I know a few of the members here have seen this story but many have not. It was one of my favorite handgun hunts ever. I just copied this from another forum where I posted it. Hope you like it.
Matt and I planned for several months to go on a handgun only hog hunt. Between my work and his it looked like it just wasn't going to happen. Matt was practicing all along with his handguns. He started shooting better and better and looked like he was ready if the opportunity presented itself. Out of all of his guns he was doing the best job with his .44 Special Flat top.
When I did get to practice I was doing alright with all of them but I really wanted to make this a .44 Special hunt. Matt too wanted to make a .44 Special hunt out of it. I could consistently put 5 shots into 1.5"? off-hand at 25 yards with my Taurus 441T. It is a factory target pistol with a heavy under lug on the barrel and a great set of sights from the factory.
I also got out my new model Charter Arms Target Bulldog and put it through its paces. The results were the same. I could consistently put 5 shots into 1.5" at 25 yards with it from the offhand position. The gun is super light and a joy to carry. My initial plan was to carry it as a short range back up while Matt hunted. Since I would be carrying a pack most of the time. Its light weight would make the perfect companion. I told Matt that if the perfect scenario presented itself I would kill a hog with it.
The ammunition we carried was divided into two categories. Ammo for the flat top and 441T were the same. A 255gr CPB over 8.6grs of U-Clays. We chronographed them the day before we left and they were running 1060fps from the Ruger and 1022fps from the Taurus. The cases would fall out of the guns after being shot. The nose heavy design opens case capacity considerably. This load should however under no circumstances be shot in a small frame gun like the Charter Arms bulldogs.
The Charter gun was loaded with the Magnus 240gr BBWC with 7.0grs of U-Clays. This load chronographed 842fps from the Target Bulldog. Penetration with this load was very good in the ballistic buffalo and the wound channel was a nice round hole. I have used this bullet on deer before and the wound channel is always good. I put a piece of orange duct tape on the front sight for better visibility and the little Charter was ready to go.
We arrived at Wilderness Lodge in time to eat breakfast and rest from the drive up. After breakfast we loaded up a back pack and strapped on our gear and headed into the mountains. About 30 minutes into the hike we spotted a hog. It was well out of pistol range and headed away from us. We pursued the hog and soon ran into a second hog. Matt was to get the first chance but the hogs were just a little too far for him to make a clean shot. We continued to pursue the two hogs across a very rocky area and down a big hill. We were headed for the eastern boundary of the property and the hogs finally figured out we were trouble and took off.
We could see a pond down below us so we decided to head for it in case there were any hogs laid up in the nearby cover. After checking out the pond we headed in the direction the hogs went. There was a wide open field that sloped down to the boundary fence. Across the field was an old abandoned house. The area around the house was fenced off from the hunting area. At this point we had been gone from the lodge about 2? hours.
As we walked toward the old house I noticed something big and black next to the fence right behind the house. I took a peek through my binoculars and realized that it was a huge sow. At first I though she was dead but soon realized that she was just sleeping. We though she might be wounded so we decided to approach her for a better look. I threw a rock at her which sort of aggravated her. She got up and we saw how big she really was and Matt said "you said if you got the perfect opportunity you would use the Charter"?. The distance was close and she was trying to make up her mind whether to run or fight.
About this time Matt said there is a hog coming!!!!!! I looked up the hill in time to see that it was a boar, and he was mad. I could see him popping his teeth at what turned out to be 80 yards. He made a bee line to us and the sow. There is a big wash out in the field where the water running off the mountain cut a 5" deep gash in the field. We immediately went to the other side of the ditch to keep some sort of cover between the boar and us.
the ditch
Devil Hog. 150lbs of mean
I was still trying to decide on the best course of action. The sow would be good eating and the boar wanted to kill us. We didn't want to kill him though. We threw rocks at him and hollered but he just wouldn't leave. He became more agitated by the second. The sow still wasn't giving me a good shot. The boar went down to the sow continuously popping his tusks at us. We had guns drawn and kept him covered. I tried throwing rocks and yelling at him but he only got madder. The sow finally decided we had been there long enough started towards me very aggressively. Fortunately she came up on the other side of the ditch. I fired when she was 10 yards away. The very second I pulled the trigger she whirled to get to the bottom of the ditch so she could get at me. The boar was in hot pursuit. The very second she crossed the lower end of the ditch she was broadside just long enough for me to shoot again. This time I got both lungs. She immediately turned then went down.
Ever wonder if a sow can bite?
The boar ran up to her and as soon as he smelled the blood on her nose he went crazy. I have never heard a hog make that much racket. All the time this was going on, which was around 15 minutes one of the guides from the lodge was watching from the mountain behind us. He was on a John Deere gator. We continued keeping the ditch in between the boar and us. He rode down the road off of the mountain and asked if we needed him to run the boar off. He approached the boar on the gator and the boar acted like he was going to fight the gator. He finally turned and went back up the mountain. We saw a couple of sows and pursued them up the mountain in the direction that the boar went. When we got to the rocks we both had our guns at the ready.
The sows got away and the boar disappeared in the rocks. We hunted the next two days but didn't get another hog.
There are tons of rocky faces like this one.
The aftermath of the shootout was analyzed. The bullets, one of Magnus bullets 240gr BBSWC performed perfectly. I highly recommend his bullets. I like to cast my own but dont always have time. These are some of my favorites when I have to buy cast bullets. The first bullet entered on the left side right behind the front leg one third up the body and exited 10"? behind the offside shoulder. The second bullet entered the back side of the right shoulder taking out both lungs. It was right under the offside hide. The first bullet penetrated 18"and the the second bullet penetrated 13". The bullet was recovered intact.
The Target Bulldog worked great. It is light as a feather and compact but still accurate enough for 50 yard shots. The factory rubber grip fits my hand perfectly. The combination of SS and polymer means if you get it wet it isnt a problem. If they would advertise the little jewel, it would sell. It is a perfect trail gun capable of defense against 2 or 4 legged varmints. I am still anxiously waiting for the 6"? version.
