Wild Boar Hunting?

Only time I hunted with dogs no boars turned up but we found a sow that was roped and taken alive. A lot of the dog guys like to tie them and then feed them out or cut them and turn them loose. I do know a number of guys that have done the dogs/knives thing though. Cold Steel Trailmaster is well thought of. If using dogs be sure whatever you pick can't over-penetrate and possibly injure a dog. No need for a 12-14" blade.

For a rifle (assuming no dogs -- lots of guys do not want guns around their dogs unless they are the ones shooting) use a decent quality bullet. Depending on the size and shot placement they drop to anything from a .223 in the CNS to a .416 or more by guys who just enjoy shooting big bores.

A good shot in the right place can drop them fast even with a smaller caliber but my preference is a larger caliber because the fat can plug up a smaller exit and I would like a good blood trail. If you are a good shot and have a good CNS opportunity then they should drop fast. Usually behind the ear works well.

Most of the ones we saw in the brush country went 100-200 pounds or just a bit more, a real big boar might be a different story.
 
I've used my .338 elk rifle, as well as a .308. As noted above, get some Trophy Bonded Bearclaws or other premium bullets. I've had bad luck with deer bullets like Remington Core Lokts. I carry a substantial handgun for backup after a big boar charged me.

DancesWithKnives
 
out of all my boar guns before i got the 6.8 my fav was a ruger 10/22 an a 30 cal carbine,check out the rat forum on rat rc 6 passaround killed,dressed,skinned,an deboned a 100# boar with a 6"blade got some good pics you dont need a bowie but its up to you,aloha
 
I have killed a lot of pigs, about any rifle or bow that is sufficient for whitetail deer will work great for pigs. My all time favorite is an old Marlin 336 in 35 Remington with a straight 4x scope, with 200 gr bullets it thumps them pretty good.

I have found that a pigs ferocity is greatly over exaggerated, if bayed or cornered they will fight like the dickens but if they can run away they will, they are not roaming through the woods looking for a fight. With catch dogs killing one with a knife or spear really isn't all that difficult. A lot of boys catch them alive by hand, with the aid of dogs of course, carry it home and fatten it up on slop before butchering.

Hunting feral hogs is I think my favorite game animal, if you get the chance give it a try. Chris
 
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aloha chris you took the words ryte out of my mouth nice to meet another boar hunter,i posted a thread a month ago called (500 lbs of bacon)caught those live with one dog an a snare for the boar,that was no easy task that day but it was done,boar hunting is addictive have a good one,aloha
 
kalama said:
aloha chris you took the words ryte out of my mouth nice to meet another boar hunter,i posted a thread a month ago called (500 lbs of bacon)caught those live with one dog an a snare for the boar,that was no easy task that day but it was done,boar hunting is addictive have a good one,aloha
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Could you post a link to that thread, if you happen to have it handy?
 
I downed 3 this past deer season, all with my trusty Marlin 30/30, stoked with 170 grain Win. Silvertips. But, honestly, any decent ammo will lay 'em down. Hog myths abound, but they bleed and die just like anything else. Your best bet is knowing where to shoot them, more than with what. Here is a little visual help as to how a piggie is assembled:
http://www.texasboars.com/anatomy.html

My nephew killed a couple of 30-35 lb. pigs this year with his 10/22. One was a through and through heart/lung shot, and the other was behind and below the ear for a nice shattered neck. These were smallish porkers, but the point is, shot placement is key.

Beckerhead
 
My Japanese Hawaiian friend's cousins go hog hunting with a spear and a knife each. They split up and get one each. Their method is to spear the hog and then tackle it and finish it up with the knife. My friend said he tried to do it with them and ended up clinging to the branches of a tree screaming for his cousins and he is no small dude. His cousins are gigantic tribal lookin boys. Unless you look like that, I would suggest using a gun for your first time out. I just got back from hog hunting this past weekend. I can tell you this. Thos bastards are tough animals and if there's more than one, while you're killing one, the rest might be coming at you. If you have other people going with you, you might be ok. I'd still use a gun though.
 
Dylside said:
My Japanese Hawaiian friend's cousins go hog hunting with a spear and a knife each. They split up and get one each. Their method is to spear the hog and then tackle it and finish it up with the knife. My friend said he tried to do it with them and ended up clinging to the branches of a tree screaming for his cousins and he is no small dude. His cousins are gigantic tribal lookin boys. Unless you look like that, I would suggest using a gun for your first time out. I just got back from hog hunting this past weekend. I can tell you this. Thos bastards are tough animals and if there's more than one, while you're killing one, the rest might be coming at you. If you have other people going with you, you might be ok. I'd still use a gun though.
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I have never seen this behavior, I have no idea how many hogs I have killed but it is a lot. The only time I have ever had hogs act aggressive towards me was hunting them with dogs and one time when I blew a predator call I had a really pissed off sow with little ones come in looking for a fight.

My son shot this hog at about 18 yds with a 55lb bear instinct, carbon arrows and magnus stinger broadheads. I was beside him when he shot, the arrow blew through the pig like butter. There where about 6 hogs in the bunch and at the shot they scattered like quail. About a 50 yd blood trail and meat in the freezer.

