{"id":673,"date":"2018-04-26T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.wholesalehunter.com\/?p=673"},"modified":"2019-04-05T13:29:54","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T17:29:54","slug":"loaded-for-hunting-wild-boar-craig-boddington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/loaded-for-hunting-wild-boar-craig-boddington\/","title":{"rendered":"Loaded for Hunting Wild Boar"},"content":{"rendered":"

America\u2019s population of feral hogs is now estimated at around nine million, growing and seemingly unstoppable. With crop and property damages running into the billions of dollars, pigs are clearly a plague for many farmers; what\u2019s more, their status as a non-native invasive species means that we don\u2019t yet know the long-term impact they\u2019ll have on native fauna and flora. That said, hunting wild boar is a boon for hunters: They are our second-most numerous \u201cbig game animal\u201d after the whitetail deer.<\/p>\n

\"hunting
hen I was a bit younger this is the way we usually recovered our pigs, and a big boar made quite a load! This boar was taken with a .270 Winchester, always an exceptional choice, and plenty powerful enough for any pig that walks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pigs are intelligent and prolific, and I\u2019m not at all convinced that conventional hunting techniques can control their numbers. But that\u2019s above my pay grade. As a game animal, they provide excellent pork, are fun and surprisingly challenging to hunt, and can often be pursued year-round. They\u2019re tough, and under the right (or wrong) circumstances they can be dangerous. I like to hit them hard, with plenty of bullet and enough gun.
\n<\/p>\n

This thinking gets me into trouble\u2014I almost immediately draw letters (and ire) from guys who \u201calways shoot their pigs in the head with a .223″<\/a> or from houndsmen who use handguns (and sometimes knives and spears) where legal. Ideal choices depend a whole lot on how you hunt them. Understand that I\u2019ve been a pig hunter since long before it was fashionable, and much of my hunting, for 40 years now, has been done in our California Central Coast.<\/p>\n

Location, Location, Location<\/h2>\n

Some guys around here use dogs, but most of our Central Coast hunting is pure spot-and-stalk. Also, our hogs were declared \u201cbig game animals,\u201d many years ago, so we are held to the same hunting regulations that apply to deer. No baiting, no night hunting\u2014only legalized methods of take.<\/p>\n

\"California
Typical Central Coast pig country. I\u2019m carrying a Marlin .45-70 with an Aimpoint red-dot sight. The red-dot sight is a great choice but, realistically, with this rifle, cartridge, and sight I know up front I need to find a way to get within perhaps 150 yards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The country varies, but our pigs tend to bed in chaparral hillsides, which is almost impenetrable cover, so our most typical situation is to catch them between feeding and bedding grounds in the morning, and the reverse in the evening. Depending on weather, sometimes we catch them out feeding at odd times of the day, but altogether it\u2019s almost impossible to dictate exactly what kind of shot you might get.<\/p>\n

\"Hunting
A small group of pigs just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean in Central California. This is a great setup for a shot, but pigs are constantly moving\u2026 when hogs stop like this my experience is you now have possibly five seconds to set up and take the shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve also hunted hogs quite a lot in Texas and the Deep South, often from stands. Under such circumstances, you have a pretty good idea of shooting distances and are better able to pick your shots.<\/p>\n

\"spotting
These hogs are feeding within close range of a typical Texas tower blind. With stand hunting you often have a pretty good idea of shooting distances; with spot-and-stalk hunting it\u2019s more difficult to predict the shot you might get, and sometimes you need to reach out a bit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hunting Wild Boar with “Intent”<\/h2>\n

Intent also matters. Over the years I\u2019ve hunted pigs of various types on all the other continents which, as an outsider, is usually approached as, if not a \u201ctrophy hunt,\u201d then at least a selective hunt. I suppose that\u2019s my normal mind-set, and these days it applies to our California hunting as well. We still have no closed season and no bag limit, but every pig taken must be tagged and reported. Sometimes I\u2019m looking for a big boar, other times a meat hog, but I\u2019m generally looking for one animal.<\/p>\n

