{"id":1450,"date":"2020-10-05T12:43:42","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T16:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/?p=1450"},"modified":"2021-02-11T12:35:19","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T17:35:19","slug":"pig-hunting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/pig-hunting\/","title":{"rendered":"PIG POWER by Craig Boddington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just after sunset we came around a bend in the trail. The pig was standing in deep shadow under an oak, good-sized, solitary, probably a boar. That\u2019s about all we could tell, and that was enough. Donna\u2019s shot looked good, but the pig rolled into a little depression just out of sight. Donna and our rancher friend, Tony Lombardo approached and immediately backed up\u2026fast<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"44
44 hog: This ugly hog was taken in a wild melee with dogs using a Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum. A big, open-sighted revolver is a great choice for hound hunting where shots are sure to be close, but not versatile enough in many situations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first shot was fine, but the pig didn\u2019t accept that and was almost on top of them before it dropped to a quick second shot. It was not exactly a close call, but several exciting seconds! In fading light, we hadn\u2019t appreciated that this was a really good boar, burly and heavy, with four inches of thick, sharp tusk showing above the gum line.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"AG110923:
AG110923: A good-sized Texas porker, taken with a Winchester Model 71 in .348. Big-bore lever-actions are dramatically effective on hogs and fun to hunt with, but the aperture sight on this rifle limits range and, more importantly, becomes almost when the light goes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Yeah, I know, I\u2019ve written about hog hunting before\u2026and I probably will again. I like to hunt hogs, and even a smelly boar makes great sausage. In my opinion, a boar with good tusks is a greatly under-rated prize. Pigs are often plentiful, but mature boars make up a small percentage of any population! All pigs are smart, and older boars tend to be nocturnal, almost like Count Dracula, never letting sunlight touch them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cartridge
Cartridge lineup: Left to right: .243 Winchester; .260 Remington; 6.5mm Creedmoor; 7mm-08 Remington; .270 Winchester. Although often used, the .243 really isn\u2019t powerful enough for big boars. The others are superb choices, versatile and powerful enough for almost all hog hunting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These days, hogs are available<\/em>,\noffering a genuine big-game hunting opportunity literally year-around. Just how\navailable depends, of course, on where you call home. At least one of America\u2019s\nnine million feral hogs has been spotted in every U.S. state except Alaska.\nRandom sightings could be a wandering boar in search of company or domestic\nescapees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Hogs are among the most prolific of all large mammals and quickly adapt to living wild and free. It doesn\u2019t take long for just a few pigs to establish a breeding population and, once established, it\u2019s the very Devil to get rid of them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_3127:
IMG_3127: Typical hog country on California\u2019s Central Coast. Boddington is carrying a Marlin .45-70 with AimPoint sight. He\u2019ll have to get fairly close, but with a red-dot sight he\u2019s good to at least 150 yards, which is plenty of range for most hog hunting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the U.S., primary hog country probably runs from Texas and Oklahoma across the Southeast, where feral hogs are now part of the hunting culture and, for many, a serious pursuit. In much of this region, hogs are a serious enough problem to be considered a nuisance, often dealt with on a \u201cno holds barred\u201d basis. Texas, with by far the largest population (and biggest problem) has legalized helicopter gunning, and no license at all is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_3665:
IMG_3665: Boddington and Byron Sadler with a wonderful Texas boar, taken with a Blaser in .308 Winchester with an AimPoint sight. The .308 Winchester is always a great choice for hog hunting!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

California also has a large feral hog population. Hogs have been identified in every county, but the Central Coast, around my town of Paso Robles, is probably the epicenter. You can\u2019t say that our pigs aren\u2019t a problem; a sounder can ravage a barley field or wreck a vineyard overnight. However, to some extent our pig population is self-limiting, breeding up quickly in good years, with periodic drought knocking them back. I hesitate to suggest that California ever does anything right, but out there the hogs are considered a resource. Local outfitters derive much of their livelihood from hog hunters, along with meat processors, taxidermists, and all the other businesses that rely on out-of-town customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_3672:
