What gun for feral hogs?

[MCgunner]

I'm glad all you got was a scar on your leg, and not your groin shredded, or your femoral artery cut.

Me, too, but that IS how natural selection works, ya know.

 

[chas08]

I tend to forget the enormous damage to the land that hogs do out in Texas.

It's true, I've experienced it firsthand as I'm sure others on this forum have. I hold all species I hunt in high regard and make maximum effort to recover them all, except hogs. I won't trail them alone or at night anymore. And that really doesn't matter much because I almost exclusively head shoot. I cant remember the last time I pulled the trigger and he wasn't DRT. With well north of 200 hog kills behind me it doesn't bother me to not take a shot unless it's optimum. I cant say the same for some of the leasemates I've had. Left unchecked though, they are a pox on the land and I know of no other animal that I hold such contempt for.

 

[qajaq59]

If you have wounded an animal, it is your responsibility and duty as an honorable sportsman to track it and finish it, whatever the personal affront. If you made the bad shot, you are at fault, not the animal.

This can easily be avoided.... If you're not sure of a quick kill, just pass on the shot. There will be plenty more coming along. Especially in Texas, from what I'm told by reatives.

 

[mbt2001]

McGunner:

Have you been at the egg nog? You are down right giddy in some of these posts!



Re: Hogs

Any deer cartridge will work fine, hunt with a sidearm. Be careful tracking them into brush. Hogs often charge when shot, so be ready for a follow up.

No, you do not need an RPG and they do not wear armor...

 

[qajaq59]

No, you do not need an RPG and they do not wear armor...

Unless of course you try to shoot them in the forehead. If you do that they fall down....then get up and say,"Hey you dummy, that hurts!!!"

 

[kyle1974]

maybe one day, they will legalize this for hogs without having permits, etc...

Notice some of the shots from the AR's that are dropping these pigs....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHmYsyVniE

I always get a kick out of the "ya gotta have nothing msaller than a 500 XXX ultra mag when hunting pigs.. they're BULLET PROOF!"

 

[Todd1700]

No, you do not need an RPG and they do not wear armor...

Agreed. Basically anything you use for deer will work fine on hogs. Me personally I'd like a 243 or up if I plan to aim for the body but I have killed them with head shots from a 22 magnum.

 

[greyling22]

the big ones develop something like a big thick callous on their shoulders that works a bit like kevlar and bullets designed to mushroom or fragment tend to penetrate poorly. it's overrated though. just shoot them. whether they die in front of you or die off in the woods does not matter. (unless you plan on trying to eat one) 30/30 or similar works great.

 

[Greybeard]

I live about halfway between Lake Grapevine and Lake Lewisville. What the linked article in the original post does NOT mention is that feral hog hunting around both lakes is ARCHERY only. (And baiting prohibited.) I've hunted both lakes that way. Unfriendly access, heavy cover, pretty tough sleddin.

That could change though if one of those hoity toity home owners got upset enough to let me set up a feeder and a tree stand in their back yard.

 

[Deadbolt]

Just remember, a feral hog is just that , a wild hog, they can, and have killed hunters before . A second and third gereation feral hog will even grow tusks. I would use nothing lighter than at least a 30-30. My self, I used a .308. For all of you city folk who have never been around hogs before, farmers were always very carefull about getting into a hog pen. Even so called " tame" hogs will attack you at times. I know of one old farmer in Michigan who walked with a limp for that very reason. The only reason he's not dead is that he was able to get back over the fence. We had a boar "(turned that sucker into bacon, ha ha ) that would watch you out of the corner of his eyes, and as soon as you were more than a foot or so from the fence he would charge. Before we converted him into a good hog he ate a lot of our chickens. He also taught the other hogs how to corner a chicken and kill it. Hogs are smarter than dogs and they love fresh meat.

excellent advice. Feral hogs were the 2nd hunt ( admittedly ) been the only REAL hunting trip ive been on ( my parents are kind of hippies - i had the pleasure of going to my good friend's aunt's ranch out in texas - some 44thousand acres, beautiful land and state! and im from Santa Barbara Ca!!!! ) was a hog hunt.

****ers are bat**** crazy. prior to the pigglies it was just some quail - lol. At the time i still wasn't allowed to own my own rifle (thanks folks! ) and the rifle selection prior the hunt was quite humorous : I saw a sporterized 223 and it looked very much the part - friend's aunt was like "naw you cant come with that" - and gave me a 30-06 bruiser.

I had up's on a pig (it was my turn) and i squeezed that trigger, it was the 10th or 11th time id fired that weapon or ctg size in my life @ that point and i pitched like whoa - hit the pig in the leg and royally ****ed up its foot. Him and some friends went ape **** and it was quite some mayhem lol

good times - sorry, the thread reminded me of why im a gun owner : i was pissed off i didn't get to eat any pork i fell that day

 

[MCgunner]

Hippies, all they do is smoke dope and smell bad.

Eric Cartman



Dang, 44K acres? South Fork? Your friend's name Ewing? Sounds like fun, but it pays to be better prepared.

 

[Deadbolt]

lol his given name is Barnet - but its his mom's side's ranch

i dont recall the area - was some time ago ( im 28 now - i was 16 at the time ) but ill find out. was a lolz'y experience. I felt way way out of place and had no idea what i was doing. Thankfully i was in good hands and was coached 110% of the way through it ( even the : LOL RUN BOY when i nailed that piggly's foot lolol )

my parents arent THAT much of a bunch of hippies, but gun ownership was never in their book - *insert - ive typed and retyped some varying bits about my parents, my wife's parents, etc.. - what it boils down to : with the exception of the aforementioned hunt and some quail outtings with my wife's parents - my hunting experience is none - but i love me some target practice. My intent with the post was to mention : feral pigs are ****ing gnarly so be careful lol . And the reason i didnt eat any pork i fell ? I blew that pigs hoof apart - but my friend Jim's aunt is the one that put it down. Since that moment, i knew this was something i needed to master :banghead:

 

[MCgunner]

but my friend Jim's aunt is the one that put it down.

Yep, you were in Texas, where the women are 10 times more dangerous than the hogs.

 

[Daniel]

From what I've seen:

If you're going for the brain, .22 Magnum will do (no real point in using anything bigger unless bigger is all you have)

If you're going for the usual behind the shoulder shot, anything you use on deer will be fine (.243, .30-30, .308, .270, 6mm, .357 Magnum, et al,; 12 gauge 00 buckshot works well enough up real close)

Shoulder shots; 12 gauge slugs, heavy .45-70, .416 Rigby, .500 S&W, .44 Magnum, et al; your standard deer calibers firing JSP will do too (JHP is out, unless it's designed for penetration)

Good thing with feral pigs is, you can bring out the elephant guns if you want (or, you have a good reason to buy one), and not be "overgunned". But you can also use your standard deer rifle too.

 

[MCgunner]

If you're going for the usual behind the shoulder shot

I would suggest never shooting behind the shoulder. You will hit nothing, but guts. That's what makes archery a might difficult, have to thread the needle behind the shoulder on a quartering away shot.

Big deer down under? Never thought of a .416 Rigby as a "deer caliber". LOL You guys have water buffalo down there, so I reckon it's probably a lot more popular in Oz. It will certainly do the job on hogs. Better to be OVER power than UNDER, I say. IMHO, if you're forced to make head shots, you don't have enough gun, but that's just me.

Hmm, and I didn't think there was a use for that .22 mag when I traded for it. It is accurate, a spotlight and I'll be set up.

 

[amprecon]

Within 150 yards, I think this would be perfect pig medicine and yes with the 30 round magazines as long as they are legal. If I were to run up on a bunch of them this setup would allow you to hit as many as you could put the red dot on before they got out of range.

 

[Daniel]

MCgunner,

Nah, not straight through, side to side, but taken from at an angle so the projectile ends up smacking into the off shoulder. You can get the heart this way, without having to shoot through the shoulder.

.416 Rigby would come under "elephant gun", but it's fine to use on pigs, as are all large game calibers. You can't really be "overgunned" with pigs.

.22 Magnum [from a rifle] will kill them instantly with a head shot each time (just put it in the ear). Hunting on foot with such is...fun.

 

[MCgunner]

.22 Magnum [from a rifle] will kill them instantly with a head shot each time (just put it in the ear). Hunting on foot with such is...fun.

