really bad, or just smell bad?

[George]

Rather than hijack the most recent thread about best hog caliber, I decided to start a related one. Any thread about best hog caliber always brings up the opinion that hogs are hard to kill, and dangerous to wound, because they will eat you.

Let me ask a general question of anyone interested. I've been hearing about how vicious and dangerous wild hogs are for about 40 years, now. No doubt about it, if the tales are true, these are bad boys, squared. I've seen one young hunter so completely spooked by all the horror stories told him that he literally wet his pants when his first hog showed up, just before scrambling up a tree. And it was a small hog. Yet I've never heard any real evidence to back up these tales. Never heard of one hunter being charged, even, let alone actually struck, slashed, gored or cut, not even a little bit. Does it actually happen? Has it ever actually happened? Has any hog hunter ever been seriously injured by a charging hog?

I see TV programs of people chasing them down in the dark and catching them by the back leg. Are those guys brave out of their minds, are they idiots, or do they know a secret we might be interested in? Is this another of those grizzled old saws which just keeps being perpetuated with no basis in fact?

Spence

 

[cynthialee]

keep in mind that the boar was a symbol of powerful danger in classic litature, this is bound to influence the psychology of our society

If a person hears stories about tough boars that are influenced by the ancient stories it is no wonder a kid might wizz himself.

 

[BrownBear]

Only seen trouble with pigs twice- both time sows with youngsters.

First time I was just a kid fishing a pond when the sow came over the dike, took one look at my skinny form and charged. Put me up a tree, then proceeded to tear up my tackle box. Dunno that there was any "super" bait in it, but she sure wanted it.

Second time was on a pig roundup, trying to capture some for a friend. Horses, dogs, humor, you name it. Only ones we got were when a guy on foot managed to grab a little one by the hind leg and drag it into a horse trailer. Mom and the rest of the youngsters went right in after him, and we slammed the gate as he climbed out the top.

Pretty short list for a long life with pigs.

 

[S.Kenton]

My Dad and I was "charged" by a wild hog In Southern Ohio in the middle 80's. It was kind of an odd, yet eye opening experience...the hog charged us.. both of us ducked behind the same large oak tree and the hog veered off to our direct right and just kind of trotted off. Neither of us had our guns loaded as it just passed shooting time...I think we got lucky on that one...

 

[Robert Egler]

A friend of mine was charged by a hog when he was deer hunting a couple years ago. Shot it twice at very short range with a WWII Mauser, said he didn't know he could operate a bolt action that fast.

 

[roundball]

Let me ask a general question of anyone interested. I've been hearing about how vicious and dangerous wild hogs are for about 40 years, now.

Never heard any real evidence to back up these tales. Never heard of one hunter being charged, even, let alone actually struck, slashed, gored or cut, not even a little bit. Does it actually happen? Has it ever actually happened? Has any hog hunter ever been seriously injured by a charging hog?

Good post and I've had similar thoughts over the years...we raised some on the farm and I've seen the power & aggression of a boar on another hog a couple of occasions first hand, when another farmer would bring a sow over to be bred...and it left a lasting impression on me my entire life.
I've never seen a human attacked, but that said, I grew up learning they were always given a healthy does of respect and were always carefully controlled with chutes and gates for loading, unloading, penning, etc...nobody in our family was ever allowed inside an open area with them.

 

[sb 54 cal.]

raised hogs in the 80's Sows are more aggrissive with young and never try to corner one are you are asking for trouble. Hunted a fenced operation in the early 2003 shot a 250 boar took three rounds from a 308 to stop him. Pappy :2

 

[majg1234]

In 2008 or 2009 an Army buddie and I went on a Wild Boar hunt near Monterey Tn.I shot a 425lb Russian boar from about 10yrds with a 460 S&W Mag.It was quartering away from me.The shot went through its' lungs nicked the heart and the pig sorta rocked from the impact.It turned and squared off with me dropped its head and another round through the spine behind the head ended the drama.Now I don't know if it planned on a charge or was dying but I didn't wait to find out before I fired again.When we dressed it found the slug and a basket ball size bruise on the opposite shoulder from the 1st round.The next day took another one from about 50yds with a 45/70,no drama just DRT.Weighed 380Lbs.Talk about some good eating!!!!!!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Folks, I was always taught that there is a big difference between a wild boar, and a feral hog. The wild boar are the most dangerous, and the fact that boar spears have a cross piece to keep the animal from "running up" the shaft to get to the spearman, plus as was mentioned the appearance of boar on many coats of arms, seems to back this up.