IMG_3672: Boddington is about to drop the hammer on a Texas hog with an open-sighted .30-30. Baiting is legal in Texas and there\u2019s corn out, so a fairly close shot was most likely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Feral hogs were declared a\nbona fide big-game animal decades ago, and surpass deer in terms of hunter\ninterest and participation. The season is year-around with no bag limit.\nThere\u2019s a catch: Every hog has to be tagged and reported! When they started tagging,\nwe bought them in books of five. Today, we buy them one at a time. Surprise<\/em>,\nthe price has gone up! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I\u2019m a Kansas resident, so I purchase a nonresident California license and pig tag, frightful! But I buy them because I can\u2019t help myself: I love our Central Coast hog hunting\u2026and I have a serious addiction to the jalapeno-cheddar sausage, a local specialty!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5165:
IMG_5165: A huge boar, amazingly at home under a big irrigation pivot. It\u2019s rare to catch hogs in such open ground but when you do a versatile scoped rifle is far the best choice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As game animals, all local big-game rules apply: Shooting hours, methods of take, no baiting. Without question this has colored the way I feel about hogs, how I hunt them, and what I like to use. Make no mistake, I have no problem with baiting where legal; we use deer feeders in Kansas! I also have no issue with hound hunting. However, few Central Coast hunters use dogs because, once you run hogs out of bedding areas, it may be quite a while before they come back. Also, our terrain is ideal for glassing and stalking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_3681:
IMG_3681: A good-sized Texas porker, taken with a Winchester M1894 .30-30 using Hornady 160-grain FTX bullet. The old .30-30 is plenty of gun for hogs\u2026just keep your shots close.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, I tend to think of them as big-game animals, and even where a nuisance, they aren\u2019t my <\/em>nuisance. Mind you, I have no issue with any legal methods, but I have no desire to use night vision devices and no interest in helicopter gunning. I like to hunt hogs one at a time, sometimes hoping for a big boar, more often a nice meat hog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5253:
IMG_5253: This is a perfect \u201ceatin\u2019 size\u201d sow, weight about 125 pounds. The pork will be excellent, but a pig like this is much different from a really big boar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although I don\u2019t regard hogs as \u201cdangerous,\u201d they can quickly turn the tables\u2014like Donna\u2019s boar almost did. It\u2019s important to hit them right\u2026and, with body shots, hit them hard. A big boar is quite a different animal from a meat sow, bigger in the body, with heavier bones and a thick gristle plate on neck and shoulders. Size varies tremendously, depending largely on food sources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5631:
IMG_5631: Donna Boddington used a Dakota 7mm-08 to take this big Central Coast boar. This is the boar that got back up, offering some unexpected excitement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our Central Coast hogs rarely get huge, probably because they have a hard time during our hot, dry summers. On a good scale, Donna\u2019s boar was a bit over 200 pounds, in our area a big hog. Over the years we\u2019ve taken a few that were heavier, but I\u2019ve never personally seen a Central Coast hog that honestly topped 300 pounds, although they occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5631:
IMG_5631: Donna Boddington used a Dakota 7mm-08 to take this big Central Coast boar. This is the boar that got back up, offering some unexpected excitement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In areas with better\nyear-around food they get bigger, and I suppose the stories you hear about 500-pound\nhogs may be true\u2026but I\u2019ve never seen one. In any case, a 200-pound boar is\nbigger and tougher than a 100-pound meat hog\u2026and a 300-pounder is a different\norder of business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Central Coast hogs have sort of been my rifle and bullet-testing laboratory for 40 years, and I\u2019ve also hunted them a lot in Texas and the Gulf Coast states. I\u2019ve used a lot of different stuff, including handguns, slug guns, and archery tackle\u2026but I\u2019m primarily a rifle hunter. Lots of combinations work! I have great respect for hogs, especially sharp-tusked boars, but cannons are not needed. I\u2019ve shot a lot of pigs with big rifles\u2026but that\u2019s because I have them and like to use them, not because they\u2019re essential!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_5981:
