View Full Version : First Boar "hunt"

April 23, 2012, 08:12 PM
My dad turned 60 on Saturday, and one day while watching Hog Wild on TV, he decided he wanted to do a boar hunt for his birthday, so he set one up, with he, myself, and my brother-in-law.

The hunt went great. I had a difficult time accepting that it was "canned" hunt until I found out that these boars were actually trapped wild down south and brought to the ranch. At that point, my dad referred to them as "free range hogs", and compared them to free range chickens, and honestly, it's a pretty good comparison.

Anyway, we got into Tioga around 4, had a chance to get unpacked before supper at 5: Buffalo goulash. Yum! After that, we were on our own. Being from NY, we had completely forgotten that PA's alcohol laws are weird, so we made a run back to NY (only 15 minutes) to grab some frosty adult beverages, and returned to the ranch to hang out for the night.

We got up the next morning and headed over for breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes, and coffee. Breakfast was a little late, but we got finished up and headed out to meet our guide. We had Jason, and he was great. After the standard "here's what you need to know", we headed into the woods and set up. My brother-in-law and I decided that my dad would go first to give him the most time to get one, as the hunt was his idea, and it was his birthday. About 5 minutes after finding our spot, the first group of pigs came through, but he didn't have a good enough shot on any of them. The pusher found one hog hanging out down the hill some, so we went down to "adjust its attitude". My dad dropped it with a single shot. It's the black and white one in the attached pictures.

After the guide dressed out my dad's hog, we set up just up the hill for my turn. As we're sitting there talking and waiting, I looked up the hill and saw 2 hogs just hanging out. I called the guide over to size them for me. Unfortunately, they headed up the hill and out of range, but they both walked into another group who got the bigger of the two. The smaller one that we were looking for came back down the hill, and I finally got a good shot on him with my .22-250, and he decided to take a nap about 20 yds from my dad's. Mine's the black one.

My brother-in-law went last. As the other groups were finishing up their hunts, there were less people out and about pushing up the hogs, so we had to do some walking for find one for my BIL. Between getting mine, and finding one for my BIL, it started to rain. By the time we got to shooting range for the 3rd, his scope had fogged up, so he couldn't get a good shot, and missed on a running hog. We decided to call it a morning by that point, and went back for some lunch.

After a really good lunch of roast boar, mashed potatoes, and gravy, we headed out to fill tag #3. As we're walking through the woods, we spot one bedded down in a ravine. The pusher was practically on top of it before it got up, and unfortunately headed in the wrong direction. We moved off to what equated to a junction of paths to wait for the next little piggie to come through. We watched him come over the hill and magically stop almost perfectly broadside, and he was dropped with a perfect .30-06 heart shot.

All in all, it was a good time. I'm glad I did it, and our freezers have a fair amount of meat in them. It's not something I'd do every day, but under the right circumstances, I would gladly do it again.

April 23, 2012, 09:23 PM
Sounds like you had a great time. I can't get over the fact that yall had long sleeves on LOL.

I have reservations about canned hunts, but to read about the good time yall had may cause me to change my views, I never considered the enjoyment and fun the participants get out of it. That may be the only way some get to hunt pigs.

Great job, glad yall got to spend time together.

April 23, 2012, 09:28 PM
I really had reservations about it as well. But I really liked how my dad called them "free range pigs". It's really what they are. So it was easier to swallow.

It was actually tough to pack because the day we left it was almost 80, but the day of the hunt topped out around 50, and started to rain about 10:30, and the temps dropped a bit at that point. Plus some wind.

April 23, 2012, 09:46 PM
That's perfect hog weather where I live, they are pretty active in those condotions.

April 26, 2012, 04:32 PM
Relocating game to be hunted isn't really what I'd call a 'canned hunt'. If they are released and allowed plenty of room to roam over a large area then it's just hunting. In East Texas on Timber Company land they trap hogs year round. The Boars are gelded then released after their tails are bobbed. They might be running on a thousand acres and the meat is much better for eating. These aren't canned hunts either.

April 26, 2012, 05:27 PM
Sounds like a fun time.
I've been looking into to going to Tioga but I was curious about the price once all is said and done.

April 26, 2012, 06:05 PM
Sounds like you had a great time, Though I Never heard of a Hog Tag :D

April 27, 2012, 09:04 AM

Pigs aren't game, they are dirty, destructive, overbreeding vermin that shoudl be eradicated at any means. Once caught there is absolutely no reason to release one unless its headfirst with a hole in it into a ditch or on top of some coals and hickory smoke.

April 27, 2012, 05:50 PM

I believe they should be killed on sight, transporting them to a game preserve in the north is more acceptable to me.

What is not acceptable is when they do what shotgun guy is talking about in Texas. It is also illegal if that 1000 acres is not surrounded by a hog proof fence. No one in Texas has any business continuing the life of a pig.

April 27, 2012, 06:47 PM
I believe they should be killed on sight, transporting them to a game preserve in the north is more acceptable to me.Here in Michigan they just passed a law (or was it a judge issuing a moratorium until there is a permanent ruling?), stopping the importation of hogs to the commercial game farms. Too many have escaped and established breeding populations. Transporting them into the North (Michigan), where there has not been a traditional problem with them is likely not to be very popular here. We do not want the problems you have.

April 27, 2012, 07:13 PM
I think it's pretty irresponsible to let wild hogs loose up north. A few outfitters will make some money and in 5 or 10 years the north will be over run with them just like down here.
Yeah, they are fun to hunt and they eat good but make no mistake about it, they are pests and do alot of damage. Wait til they find a corn field and make it home!
Hunting does little to control their numbers and believe me, they multiply like mice! Personally I kill them on sight any chance I get. I eat some but most is left to the varmits.

April 27, 2012, 09:38 PM
Me too, right now I am sitting I'm my truck preparing to hunt hogs, which will turn into a coyote hunt, i hear them going pretty good......

I dont support keeping pigs alive in any way.

But....I am very happy the op got to spend that quality time with his family......

April 29, 2012, 12:22 PM
Just this morning a friend of mine asked me if I'd be willing to go up to his ranch in Shamrock, Texas to help him kill some of the pigs that are destroying his fields and fences.

I'm a decent shot up to 400 yards, but all I've been shooting is targets so I'm pretty stoked about doing some hunting without having to spend a lot of money. But from what he said, the pigs have very bad eyesight and it is easy to get within 40-50 yards. I was wondering if I wouldn't be better off bringing my automatic 12 gauge instead of my .308?

Any suggestions?

April 29, 2012, 02:25 PM
The 308 should do well. It will exit so if there is cows around, pick your shots carefully.

If they are rooting, you can get pretty close. They can get pretty engrossed in thier business. First sign of trouble they will split.

Most likely, you you will only get one shot. Mayhem will break out when you squeez that trigger.

Your buddy should know where and when they show up, usually you can show up early and wait hidden. Once you've popped at a couple of them, they will shift thier pattern.

Many more tips here, some fine pig hunters on this forum.

April 30, 2012, 06:15 AM

If you're getting in tight like that, I'd opt for my Benelli, the extended tube magazine and about 10rnds of #1 and #4 buckshot. When they got busy rooting and feeding, I'd lay into them until the gun was empty and mop up with a pistol.

Double Naught Spy
April 30, 2012, 08:30 AM

This is a popular myth but one made out of willful ignorance. Hogs actually have better visual acuity than humans.

Most folks don't realize this, but a pig's vision certainly can be better than that of a human in regard to seeing objects at a distance. They don't see as many colors, but can see better. For example, pig eyes have about 78 diopters. Humans have about 40. With 78 diopters, hogs have a focal length of about 260 feet. Humans with 40 diopters have a focal length of 131 feet. So hogs can actually see better at distance than humans can.

Not only that, but hogs also have a wider field of view than humans.


Hunters (and people in general) often confuse behavior with capabilities, often in regard to what the hunters or people are trying to do to the animals. When animals don't respond to humans, it is often assumed that they are deficient in some way, such as not seeing the human or not having the intelligence to flee. These are poor assumptions.

Where pigs are lacking in vision as compared to humans is in the red spectrum and physical position of the eyes over the landscape. Nothing seeing red as red isn't a significant issue, but height may another matter. Being closer to the ground, a pig's eyes are going to have a greater percentage of the fields of view being blocked by vegetation than humans who are standing up. Put a human on his hands and knees in the same blocking vegetation and you will get a comparable failure by the human. Not only that, but pigs spend a goodly amount of their foraging time with their heads down, noses placed into the ground, and sometimes even their whole faces. If you do the same thing, you will have issues with sight as well.

So the perception that hogs cannot see well and not as well as humans isn't an eyesight issue at all. A pig in open terrain can see just fine.

From http://www.texasboars.com/articles/facts.html
They will come running upon my father's or my recognition, to be fed. They will leave running when a stranger approaches. This recognition process has been observed consistently at 100 + yards. They can easily see me coming at 250 + yards. They may not run, they may not pay attention, but don't think they can't see you. Hog are at a disadvantage when it comes to sight mainly because of their low profile. They can't raise their heads high like a deer or other wild animals to see over grass or vegetation.

April 30, 2012, 01:32 PM
Rather than the erroneous claim that hogs have "poor eyesight" it is far more accurate when stated as this...

"Of the senses hogs use for advance warning, the eyes are not their greatest... Hearing is far more used as the ears are straight up when head is down feeding and ears are "articulated" in that they aim them... But their sense of smell is one of the keenest in the animal world..."


April 30, 2012, 02:35 PM
Did you hunt with the Gee boys? I have land down the road from there, Birch Hill Club. Glad you guys had a good time, nice area. Most of the people up there are good guys.