I was also taught that a male feral hog does not automatically become a wild boar when it grows up in the wild. It may be more aggressive than a domesticated hog, but is often not as dangerous as an actual wild boar. (There are exceptions to every rule as well).

LD

 

[Lonegun1894]

I have taken them with archery gear, .45 ACP, .357 Mag, .45 Colt, .44 Mag, .30-30, .308, .30-06, 7.62x39, .223, .22 LR, .32 RB .50 RB, .54 RB, 13ga ML (firing a .690 PRB), and 12ga (modern). I have been charged 3 times. Two were after a bad hit, both low shots, one with an arrow and the other with a .44 Mag. A proper follow up shot to the top of the head with a .45 ended both of those situations. The third was a sow with young, and dealt with with a .357 Mag. I have learned one thing though. They are not hard to kill at all. The secret is placement. My last one was taken at about 40yds with a .22 LR pistol, with a single shot just behind the elbow, and that little 36gr HP entered the right side and exited the left. Now the hole wasn't big, so it could have been a pain to track, but the shot took out the heart and both lungs and that 175-200 lb boar never made it 15 feet, maybe 10ft before it fell over dead. With that placement, I have never had to track one regardless of what weapon was used. And while I always carry either a .357 or a .45, they are more for defense from two legged threats than hogs--even if they have both been used to stop charges. They are just so very infrequent that I don't worry about them. So don't worry about a charge, but do have some way to stop one should it happen, but I wouldn't expect you to have one unless there is a sow with young involved, or a bad shot. Shoot straight and you have no worries.

 

[Spikebuck]

Haven't personally hunted them, but I have a DVD called "Raging Boars" (hunting big Russians) that's all bowhunting and there were several charges in there..and not from doing things one might not normally do or encounter, I suspect. One was immediately after the arrow struck and the camera man was not fast enough to get out of the way and took a tusk to the leg. And it was definitely a charge...not just a hog running errantly after being shot. Another was two hogs fighting and the guys kind of "interrupted" it and got in the middle while stalking close. They didn't stomp right in and try to grab one, but the hogs broke for a minute, probably saw the "intruders" and one charged them.

Can't say if it happens a lot, but it appears it can and does happen on occasion.

 

[Carl Fowler III]

Have taken all my hogs with archery gear...most current was down in Georgia last April...there was a sounder of maybe 25 hogs ranging from 75 to 125 pounds in an open manmade meadow...shot a 100 pounder tight behind the shoulder and she ran off to the far side of the meadow taking all the others hogs with her, they were milling around confused as to what was going on...the female I shot was ill, her head was hanging low and even though she was at the outside of my shooting comfort zone decided to take another shot at her...only because she was already mortally wounded!

Took note that the nearest tree was a small pine only twelve feet tall ( thought flashed thru my mind of me climbing to the top only to have the pine bend down to the ground and feed me to the hogs ) raised the bow and took the shot...what happened next was a hairy experience...at the shot all those milling hogs turned and looked right at me standing there in the 12 inch high grass and charged across that meadow right for me...trying to get another arrow from my quiver was pointless, so I used the bow as a defensive weapon and jabbed the hog coming for me..at this all the hogs swerved around me going by my legs close enough to do harm, but none slashed at me! Other than having my blood pressure raised to dangerous levels no harm was done to me or my bow! I did recover my sow, she ran maybe another 40 yards and died right on a trail so getting her out was easy...and she was tasty!

Does this count...hate to think what may have happened if these were bigger hogs with bigger tusks, or a mean old sow with young'ns to protect! Me thinks that hogs are like black bears, most will run from you but there is always the possibility of the rare one that has had enough and means to do you harm. Have seen hunt'n video's of people being attacked and slashed in their lower extremities, but these always seem to be the videographers who don't know enough to climb the nearest tree! :slap:

Next hog hunt will be at night in the swamps of Georgia with my trusty .54 cal Renegade...more details to follow...if I survive! :shake:

 

[Little Wattsy]

Pigs is like pitbulls... They don't always attack, in fact it MIGHT be said that they "seldom" attack but they are built to finish the fight when it gets started. Low center of gravity high/dense muscle mass, and sharp tusks make them VERY dangerous when they choose to be, which is often enough.
Wasn't long ago when a local here was killed and mostly eaten by his "pet" boar... http://www.ibtimes.com/oregon-man-eaten-hogs-did-700-pound-pigs-kill-terry-garner-799007

 

[FishDFly]

I think folks like to have something to fear.

It makes for a better story if the hunter is charged, kind of not much of a story if DRT happens.

There is a lot of misinformation about hogs. Feral hogs are domestic hogs which were turned out at some point or they escaped an enclosure.
Pure Russian genetics only exist in 5 states or so. Pure strain Russian's do not weigh over 225, anything over 225 has feral in it's genetics.

