boar hunting questions ?

[silent sniper]

Hello guys I will be booking a wild boar hunt in south carolina. The outfitter said the average shot would be between 80 and 100 yards. My question is, will a 50 or 54 caliber roundball with 110-120 grains of powder stop a hog at 100 yards ? How well would a chest shot boar bleed ? should I aim for chest or try from a neck or ear shot ? Or would it be better to use a maxi instead of a roundball. I have a thompson center 54 that shoots very well with 110 grains of FF and a maxi, but with its severe recoil I dont know if I could shoot it accuratly enough to get the job done.The recoil isnt bad in the shoulder, but the stock will come up and crack me right in the cheek. So what do you guys think, would roundball do it or should I suck it up and try to get good with the 54 and maxi ? If I do have to use 54 and maxi, is there anyway to make it so it wont smash my cheek everytime I pull the trigger ? thanks for your help. Cheers SS.

 

[texcl]

I grew up killing pigs with a .22, they are not as tough as everyone makes them out to be, shoot them through the lungs with a .50cal roundball with 60 grains plus of powder and you will kill them cleanly. you want to avoid shooting them in the head, head on as the bullet tends to glance up and over the brain. We always shot them in the ear with .22's but have shot them in the lung/heart area too and killed the m just as dead just took longer. I say for meat purposes personally I'd shoot them in the ear at close range (to ensure you can hit the mark)most of our shots were inside 20 yards. We concentrated on shooting or trapping the smaller ones and the rib meat was our favorite part. Baste the ribs with olive oil rosemary salt and pepper and barbie-Q them over a burnt down mesquite fire, makes my mouth water.The bigger they are the worst they taste. Good luck, by the way if you use a guide he will probably inflate stories about how mean and tough these animals are, it is good business to do so and makes the hunters feel macho, I know guys who hunt them with dogs and knives, now that might qualify as macho. Personally you won't catch me doing that, although I can see that getting pretty exciting, shoot it would be exciting hunting a deer that way!

 

[GreyWhiskers]

I recommend that you use the load that you shoot the best. A .50 or .54 r/ball is fine to use on pigs. At the ranges you mentioned, I'd aim for the chest area.

Those maxi-balls are painful to shoot from the bench but while hunting, I doubt that you'll feel the recoil. Good luck............GW

 

[Skylinewatcher]

I've shot a few hawgs and I'd echo everything texcl and grey whiskers said. They ain't too bad and they'll usually run away from you when shot in the lung area. Take the yougest one of them you can stand. Them old boars are rank. However, keep in mind these critters will hurt you if you corner'em up. So, if you have to take a tramp to recover one be wary. I can show you a good scar on my left calf where one got loose from me while I was holding his back leg. He got hung up in a bottom in some kudzo and I thought to just drag him on out. Yeah, he didn't like that too much and run this fatboy up a water oak, only the fatboy wasn't quick enough. :redface:

 

[BrownBear]

Lung shoot em with the same load you use for deer, and they'll be just as dead. They die real well when you do your part, and I agree. Nowhere near as tough as some folks claim, so it's a good idea to ponder why folks are making such claims.

There's as much myth and lies about pigs as there is in politics, and for the same reasons. Ever wonder why politicians talk about "bringing home the pork?" :rotf:

 

[flyfisher76544]

If you aren't comfortable with that shot, get closer. Hogs have a keen sense of smell and hearing but thier eye sight isnt all that. Your guide should be able to get you closer than 80 yards. Make sure you tell the guide before the hunt what you are using. He might think you are coming down with an In-*&$%.
The guff about hogs taking several shots to take em down is all talk. The vitals are smaller than other animals. On a 100 lb pig, the heart and lungs are no bigger than a kids hand. Heres a link to help you recognize where to put that ball. It also shows how thier spine dips down as well. Let us know how your hunt goes!!!
http://www.texasboars.com/anatomy.html

 

[Mattole]

I agree with everything said here, except for the part where someone said they were not mean. They aren't the cartoon Tasmanian Devil, but they sure can turn on you and do damage if wounded and/or cornered.

I agree with the previous poster that you should be able to get much closer than 80-100 yards. Plus, because pigs rarely stand still I myself would not take an 80-100 yard shot at one with open sights - just seems like an invitation to wound one. Tell the outfitter you're using a primitive weapon with open sights and you want to get within 20-50 yards and he should be able to accommodate you.

With the wind in your favor and some clever stalking you will have no problem getting within tens of yards of a pig. I have killed two big boars with a bow - including a 200 lb boar just two weeks ago - and both shots were within 30 yards. I passed on another 30 yard yard shot at a big sow with my muzzleloader several weeks ago. It was just a little too dark and I couldn't line the sights up well enough for my liking.

Getting close in to a wild pig is much of the fun of the hunt, in my opinion - you really get to have the experience of being a predator stalking very near to your prey!

Get to know the pig anatomy carefully, and keep your shot tight in to the shoulder pocket - not any farther back, or it will be a gut shot. Like another poster said, the vital zone is smaller and different than that of a deer. If you get close in you can also consider a neck shot. Google "neck shot wild pig" for more info.

