Freedom_fighter_in_IL
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- Joined
- Aug 30, 2010
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- 2,097
I have recently been involved in a thread on here about pig hunting and came across this statement,
A hog will not charge when not cornered or provoked. That being said, a sow with piglets is dangerous, as is a doe deer with her fawns, a rutting buck, a bear with cubs, hell even a goose will attack. I'd say you'll be very hard pressed to find one case of a hog attacking unprovoked or cornered.
Now the question I am posing to all of the EXPERIENCED hunters out there that have pig hunted in reality and not going by what they read in magazines or online.
How many of you agree with this statement quoted above?
There were also statements made (by the same person of previous quote) that a .44mag loaded with HOLLOW POINT ammo would be "good medicine" for a hog which, in my opinion, is pretty poor advise given the tough "shield" that hogs have over their vitals and also the thick nature of their skulls. which leads me to my next question,
What would be a really good calibre and bullet selection in both rifle and handgun choices.
Again I am posing these questions to the EXPERIENCED hog hunters on here not the "book readers" with no PRACTICAL experience with this animal.
I am not looking to start a "net fight" with anyone or argue. The point of this particular thread is to INFORM newbie hunters that are about to embark on hunts for this wonderful, and sometimes, elusive animal as well as warn them of the possible dangers when encountering these buggers.
My own opinions are as follows
Rifle calibre would be a MINIMUM of .243 and I would ONLY suggest that for the most experienced hunters that will hold bullet placement to an extreme standard since such a small projectile will have to be placed very well for a clean, efficient kill. CNS would be the target for such a small bullet such as a brain or neck shot. Both of which are very hard targets on a pig. One reason being they are both pretty small targets and another being the damn things NEVER hold still! For the novice hunter, my suggestion would be no smaller than a cartridge of 7mm.08 with a 140gr minimum bullet of quality construction and even that is pushing the small side for the novice. Bigger is better when dealing with hogs. Now as with all animals, you have smaller ones as well as larger ones and this post is to prepare you for the bigguns! 200+ pound hogs are very common nowadays and those rascals are some tough buggers!
Pistol Calibres: .357mag would be the smallest I would even dream of going with. .45acp is used commonly as well but the .357 has more "bust them up" (otherwise known as balls) and is a much better choice. Again, bullet selection is key here as well. You need penetration more so than you need expansion with the hog. A good jacketed SP or hard cast is the ticket for this.
Now lets talk a bit about dangers. There are those that seem to think ole porky is a docile animal that will shy away from man. In most cases this is true. But there are times that ole porky decides he is not going anywhere and that your leg is starting to look kinda tasty! Trust me folks, those long, sharp tusks are NOT just for show. They are a very deadly tool that are connected to some pretty stout jaw muscles! They will rip into you like a hot knife through butter. And in my own honest opinion, anyone who thinks that a hog will not turn on you and attack completely unprovoked is a fool. Although they are nomadic, hogs can be and generally are VERY territorial. A male will jump anything it feels like dominating. And a female will vigorously protect her litter. Taking them lightly is a mistake that many make. And many have paid for. Though there have not been many deaths, there have been MANY injuries related to hog attacks. I myself have been witness to more than one. One very deadly one that the guy was lucky I was close enough to shoot the hog off him and get a tourniquet on him because the pig had nicked his femoral artery.
So lets hear all your opinions and suggestions.
Moderators, if you would be so kind as to allow a bit of leeway because I am sure with this open type of forum there will be a bit of heated debate. Thanks
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