Thanks All.....I'll try to answer your questions as best I can.
btmidwest....it was both stand and stalk actually. The preserve is huge and the typical VT mountains...since I drive a desk with a mouse most days, those mountains get higher and higher every year! You always start out on stand in areas where there's activity. The guides then go out and try to locate animals and either drive them to you or pick you up and bring you to where they've seen them. The place has some really huge fields and alot of open space, so when they see game, they radio the other guides. They keep an eye on them till you get there or to some probable intercept or drive the game towards. I hit this boar in the lungs broadside at about 70 yards as it was walking just inside the edge of a big field. It ran toward us at the shot and I hit it again through the shoulders at about 25 yards. I really don't think it was a charge, just a poor sense of direction!
Shooter....I've taken quite a few with a SW29 and iron sights...no problem. I actually carried my m29, 4" mountain gun in the morning hunt and switched to the rifle in the afternoon for no other reason than it was raining less (always seems to rain when I have a wood stocked gun).
My pal Jerry shot his pig at under 20 yards as it came up a trail. Again, he wanted something in the 250lb range and passed on a few that he thought were smaller. The guides saw a big one making its way along an atv track, radiod for a pick up and brought Jerry to a spot ahead of and above the pig. He waited half an hour and the pig continued to meander along the trail though about 15 yards in the woods on his side of the trail. Jerry was above the pig and one 300gr Winchester HP from a 45/70 Marlin Guide gun was all that was needed.
Mildbill....yep...a mounting it will go..just lov'm! The buff was moved by ATV and trailer with a winch and 4 of us heaving and pushing (they have some really big ATVs) and they took a perimiter road down from this particular field where the back hoe took over...whatta monster and yet...not the herd bull who was twice the size of this one. He used an 06 with 180gr rem corelokts, 4 shots to heart and lungs at 80ish yards (check my pics and see what you think for distance, they shot first from the woods and then walked to the edge of the field). Pete was puzzled as to why the buff didn't go down on the first shot.....
Anyway...they had some rams but were small...they actually had to buy several (hundred) this year because the coyotes were as thick as flies and have been decimating the ram flocks. They trapped 24 since March 1st...2 while we were there. They are investing in some kind of electric fence that is supposed to keep them out more effecticely. We heard them howling at night....worst than it has ever been. Anyway...they bought enough rams to hunt and restart their flock....I expect that since we were the first hunt of the spring season, they hadn't arrived yet so you should be fine!