IMG_5981: Donna and Craig Boddington with a pair of California porkers. Donna used a scoped Blaser in .270 Winchester, always a good choice. Craig used a Savage 99 in .300 Savage. That\u2019s a great and versatile old cartridge\u2026but he accepted a bit of handicap with the rifle\u2019s aperture sight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To some extent,\nmethodology drives equipment. With hound hunting, you know you\u2019re gonna get\nclose, and a powerful handgun makes a good choice. My favorite is an old\nS&W .44 Magnum. That\u2019s not the only sensible handgun, but I shoot it well,\nand it has enough power if things get Western (which happens with hound\nhunting). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stand hunting, especially over bait, changes the game. To some extent, you can control shooting distance, so this is a situation where careful, deliberate head shots are practical.  Executed properly, they are final and dramatic, and not an ounce of good pork is wasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tusker:
Tusker: The business end of a really good boar. Boddington doesn\u2019t consider hogs especially dangerous, but boars are adept at using their tusks\u2026and any pig is likely to be aggressive when wounded. It\u2019s important to hit them right\u2026and hard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 However, you can must anticipate a last-light\nshot, especially if you\u2019re looking for a big boar. Optical sights, whether a\nmagnifying scope or red-dot (reflex) sight are almost essential. Magnification\nisn\u2019t needed because shots are fairly close, but you need optics for precise\nshot placement and because of low light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do a lot of hog hunting\nwith iron sights, especially with the old lever-actions that I love (and love\nto use), but I can\u2019t resolve iron sights as well as I once did, so unless I\u2019m very\nclose, head shots are out of the question. And there are times when I have to\nquit early because I\u2019m losing light\u2026often just about the time hogs are starting\nto move!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spot and stalk hunting,\nas we do it on the Central Coast, changes the game again. Provided you can get\nthe wind right, you can often get fairly close. Long shots are rarely needed,\nbut in all stalking terrain and vegetation dictate the shot, so the best setup\nis a conventional and versatile deer rifle with a medium-power scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of folks hunt hogs\nwith .22 centerfires. They work okay if head shots are practical, but even with\nheavy bullets I don\u2019t think they\u2019re enough gun for body shots. On the Central\nCoast, the .243 is the most popular choice for our small-bodied deer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Although also often used for hogs, I don\u2019t\nthink the 6mms or .25s are enough gun, either\u2026especially for body shots on big\nboars. To my thinking the 6.5mm Creedmoor or .260 Remington, either with\n140-grain bullets, are a good starting point. Beyond that there are many good options.\nDonna was using a 7mm-08 on that big boar, a wonderful choice, but the .270 Winchester\nis also ideal. Both are plenty powerful for any hog, and versatile enough for\nany shot. The .308 Winchester is another near-perfect choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like I said, I love my\nlever-actions and often carry them but, if iron-sighted, I\u2019m accepting a bit of\na handicap. The great old .30-30 is very effective on hogs, plenty of gun.\nLarge-caliber \u201cbrush guns\u201d like the .35 Remington, .348 Winchester, and .45-70\nare even more dramatic. But when we\u2019re serious<\/em> about pork for the\nfreezer we\u2019re likely to carry versatile rifles with optical sights!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just after sunset we came around a bend in the trail. The pig was standing in deep shadow under an oak, good-sized, solitary, probably a boar. That\u2019s about all we could tell, and that was enough. Donna\u2019s shot looked good, but the pig rolled into a little depression just out of sight. Donna and our … Continue reading “PIG POWER by Craig Boddington”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,101,21,24,47,15,3,35,72,1],"tags":[100,121,123,118],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1450"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1549,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450\/revisions\/1549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}