Those who have hunted hogs would know the adrenaline rush that this sport of great antiquity provides. There is evidence of ancient Greeks and the Romans engaging in boar hunting. Although for Greeks, the boar symbolized the end of life and hence boar hunting had some symbolic meaning; for Romans, it was a simple pastime. A favorite of the nobility of Europe for centuries, boar hunting is very popular in United States now. Boar hunting is a not just about being able to aim right. It requires good understanding of the anatomy and behavior of the animal along with the knowledge of the area where one is planning to hunt in. Although the technique used by a hunter depends upon a lot of different criteria, here are some boar hunting tips that every hunter would find useful.
Techniques for Boar Hunting
There are quite a few techniques used by hunters while hunting boars. While some prefer still hunting from tree stand or blind there are some that use the spot and stalk method in which a hunter stalks the hog soon after he has spotted it. In certain states using boar hunting dogs is also allowed. In such hunting trips hunters may use finders (dogs) that locate the hogs with their scent or bay dogs that corner the hogs and keep barking continuously that gives the hog’s location away to the hunter. Many hunters also use catch dogs along with the bay dogs. These dogs hold the hog down on the ground grabbing them physically till the hunter arrives at the spot.
Useful Boar hunting Tips
The first and most important wild hog hunting tip is planning. Plan your trip well in advance. Know the terrain and try to gain some prior knowledge about the hogs and their behavior. All this will help you in deciding on the boar hunting technique to use, the weapons to carry and to chalk out a proper plan for your hunt. Read more on hog hunting tips.
The best time to go boar hunting really depends upon the time of the year as well as the hunting pressure in the region. Although they can be active during any part of the day, hunters stand better chance during early mornings and late evenings. Also boars are inactive for most part of the day during the summer months. In case, pressure of hunting is high in an area, hogs may be active only after sunset. Familiarizing oneself with the trail and the area where one is planning to hunt during the season is a good option. Do the recce when it is off season.
Begin your hunt looking for fresh signs of the prey. The trail, droppings and wallows should be looked for. The best place to look for hogs during the summer season are the wallows that are usually around springs or ponds. These are muddy depression in which the hogs lie to cool themselves off. Fresh mud spattered around the wallow is a sign of recent hog activity in the area. Freshly rooted soil or tree rubs that look like they are not very old can also be used as fresh trail signs of hogs. Tree rub height can also help one know the hog’s size. These marks are left behind by hogs rubbing their tusks against the tree trunks. Higher the rub marks, bigger the hog.
Hogs have a keen sense of smell. From cigarette smoke to human urine, they can smell any odor that may give away human presence. Covering up one’s smell is the most important boar hunting tip. There are a number of products specifically with this aim. Besides its keen sense of smell, boars have sharp ears as well. Hence maintain as much silence as possible during the hunt. Boars have poor eyesight though. Take advantage of this fact. Always keep trees and brush cover between you and the hog to break your silhouette as you stalk the hog. This would make approaching the boar easier for you.
Choose appropriate hunting gear. These include firearms, arrows and knives. When using a firearm, the choice of caliber depends upon the size of the beast. For the smaller wild pigs small calibers using lighter bullets would suffice. However, for the older ones that weigh more than 200 pounds, choose a firearm with larger caliber that would use heavier bullets. In case you shot a hog while at a particular stand, remember to change the stand as the hog or group of hogs won’t use the same trail where you put the stand from and shot the hog. In case you are using feeders to hunt, never hunt right over the feeder. Instead hunt along the trail leading to the feeder. This is because if the hunter shot the hog from the trail leading to the feeder and missed it, then the hog in all probability would use a different trail that leads to the same feeder. But if the hunter took aim from right over the feeder and missed the animal, then then nine out of ten times the hog would not return to the feeder anytime soon.
Take aim for the just behind the boar’s shoulder, slightly angling the shot forward, to increase your chances of injuring the vital organs. This would ensure a quick death. In case the boar isn’t mortally wounded, chase and kill it as soon as possible. Be very careful during this time as a wounded boar may charge at you and you definitely do not want that. Boars are powerful animals that have razor sharp tusks that can cause severe injury.
Hog hunting with dogs is most useful while hunting for larger boars. It is so because the wounds of large boars tend to heal fast. Hence tracking a boar from blood trail becomes difficult. If it is for the meat that you are hunting, then go for the smaller boars as the larger ones have tough meat that definitely does not make good option for meals. Those who hunt hogs for having a sumptuous dinner also prefer to use the spot and stalk method of boar hunting instead of chasing their game with dogs as running long distance makes the boar meat tougher and hence not suitable for being eaten.
All these boar hunting tips were those that should be considered during the hunt. However, the most important point is to check with the laws of the state that you are planning to go hunting. Be it any state, remember that one requires a license to hunt hogs.
