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I asked several months ago about the legitimacy of shooting a .223/5.56 at a feral hog. Well these last 3 days I was on a hunting ranch in southern Mizzou called Stone Creek, it's located just southeast of Ft. Leonard Wood near Edgar Springs, MO.
I went with 4 friends, myself and Ben shooting an AR-15 chambered in .223, Cory shooting a bolt .243, Steve shooting a 30-30 lever and Aaron shooting a bow.
All 5 of us were successful at taking pigs, Ben, Cory and myself took good sized Boars from 180-230 pounds. Steve and Aaron took sows, one weighing 210 and the other 170 pounds.
Cory rang out the first shot on hunting day one with the ranch dog baying a sounder, we all came running and found that Zach, the ranch dog, had a boar bayed. The boar turned from the dog and ran right at Cory. He shot the pig at about 6 yards with his bolt action .243 and the hog crumpled. First day 3 hours into a stalk first pig down.
We went back to the lodge had a glass or two of water and cleaned the pig and put him in the freezer.
Steve took the next two shots, one was on the run and missed high the next I was not present as I was on a separate stalk, but was told it was about a 30 yard shot and DRT.
We broke for lunch and at about 3 o-clock started another stalk on another section of the property.
We saw a sounder from the ranch vehicle and dismounted for a stalk. Ben had the shot and the pig stopped at a dead run broadside in an awesome shooting alley and Ben's AR with Federal Soft point 55 gr bullets rang out, the pig squaled and hauled bacon over a ridge and out of sight. The Guide thought Ben had hit him in the ham and wasn't sure we'd be able to find him. We started out on a decent blood trail but after 200 yards of sporadic blood in the thick ozark timber the trail ran cold. We set up a guy at the last known blood trail and the other 4 fanned out while the guide went back to the lodge to get the dog. We couldn't find another blood sign in a 75 yard radius from the last so we sat until the dog and guide got back.
The dog got hot on a trail running the opposite way of our wounded pig. Aaron the guide and myself ran after the dog only to find 150 yards from the last trail, that he had a 25 pound pig backed up against a pond, we held the dog off as this pig was not a shooter and he swam across the pound and ran off, we let the dog loose and he went right to the 25 pounder trail and was hot on it and had it cornered again back at the last blood trail where Ben, Cory and Steve had the dog cornering the same little piglet slowly killing him, we held the dog back and 2 shots rang out from the 1911 killing the little guy. I'm hoping he'll be a great smoker!
From there we set the dog back on the blood trail and he seemed to be on to something but ended up with nothing, we decided to take another ridgeline and lo and behold found what we thought might be Ben's boar bedded down. I stepped up at 30 yards and let a shot loose into his head, but he was already dead and rigor had set in, but his body was still warm. The pig had run over 450 yards with a severed carotid artery!
That night over icy cold adult malted beverages we regaled the day and were content to go to bed early and get up early for a good start.
Aaron and Cory went to sit in a stand by a pond that had a little clearing around it so he would have a clear shot opportunity with his bow.
I went on a short stalk with the guide, when through the foliage I saw what I thought was a pigs ear sticking up through a pile of leaves. We circled til we could confirm that it was in fact a decent sized pig bedded down. I aimed an inch low of the base of the ear and 2 inches forward and put my .223 federal nosler tipped 55 gr through his eye blowing out the back of his head. DRT!!!
Aaron returned looking a little dejected saying he had a shot but wounded the animal and couldn't find it, we were about to load up the dog and go looking for a trail, when he told us he was just kidding and showed us the bloody arrow that had gone through and through. He was on a stalk on the ground and had hit the pig from 25 yards banging home a double lung shot, the pig ran 75 yards and expired.
All five of us very happy with our kills and relieved we were all successful.
Just goes to show shot placement is key, while the 30-30 and .243 were impressive the .223 did the job and the primitive arrow did quite well.
The group shot shows Myself, Ben, Cory, Steve in back and Aaron with his bow.
I went with 4 friends, myself and Ben shooting an AR-15 chambered in .223, Cory shooting a bolt .243, Steve shooting a 30-30 lever and Aaron shooting a bow.
All 5 of us were successful at taking pigs, Ben, Cory and myself took good sized Boars from 180-230 pounds. Steve and Aaron took sows, one weighing 210 and the other 170 pounds.
Cory rang out the first shot on hunting day one with the ranch dog baying a sounder, we all came running and found that Zach, the ranch dog, had a boar bayed. The boar turned from the dog and ran right at Cory. He shot the pig at about 6 yards with his bolt action .243 and the hog crumpled. First day 3 hours into a stalk first pig down.
We went back to the lodge had a glass or two of water and cleaned the pig and put him in the freezer.
Steve took the next two shots, one was on the run and missed high the next I was not present as I was on a separate stalk, but was told it was about a 30 yard shot and DRT.
We broke for lunch and at about 3 o-clock started another stalk on another section of the property.
We saw a sounder from the ranch vehicle and dismounted for a stalk. Ben had the shot and the pig stopped at a dead run broadside in an awesome shooting alley and Ben's AR with Federal Soft point 55 gr bullets rang out, the pig squaled and hauled bacon over a ridge and out of sight. The Guide thought Ben had hit him in the ham and wasn't sure we'd be able to find him. We started out on a decent blood trail but after 200 yards of sporadic blood in the thick ozark timber the trail ran cold. We set up a guy at the last known blood trail and the other 4 fanned out while the guide went back to the lodge to get the dog. We couldn't find another blood sign in a 75 yard radius from the last so we sat until the dog and guide got back.
The dog got hot on a trail running the opposite way of our wounded pig. Aaron the guide and myself ran after the dog only to find 150 yards from the last trail, that he had a 25 pound pig backed up against a pond, we held the dog off as this pig was not a shooter and he swam across the pound and ran off, we let the dog loose and he went right to the 25 pounder trail and was hot on it and had it cornered again back at the last blood trail where Ben, Cory and Steve had the dog cornering the same little piglet slowly killing him, we held the dog back and 2 shots rang out from the 1911 killing the little guy. I'm hoping he'll be a great smoker!
From there we set the dog back on the blood trail and he seemed to be on to something but ended up with nothing, we decided to take another ridgeline and lo and behold found what we thought might be Ben's boar bedded down. I stepped up at 30 yards and let a shot loose into his head, but he was already dead and rigor had set in, but his body was still warm. The pig had run over 450 yards with a severed carotid artery!
That night over icy cold adult malted beverages we regaled the day and were content to go to bed early and get up early for a good start.
Aaron and Cory went to sit in a stand by a pond that had a little clearing around it so he would have a clear shot opportunity with his bow.
I went on a short stalk with the guide, when through the foliage I saw what I thought was a pigs ear sticking up through a pile of leaves. We circled til we could confirm that it was in fact a decent sized pig bedded down. I aimed an inch low of the base of the ear and 2 inches forward and put my .223 federal nosler tipped 55 gr through his eye blowing out the back of his head. DRT!!!
Aaron returned looking a little dejected saying he had a shot but wounded the animal and couldn't find it, we were about to load up the dog and go looking for a trail, when he told us he was just kidding and showed us the bloody arrow that had gone through and through. He was on a stalk on the ground and had hit the pig from 25 yards banging home a double lung shot, the pig ran 75 yards and expired.
All five of us very happy with our kills and relieved we were all successful.
Just goes to show shot placement is key, while the 30-30 and .243 were impressive the .223 did the job and the primitive arrow did quite well.
The group shot shows Myself, Ben, Cory, Steve in back and Aaron with his bow.
