Which Should be Used Slug Gun or Rifle for Hunting Feral Hog?

...it depends on how much fun you want to have...

RPG!!!

It just going to be a slep to clean...

I think I think I was asking for a discussion on types of weapons, caliber, bullet weights all that stuff etc. to accomplish a fun and less than terrifying experience with filling freezer space as a perk too.

Fun is an element sure, lots of it. It should be noted any description given may not be the best in all situations.

I'd use a bow but I'm older and though I may not be the brightest bulb in the pack getting up close and uncomfortable is not what I call fun anymore

How'bout cha, I haven't hunted at all in 25 years and never boar. What do I need consider if I were challenged by a 400lb boar having a bad day?

You pretty much nailed it.

Hey Tippy...

Should that not be "De gustibus non disputandum?"

Sands

You might be right. I got that quote from a T shirt 20 years ago, and can't remember the exact spelling. But some other guy here translated it properly, (In matters of taste, there can be no dispute.), so I guess it was close enough. Southern dialect?

Ignoramus illigitemate non carborundum.

I always hunted for hogs in Florida with a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag handgun, 7 1/2" barrel, 240 grain hollow points. Very exciting! Had to get a little closer than with a scoped rifle, but if you are looking for more of a challenge and are proficient with the hand gun than that's the way to go.

As was previously stated, a good 12 ga. shotgun with slugs or heavy buckshot with do the trick as well. However, the only drawback is the need to keep your shots with-in 50 yards to insure a quick & clean kill. (No fun chasing wounded wild hogs around the woods..lol)

Any deer rifle will work if you prefer keeping a distance of greater than 50-60 yards beween you and the 'enemy'.

A Good & Sharp knife for field dressing is always essential, a harness of some type to help with dragging the critter using as little effort as possible is always nice.

A pick-up truck that you don't mind getting bloody and is easily hosed out or a cart attached to the truck are a Must-have for the hauling purposes.

Of course, bringing along a couple of strong young men to do all of the heavy stuff is always a good option. I grab a couple of nephews to haul out the beast for me and give them some meat for the effort.

Good luck, be careful and have some fun!

Anyone mention a good "pig dog"? Go to some of the hunting sites in Hawaii, and you will find a lot of mention of the pig dogs -- they will do a lot of work for you---just as an aside---C-MAC

Any where Ive seen boar is dense brush, thats where they like it, going in after them can be lethal, the only weapon todo it with needs to be short and high caliber so you can spin around quickly cause they will circle you, they're smarter than dogs, they run in packs, and have been known to turn the tables and hunt the hunter. Going in with a bow or crossbow is done but if you want to be that adventurous might as well just use a knife. Lynn

Depends on your terrain/bush etc and the laws of your country.

On the plains country a .308 is a good general purpose weapon.

Spotlighting with it can be good fun.

In swamp/riverside thick bush, it is hard to go past a 12g using 00 or slugs. I prefer a semi auto with 00 for close work but they are now illegal in Australia.

In bush, a good dog will allow you to get at least twice as many as you would otherwise.

One of our National Parks has a Ranger who goes after pigs in the Park using his dog. (If anyone else brought a dog in there they would be in big trouble) He has been pretty successful in reducing the numbers.

As mentioned earlier, a good knife and a couple of strong and willing helpers are useful. Otherwise load em up and dress them back home. (You may need to clean out the dog house if the wife sees the resultant mess)

Sounds like you are going to have a lot of fun.

Consider getting a Plott hound if you're gonna do a fair amount of hunting AND if you live far enough away from anybody else so the howling doesn't bother them (Think of a redbone doing a Little Richard imitation).

I had a Corso dog a Canary dog and a Rott bitch. Raised them all together from pups and they were formidable for herding large animals or cattle and protection but not lap dogs.

Greetings.

We have a wild russian boar that is roaming near the national forest in western Washington.

I prefer a pump 12 guage with buckshot because once you fire the first shot and kill and or wound one all the rest will come for the feast of their dead breed or YOU.

Soooo, don't be caught dressing out the critter with your weapon on the ground and your ammo in your pack when the rest show up.

They have learned that the sound of a shot means breakfast /lunch/dinner/snack/pig/You.

The grizzly bears in Alaska have learned this also and presents a dangerous problem while hunting many other critters.

There is a good discussion at TNDeer.com with user Hoghunter who guides & hunts in mountians of east Tennessee. Friendly folk over there but "Deliverence" strong on hogs. (Sorry about guest, couldnt login for some reason? treeplanter )

Thanks for good info but I'm interested in the 300lb - 400lb Eurasian-Russian wild boar that are expanding their range in Georgia and Missouri.

I do favor a 12 Ga shotgun, .45/70, Alexander .50 AR-15 and Weatherby magnums 22" - 24". I prefer a spine or head shot and if .45/70 a .410 000 5 pellet back up is sweet. In addition to my primary I favor carrying a H&R collapsible 12 GA 3" w/18.25" as back up and a Charter Arms .44 handgun if things get dicey. Also I got to have at least two dogs; one for the rundown and one for me same routine for bear or cats.

As to the quality of meat it may go well as hound feed or to a predator animal park.

Watched a show on feral hogs a few days ago.

The show stated they are having a population explosion and becoming a dangerous pest in many areas. They learn fast.

We don't have any feral hogs here. Would love to hunt some.

Your weapon of choice depends on you. What do you hunt with that you can hunt defensively and offensively? If you don't feel comfortable with a rifle in a panic situation then consider something else you do feel you can handle in a bad situation.

