How good's a Wild TX boar's senses?

[twoblink]

Buddy has a plot of land in TX and it's got quite a bit of wild boar on it. He uses a Mauser 8mm, and said his 30-30 lever just wasn't insurance enough.

So a two-parter question:

First: How good are a wild boar's senses? I'm talking sight, smell, hearing, and tremmer sensing.

Second: From the bacon heads I see above his fireplace, these suckers get BIG. How big? I thinking 250lb'ers are not uncommon.. What kind of caliber then for them?

 

[DigMe]

There've been several threads discussing feral hog hunting and what guns to use. There's really no consensus. Lately I've been enjoying just using my Ruger Blackhawk .357 mag. Most of the hog hunting I do is close-range because of the thick scrub on our property so a pistol is great for me. I use 180 gr ammo. I've used cast bullets (which cut through them like butter) and semi-jacketed hollowpoints to good effect. Before the .357 I used a 12 gauge with 3" 00 buck. That worked really well at close ranges but I don't recommend for distance hunting. I've seen all kinds of guns used effectively on hogs though from .22 mag to .30-30.

As far as hog senses goes...the only one that you need concern yourself with is smell for the most part. I've walked up or rode up loudly on many a hog who squealed in surprise and then I've also spooked hogs that I was trying to quietly creep up on while they were still 40 yards away in thick woods...key was that they were downwind.

Have fun! Hog hunting is a blast!

brad cook

 

[H&Hhunter]

Hogs don't see well but the see well enough that you have to be a little sneaky. Their hearing is pretty good but I think they tend to ignore many sounds especially when feeding in a herd. A solitary boar is far more wary than a group of hogs.

The primary sense they have is smell. If you're up wind they are gone period.


As far as caliber it really depends but you can't go wrong using a .308 diameter in a heavier bullet like a 180gr. I use the .308 win as a sensible minimum. A big hog takes alot more killing than a small one. You start getting into the 300lb range and you're talking a tough animal.

I use a .375H&H this is the premium all around boar swatter in my opinon. But I've never had any problem killing them with a .308 and 180gr noslers either. Shoot what you shoot well.

I like the heavier bullets because the way i hunt hog I tend to jump thme in tight cover quite abit and my only shot is usually a texas heart shot i need a bullet that is going to penetrate. I often get follow ups at long range after dropping a hog or two at close range and that is the other place a 30-06 or a .338 or a .375 really shines..

i just want to stress that there is a big difference in structure and attitude between a 200lb sow and a 300Lb + boar it's like a whole other animal. Big boars can really soak up some lead when PO'd.

 

[Art Eatman]

I saw a brochure some years back, from a commercial hog-hunting deal down in the south Texas brush country. (Mostly south of a San Antonio-Del Rio line) They had photos of a 549-pound sow and a 450-pound boar.

Art

 

[sm]

I like to handgun hunt with 1911.
I have a good friend and was invited to handgun hunt "piggies". He and his hosts often take "piggies" with the 1911. Yes they have a backup(s) and long guns.
Critter control is one thing for "piggies", kinda combines woodscraft and Handgun skills.

There is big difference in a "rasher" of bacon, and a "slab".

I want to do the slab/picnic ham/roast size some day. I know where a .50 BMG is , not being shot. Having seen the size and hurt them things can do...I read too much Ruark as a kid.

"Mean" - a bit of an understatement

I figure a Model 70 in '06 would work, for most that I might encounter.

 

[Stand_Watie]

How Big?

I've trapped them larger than 300 lbs. The kind that I see around this part of Texas are mostly the eurasian boar variety, which I don't believe get as heavy as the more domesticated feral hogs. My neighbors, who hunt them seriously, say that they have senses comparable to deer.

Here's a good thread on the subject, lots of good pictures and size estimations, plenty of pontification on 'what gun?'

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58806

Here's one that went about 225 to 250

 

[DigMe]

My neighbors, who hunt them seriously, say that they have senses comparable to deer.

I find that very hard to believe except for smell only. In my experiences deer have always spooked much easier and quicker than hogs. I supposed it's possible though...maybe they do have as good senses but they're just too dumb to act on them.

brad cook

 

[Smoke]

A herd of hogs feeding is a pretty danged noisy spectacle. They don't hear much else. Sight is limited as well. Smell...others have indicated it's pretty good, I concur.

Hogs will also "Brush up" and let you walk right past, they never make a sound. But if you move slow enough they often give themselves away with a small grunt. I've been within 15 ft, before they broke and ran.

Most pigs I've encountered really aren't paying much attention except to rooting around for some food. They often can be seen for a spell and you can ease right up on them.

As for guns...hogs here rarely go over 250# (there are exceptions) any thing .30 or larger works good.

Smoke

 

[Frohickey]

I hear that the eyesight is not as good.
Smell is very good, so are hearing.

The one story I have is driving home from some BLM land and we we on the road driving home. It was around 9pm, getting pretty dark, and on the road we pass by a wild boar, coming in our direction, since it was past sunset, it wouldn't have been a good kill, so we kept on going. A few seconds later, we pass by a coyote on the roadside, not going anywhere in particular. It seemed to be confused as to where to go. We pass the coyote up as well. A few seconds later, we pass by a large deer, on the roadside again. I guess the coyote was deciding on which to go after, venison or pork.

 

[jimbo]

Wiley should have gone for the 7 - 10 split.

 

[twoblink]

I probably won't wonder about what caliber.. I have only 308's as far as centerfire rifles. (Sure makes the "what gun" decision easy!!)

How's the "a bunch of corn piled up in front of the porch, a lawn chair, a spotlight, and a rifle" strategy work for these guys?

 

[Smoke]

Twoblink...

It works good. Especially if you pile the corn up every day for a couple of weeks before trying to shoot them.

Smoke

 

[DigMe]

Better yet mix the corn with a product called "Hog Wild." If you can't find the hog wild mix it with dry strawberry jello powder. Bury the mixture in a shallow hole. If there's hogs around they'll smell it and come and root for several days. This is a great way to pull them in as long as you have an area that you don't mind getting rooted up.

brad cook

 

[Smoke]

I've tried the things DIgme suggested without conclusice results.

The thing he did mention is burying the corn...a very good idea. The hogs will work the are for a long time to try and get every last bit. If you poor it straight out on the ground they'll consume it in a matter of minutes and leave.

Mixing it with Diesel has proven to be effective at drawing them in. About a qt. to 5 gallons of corn. Also keeps squirrels and coons from eating it.

Smoke

 

[twoblink]

If you use a spotlight on them, do they do the "deer stare"?

Also, what time is a good time? Dusk? Midnight? Early morning? Or do they feed around the clock?

 

[Smoke]

Also, what time is a good time? Dusk? Midnight? Early morning? Or do they feed around the clock?

ummm....Yep!

Dusk to early morning is usually best. Feral hogs are nocturnal by nature, that doesn't mean you won't scare one up at noon, but evening/night the odds increase. If it's hot they often snooze the day away and get more active as it starts to cool off.

If you use a spotlight on them, do they do the "deer stare"?

Really depends on the hunting pressure for that area. I've seen hogs pay no attention to a light at all. Others broke and ran as soon as the light hit them. If they have been hunted heavily with spotlights they learn pretty quick what the light means. Hogs are pretty smart critters.

Hunting pressure will also dictate how aware they are. I'd be more wary too if everytime I poked my head up someone tried to shoot it.

Smoke

edited to add: Dusk - all the way through -to early morning is usually best.
Hunt all night if you can. Just to clarify.

 

[drj3828]

I work and hunt on a 3000 acre ranch in Grimes and Montgomery counties here in Texas. I have walked up as close as 20 feet on them, also drove trucks and tractors up on them but get on a four wheeler(ATV) and they run like hell. They have been shot at off of ATV so much they know what they sound like. On the corn fill a five gallon bucket about three quarters full with corn and then cover the corn with water and put a lid on it. Let it sour for about a week then put it out they love it. The more smelly the more they like it. On there senses I have four in a pen in my back yard and they can hear me when I unlock the back door, they go to squealing and grunting like crazy.
Most of the true feral hogs that is high in the russian strain seldom go over 250lbs the shorter snouted feral hags have alot of domestic hog in them and they will get very large. I know this has been debated alot on several other boards. We have seen hogs out in the hay fields at high noon eat grass, they can realy mess up a pasture also, The owner says the only good hog is a dead one!
Dennis

 

[sm]

Smoke -
Umm...
Just wonderin'. Do the piggies and doves happen to occupy the same areas?
I'm thinkin'...scheming...on a plan. [ hint hint]
You know a fella with a 12 ga, two types of loadings and 1911 sidearm...well...I haven't been west of Dallas in awhile.

