Hawg hunting in Pennsylvania

[T.R.]

I got lost a couple times trying to find this place in the dark last Friday night. This hunting lodge is way back in the mountains south west of Breezewood, Pennsylvania headed toward the Mason-Dixon line. Plenty of curvy and steep roads with missing road signs. But once I arrived, I found the lodge to be fairly new and decorated with dozens of taxidermy mounts of exotic game animals. Several friendly hunters were present but I had my own room with comfortable bed.

Saturday morning breakfast was announced at 6:30AM. After a large breakfast we split into groups of 5 hunters and were driven to the 500 acre hunting preserve via Kawasaki Mules. We hiked quite a bit before finding any hogs. Some of it was very steep and tiring. I shot my hog at about 10:30AM. It was a 50 yard walking shot in timber. My 200 grain bullet (35 Remington core-lokt) tore through the chest and the animal rolled down the steep slope until a tree was struck. A huge exit hole was noted. It never knew what happened. We used a cable winch to pull it up the slope where the hog could be transported with the Kawasaki Mule. Estimated live weight: 185 lbs.

One of the guys hunted with a Ruger 44 MAG revolver shooting hollow tip bullets. He shot his hog 5 times to down it and once to finish the job. He was extremely disgusted with this bad performance. The bullets penetrated very poorly through the thick chest wall. I strongly recommend do not hunt hogs with hollow tip revolver bullets! Years ago, Elmer Keith said the same thing.

Later on, the guides took us back to the barn where our hogs were skinned and quartered by professional butchers. Then a big hot lunch was served. I was home by 5PM.

This is a high fence hunting operation named Whispering Hollows. It’s basically a “canned hunt” but I had a good time, met new friends, and came home with much meat. No criticism from me.

TR

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Makes me want to move back to the state I spent my first 50 years.

Good job and right choice of caliber. Someone who knows how to use a 35 Rem is seldom disappointed.

 

[stiab]

Oh, you have a 336A, nice rifle!

 

[earlthegoat2]

Looks like you had a good time.

"Canned hunts" are a great alternative in these crazy times for people who do not have the time or more likely, the resources (namely, access to land that is reasonably close) to hunt traditionally.

That is a nice all business hunting rifle you have there too.

 

[T.R.]

A so-called canned hunt is not for every hunter. But my experience was very positive and a great alternative to buying my hams and sausage at the store.

The 500 acre fenced hunting area is challenging terrain.

TR

 

[Pilot]

Hogs are NOT common in PA, so something like this is probably your only shot at hog hunting. That sounds like a good day.

 

[OilyPablo]

Good "real life" story on hollow points from the revolver. Was he just experimenting or ???

Sounds really neat. Fortunately we don't have wild hogs around here - but unfortunate for hog hunting. My bucket list includes a trip to Texas or other place to hunt pigs. Since even day one when domestic pig escaped from the Spanish, it's always been a canned hunt.......maybe just a very large one.

 

[T.R.]

No, he was not experimenting with American Eagle hollow tip ammo. He hunts from a tree stand in West Virginia and has taken deer with this ammo at very close range. I own a Ruger 44MAG carbine and have shot mediocre groups with American Eagle ammo and will never buy it again.

TR

 

[tightgroup tiger]

One thing I have noticed through the years, the man using the 44 mag was using the wrong ammunition.
There is a major difference between using mediocre hollow point loads and using good high end hunting loads.
It's the difference between shooting 44spl (todays crap hollow point defense loads made for alloy frame guns) and shooting 44 mag hunting loads made to live up to what a 44 magnum can do.

I see the same thing with ammo that's called .357magnums that I can shoot with one hand accurately vs my .357 magnum hunting loads that aren't for the faint of heart.

My 41 magnum will make you proud! 250gr hardcast GC bullet at 1450fps will get anyone's attention.

The right 44 mag ammo will do better than that in the right revolver.

That guy bought crap practice ammo for a hunting trip, that's his fault, not the guns.

 

[Patocazador]

Years ago (1975) I went to a canned hunt place in Tennessee for a hog hunt. I used a .44 Auto Mag pistol, essentially a .44 magnum. They were new at the time and I believed the gun magazines' hype. The only ammo available had a crude hollow-point bullet that resembled a FMJ with a tiny hole in the front.
Dogs put up a hog. and I passed because it was small. Later they pinned a large one against a rock shelf and it broke and ran .. right towards me. It veered when he saw me and I shot him in the neck. The hog dropped and the "guide" climbed down from his tree (theatrics). The bullet was dug out of the neck and showed deformation but no expansion, It looked and acted just like a FMJ .. lucky for me that I hit him in the neck.

Unless you load your own with components that you have tested, you should always conduct tests on the factory stuff to determine penetration and expansion. Don't rely on luck like I did back then.