More Blackpowder Hog Hunting

[Darrell H]

I had a little luck over the weekend!  I killed a nice boar just before dark on Sunday evening.  I shot him with my Lyman Great Plains Rifle and a patched round ball and 90 grains of GOEX FFG. 
   
Since I was four miles in, it was almost dark, and overnight temps were supposed to be around thirty degrees I decided to gut the hog, hang it in a nearby tree, and come back with reinforcements the following day!  The next day, my friend Adam and I hunted until lunchtime (neither one of us saw anything) and we then went to recover my hog.

On the way out, while we still carrying my hog in our packs, Adam spotted a gang of hogs next to the trail about twenty minutes from the truck!  He picked out the handiest one; a good eating sized hog:
   
Now we had another hog down!  I decided to go to the truck to unload the meat from my hog and then come back and help Adam get his hog out.  Along the way, I ran into this 'ol gal about ten minutes from the truck:
   
After I unloaded the meat, I went back to help Adam recover his hog and I discovered that while he was skinning his hog, another hog (a nice boar according to Adam) had come running through and he had taken a shot at it with his skinning gloves on.  Thank God he missed!   

We finished skinning and quartering his hog, transported it to the truck, and then went back up the trail to recover my second one. 

What a trip!

[DennyRoark]

Ahhhh, the day that dreams are made of.......

[Semisane]

What a trip!

You can say that again Darrell.  I salute you and your buddy.

[Trapper-Jack]

Way to go!!  What caliber is your rifle, .50 or .54?

[Darrell H]

Thanks guys!   

Trapper Jack, My rifle is a .50 caliber GPR.  I shot both of these hogs with a .495 Hornady ball, .018 pillow ticking patch, and 90 grains of Goex FFG.  The boar acted like I had missed him completely!  I shot him as he was walking and the point of impact was about two inches behind his left shoulder.  He then ran toward me (he wasn't charging, he just happened to run in the direction where I was standing) and he stopped about twenty yards away from me.  Then he hooked a tree with his tusks and just fell over dead!  I performed an autopsy on him during the gutting process.  I found that the ball had passed through his left side, through both lungs, through the ribs and shield on the opposite side and it came to rest just under the hide on his right side.  The ball was "flattened" on one side by the impact.  He ran a total of about fifty yards or so before dying.  I hit the sow in her right shoulder and she ran about 10 yards and fell over dead.  As late as it was and as tired as we both were, we didn't gut the sow and inspect the damage but I do know that the ball didn't exit.  We skinned her on the ground and pulled all of the meat off of one side, flipped her over and did the same on the opposite side. 

[AtlLaw]

hey Darrell!  Would you post this over in the Hunting in Georgia forum?  One a the other Jawja Boys (Jon) is tryin to work up a hog hunt for us!

I 'spose I could post a link but I know ol' Jon's gonna have a million questions!   

[Trapper-Jack]

Darrell
Great story!  I've got two Lyman .50 GPR's (one cap and one flint) and love them both.  Your hunting load is about identical to mine.

[Huntsman1]

Great story...I am very jelous!!!

[Darrell H]

Thanks guys!  I have made so many trips up on the mountain without as much as seeing a hog.  Those trips make the successful ones so much sweeter!

I tried another spot yesterday after work and had a little success there too!  I came upon a gang of feeding hogs and managed to sneak to about 75 yards or so from this young boar before he presented me with a broadside shot. 

The ball completely penetrated this one and he ran about 40 yards or so before giving up.  This one was a lot easier to carry! 

[flintlock]

Congrats...Enjoy while you are young...You're in better shape than me, without a 4-wheeler, I'd have quit after the first one...

[sixgun_symphony]

 Very good!   

[Darrell H]

Thanks again guys!  I took another trip up on the mountain today after work and this is the end result. 


I know that my luck is going to run out soon!

[sixgun_symphony]

 I hope you consider producing a hunting video!

 The only commercial hunting videos with muzzle loading firearms are from the manufacturers of modern inlines. It would be great to find some with traditional muzzle loading rifles and muskets.

[Trapper-Jack]

I hope you consider producing a hunting video!

 The only commercial hunting videos with muzzle loading firearms are from the manufacturers of modern inlines. It would be great to find some with traditional muzzle loading rifles and muskets.

I'll second that!!!  Seems like the only way they will consider a muzzleloading video is when they are shooting a break action, scoped, fast twist rifle using a saboted jacketed bullet loaded on top of pelloted powder.   Most of the shots I've seen taken on these videos are very doable with an open sighted sidelock, loaded with a patched ball and loose powder.