We are out daily and do not have problems with the hogs. I have 2 running with the cows, the only reason they are still there is my wife thinks they are cute. They do not root so I honor her wishes thus far.

I was talking with my hog trapper about bad attitudes in hogs and he said the only time has he had a problem was when had a litter in his trap. He checked around and could not find the mother. He headed for the trap to turn them out and they started squealing. The mother came out of the woods and put him onto the top of the trap, he said luckily it was one of his taller traps. His helper got out of the truck and chased her off.

I asked him how many honest 300 lb. hogs he catches each year, he said maybe 2 at the best.
He said hogs in the wild are making a living and do not put on much weight. He said the majority of the hogs he catches are 125 lb. or so at the best.

Hogs are smart and learn quickly. Some are trap shy and will not enter a trap, we have pictures of them rooting around traps and walking up to the door and look in. If you disrupt their daily routine, they move.

I have shot a lot of hogs and never been charged. Generally if they run when shot, they run in the direction they are pointed. Hogs have poor eye sight and unless you are very close I do not think they can tell the difference between a person and a tree trunk unless you move.

The shield does exist, but it's not made out of Kevlar. The vitals on a hog are further back than on a deer. If you don't head shoot them, that is where you need to shoot them, further back.

Use enough gun, but hogs are the equal of large bears and things from Africa. Hogs can be killed and often with small calibers. I shoot most of mine with a small center fire.

There is a group in Texas which hunt hogs with dogs, the dogs wear leather chest protectors. When the dogs have the hog secured, the hunter uses a special made knife to kill the hog. If you can kill a hog with a knife, using a rifle should be no problem.

 

[cynthialee]

Killing a boar with a knife!??!

I hear the phrase "hold my beer and watch this" runing through my head.....

 

[hanshi]

True attacks from wild hogs are rare and injuries from them rarer still. However they DO occur. A true attack will be deadly even if it lasts barely a second. It is similar to a one second attack by an experienced swordsman. Dogs are responsible for saving humans more than you'd expect.

Domestic hogs are only a step away from fierce wildness. A few generations often leaves them darker, shaggier, shaped differently and with saber-like tusks. Within a good number of generations they will bear no resemblance to their domestic cousins. Hogs are THE most likely of all well known animals to fully revert to their "prehistoric" beginnings. They are not the bloodthirsty devils that they are made out to be and will run from you 99% of the time. But that 1% is dead serious and to be avoided.

 

[FishDFly]

Not me, I'll hold my own beer thank you.

I was in a knife store in Fredericksburg, TX and the owner was showing me the knives he made to be used on a hog.

He had some spears in the corner and I asked about them. He said that they were used by folks who did not want to get within arm's distance of the hog.

There some here who hunt hogs and take them out alive after the dogs catch them, kind of like calf roping, but to another level.

I just don't think I could trust a dog not to let go.

Some dogs are bred for trailing and others are catch dogs, a good catch dog is worth a lot of money.

I prefer shooting them.

 

[George]

I think folks like to have something to fear.

Hollywood can help with that. :haha: Look at this trailer for Home From the Hill, at minute 1:26.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75M4P-ljDJQ

Spence

 

[FishDFly]

I hunted with guy who made his living hunting hogs. We spent a lot time talking as we hunted.

I asked him about the stories about hogs and he said for the most part the are made up. He did pull up his pants leg and showed me some really bad scars. He said a hog had his best dog down and the dog was going to die if he did not intervene. He stepped in to save the dog and and the hog turned on him. Short story, he went to the ER after sewing up the dog, and dropping it off at the Vet's office.

He did tell me when we caught up with the dogs what to do:

1. Do not shoot my dogs
2. See that tree, that is your tree, drop your
gun and get in it if things get out of
control.
3. See that tree, that is my tree, do not get
in it.
4. The dogs are on their own.

Shooting hogs from a blind or distance is safe.

Shooting hogs when the distance is a couple of yards with 6 dogs bouncing around who want to get in on the kill is different. After the kill, the dogs get to worry the hog until they have had their fun.

His work gun was a Ruger Blackhawk. I asked him what caliber and he said look at it, it was a .41 Mag on the back grip it was engraved, "Thanks
Johnny Cash".

You don't need a cannon to kill hogs.

 

[Carl Fowler III]

I think folks like to have something to fear.

Hollywood can help with that. :haha: Look at this trailer for Home From the Hill, at minute 1:26.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75M4P-ljDJQ

Spence

That hog sure would make me climb a tree, if my one shot was spent! :shocked2: