Success - Or Just Dumb Luck???

[Dogbone]

Went back to the farm again tonight, but on the way I stopped at the church garden to squash some potato bugs and hoe some weeds. Trying to stay on top of things.

Got to the farm right around six. Set up behind my hay bale hide and waited. In fifteen minutes the pumpkin eater appeared. I had already ranged the distance at 120 yards where he came out on Monday and had the gun ready to go. I found his frame in the scope and placed the crosshairs on him. As I took off the safety and placed my finger on the trigger, he turned and it looked like he was headed back to the weeds. I wasn’t going to take any chances on losing him again, so I let fly the hollow point right at his backside.

He just stood there for a moment and then slowly turned again and faced me head on as though he was staring down his would be assailant. I sent another hollow point straight at him and he dropped.

I walked up to the body and found two wounds, one in the rump and one in the neck. I don’t know how he was able to withstand the punch of the first shot, but the second finished him off. A big male.

Took a couple obligatory pictures and heaved him from whence he came. His burrow hole was huge and a three foot wide circumference around the hole looked like it had been trampled by an elephant. Wow!

 

[MrMajestic]

What caliber? They don't do that when hit from a 66 gr. Berger leaving the barrel of my .243 AI at 3950 fps!

Just read your previous post! Wouldn't a thought it could have taken a .22-250 load and look for more! What bullet? Sounds like you need a bigger gun!

 

[Dogbone]

Using a Savage 12 VLP in 22-250 and Winchester USA in 45 grain hollow points. Maybe I missed the first shot and the second went through his neck and out his butt???

 

[MrMajestic]

We don't miss we just mis-calculate! Your signature seems relevant to your situation! Thanks for sharing, the only thing I like more than hogging is reading hoggin' stories.

 

[K22]

I've been hunting groundhogs for over 40 years and shot them with a 22, 222, 223, 22 250, and 243. After shooting well over a 1,000 hogs the one thing I've learned is the large ones can be very tough to anchor if you don't place the shot correctly even with a 22 250 or 243.

I've gut shot a few that crawled into their hole with half their guts hanging out - just blows my mind. On crawlers I like to try to place the shot just behind the shoulder, never had one escape that was hit there. On standers, I go for the classic sterum shot, a sure kill.

One piece of advice, if you hit it and it runs into the weeds or hole don't give up, check the weeds and hole. Many times I've found them laying in the weeds or at the entrace to their hole or inside the hole, dead after running a few feet. If fact, when I was out last week I hit one at 230 yards, a long shot for me. I heard the "Plunk" sound and was sure I hit him but he ran from the cut field into the high weeds in a tree line. I found him a foot into the weeds dead, shot was a little too far back into the guts. I was shooting a 223 with 50 grain Nosler BT. It was medium size hog.

 

[Dogbone]

Good advise. Thanks!