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The Incidental Hog

1K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  Darkcloud 
#1 ·
Following from the extraordinary mouse plagues we've had in the outback grain growing areas over here in OZ, the population of feral cats has exploded.
Once the mice disappear, these (millions) of cats decimate native wildlife.
Hence, we are out culling feral cats as often as possible. We do this every year, regardless of mouse plagues, but the numbers of cats we are seeing now is frightening.
I was scanning for cats a week ago, armed with my .223 bolt gun loaded with Aussie made Rexem 50gr hollow point projectiles (cat medicine) when a large grunting beastie appeared in the grass on the edge of the wheat field.
No hesitation from me, when he stopped for a sniff at something about 130 yards out, I put the crosshair on his neck and dropped him like a school bag.
Couldn't even see the entry wound from the tiny little 223 pill, but he did have a nose bleed;)
Have been eating roast pork every evening since.
Hunting Air gun Plant Shotgun Grass
 
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#3 ·
Yep, Especially when chasing cats. Dropped them with a single shot .22lR, the .223, my 308 pumpy and the 44mag Marlin on this trip. On the subject of my .223 cat rifle, it's loving the QLD made Rexem projectiles. Shoots under half an inch over the bonnet of the ute with them and they are proving absolutely deadly on everything from cats & foxes to ugly big pigs.
 
#9 ·
Kinda the opposite happened with us. While hunting hogs my wife, we both shot bobcats out of the same blind about 20 minutes apart. She shot her's with a Marlin 30A head on at no more than 7 yards. It was perfectly gutted. I couldn't have done better with a knife.

I hit mine with a 338 WinMag at little over 180 yards. It is an extremely accurate rifle. I wanted to do as little damage as I could so I just barely grazed his throat on a broadside shot. I know the bullet couldn't have expanded, it must have been the shockwave that took out that tom cat's lower jaw, throat and peeled the skin off its chest and front legs. We decided to take the 10/22 with us the next day.

BTW, bobcat does taste like chicken.
 
#14 ·
When boars get to be bigger than about 180lbs, they start to develop what is commonly referred to as a shield, "body armor" if you will. It is like a callous of scar tissue and thick hide from fighting.

That_Aussie's boar looks to be bigger than 200 lbs, 90 kg+ and the shield would be at least a couple inches thick. By the time they get to be 250 pounds or so it is 3-4" thick. Combine that with lean muscle, gristle and bone and it can be very tough to get a bullet to the vitals. Also, if you look at his picture, the side of the boar is covered in a thick mat of hair and mud. This alone can stop a lightly constructed expanding bullet of any caliber.

In the heat of the moment I took a shoulder shot on the biggest hog I've seen, easily pushing 500 pounds. The second the trigger broke I knew I should have taken a neck shot. The hog came by my buddy over half a mile away. He thought it was cattle crashing through the Texas brush and wasn't ready for it. I was using a 338 WinMag.
 
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