\"Craig
This is the largest feral hog I\u2019ve ever shot. It was taken in Argentina with a 7×57 Mauser, always a great hunting cartridge, and plenty powerful enough for any pig anywhere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s different if the goal is controlling numbers, without undue concerns about selectivity or even recovery. Considering America\u2019s increasing pig problem, this can be important. If (or when) Oklahoma\u2019s pigs, now approaching a million strong, expand north to my Kansas place, I\u2019ll be out there with an AR. But in the meantime I generally approach pig hunting as a big-game hunt.<\/p>\n

When Choosing a Boar Cartridge: Size Matters<\/h2>\n

There are pigs, and then there are pigs. As the average 150-pound black bear is a different creature from the quarter-ton bear you might encounter, a 300-pound boar with inch-thick gristle plate is quite a different animal from the 125-pound porker you want for the barbecue. If your methodology dictates that you can consistently take (and make) head shots then I suppose it doesn\u2019t matter. With body shots it\u2019s a different deal. Pigs are hardy animals, and with their thick layer of fat, bullet wounds seal quickly and leak little.<\/p>\n

Even with an adequate trail to follow, crawling on my hands and knees through thick, rattlesnake-infested brush is not my idea of fun, but good trails are uncommon. Once, in Texas, I pasted a nice boar on the shoulder with a .300 Winchester Magnum<\/a>, which I would agree is more powerful than necessary. He ran into scattered oak mottes and we couldn\u2019t find a single drop of blood. Sure of the shot, we made some circles. The boar was down in much less than a hundred yards, but he\u2019d made a radical turn as soon as he was out of sight and we just stumbled onto him. I\u2019ve had more close calls with wounded boars than with all of Africa\u2019s big nasties combined. This is because, like most animals, they seek heavy cover when hurt; there\u2019s also rarely a good, clear trail to follow, so you end up searching randomly in a general direction, and it\u2019s easy to get surprised.<\/p>\n

What I Like Versus What Works: Two Different, But Compatible Concepts<\/h2>\n

Hunting Hogs with Big Bore Loads<\/h3>\n

To avoid surprises, I like to hit pigs hard and definitively, so I\u2019m prepared for the monstrous boar I might run into. So, what do I like, and what do I think works best?<\/p>\n

Honestly, these two concepts aren\u2019t exactly the same. I like to hunt pigs with the good old .45-70<\/a>. If you want to be a bit different, maybe the .444 Marlin<\/a>, or perhaps an AR in .450 Bushmaster<\/a>. I just got a Big Horn Armory lever gun in .500 Smith & Wesson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"big
Left to right, .405 Winchester, .444 Marlin, .45-70, .450 Marlin: These relatively low-velocity big-bore cartridges are wonderful fun to use for hog hunting. Trajectories aren\u2019t extremely flat so shots need to be fairly close, but with hogs it\u2019s usually possible to stalk within relatively close range.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Depending on the bullet, the ballistics for these big bores aren\u2019t all that much different, and for sure all will thump pigs with dramatic effect. Unfortunately, these slow-moving cartridges are all limited in sensible range, and some of the platforms, like the \u201986 Winchester, aren\u2019t conducive to mounting a scope\u2014which very much limits my range.<\/p>\n

\"Santa
This hog was taken on Santa Cruz Island with a Marlin .45-70 wearing a small 3X scope. The .great old .45-70 is a marvelous hog slayer, but in some areas its arcing trajectory means you can\u2019t always get close enough.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is no problem if you know your shots will be close, but when I use such cartridges for spot-and-stalk hunting, I know I need to get close, even in fairly open country. Pigs have very good hearing and a nose that\u2019s second to none, but their eyesight isn\u2019t great. Much of the time I can get close enough, but I do find that I give up some shots when I use the big bores, especially if they wear iron sights.<\/p>\n

