22-250 vs. pigs

texas tom

texas tom

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I hunt with a 22-250 most of the time and it works great on coyotes, bobcat and Texas Hill Country deer which weigh in at a whopping 70 to 120 lbs. field dressed. But I am finding the 22-250 to be a very versatile round with proper shot placement.
Last Friday I Shot 2 pigs with my 22-250 using Federal Vital Shocks 60gr. psp at about 50 yards. I was deer hunting when over 20 pigs showed up, mostly 30-50 pounders and one big sow 200+ lb... I decided to shoot the sow first as she is breeder. I hit her right in the boiler and she flips around bucks gets up and runs off. Three pigs run straight at me but veer away and I get another shot off. The second pig flips over dead. The bullet went THROUGH the shoulder and did not exit. I tracked the big pig about 100 yards. but it was getting dark and I had a single shot rifle. The next day she was located by the buzzards and coyotes about 400 yards from where I shot her. Generally I would have taken a head shot but I was curious how the round would perform on an animal tougher than a deer. I was impressed with the results. I took a turkey two weeks ago with the same round. Anybody else have the same results.
 
You were impressed with the results? If it were me, I'd want my pig to die a little sooner than 400 yards where the way I found it was by the buzzards and coyotes. Personally, I like to eat those critters.
 
I have no intention of eating a feral pig unless it’s been caged, castrated and corn fed for a couple weeks or it’s a little piglet. Some people like that stink meat but not me so I leave em lay and the coyotes and buzzards are happy not to mention the ranchers. Now I had a sounder of 20+ pigs in my sights and I would have killed every one of them if I could because I understand the implications of feral pigs. They eat turkey eggs, quail eggs, fawns, crops, corn from my feeders; they tear fences up and make deer skittish. They are smart they breed like crazy and can be dangerous. No matter how many we kill they keep coming back. I don’t care if she ran 4 feet or 4 miles as long as she died. I know guys that have hit pigs with everything from .243's on up to .444 and never found em so yea I am a little impressed with my little 22-250.
 
I'm not debating the nasty nature of the feral pig. And, I'm not debating the damage they do. I'm just thinking if you got a good hit on it and it still went 400 yards, the results aren't all that impressive.

But, I agree with keeping the pigs thinned out.
 
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Some people like that stink meat but not me so I leave em lay and the coyotes and buzzards



That is often the case with large boars, but I have rarely heard of sows resulting in "stink meat". I have eaten a lot of feral hogs straight from the field that tasted every bit as good as store bought pork.
 
If you had gotten to her before the buzzards that sow would have been perfectly good eating; a boar, however, would be as you put it stink meat.
 
Do you have a law on destroying game animals? You would be in trouble here if you got caught killing a "meat animal" and leaving it lay.

Not trying to debate-just wondering if you had a similar law.

Steve
 
22-250 hogs are not game animals in Texas. Most farmers and ranchers I know kill them on sight and leave them lay.

As far a "stink meat" the biggest hog we have killed weighed 478lbs field dressed and it was some of the best porkchops I have ever ate......The biggest too....
 
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That is correct. Hogs are not considered game animals in Texas (they are considered exotics), and may be hunted year round, at night, by any means, by any method, (including traps) and you do not even need a hunting license to take them on your own land (new law in 2004). There is also no bag or possesion limit.

Last year, Van Zant County even had a bounty on them. At least until the money ran out, which it quickly did.

All that said, they are still some good eating.
 
Here in Nazifornia we have to buy a tag, just like a deer. You have to have a license but you can hunt year round by any means unless it's a special hunt. Most special hunts are slug shot guns.

Most of our pigs are on private land and even as destructive as they are the land owners charge a fee or set you up with a guide that has rights to the land. Getting a hog here starts at about $400.00 and can go up as high as $1000.00 after trophy fees and a tip.

The public places that do hold hogs are heavily hunted and the pigs are every bit as "educated" as a yote that's been shot at time and again.

Maybe I'll have to go to Texas to get a hog.
 
You are right yellowhammer. Sows aren't near as bad as boars but when you have a choice between mature sows and piglets the choice is clear to me. To let you know how bad the situation has gotten, one of our hunters shot a pig in a sounder of 8 pigs and climbed down from his tree stand to track. He had just gotten on the ground when a sounder of 30+ pigs ran him back up the tree. Having a traditional muzzleloader he was kind of up a creek so to speak and he had left his pistol and radio in the cabin. The pigs later went to the oat fields and he was able to sneak out. Needless to say we all carry side arms now.
 
Well, I checked and you can either buy a special 5 day license for $45 or a special non-resident for $125 which is good for all season. You can use these on exotics and a few other animals and birds. No turkeys or deer. The general non-resident license is $300 for everything.
 
Getting back to the post, yes, I've taken pigs with 22-250. Usually a well placed shot behind the ear is what I took, and usually, BANG! FLOP! DRT!!!!

Even took several deer with it. Usually was handloads, 50 grain Nosler BT. Behind the shoulder and they would not run further than 30 yards before piling up. These shots were all under 100 yards.
 
Sounds like a blast,I would enjoy the hell out of a couple days of blasting pigs,sounds like more fun than shooting our gophers,i think i would leave em for the coyotes also,dont they have worms in the meat?
 
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dont they have worms in the meat?




Trichinosis. But, no more than domestic hogs. That is why you always cook pork thoughly even store bought pork.
 
I realize that hogs cause quite a bit of trouble in Texas and other states where the population has exceeded comfortable carrying capacities. I myself take delight in doing my part a couple times a year to reduce the population. However, I have a little trouble understanding the mentality that dictates leaving edible meat lay. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif Is it not possible to make a phone call to someone who would like the meat? Are there no avenues for donating the meat? I know it means a bit of work on the part of the shooter, but I don't know many folks that will turn down a package of good pork (unless their freezer looks like mine /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif). I'd rather invest a little time in the animal and turn out some good meat that will be enjoyed than leave it lay. But hey, that's just me. I don't live among them and put up with them. If I did, perhaps my attitude would change. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

And to clarify, "thoroughly cooked" means that all of the meat is >160 degrees F. You can safely eat "rare" pork (it will appear bloody, but it's cooked) if the the internal temperature is above 160. Never underestimate the power of a good meat thermometer.
 
A lot of hogs get shot and left to rot around here. Some because it is the middle of summer, and hog will ruin within an hour when the temp are 95+ degrees.

There are avenues to donate meat, especially if it is cut and wrapped. Not near as many if they have to pay for the processing which will run anywhere from $65-$80 depending on the facility. $65 is a lot to spend on a 50-75 lb hog which is probably the average size people shoot.

I have a friend who has taken over 40 hogs from his 300 acre property this past year. Even at $50 bucks a hog, that would be $2000.00 in processing.

Believe it or not, I have had a hard time giving away deer before unless it was cut and wrapped.

I never pass up a chance to put pork in my freezer, but do it myself unless it is big enough to be worth the processing fee. It cost the same to process a 20 pound hog as it does a 200 pound one.
 
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