My weapon of choice is the Ruger Blackhawk 44 Magnum single-action revolver using Barnes 44 Mag 225 HP factory ammo. Ryan Travis and the other great folks at Barnes pitched in about 44 Magic ammo for me for this hunt. I graciously appreciate their support and generosity. If you have a choice in your repertoire, get Barnes.
The Ruger is topped with a picatiny rail and a Burris FastFire III red dot sight. The scene takes a little getting used to, so I was happy to shoot several boxes to work out my issues. The 44 mag can be intimidating but by far, the minimum I would use for hogs. It doesn’t take much to get used to using steel at 100 yards it’s not hard from the bench or sticks.
After a few weeks of shooting practice from sitting, standing, kneeling positions and tree branches, I thought I was ready. Practicing shots from odd angles and positions prepares you for the unknown. Believe me when I say that hogs never cooperate and the perfect bench shot rarely comes into play. It’s always a sudden swing left or right off center that seems to dominate the final scenario, at least for me.
Thinking I was well prepared, I scheduled a pig hunt at my favorite pig smash farm, Keanu Vista Farm in Lomita, Texas. I was wearing a full gale camo suit and a face mask. Much like a turkey hunt.
The shot I was planning would be up close and personal. Close enough to smell it or get a real bruise from the pig!
I sat and watched all the species that came out of Noah’s Arc come without a single pig. Maybe it was just one of those days. Later that afternoon we saw pictures of pigs all over the other side of the farm. So the evening search was going to be there. Watching the sunset, the light dim I’ve never seen a pig. Hmmm, maybe the smell or the sound set me off. I don’t know, but tomorrow is another day. The next morning, I installed again in some trees and cleaned up in full camouflage near the known hog party site without seeing a single one. I was running out of time and patience but I had an afternoon and certainly would have seen the pigs this time. The afternoon crept up on us and soon I was back again – it seemed to me no matter what I was on the other side of the farm where the pigs are. I got frustrated and the farm owner decided to make this a real hunt and go out to find the pigs at night!
Guns ready, we meandered through open farm areas and trees in our Polaris Ranger in search of sausage kings. After about 45 minutes the lights shine through in the dark and reveal every kind of wildlife, pigs! Asleep under a single cedar tree, about 10 pigs staggered and began to cower away from the oncoming Polaris lights. With my friend Defo at the helm, we gave chase. Full speed, approaching the hogs and matching pace and trajectory, I scanned the herd for my quarry. I took shaky aim at Polaris, BOOM! The first shot was missed because the dirt kicked too close to a pig. The pigs suddenly changed direction and Defoe turned as well. The sights were hard to find with all the action, so I went for a full-on cowboy and relied on my intuition to shoot. The pretty little pig was now at the edge of the herd. My new target was in a hurry to get away from the goalkeeper but we stayed on. Approximately 20 yards from the front passenger tire, I grabbed the rebounder with one hand tipped outward, set the Ruger single action and pressed, BLAM! Mag Barnes hit a 44 in the hog’s rear quarter sending him sideways and then slithering to a stop. I really have to work on this shot, but the result was that the pig was on and off to see the magician.
This was followed by high rises and fist bumps as we celebrated. Back at the campsite, I’d clean the pig and get it ready for the handler to turn into some breakfast and Italian sausage, YUM!. While skinning the pig, I noticed that the slug was still embedded in the breast fat just under the skin! I have prepared the slug and cleaned it for examination. The slug weighed 224.9 grains after traveling through the pig’s left leg, including the shinbone, into and all the way through the body cavity, finally stopping everything in its path after delivering its final energy through the plate and resting in the fat just under the skin. . This is 99.95% weight retention with near perfect petals.
Barnes’ well-designed ammo took a less-than-ideal shot and brought down the hog.