\"range
My Marlin 1895 in .45-70 obvbiously shoots extremely well, and the .45-70 is a wonderful cartridge for pig hunting\u2026except, as age creeps up, I\u2019m having increasing trouble resolving iron sights.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using Medium Bores<\/h3>\n

Even better to my thinking are the medium bores. The old .35 Remington<\/a> is fine, likewise the great old .348 Winchester<\/a> (except the Winchester Model 71 defies scope mounting). Great medium-caliber choices include cartridges such as the .338 Federal<\/a>, .338 Marlin Express<\/a>, .358 Winchester<\/a>, and .35 Whelen<\/a>. To me this group is the ultimate for swine sweeping. They shoot flat enough for shots to at least 200 yards, plus lots of bullet weight and frontal area.<\/p>\n

\"Medium
Left to right: .338 Federal, .338 Marlin Express, .348 Winchester, .358 Winchester: I love to use medium-bore cartridges like these for hog hunting. They hit hard, shoot flat enough for at least 200-yard shots, and really anchor even very large pigs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Winchester
I used a Winchester Model 71 in .348 Winchester with aperture sight for this extra-large sow\u2014the only wild hog I\u2019ve ever taken fat enough to yield some very good slabs of bacon. The old .348 is an awesome cartridge, but iron sights dictate that you have get pretty close.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hog Hunting with Light Cartridges<\/h3>\n

That\u2019s what I like<\/em>. And they work<\/em>. What is really needed<\/em> is a bit different. My buddy Mike Ballew, long-time Director of the NRA Whittington Center, used to manage a big ranch in northern California where several hundred pigs had to be harvested annually to keep the numbers in check. Much of what I know about hog hunting them came under Ballew\u2019s tutelage. For his small-bodied blacktail deer he liked light cartridges like the .243 and .257 Roberts<\/a>, but for pigs\u2014and especially for backup work when guiding hunters\u2014he went to a big rifle. His idea of a \u201cbig rifle\u201d was a 7×57 Mauser or .270 Winchester<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Specialized
Specialized cartridges are fun to use, but truly not essential. Left to right are the 7mm-08 Remington, 7×57 Mauser, and .270 Winchester. Standard cartridges like these are marvelous for even the largest hogs, versatile and plenty powerful enough, to these could be added the .308 Winchester and .30-06 as all-time great hog cartridges.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We had a lot of good-natured arguments about this but, honestly, he was right. You could drop down to 6.5mm if you want and start with the \u00a0<\/a>, \u00a0<\/a>. You can certainly add the 7mm-08<\/a>, and then work up through all the 7mm hunting cartridges.<\/p>\n

\"father
Daughter Brittany and me with a couple of nice-sized Central Coast porkers. Although both my daughters took their first hogs with the .260 Remington, which is certainly adequate, but today both prefer the 7mm-0, a fine choice. Brittany used her 7mm-08 on this pig while I used a .30-06, another great choice, but probably the most powerful cartridge that really makes sense.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We would be remiss if we didn\u2019t add the .30-calibers. But maybe not all. The .30-30<\/a>, 7.62x39mm<\/a>, and .300 Blackout are fine for close-range work<\/em>. The .308 Winchester<\/a> and .30-06<\/a> are both awesome cartridges for any pig that walks!<\/p>\n

Overall, finding a good load for hunting wild boar isn’t all that complicated. Because long shots are fairly uncommon, using a fast magnum isn’t essential. When it comes to feral hogs, it’s more important to choose tough bullets that are certain to penetrate\u2026 just in case you run into Hogzilla!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

America\u2019s population of feral hogs is now estimated at around nine million, growing and seemingly unstoppable. With crop and property damages running into the billions of dollars, pigs are clearly a plague for many farmers; what\u2019s more, their status as a non-native invasive species means that we don\u2019t yet know the long-term impact they\u2019ll have … Continue reading “Loaded for Hunting Wild Boar”<\/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":[7,21],"tags":[8,19,121,119,123,120,118,124,17],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673"}],"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=673"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":942,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673\/revisions\/942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}