Unrecovered Pig

My buddy finally let me hunt his land for just about anything. Been scouting this past week and saw some nice bucks, big pigs, and lots of dove.

I just walked in from tonight's 50% successful night. I walked up on these pigs, I picked the white one with spots, aimed behind its ear, and dropped it. I thought for sure that pig wasn't going anywhere. However, after 10 seconds, it stood up and ran with his head dragging. I spent 2 hours looking for this sucker and no luck. Used my Savage 93R17 .17 HMR with Hornady 17GR Poly-tips.

Classic case of not enough gun/bullet. Sorry you lost him, but on a positive note-he'll probably die so you did good.

I agree with toolman... not enough gun.

.17 HMR OK for things like squirrels, opossums, raccoons, foxes or similar sized animals. For a pig that size you need a bit more punch I would think.

As others have said, mate u need a bigger bang stick.
hopefully its dead and not suffering 2 much

Take that 17 and put a $5.00 bill in the barrel and throw it off the deep ind of a pond. That way when someone finds it they can say it was woth $5.00. They are the most worthless gun a man can own.

WOW, PS...that's a little harsh. The .17 is good for small game like tree rats and rabbits. Much flatter and faster than the .22mag and pretty accurate. I agree that they are NOT ideal for hogs, unless it's small piglets. I use more gun than most on hogs but some of ours get pretty big, and I don't want my headstone to read..."Et by Hogs".

The .17s have their place, but not in my safe. For small game, I can reload .204 Ruger as cheap as I can shoot .17HMR.

I've never had a pig get back up, but I use 150gr 308 bonded HPs.

Lol it's kinda harsh alright. When I was guiding deer and pig hunters in west tx they would show up with them and I spent more time looking for wounded game than I did guiding. I have seen coyote shot with them and the only way you knew he was hit was he run off ringing his tail. I got to where I told roger to tell them to leave those at home. A lot of bad experience with them and I don't have room for one in my house either.

The only reason I used the .17 HMR is because I'm hunting within city limits. I mean there's residential neighborhoods 250yds away. Can your conscience allow you to fire a .308, .223, .300 WinMag, etc., at night? or would you be happy to know a .17 HMR is not gonna bounce into some poor little girls bedroom.

I'm gonna give it a week for them to comfortable again. Then I'm gonna climb into my stand and try my 7.65 Mauser Argentine. That'll pack a punch. And I'll do it at an angle where the bullet will burry itself in the ground.

Honestly, how many people can say they have an exclusive hunting spot within city limits of 115,000 population. In a metroplex. HA! Down my .17 all you want. I drive 7 minutes to my 1000 acres.

And how many laws are you breaking by shooting within city limits? And if you don't think a 17 won't ricochet into a little girls bed room you need your head examined. Looks like someone needs to do more research before you pick up another firearm

Sic' em Boys

You're hunting in the city limits? And you really don't believe a .17 will ricochet?

Texas Law:
10 Acres within city limits you can bird hunt.
50 Acres within city limits you can riffle hunt.
Says the Game Warden I called and asked prior too.

Yes a .17 HMR will ricochet but not clear across 1000 acres and especially with Poly-tips. Wow, someones drinking that Hatorade today. This is exactly why I got away from posting sh*t. Bunch of debaters.

Look at my signature, does it look like I don't know about firearms? Check yourself. Sick this 8==>

Do the right thing, use a caliber for a clean humane kill... be an ethical hunter.

If these pigs are that close to a residence and you have 1,000 acres, consider putting a feeder or something to bait them to a different area away from the houses. Sounds like you have plenty of space.

Sounds like someone's alittle pissy. I asked a simple question you said .17 won't ricochet through a bedroom, I asked if you believed that. Stop your

This is getting better by the minute

If a game warden told you that be sure to get a statement signed before a nitery cause when a city cop puts you in jail he probly not gonna sign it then. You better call the city and ask them. Cause most game wardens don't no about city laws. We found that out few years ago. Game warden said yes and the city attorney said not no but he'll no!!! That possum cop don't no sh?&$t. His very words!!'

Since you have access to 1000 acres invest in a hog trap and catch em and then use your .17 at point blank range. That way they won't run away. Not far anyway. haha

Regardless of laws, proximity issues to where and what one LEO or another doesn't know, it was not a responsible decision to hunt hogs with that caliber and bullet. You don't have to like our opinion but I think most reasonable hunters will agree with that statement.

Wow. One simple post, so much anger. Chill guys. How about you help encourage and educate? FWIW, I call total BS on Mr. Predator saying the .17 is worthless. I'd call it priceless. Cheap to shoot, minimal damage, on fur-bearers, INCLUDING coyotes, I love it. Having said that, I've killed more coyotes with .22 LR than any other rifle I own.

Pig hunting in Texas, I actually questioned the viability of my AR (.223)...I tend to lean toward my .300 for a sure thing.

All of that said, if the OP is concerned about safety and stopping power, it sounds like a situation I'd probably use a shotgun. Slugs or buckshot would likely be much more effective than the .17, and would still keep stuff dialed down into a safe radius.

Pinkin trust me your opinion is your own. My opinion on the 17 is not from me owning one. It comes from the hours is blood trailing a pig or a cat that was shot by a paying client. I still have cactus in me from crawling around behind what was done by the 17. And he talks about shooting a hog and it running off. Just like thousands of animals every year shot with them. First off about the anger issue I ain't mad its just stuff like this that really gets all of us in trouble. None of our city's allow any type of shooting. I wouldn't shoot inside a city with any firearm. Accidents happens to good people everyday. Shooting a 17 inside the city limits is an accident waiting to happen. When someone gets hurt or the wounded hog makes it to the road and a car hits it snd injures or kills someone who is responsible? Remember a few years ago where the woman was shot at the race track by a .50bmg? The gun was fired 4 miles away. Now a 17 or a 50bmg doesn't matter once someone was shot. They tried to outlawed the 50 next thing you no they gonna get your other guns. More ammo for the anties!!! And as far as a coyote and a 17. Go sell that to someone ealse. I been doing this 13yrs with 10 paying landowners. They don't wanna hear he is wounded, they want to see him shot thru the heat and know he ain't gonna be back. That the did fence between a pro that gets paid and a weekend warrior that shoots 3-4 a year.

You got to be kidding me!

God Bless that Cactus! And like they say in Georgia, "bless your heart".

Thank you and God bless you slso

Nothing wrong with a .17 rifle. It is a great round and I love using it. Having said this it is not the right round for shooting hogs. Unless you can put a round around a hogs ear or thru his eye the chances are good your going to lose that hog. Based in the information the OP has given a 12ga would be a better choice. I love the .17 Savage but if you told me we were going hog hunting it is not the one I would reach for. My .02

Reggie

Agreed Reggie, that was the point I was trying to make. The antagonist who continues to drag this thread out appears to be more interested in being right than having a discussion.

Unfortunately, the posts get less and less readable and more nonsensical as the day goes on. I always give thought to the fact that many people type on phones and other devices, but at some point, inarticulate and sometimes bordering on illiterate take away from any point the antagonist is trying to make.

I don't have a dog in this fight, I'd never shoot a pig with a .17. However, regardless of what Mr. Professional Hunter tries to argue, I shoot dozens of coyotes each year; mostly with a .223, my brother pops them with a .22-250, but he just (yesterday) bought a .204 from Les Johnson (predator quest guy) so we'll see how that round does. Having said that, I've still killed more, or at least as many coyotes with a .22LR than any other cartridge in my lifetime. Does that make it ideal? No, but it clearly has been effective.

I've never shot a pig. I've tried lots, never had an opportunity to pull the trigger. Given that, I wouldn't want to waste my opportunity on an inferior cartridge, if I was only allowed one shot. I'd also never want to put any other person in potential danger, which is all the more reason for my comments.

Bottom line, I agree, Reggie, given the OP's statements, it sounds like an excellent scenario for a 12 gauge, probably with buckshot, but slugs would do as well. Our Division of Wildlife uses 12 gauges and buckshot and helicopters to keep hogs out of Colorado on the Oklahoma border. Seems to work for them, should work for the OP as well.

My opinion, make a point based on facts and leave all the unnecessary rude commentary out, it makes this a better board and a better place for us to all learn from one another. That's why I'm here, and I'm sure most others as well.

Thanks, Punkin. I have a Mossberg 835 that my buddy is Camo-Dipping MAX-4 Advantage. In the meantime, he let me borrow his Stoeger for the dove season. However, I could shoot 3.5" from the Stoeger, but I don't have the proper choke tube. My Mossberg on the other hand, I have all I need and can't wait to get it back. I've been reviewing 3.5" 00-18 Pellet Shells already. No slugs since I have a smooth-bore. I'm anxious to try my 7.65 Mauser Argentine as well. I shot the pig below with a Weatherby Vanguard .243. Lung shot thru-n-thru. Ran 30 yds. Approx 250lbs.

I think of hogs as pest and would ear hole one if the opportunity presented itself. It would be a target of opportunity thing with me. Hell I would shoot one with a 22 or air rifle if given the chance. I hate them and would never pass up the opportunity to kill one. Now if you knocked on my door and said lets go hog hunting I would not be reaching for a rimfire rifle. It simply is not the right tool for the job. My favorite hog slayer is a lever action 30/30 but any centerfire will do the job.

Reggie

Hmmm, my opinion would be to use a 12 ga from an elevated position to most effectively drop the pig, and make for a safer trajectory. I am not a ballistic expert, however, have always been taught to shoot down from above to reduce the risk of an errant bullet causing harm to others. Anything is possible...no matter how much you try to prevent it. Be safe out there.

They wont with a 308 - but if you hit them high with a 243 a big one will run off.

They wont with a 308 - but if you hit them high with a 243 a big one will run off.

Dad has a Savage 99 (old lever action) in .358 Winchester that he swears by for hogs. Unfortunately, it's one of those, "This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you," situations. The 99 wasn't exactly built for recoil absorbing comfort! I think my .300 win mag is built for more comfort than that old monster!

well how was the hog standing when you shot him behind the ear, a perfect broadside shot you need to be in front of the ear, a quartering away shot is when you place it behind the ear

Quartering away. He dropped instantly and kicked around. It took him about 10 seconds to run with his head burried in the ground. After shooting a pig with a .243 thru the lungs and watching it run, I swore my next pig shot would be in the head.

A/C lover (freon?), clearly the biggest issue in your kill shots is that you went Army, me and the boys from USAF would just drop in an A-10, pop off a few thousand rounds from the front gun and pigs would be dead. I never understood the desire of the ground crew to make things difficult! Haha!

TCU AFROTC Det. 845, Class of 1999. Hoorah Flying Frogs!

Ha! Anyone that can play video games is qualified to shoot from a Specter 130 as well. I could've joined the Chairforce as well and never had to dig a foxhole or sleep on a SCUD Missile. Keep in mind the Army has more aircrafts than USAF. HAHA!

well then step up to a 22 hornet, its all i use and havent had one take a step.
17 gr of lead is a bit small.

Comical

You have 1000 acres inside the city limits of a town of 115K and you can't find a safe direction to hunt?

As for your drive time, nobody really cares about how long it takes you to get where you hunt. That doesn't change the correctness of what you were doing.

You can use .17 hmr for pigs just fine, but you have to be very precise in your shooting to be sure that the shot placement occurs in tandem with trajectory through the body and that the round will penetrate sufficient to do the damage that needs to be done. You shot behind the ear, missed the vitals, and it sounds like damaged muscle tissue and maybe minor nerve damage. Since behind the ear is behind the head, what were you hoping to actually hit? If you could place it behind the ear, then why not into the bran?

I don't know about shooting in a populated area. I think I would be archery only, maybe a 12 gauge with #4 buck or a stout lead BB load for head shots, but I still think I would rather go with a bow.

Lately, all I have been using on hogs is my .17HMR and I love it, **BUT** I hunt from my bow stand at bow range and with fairly solid rest. Given the option I am taking a shoat first. First shots are are head shots. If I get an chance at another I will take the best available shot. Usually another head shot because shoats typically run 20-25 yards turn and listen for mama to grunt. I have taken a 180lb hog with the .17 and it dropped like a rock, but that was at 25 yards. When I hunt open country or plan on taking a larger hog I use my '06.

YMMV

-ww

Alright guys. Yesterday I set my gamecam to operate in Video mode. However, unbeknown, it didn't activate the IR Lights while in Video Mode at night. So all I saw was a dark screen.

On my way back to the truck I heard a loud pig roar near a creek. My persistence and/or stuborness made me grab my .17 "again". Well....make a long story short. I made some pig calls and lured this bad boy in within 10 minutes. One round to the head 30yds away sealed the deal.

thats a pig.... errr i mean a hog... errr i mean big one

You must have had an Air Force guy or a cub scout or something come in and whack it with a real gun, then take the credit. How very Obama of you!

Everyone knows a .17 can't kill a pig. Haven't you read this thread? I think the facts have been pretty well layed out. Sheesh. I can't believe you'd keep telling such tall tales.

Haha! I still wouldn't call it an ideal cartridge, but way to go, and way to put the haters down! I'm on team freon, except for that whole groundpounder thing. Haha.

Yep, he's up to a 50% success rate!
Just bustin' your chops FF, any kill on a pasture rat is a good one.

In all honesty, armydud, (loving term of endearment) if you want to borrow some crazy bad-[censored] rifle for whacking your next pig, just to prove a point, I'd be honored to loan you a rifle. I'll loan you a bb gun up to the aforementioned .358 Winchester. You can whack pigs to your heart's content, and I'll buy the ammo. Seriously, between myself, my brother, and my dad, I don't think there is a cartridge lost in our collective collections... .204? .222? .223? 22-250, 6mm, .243, .257 roberts, 25-06, .270, 30-06, .300 win mag, lots in between, I'm up for a loan on all. I'll be glad to provide gun and ammo, but I might want to sit in to video the hunt!

I could make all kinds of cracks about how the army couldn't teach you to shoot any more than a .17, but that wouldn't be nice, my brother, now would it? Let's do some hunting when I get down there in December, it would be an honor!

Apparently you haven't as nobody has said this.

Can and should are different determinations.

i bet the wound percentages are lower using a 17 in a hunting situation as uppose to a 308 from a helicopter

Several years ago I was out varmint hunting with my 222rem, walked in on a feeder area to find a 300lb +/- boar eating under the feeder. I hit that dude right behind the ear (quartering away) with a handloaded 50gr Vmax and he just shook his head and ran off. The same shot has dropped many a smaller pig in the past. I simply just didn't have enough gun.

That being said, many people have likely kilt bigger pigs with smaller guns, and I'd take the same shot on a pig again, but if I was goin pig huntin I'd choose a larger caliber.

I kill pigs with a knife. I have also shot thrm with a .17 at point blank. Had one live after a couple shots from a .17.

I would bet you are correct on that. Don't see that as all that ethical either. But that's apples and oranges. Let's do both of them from a chopper and see which is more effective.

And once again, my supporting sarcasm missed the mark. Nevermind. Congrats FF, I'd still be honored to hunt with you given the opportunity up here in Colorado, or down there. You did a great job of taking the high road while being blasted with nonsense!

--Scott

If it's on 1000acres how are there residential neighbors 250yrds away? Can you not hunt the other side of the property?

Pigs are tough. A couple of years ago I shot one in the head (175 lbs) with a .30-06 and it ran about 100 yards before going down. I personally wouldn't shoot at a pig with anything less than a .243.

Went out to pour some corn. Buzzards found my unrecovered pig. 300yds away! Time to bring out my 7.65 Mauser Argentine.

That still counts as a kill. God bless the buzzards! Did you add it to the tally thread?

Not yet. Will do so now.

I kill pigs with my bare hands

Lol, now I'd like to see that!!! Especially on a big tusker. Not doubting you...just saying it'd be entertaining and I'd learn something. You do have good insurance, I hope...that doesn't have an insanity clause!