The great Colorado hog hunt

[MuskratMike]

I just got back from my 1,150 mile (each way) trip to shoot a feral hog with my .54 caliber flintlock in Colorado. Originally the guide and I were hoping for one of his "Hogzilla's" (550 lbs. to 750 lbs.) but I was frankly a month too late. The ones he had left were unreachable even with his pack of hounds. It was also getting hot there in Colorado so the shooting from blinds was out as they had left for the morass of scrub oak before dawn each morning. It was decided by the both of us that we would use the hounds and I would shoot any of the larger hogs (350 +lbs.) the guides father and I rode around in a side by side on very narrow dirt trails cut through the scrub trying to follow the sounds of the baying hounds while the guide followed them with the tracking devise each dog had on. The hounds finally found some hogs and the fight was on. The largest one broke from the pack and all 3 hounds followed him, he came out onto one of the dirt trails just 50 yards from me with all 3 hounds fighting and worrying him. He spotted me and went right back into the scrub and made his stand in a 4x4 foot square opening in the scrub. His bad luck was he was only in the scrub a few yards from the trail I was on. The guide called off the dogs and I fired right behind his near front leg quartering to and through the far front leg killing him instantly. I will never know how the patched ball would have worked on a giant boar as this one weighed 350 lbs. I will say a .540 soft lead round ball patched with .018 ticking and greased with my combination of 50% T.O.T.W. mink and 50% pure neatsfoot oil over 75 grains of Goex 3F did the trick. It penetrated through the hog breaking the off leg and ending up in the hide on the off side. I couldn't have had a better time or treated better than Pete Severson Outfitters treated me. I will be writing a full article for MuzzleBlasts magazine with more pictures so look for it in the near future. Pete also has hunts for elk, deer, buffalo (including some pure white ones), water buffalo, Watusi bulls and exotic sheep like the Jacobs sheep in the picture.

[wattlebuster]

Looks like that ball did exactly what its supposed to do. Congrats to you. Sounds like a great time

[Daniel Coats]

Congratulations Mike!

Collbran is part of my old stomping grounds. We put up hay on that ranch in 1960.

[Daryl]

Well done, Mike. Good shootin'.

[Jeff Murray]

Glad you had a good hunt.  Hogs are a fun hunt.  I am still looking for a big boar with cutters.  Most places offering hog hunts tend to focus on the smaller ones with no tusks.  Did you hear any tall tales around the dinner table about the giants?

[Daryl]

White bison. I just enlarged the picture for the first time.
Weird sheep/goat.

[alacran]

Was wondering about your hunt last week. Glad you were successful. No better way to appreciate the killing power of a round ball, than to see the results.
Congratulations. Welcome back.

[Osprey]

Way to go, bacon time!!!

[old george]

Congrats on the hunt..looks like you really enjoyed the hunt.

george

[MuskratMike]

Bump
If anyone has questions about this hunt or the outfitter please feel free to message me. A couple already have.

[Darkhorse]

Concerning round ball performance. I have killed several large boars in the 300 to 400 pound range. By the time they get that b ig in our woods they are full grown with the face and shield covered with scars. Those big ones all had a thick shield. Laying on the ground it looks like they are wearing a flack jacket. Those shields are around 2" thick, all hard gristle I believe.
I was shooting .530 patched round balls pushed by 90 to 100 grains 2fg. The round ball penetrated the shield and did what they are supposed to do but none ever made a mark on the other side.
For the record I have killed a couple with a modern magnum. Those bullets never made it to the other side either.
All the shot hogs ran because I was shooting for the heart/lung area, not the central nervous system.
The largest one with the thickest shield and most scarring (from fighting) ran nearly 300 yards before piling up. Plenty of time to work a man over good.
Bottom line is a PRB is a real killer on wild game. I started ML hunting in 1976 and the PRB is all I've ever hunted with and that's all I plan to hunt with while I can still manage to hunt.

[smylee grouch]

A very reviling account of round ball performance in the account of Darkhorse. More speed ( velocity ) will usually make a bullet expand faster, round ball or modern style bullet which usually means less penetration. The addition of some tin to the mix usually will give more penetration and on something that can bite or clog wound channels this can mean a shorter recovery as you could have two bleeding wounds. One of the reasons those old African hunters used big hard balls.

[Daryl]

Tin or mercury was added for the hardening process while casting. Today, a little tin, or 50/50 pure lead and old WW(12brinel) will also work & remain somewhat ductile.