Picture107.jpg


My son and his best friend, the reason the arrow is still in the hog is it was buried into the shoulder and we couldn't pull it out and I wanted to know where the broadhead was when I started dressing it.

Picture113-1.jpg
 
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(500+lbs of bacon) i think i did it, if not punch that title on search an it will pop up ,no i didnt tried to paste hell i dont know how to do that,do i insert link
 
I have been chased by hogs 1 time, and I was in their way, not their target. I was in a devil of a thicket, on a pig trail, and they got spooked and I was in the right of way. That said, as soon as I hit the clearing, they instantly bolted the other way. Also, 2 of my kills were in groups, one with 20+ hogs in it, and at the shot they went every which way, including my direction, but not aggresively, just wild panicked flight, which is often mistaken for attack mode. Don't get me wrong, a hog can and will hurt you in the right situation, but 99.99999% of the time they just exit stage left.

Here is an example of running hog mania:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WwK_1SFE_8
This guy probably thinks he got "attacked" by a hog, instead of ran over by one.

And, here is a "hello" to a fellow passionate pursuer of the palatable porcine prey, we call hogs. Runningboar

BKRHD
 
runningboar said:
I have never seen this behavior, I have no idea how many hogs I have killed but it is a lot. The only time I have ever had hogs act aggressive towards me was hunting them with dogs and one time when I blew a predator call I had a really pissed off sow with little ones come in looking for a fight.

My son shot this hog at about 18 yds with a 55lb bear instinct, carbon arrows and magnus stinger broadheads. I was beside him when he shot, the arrow blew through the pig like butter. There where about 6 hogs in the bunch and at the shot they scattered like quail. About a 50 yd blood trail and meat in the freezer.
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How many of those did you guys get within a couple of yards and take down with a spear?

I have seen this behavior and it is scary as hell. I was creeping through the tree line next to a food plot coming up on a couple of boars (one of the few times I've seen two boars together and while I was taking aim at one the other one charged. The other one did run off when I shot, but if I hadn't, I have no doubt that it would have stayed on course. Another guy I was at the lodge with told me about a similar experience he had the day before where he was coming up on one he shot to start cutting and a hog came out of the tall grass about 20 feet away and came after him. They do run off most of the time if they spot you from far away and will scatter when any kind of shot is fired or bow released (most of the time), but if it's just you, you're in close range where they feel really threatened, and you're not shooting something, they will charge and try to gore you. The important thing to keep in mind here is that this guy is talking about using a spear. I'm not trying to start an argument or anything and i hope you don't take offense to anything I'm saying, I'm just saying that these things go nuts when you get too close. Shooting them with a gun or bow from over 15 yards away is one thing. Trying to get within spear range is another.
 
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Dylside said:
How many of those did you guys get within a couple of yards and take down with a spear?

I have seen this behavior and it is scary as hell. I was creeping through the tree line next to a food plot coming up on a couple of boars (one of the few times I've seen two boars together and while I was taking aim at one the other one charged. The other one did run off when I shot, but if I hadn't, I have no doubt that it would have stayed on course. Another guy I was at the lodge with told me about a similar experience he had the day before where he was coming up on one he shot to start cutting and a hog came out of the tall grass about 20 feet away and came after him. They do run off most of the time if they spot you from far away and will scatter when any kind of shot is fired or bow released (most of the time), but if it's just you, you're in close range where they feel really threatened, and you're not shooting something, they will charge and try to gore you. The important thing to keep in mind here is that this guy is talking about using a spear. I'm not trying to start an argument or anything and i hope you don't take offense to anything I'm saying, I'm just saying that these things go nuts when you get too close. Shooting them with a gun or bow from over 15 yards away is one thing. Trying to get within spear range is another.
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No offense taken and I certainly am not calling you a liar, my experiences are different from yours is all I am saying. I have never killed a pig with a spear, but have been in on many dog hunts and live capture. I think if I can put my knee on a pigs head and tie it's feet together I could have killed it with a spear. The largest wild hog I have ever killed was 327 lbs in Hinesville GA, I would not have wanted to try to catch him alive, the ones I am talking about catching are 100 lbs or less.

My experience with charging hogs is that if you step out of their way they they will keep right on charging into the distance. Chris
 
runningboar said:
No offense taken and I certainly am not calling you a liar, my experiences are different from yours is all I am saying. I have never killed a pig with a spear, but have been in on many dog hunts and live capture. I think if I can put my knee on a pigs head and tie it's feet together I could have killed it with a spear. The largest wild hog I have ever killed was 327 lbs in Hinesville GA, I would not have wanted to try to catch him alive, the ones I am talking about catching are 100 lbs or less.

My experience with charging hogs is that if you step out of their way they they will keep right on charging into the distance. Chris
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That is a good point and something to keep in mind. Their sight is craptastic so if you just dart out of the way instead of running straight away from them, they'll more than likely lose you and keep charging away. I have seen that happen and it's prety humorous as they don't slow down at all. They just keep going full tilt boogie, but there's nothing in front of them.
 
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