Exciting might be a better word. LOL I don't know, a local WMA here opens for pig hunting for two months in the spring. It's heavy cover and would probably be short range, but there is a bluff there where the upland transitions to salt marsh. A long shot in the morning could be possible. But, the place is buckshot only. I don't have much faith in buckshot and ain't about to go chasing a wounded hog in that crap with a long gun. I am going to hunt it next spring, though. I have it scouted out pretty well and, while I'm sure the gators get their share of pigs out there in that marsh, the hog population keeps exploding. They breed faster than the gators can catch 'em.

I really wish they'd at least allow black powder. Actually, it'd be really neat if they did and disallowed centerfire rifles. That'd give me a logical reason to hunt with the old smoke pole since we don't have a separate muzzle loader season here. But, rules is rules. I think the .22 mag would be preferable to buckshot, though. If I get sliced up out there, I'm going to lawyer up and sue the state Parks and Wildlife department, I mean, if I survive.

 

[SalchaketJoe]

At this point I look at feral hogs same as I do prairie dogs. Or rats, mice or any other vermin. Now that said I still try to take them (as I am sure everyone on here does) as cleanly as posible. I take no joy from the suffering of an animal.

 

[antony35]

i have read almost all the threads . some people are lucky they have taken hogs with .22
i have hunting experience in india about 15 years on wild boars . i dont see any diference between wild boar and hogs exept their teeth & wilderness . wild boar truly speaking , very dangerous animal . if you plan to hunt with rifle go above 300 , 308 is perfect , and if you are using shot gun use slug shots , and prepare for the second shot . why am telling you this is these wild boars are cunning ones they may pretend they are dead and when we come near they will charge . they even hide in the bush .they have capability to kill a human , their teeth are dangeorus i have several experience . always prepare for the second shot . 50 cal muzzleloader is the one i trust i always used that . always on the shoulder

all the best for the hog hunting

 

[vts]

I have no experience hunting hogs, but I would like to try handgun hunting.
How about handgun hunting, if legal? I am think about getting a 454 Casull. I would like to go hog hunting with it.

 

[Silent Sam]

You guys can use 22's if you want. Do it enough and you will end up out in the scrub looking for them. I bet you'll want a bit more gun at that point. I prefer using more power up front and increase my odds of dropping them on the spot. I prefer a quartering away shot tucked just behind the shield towards the point of the off shoulder. You can whack 'em square on the shoulder if you've got enough gun and bullet but you'll waste some meat. If you only get one lung you may be after him for while and he won't be happy to see you. A straight broadside shot behind the shoulder that many prefer for deer is just as likely to result in a pissed off gut shot animal as a dead one. Personally I would consider the 243 a head shot caliber on big hogs. That is a pretty small target that in my experience is rarely stationary. Someone mentioned that they aren't armored, I would at least partially disagree. On a 300+lb boar that cartilage shield does amount to armor. Shoulder bones and skull are relatively heavy and their vitals are well protected, low and well forward. I rate big hogs as one of the toughest animals on the continent. If you are on the ground w/ a big one and you don't put him down immediately he will quickly figure out the source of his discomfort. If you want to stroll out in the scrub after a wounded hog in the dark be my guest. I don't need that kind of excitement. I'll come back in the morning. He may already be 'dead' but they have a tendency to not go quietly into night. There is a difference between hunting and stopping calibers when it comes to the big piggies. They are strong fast and smart and if they are old enough will have some serious cutters and know how to use them. They don't get big by being pleasant.

 

[qajaq59]

I have no experience hunting hogs, but I would like to try handgun hunting.
How about handgun hunting, if legal? I am think about getting a 454 Casull. I would like to go hog hunting with it.

A handgun will certainly drop one, and plenty of guys use them. But you want to wait for the right shot and do some serious practicing before you try it. It really is best to drop them with the first shot. They are not armor plated, and they're not some kind of a super dragon. But they are nasty when wounded and in heavy brush they have a big advantage over you.

 

[ForneyRider]

Same as deer, but a semi-auto as the pigs will be in large groups.

We shot the small ones with .22-250 50gr.

 

[Guillermo]

Yep, you were in Texas, where the women are 10 times more dangerous than the hogs

damned straight!!

I teach women's self defense (RADS) and I can attest that such is true.