Interesting varmint hunts

[stosh]

First Pic is two crows I shot while Ghog hunting in Dansville NY many years ago! They were 297yds by my range finder and my 22-250 was up to the task. I shot the one on the left but when i went to pick it up there were 2 dead crows. Could not find wound on second one, I figure concussion or bone or bullet fragment got him!

The second pic was an old boar Groundhog I shot in Sodus NY at an apple orchard. There was an unused house for migrant workers and an old matress laying outside. This old boy came out and was fighting the matress and you can see a strip of it hanging out of his mouth. But look closely and you can see a bullet scar right across the top of his head!

 

[snert]

Love it!

I once shot a pigeon with a 222/ 50 gr NBT at about twenty-five feet. I heard it land and walk down the barn metal roof. I was inside. Poked my head out and we had a moment while we looked at each other. The angle was perfect as the bullet path would miss the roof. (Yes, I shot up in the air...I've since said three Hail Mary's in penance).
Upon firing, the pigeon exploded. Thousands of feathers billowed outward in a circle. Seconds later a wing came fluttering down from way up, like a little maple tree seed, spinning. A red blotch of pigeon remains was plastered to the roof and a leg was sticking up out of it. I took no picture, but that event remains seared in my mind. Amazing.

And yes, I would do it again!

Love that crease across his head! That'll do it!

 

[357Mag]

Stosh & Snert -

Howdy !

I once took a standing shot on a groundhog that was in his hole 75' away, and only showing the top of his head & 2 eyes. He was at the crest of a very small hillock, and my standing height places the rifle muzzle on a slightly upwards tilt. He was facing me dead on.

My .22-35 Remington was sighted-in for 235yd zero, and 16X scope was mounted 2.5" above bore centerline.

I held for what I guesstimated was low enough for the barrel's bore to be right on him.
At the shot, the ' hog disappeared from view, and I saw now puff of dirt suggesting a low bullet impact. Close inspection of the hole revealed no blood... and no dead hog.
I thought I had him fer sher !

2 years later, saw a hog above the sam hole, this time on all fours.
I got to take a supported shot from less than 80' away, and got the hog.

Close inspection showed that it was the same groundhog I had missed on the headshot 2yr previous. His scalp had been nicely flayed open front-to-back...right up the middle... resembling a load of split-top bread. Bare skull was visible within the splayed open scalp, and what struck me as being a burn mark or darkened slight groove was prevalent in the bottom of the wound... somewhat reminiscent of the side crease on a walnut shell.

I felt bad about the initial miss, but somewhat better upon knowing that I at last did make the kill.


With regards,
357Mag
.

 

[ISS]

I had a computer crash two months ago that resulted in the purchase of a new computer. Windows 11 sucks as far as backward recognizable files. NO pictures until my computer genius figures out how to find all the pictures of three trips to Africa and Alaskan Bear.
So, visualize: December of 2008 in Zimbabwe. Three tuskless cow elephants, five shots, in about ten seconds with a 450 Rigby all within 30 feet. Biggest varmints ever...

ISS

 

[K22]

One of the most interesting experiences I've had hunting groundhogs was back in the late 70's or early 80's, can't remember the exact time period. I was hunting with my S&W Model 27, 357 Magnum, roaming the hilling hay fields of Greene County western PA on a farm owned by my dad's friend.

As I came over a rise, I saw a hog grazing about 35 yards away. I took aim and fired, missing the critter (heeled the shot). The critter promptly scurried into a nearby hole. I thought the game was over when I heard some squeaking and commotion in the hole then saw the hog back out of the hole! Apparently, the hog, in a panic, escaped into another hog's hole and wasn't welcome.

This time, I took careful aim, followed through on the shot and nailed the critter. But in 50+ years of hunting the critters, that is the only time I ever experienced anything like that!

 

[357Mag]

First Pic is two crows I shot while Ghog hunting in Dansville NY many years ago! They were 297yds by my range finder and my 22-250 was up to the task. I shot the one on the left but when i went to pick it up there were 2 dead crows. Could not find wound on second one, I figure concussion or bone or bullet fragment got him!

The second pic was an old boar Groundhog I shot in Sodus NY at an apple orchard. There was an unused house for migrant workers and an old matress laying outside. This old boy came out and was fighting the matress and you can see a strip of it hanging out of his mouth. But look closely and you can see a bullet scar right across the top of his head!

Stosh -

Howdy !

Were you asking for inputs on interesting varmint hunts from other shooters, or... simply telling us about one of yours ?

If it's the former....it's " story time " !