Oh...what knife works best on these boars?
I Understand the best way to dull a knife is to take care of boar.
Would a carbon steel K-Bar work?

 

[Smoke]

They do not cohabitate the same areas but can be found in close proximity.

When one ventures further west (West of Midland) they can be found in the same area. And other places as well.

During my annual Labor Day weekend pilgrimage to Mecca (Ward County, TX) a few years ago, we drove up on a windmill to find a really large hog just wandering around. Having just come from the gravel pit where I threw every slug I had trying to hit a watermelon at 300 yrds (no typo, and no, I never hit it) and I was also out of .45-70 rounds since every one wanted to try to shoot my latest toy...and I couldn't get my hands on anything but birdshot...and much to the frustration of the crazy little guy that owned the place, he couldn't find anything to shoot it with either...so as I'm rattling through the toolbox in search of at least a partially loaded magazine to shove in the 1911....Tom watches in complete disbelief as the hog saunters slowly off. So he threw his gun at it.

A 20ga Stevens 311, will just bounce right off a big pig into the sand and only encourage the hog to move at a slow trot.

I have never used a knife on a feral hog. Cannot advise. I use dead feral hogs for feral hog bait. As I may have alluded to in earlier discussions of feral porcine beasts, I don't hunt hogs; I eradicate them.

I'm on a mission from God.

Smoke

 

[sm]

Okay,
There went plan A.

Since I was ordained to eradicate rabid and destructive critters...I can do this. At least I keep spare ammo handy... even some for guns I don't have in my truck.

I'm on a mission from God.

Hey I have sunglasses that fit on my reading glasses...we can do a "Blues Brothers" ...misson.

I gotta do this...I gotta do this...I gotta do this...

I'm not from TX..fit in real well tho...Just a little old band from TX on a misson...I got a truck...you want drive or shoot?

 

[HARLEYCOLT]

Last BIG ONE I saw was a 600+ pounder taken in Zavala county last year over 6' from nose to tail It was shot with a 7mm mag.

Some of the others have been taken with a 22-250 and up just depends on how much recoil you can handle and not FLINCH

You'll find all sizes of HAWGS in TEXAS some meaner than others :banghead: while some are just lazy and will almost walk up to you and others well lets just say up in a blind 20" in the air and 10 yards away sounds like a stampeed running away

 

[drj3828]

The hogs that I have in a pen behind my house that I wrote about in an earlier post got out yesterday. The wife called me and told me they are out chasing my neighbors up and down our dirt road that I live on. Well a thought came to my mind then! I was going to have stop working and go home and shoot and process four hogs, not what I realy wanted to do! So I gather up my tools and head home, when I get there there was one in the front yard and the other three no where in site. So my wife and daughter and Mother in-law are setting on the front porch and I asked them if they have seen them. Thet said they went up the hill towards my neighbors so I proceeded up the road on foot. About the time I get to my gate a car is coming down the road with three wild hogs behind it running. Now that is the funnyest thing to see they just past me up and kept running after the car. Well when they got to the corner they turned around and headed out into my pasture with my cows so I went out there with a bucket of corn and coaxed them back into the pen. I also fixed the pen with some 1/4" plate now let me see them suckers get out of that!
My wife and I was latter thing about the car the pigs was chasing how great that would have been to film that. Could have been used on that show they use to have on TV funniest home vidio.
Dennis

 

[Bernie B]

Big Pig

Five or six weeks back the local paper, The Lakeland Ledger ran a short article on an enormous hog that had been taken on a ranch just outside of the Green Swamp WMA. 700+ #. Most really big ones down here don't go much over 400#. The guy that killed it got it from a stand with a .270, if I remember right it was a one shot kill. It took a winch and 5 or six guys to get it in the back of a truck. What a big pig!!!!!!!! You could probably find the article in The Lakeland Ledger archives if you were willing to take the effort.

Regards,

Bernie

 

[twoblink]

Bacon bacon where be the bacon

700# is HUGE!! I was just thinking to myself while I was reading; they are going to need to wench it back...

 

[Smoke]

...a winch might come in handy too...





Smoke