cal. PRB. It only weighs 230 grains. The conicals will anchor him, even when the conical is of a lesser caliber and weighs less than your PRB. We had 3 charges out of 7 boars killed during my last boar hunt. One was escaping from the shooter, and simply was running up a game trail where another hunter was standing trying to take pictures. The cameraman didn't even realize he was in danger until moments before the the boar skidded to a stop about 6 feet in front of where the cameraman was standing. The other two charges were from injuried boars, who chased hunters around trees. Definitely not an attempt to escape. One was killed with a .357 Magnum revolver shooting a semi-wadcutter. The other was shot in the chest at point blank range with a riot shotgun shooting a 12 ga. slug.

 

[SavageArcher]

I'm with Riverrat43, I've seen pigs scatter every which way after a gunshot. This includes toward me. I've helped trap pigs and can testify that when corned they are fiesty and have had them chomp down on the end of a .22 rifle barrel when we tried to dispatch them.

Still, they deserve some respect and can inflict some hurt if you're careless. I also think a back up isn't too bad of an idea after my last BP hunt on public land in South Texas. I had two full grown sows and a pair of piglets come within 40 yards of me the last evening of my hunt.

I missed what I thought should have been a sure head shot. All hell broke loose after the shot. The sows hightailed to a canebreak and the piglets commenced to squealing and running circles around my ground stand. I had the shakes trying to reload and was very worried that the sows might turn back for the little ones. A little backup would have gone a long ways for settling the nerves at that moment. :grin:

Now I'm considering finshing an old CVA Kentucky pistol in .45 that my boss gave me. It's assembled minus a thimble but still in the white. It's a bit light for big piggies but it'll work for the coup'd'grace on a thrasher.

 

[roundball]

A .44 magnum would do the job but I'll be hunting in 1836 or so, and I don't think that the .44 magnum came along for a few years after that.

:grin:
I hear that...but for me personally, once I decided that I truly needed to have an emergency "backup" gun with me that I had to rely on to protect myself...that would cross the line regarding any BP related persona guidelines for me...it would be a S&W .44 Magnum, 2006.
:grin:

 

[paulvallandigham]

For what its worth, i carried a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum as my back up gun on both my boar hunts. I didn't have to use it, but both boars could have been easily killed with my handgun at the distances I had to shoot them. If I go boar hunting again, it will be with my revolver, and not a long gun of any kind.