With regards,
357Mag

 

[ohlongarmisle]

First Pic is two crows I shot while Ghog hunting in Dansville NY many years ago! They were 297yds by my range finder and my 22-250 was up to the task. I shot the one on the left but when i went to pick it up there were 2 dead crows. Could not find wound on second one, I figure concussion or bone or bullet fragment got him!

The second pic was an old boar Groundhog I shot in Sodus NY at an apple orchard. There was an unused house for migrant workers and an old matress laying outside. This old boy came out and was fighting the matress and you can see a strip of it hanging out of his mouth. But look closely and you can see a bullet scar right across the top of his head!

Sighting in my 17 hornet 3 years ago at a local outdoor gun range a robin landed at the base of my target at 200 yards, several hotshots on the firing line were laughing at my miniscule round , they said hit that bird,you can't do it,I said put up or shut up, $100 says I can,3 guys threw 100$ in and we had an impartial party hold the money,i squeezed off the shot and the bird exploded, it was barely possible to find a feather left. I collected and away I went, little did they know a decade prior I was the top sniper on the metro swat team.

 

[rmr]

about 15 years ago, i was shooting Beldings in NorCal. i was sitting on a fenceline, hammering a colony at about 175y. I had the wind dialed in and the range perfect. it was like eating potato chips: one shot, one kill.

As is often the case with west coast ground squirrel hunting, there was a group of seagulls cleaning up after me. I took a shot at a squirrel with my .223, and i saw a good impact, (exploding critter) but the squirrel was still there after the shot (very much alive, and untouched) ... I was very, very confused for about 10seconds but i was able to figure out what happened:

Pure bad luck for the seagull, and a once in a lifetime shot for me.

 

[AckleymanII]

While hunting up in S. Idaho in the late 80's, I saw chucks feeding in a cattle feed lot, they were in the feed trough. They were very aggressive and would run the cows off, these chucks were huge! I went and told the farmer and he went ballistic, and told me to kill every one of them, and if I happend to hit a cow, come and get him, they needed the meat!

 

[snert]

Stosh & Snert -

Howdy !

I once took a standing shot on a groundhog that was in his hole 75' away, and only showing the top of his head & 2 eyes. He was at the crest of a very small hillock, and my standing height places the rifle muzzle on a slightly upwards tilt. He was facing me dead on.

My .22-35 Remington was sighted-in for 235yd zero, and 16X scope was mounted 2.5" above bore centerline.

I held for what I guesstimated was low enough for the barrel's bore to be right on him.
At the shot, the ' hog disappeared from view, and I saw now puff of dirt suggesting a low bullet impact. Close inspection of the hole revealed no blood... and no dead hog.
I thought I had him fer sher !

2 years later, saw a hog above the sam hole, this time on all fours.
I got to take a supported shot from less than 80' away, and got the hog.

Close inspection showed that it was the same groundhog I had missed on the headshot 2yr previous. His scalp had been nicely flayed open front-to-back...right up the middle... resembling a load of split-top bread. Bare skull was visible within the splayed open scalp, and what struck me as being a burn mark or darkened slight groove was prevalent in the bottom of the wound... somewhat reminiscent of the side crease on a walnut shell.

I felt bad about the initial miss, but somewhat better upon knowing that I at last did make the kill.


With regards,
357Mag
.

He obviously missed the lesson or was brain damaged to allow a second offering!

 

[outasite`08]

Back in 1974 I purchased an S&W 29 8 3/8" barrel. Bianca shoulder rig. Great hunting setup. So, I'm glassing some feeds behind a cemetery one July evening right after the hay was cut. I saw a couple hogs at the edge of the field,about 125-150 yards out. I laid down to take a shot just as some guys pulled in. They said you`ll never make that shot. I just said we`ll see.Cocked the hammer,took aim. about 6" over the head of the largest hog. Pulled the trigger and the hog went two directions. Head went west and the body bumbled back and east. The jokers said dumb luck. I asked if they could hit the dead body. They got in their car and left. Loved that gun. Location was Eagle Cemetery in Curtin,PA. And it was a lucky shot.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

While hunting up in S. Idaho in the late 80's, I saw chucks feeding in a cattle feed lot, they were in the feed trough. They were very aggressive and would run the cows off, these chucks were huge! I went and told the farmer and he went ballistic, and told me to kill every one of them, and if I happend to hit a cow, come and get him, they needed the meat!

Strangely enough I just got permission to hunt a feedlot where the gh's are jumping in the feed troughs and eating silage, and being aggressive towards the cows. This farmer had previously denied me permission because of noise generated from shooting.I showed him my suppressed Tikka T1x 22 , and demonstrated it in his feedlot, i'm in he was impressed no shot will exceed 50 yards and I can hide in his outbuilding where he works on equipment.As far as shooting a cow that will never happen.