I recommend that you read all you can about pig hunting before you go. You might check out boarblog.com, and read some books on pig hunting too.

Good luck, have fun, be safe!

 

[silent sniper]

Thanks for the replies ! keep um coming ! I could use my pedersoli swivel rifle which is deadly accurate but I figured the 50 cal would be to light, but I guess not. I figure that I will be able to get closer. The outfitter said the average rifle shot was 100 yards but I will ask to hunt a bow spot if I want to be sure of a closer shot.

 

[William O.]

Thanks for the replies ! keep um coming ! I could use my pedersoli swivel rifle which is deadly accurate but I figured the 50 cal would be to light, but I guess not. I figure that I will be able to get closer. The outfitter said the average rifle shot was 100 yards but I will ask to hunt a bow spot if I want to be sure of a closer shot.

It's been proven time & again that the lead round ball kills out of proportion to it's paper ballistics, have confidence in it's ability to take game down game quickly and cleanly. Have fun and be sure to let us know about your hunting trip.

 

[silent sniper]

Thanks for all the advice. The trip wont be till the end of june so I have 5 months to practice. Thanks again SS

 

[August West]

Man I just can't see the average shot on a wild hog in the south being a 100 yds. I have hunted pigs in Georgia, Texas and Oklahoma and about half that or less has been the norm. I wonder if they are hunting fields, I just can't see those ranges in the woods.

I am not sure if you have hunted the south in the summer time, if not get ready for some serious bug action. Seed ticks being the worse, man those things will get on you by the 100s and itch like the devil, chiggers ain't no fun either. I suggest you treat your clothing with permethrin, be sure to follow the instructions, it is some pretty dangerous stuff, and tuck you pants in your boots. A thermacell will be worth it's weight in gold. I will probably be pig hunting about the same time, only in south ga. Chris

 

[John Wasmuth]

Smack them in the side of the head, between the eye and the ear with that 50 and they will hit the ground real fast. I know you've been told that anything less that a mountain howitzer or a swivel gun wont kill them but from experience, and I kill many many hogs a year, the .50 will work fine.

 

[Mattole]

I second August's recommendation of the Thermacell - they are inventions of true wonder in being able to reduce insect misery.

And hey - be really careful with those ticks, meaning be on the lookout for Lyme disease.. very serious stuff, believe me (I speak from experience unfortunately..).

 

[Hoyt]

I've killed a lot of hogs in Ga., S.C., and Fl., but never had to shoot one 80yds away. The little sow in the picture was about a yard from me when I saw her rootn in that tall grass. Shot her behind the ear with with my 20ga. Old Virginia and no. 5 shot..was squirrel hunting. She never twitched.

However, I shot another one with my .58cal. Berk's Co. and roundball right in the side of the head at about 10yds., knocked him flat down and he got up and staggered off.

I agree with the other posters who say they are way over hyped as far as mean and dangerous. Not that they aren't both and do know people who have got charged, run over and cut, but all those cases dogs and catching where involved, but in all the yrs I hunted them.....since the early 60's I haven't had one run at me yet. I've also caught them with dogs...never did the knife stickin thing...not my cup of tea. We caught them cut the boars and turned them back and kept the eatin hogs and fed them out before killing.

I always used whatever I used for deer hunting to hog hunt and I try to shoot them in the side of the head..ear

 

[skeaterbait]

If this is redundant, I apologize. Be sure you know where the lungs are. If you shoot a hog the same as you do a deer, you will lose it. A perfect broadside hog will find the goods hidden behind the shoulder plate, as in you would aim right on the shoulder instead on behind it.

As was mentioned, they are not hard to kill once you learn where to hit. And contrary to popular belief they will bleed. There is a reason the expression "... like a stuck pig" was coined.

 

[CrackStock]

Most hog hunting in SC is along the Peedee region. I lived in Florence for several years and killed hogs near there or Hemmingway to help friends who were farmers.
You will likely get put on a raised stand with somwhere from 25 to 100 yards of visibility. Your best accuracty load is what you will want. A .50 or .54 will be ample as long as your shot is there. I like the maxis, but your load seems pretty stout and I would also be wary of a flinch ruining your shot. The patched round balls do kill them and if you have a very accurate load for them, use it.

CS

 

[RugerDog]

Before:

After:

Got this one in Florida from about 40 yards with my .45 cal T/C Hawken, using a Maxi-Ball. Shot in the neck, and she dropped right where she stood.

You should be fine with a .50 or .54

 

[Robert Scheffler]

I've shot 4 hogs at distances anywhere from 15 to 65 yrds. with a .50 cal. flintlock shooting prb with 70gr-90gr 3f. 3 were lung shots and 1 was between the eyes at 15 yrds. They may run a bit with a lung shot til they die, but not very far. Sounds like there's some good advice here. You can do it. Have fun and don't forget to post pics.

 

[Supercracker]

if you're in a spot where you can see 100yds out then it probably won't be thick enough to house pigs. lol

Kidding aside. In my experience, you're probably more likely to get an 18 yd shot than an 80. During the day pigs generally won't be coming out in the open. Unless there's dogs behind them, but that's a whole different deal.

 

[Scharms]

The only hog I ever shot was at about 15 yards... :wink: