Queston for you guys......
 

I got an oppertunity to go hog hunting in a week or two. My question is, what caliber is good to use on them. I never hunted hog before so am curious as to what gun I should use. I have 22-250, custom loads with 55 grain bullets, or 25-06 with 120 grain coreloks, or my 300 WinMag with 170grain, not sure as what bullet it is. Did some looking around and found a shot placement chart, so I'm good to go there. Also, anyhints or suggestions on how to hunt them? I've heard they are poor visually, but have good noses, is that true? Thanks. Scott.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

You should be fine with anything fromone of the.22 centerfires on up; just stay away from fragmenting (varmint) bullets. Shoot 'em in the head or the vitals, & you'll behaving sausage. Like any kind of hunting, be sure of your target & beyond, and be sure you're going to connect before you press the trigger. Hogs don't deserve to be wounded any more than any other animal does.

I'm heading to South Georgia in 15 days, and I'll be taking an AR-15 with 64 grain soft points from Federal, and a 7x57 with 173 grain soft points.

As for hunting, you can still-hunt 'em, or use dogs, or what have you. In the swamps where I'll be, we've had good luck with slow stalks. Look for movement, listen for sounds, & stay downwind of 'em. We took 8 hogs last year with no shots over 40 yards. Your area may be drastically different, though. It's my understanding that you'll seldom find hogs very far from water.

You do need to be warned, however, that hog hunting becomes positively addicting!

Good Luck!

FC

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

Any of these calibers will work.
[*].22 Long[*].22 Long Rifle[*].22 Short[*].22 WMR (.22 Magnum)[*].22 WRF[*]5mm Remington Mag[*].17 Remington[*].17 Remington Fireball (based on the wildcat .17 Mach IV)[*].17-357 RG[*].204 Ruger[*].218 Bee[*].219 Zipper[*].22 BR Remington[*].22 Hornet[*].22 PPC[*].22 Spitfire (MMJ-5.7, 5.7mm MMJ)[*].220 Russian[*].220 Swift[*].22-250 Remington (.22-250 Ackley Improved)[*].221 Remington Fireball[*].222 Remington[*].222 Remington Magnum[*].223 Remington (.223 AI)[*].223 WSSM[*].224 Weatherby Magnum[*].225 Winchester[*].240 Weatherby Magnum[*].243 Winchester (.243 AI)[*].243 WSSM[*].244 H&H Magnum[*].244 Remington (6 mm Remington)[*].250-3000 Savage[*].256 Winchester Magnum[*].256 Newton[*].25-06 Remington[*].25-20 Winchester[*].25-35 Winchester (6.5 x 52R)[*].25 Remington[*].25 WSSM[*].257 Roberts (.257 Roberts +P, .257 Roberts Ackley Improved)[*].257 Weatherby Magnum[*].260 Remington[*].264 Winchester Magnum[*].270 Weatherby Magnum[*].270 Winchester[*].270 Winchester Short Magnum[*].270 Sabi[*].276 Pedersen[*].280 British[*].280 Remington (a.k.a.7 mm Express Remington)[*].280 Ross (a.k.a.280 Rimless Nitro Express)[*].284 Winchester[*].30 Carbine[*].30 Newton[*].30 Remington[*].30 Remington AR[*].30 TC[*].30-30 Winchester[*].30-06 Springfield[*].30-40 Krag(.30 Army)[*].30-378 Weatherby Magnum[*].300 Savage[*].300 Remington SA Ultra Mag[*].300 Winchester Short Magnum[*].300 Winchester Magnum[*].300 H&H Magnum[*].300 Weatherby Magnum[*].300 Remington Ultra Magnum[*].303 British[*].303 Savage[*].307 Winchester[*].308 Marlin Express[*].308 Norma Magnum[*].308 Winchester[*].32-20 Winchester (.32 WCF, .32-20 Marlin, .32 Colt Lightning)[*].32-40 Ballard[*].32-40 Winchester[*].32 Remington[*].32 Winchester Self-Loading[*].32 Winchester Special[*].325 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum)[*].33 Winchester (.33 WCF)[*].338-378 Weatherby Magnum[*].338 Federal[*].338 Lapua Magnum[*].338 Marlin express[*].338 Remington Ultra Magnum[*].338 Sabi[*].338 Winchester Magnum[*].340 Weatherby Magnum[*].348 Winchester[*].35 Newton[*].35 Remington[*].35 Whelen[*].35 Whelen Improved[*].35 Winchester[*].35 Winchester Self-Loading[*].350 Remington Magnum[*].351 Winchester Self-Loading[*].356 Winchester[*].358 Norma Magnum[*].358 Winchester[*].375 H&H Magnum[*].375 Ruger[*].375 Remington Ultra Magnum[*].375 Weatherby Magnum[*].375 Whelen (.375-06)[*].375 Winchester[*].376 Steyr[*].378 Weatherby Magnum[*].38-40 Winchester[*].38-55 Winchester[*].40-60 Remington[*].400 H&H Magnum[*].400 Tembo[*].401 Winchester Self-Loading[*].404 Jeffery (10.75 x 73)[*].405 Winchester[*].408 CheyTac[*].416 Remington Magnum[*].416 Rigby[*].416 Weatherby Magnum[*].417 (High velocity cartridge for the M82, M93, M95 and M107 Barrett Firearms Company rifles)[*].43 Mauser[*].44-40 Winchester[*].44 Remington Magnum[*].444 Marlin[*].45-70 Government


There noses are the best in the business and the eyesight is not as bad as some would have you to believe.

Shoot them under 100 pounds for eating and under 50 pounds for greast eating.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

Wow, nice list of links there. I disagree though on one point with the above poster.

YES their eyesight is piss-poor plain and simple. Their noses however, are just as good as any hound.

I have been trapping hogs (sometimes hundreds a month) for about 25 years. I have stood next toa trap within 20 feet of the buggers and they had no idea I was there.

With the wind in their favor though.....yeah they would know! They can't see for crap, but they CAN smell you a loooooong ways away.

As to the original poster's question? Just from my experience bud?? Use any of the .30 cals and if you are just meat hunting instead of wanting a mount, shoot em in the head or squareon the shoulder.

I mentioned this before and will say again, I have seen hogs with their heart blown to smithereens run a long way.

On the flip side, a busted shoulder or a nice ear shot does not let them go very far.

Good luck to you on your hunt.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

Thanks for the replies, I've been wanting something to use my 22-250 on, since going out to kansas praire dogging is far and few between. It has the bull barrel and a 32x power scope, so lugging it will be a challenge, but it's sooooooo fun to shoot. I just didn't know if it had enough for the hogs or not. I'm a meat hunter, and I do all my own processing, from steaks, to sausages, to smoking snack sticks and jerky. I may just end up taking it, and shoot them behind the ear, with that scope it should be relatively easy, and would save the shoulder meat in the process. Thanks again. Scott.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

.243 Winchester

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

22-250 is plenty for head shooting, will actually make a mess of the head.
As far as how to hunt them. Here in Texas they can be quite nocturnal. I hunt them at night. I put solar spot lights around the feeder and sit within 75 yds so you can see better, the cross hairs can be hard to make out on a black hog from anything farther than that. Solar spot lights can be had at any home depot or lowes, get the 3 pack and set them up 10-15 yds away pointing under the feeder. Sit and wait 1 hour before dark and as long as you can sit there. I cheat I use a game cam and can pattern there times showing up at the feeder.
Another way is to corn the crap out of senderos or roads and sit and wait, right befor dark is usually when they will come out to feed.
PS the last 10 or so hogs I have killed all fell in there tracks to one shot from my .22 Hornet. Just put it anywhere near the ear and they drop.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

The only thing that would make me hesitant to use the .22-250 would be the scope. Given the distances I do most of my shooting and the lighting conditions, a variable power scope with 3x on the low end would be my pick. High end doesn't really matter.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

zrexpilot, thanks for the info. Here in MO. artifical light is illegal. Absoulutely no light can be used for hunting, except for the aid of tracking a wounded animal, but still, you can't use it to spot the animal and put it down. My buddy and I just inquired about that to our local Con. Officer. Big no no!

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

do you guys have feeders ? or can you feed ? Hogs are way harder to hunt than deer. If it wasnt for our feedeing I doubt we would get a shot on a hog. On top of that they are real nocturnal. About the only other way is water, hogs need it bad, they need to wallow in mud too.


Heres a pic of two that have been regularly visiting one feeder. If I get to make it down this weekend one of them is going down. LOL

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

You wouldn't catch me hunting wild hog with a .22 anything.....EVER! That's just not enough fire power for me to be comfortable taking a shot. Hogs have very thich skin and don't bleed very much even when shot in the vitals. Me personally, I want an animal to die quick when I shoot it and blood trailing a hog is not at the top of my love list. They are probably on of the worst animals to blood trail.

That being said, I would take the 300.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

Hit them right and you won't have to trial them. I've killed a bunch of hogs with my .223, and I've yet to lose one. I've only had two, maybe three run more than a couple feet before dying.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

I agree, thats why I shoot them in the head, and for that nothing over a .22 centerfire is needed.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

22 mag. bang.... flop...dead hog.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

Guys lets keep in mind this is a persons first hog hunt here.For one forget about the long list that was posted of firearms for hog hunting.Certainly,a large ego....ok you know calibers of a ton of weapons...cool.
Ive had alot of hunters out with me for wild hogs.
They have very good hearing,you will not find much better.They can smell an acorn under four feet of snow.They can sense things new in there suroundings as well as any whitetail.Always use the wind to your favor.Though thier eye sight is not that good they make up for it by thier ability to pick up movement.take this all into consideration whilr hunting.
During the day if you are still hunting hogs like to lie in the shade along fallen trees or if there is room to get under the tree will often times lie down under fallen logs,between the log and the ground.They will hold like a cotton tail.
I would suggest not shooting a hog in the head.Low behind the front shoulder...however it is best to crowd the shoulder or take quartering away shot.
A 30,06 rifle 225 grain is a good cal,because short range is the norm.#08 also does on heck of a job on them.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

First as to my ego all I did was copy and paste from wikopedia. I do not know all those cartridges. You are correct on the hearing and a lot of people never get to see the hog because they were making noise. I will still defend my position on their eyesight being better than people think. They cue on movement very well. Granted I have stood still and had hogs walk within ten feet of me but then they winded me and hauled bacon. My go to hog gun for night shooting is my 30-06. I just hate shooting them in the chest because the 165 grain bullet just explodes them. As for a 225 grain bullet....jeez...loweez. They aint grizzley bears. Quartering away shots on hogs I will do with my bow if I HAVE to. I will let them walk if I have my rifle because I just hate cleaning a pig that has had his intestines blown to goo. I get to whack pigs all the time though so I can be selective. If it is the one hunt you get a year I guess take the shot that is offered. On another note the 22-250 is my buddys go to gun for just about everything on his farm. That little bullet hits them in the head and it feels like a bag of mashed potatoes and marbles. It just shatters their head and if you hit them in the chest it looks like a grenade went off in there. I think that little 55 grain bullet is WAY underated.


Show us some pics when you get back.

Remember to shoot them small.

RE: Queston for you guys......
 

I am not so sure hogs are as bright as you think, weary maybe.
I have wild piglet I have been raising like a dog, when I throw snacks out in the yard to it and my dogs ,the pig has a harder time finding it than my dogs, my dogs will sniff it out in a second, they beat the pig to it everytime