I'm also a one shot, one kill type of hunter. I usually take a head shot but with pigs and any of the grizzly bear family the thick sloping skull can deflect a frontal head shots. (never hunted pig but we killed a half dozen at a time for eating)

I eat what I kill except vermin (no not the "Vermin" but destructive pests)

From what the program showed the Russian Boars are much more aggressive. Any hog can run faster than a horse for a short distance if so inclined.

My first job was on a great uncles hog farm. Only 2000 hogs. A good pig dog (tough or smart, both is best) and reverse psychology seem to work the best.

Brad

It depends on the terrain you are hunting in and your familiarity with weapons. For something the size of a dangerous hog I would recommend any high powered rifle like a 30-06 and a low power scope. If you need to get closer than 50 yards to get a clean shot, then by all means go to a shotgun with a slug, or buckshot. In East Europe, they used to use spears to annoy the animals. A judge would score the hunter on how angry the boar became before the hunter speared it. There is no end to killing methods if you want to turn it into a sport. Farmers in N. California generally used rifles because feral pigs would eat their crops. After they collected their bounty, they sold the animal to a sausage maker.

Why don't you try bowhunting? Much more fun~!

Hello Quobaldt;

I have also killed two hogs with a bow and hunting arrows, I forgot to mention that. However I don't hunt hogs with any form of archery equipment anymore. A friend of mind shot a large boar just a little south of the preferred killing zone, enough to ultimately kill the hog, but not enough to prevent it from running into some very heavy palmetto and brush covering. He went back to our hunting camp and brought back his catch dog, released it into the heavy cover and the hog promptly cut his dog up so bad that it's injuries proved to be terminal. Further, I have found arrow heads in several of the hogs that I have killed, in places that certainly would have killed lesser animals. The wounds were healed over completely. Next to bears, I don't hunt them, I believe that hogs are the toughest to kill with archery.

I no longer hunt hogs with dogs or archery equipment. I find that I can kill all that I desire with my trusty Mossberg/rifled slugs/Buckshot, and my stalking skills. I also no longer shoot big boar hogs as they have proven to be a little too rank for my tastes. I leave the culling to others, and I find that I can trap out the older boars with a sturdy trap and a little corn.

TMF

Greetings.

Or spears like the Athabaskin Indians used to do in Alaska to hunt grizzly bears. Read Shadows on the Koyacuk (spelling) for interesting description of the whole hunting process.

Have a great day.

Oly

Bwire,

I'd suggest, 12 gauge shotgun with slugs. Preferably with short barrel (think police riot gun or tactical shot gun).

I don't associate hogs with open spaces where a rifle's range would be an advantage and tend to think of thick brush environment with maybe small cleared areas if that.

If I ran across a tempermental boar under those conditions I'd want something quick with lots of wallop behind it.

Good luck

Hello Rifle47,

Hear in sunny Florida, we find feral hogs rooting up grassey cattle pastures, all of the time. Sometimes the ranchers will permit someone they know and trust to remove them. Generally by traping and sometimes by riflle. One of the first hogs that I killed was with my wifes Remington 7400, in 243 cal. We measured the distance at just a little over 350 yds. I shot at his ear hole, and hit just behind his right ear. It isn't how big your gun is, it is just how well you can shoot it that really counts.

TMF

Hello TMF,

I won't argue your experience or qualifications and agree completely with your closing:

"It isn't how big your gun is, it is just how well you shoot it."

(Its true. I like it. But its too long to stick on a bumper sticker.)

Humor aside, (Agreed) I if I could get the distance, then a good rifle and ammo combination works. (Of course the way I shoot, hitting the animal could be a long story).

Close, up I'd still take my 12 GA. Winchester Pump. Short barreled, quick, no scope.

(350 yards? I can't hardly see that far!)

Rifle 47

I once read of a bloke in NSW (Australia) who hunted pigs with a .17! Definitely not for me!

In the savannah country north of here, large herds of pigs often roam. The country is fairly open, so a rifle is a good choice. The .308 seems to be favorite, although some like heavier calibers.

As many have mentioned, in close country a good, short barrelled shotgun is hard to go past.

we use a .22 in west tex shot them in the back of the head

I have no problem with killing young hogs intended for slaughter with a well placed shot from a 22 cal rifle taken at very close range. However, I find the use of even a 22 magnum when used for hunting free roaming hogs to be reckless and irresponsible. I know from experience just how tough these animals can be to kill. If you are hunting feral hogs with a 22 cal rifle, you are just wasting the life of the animal. You will lose far more than you find, many more will suffer extensively before they die.

The proper place to place a shot on hogs that are pened up short is just below the crown of the head, just a little to the left or right of center and just a few inches above an imaginary line drawn across right above the eyes.

The is not a hog on the planet that is so smart that it cannot be trapped in a baited trap. I have seen traps that contained more than a dozen hogs at the same time, so I really don't care to risk injury or death to a good dog, trying to catch an angry boar hog. Just not my cup of tea, but then my name isn't BuBa, and I don't spit tobacci.

TMF

I have used both for hunting pigs in Australia. It will depend on the terrain, vegitation (how thick the trees and undergrowth) both work well. If you hunt at night with a spotlight it is a much easier, but some think it is unsporting to hunt that way. Luckily I don't and do so every chance I get. Which ever way you go, enjoy yourself and shoot one for me. look at pig hunting in australia online

cheers Thiso