have you ever been charged by a hog
07-28-2020, 03:22 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: texas
Posts: 1,201
have you ever been charged by a hog
have you ever been charged by a hog
https://huntsfish.com/hunting-wild-boar-shoot.html
Ive shot dozens of hogs over several decades, most try hard to avoid hunters and vacate the area your in fast.
now I'll be the first guy to point out that some "charges" guys talk about,
maybe the result of some hog just picking the direction he was headed in and running flat out to escape a perceived threat!
but I'm convinced after decades thats not always true!
I know from decades of hunting hogs that on a rare occasion if you wound a large hog,
he may have revenge on his vindictive, little pig minds agenda!
on one of the first hog hunts I ever went on my buddy was in a tree stand overlooking a field of about 7 acres,
and I was across that field that was covered in densely grown grass, weeds brush, about 2-3 feet thick And tall mostly sawgrass,
covering an area that had been burnt off the year previously.
he had just shot at a large hog with his 12 ga using buck-shot at a range of about 50 yards,
As I was about 1/2 way across that field the hog must have heard me walking as at the shot,
I could see the grass parting like a bow wave from a ship as he headed straight for my location,
while several other smaller bow waves generated by other hogs took off at about 90 degrees, from his route.
I had a 44 mag model 29 loaded with 240-grain hard cast gas check bullets,
over a stiff load of 19.5 grains of 2400 powder,
I could see the grass parting in a straight line headed in my direction,
but until the hog got to about 30 feet distance I could not see him.
now keep in mind, the ranges where we hunt in Florida seldom exceed 40 yards and 50 yards is a rare long shot,
most shots are taken at under 40 yards , in very thick brush. saw grass palmetto etc.
frankly, I was not ready at the time to repel a charge but as soon as I saw a target I fired and the hog flipped and skidded and kicked a few times,
the body stopping about 10 feet from me I thought Id fired once, but after checking I realized my pistol had two empty cases,
and the hog was hit once in the spine behind the head and once in the ribs further back along the spine,
Id fired twice both double action shots at close range,(at under 35 feet)
with both hard cast 44 bullets passing through that hog that had to weight in the 120-130 lb range,
exiting the lower hog stomach area at different angles and locations.
dressing out the hog we found two buckshot in the left ham.
on a different hunt a buddy shot at a hog that looked like it dropped instantly he went over and was about to nudge it with his toe when it jumped up and hooked him in the calf causing a 15 stitch slice in his leg
both he with a 9mm and another buddy with a 357 mag revolver stopped further damage, with a hail of bullets,
and a rapid trip to the local hospital resulted from the serious medical damage to his leg, that took months to recover from and it left a damn impressive scar!
https://huntsfish.com/hunting-wild-boar-shoot.html
Ive shot dozens of hogs over several decades, most try hard to avoid hunters and vacate the area your in fast.
now I'll be the first guy to point out that some "charges" guys talk about,
maybe the result of some hog just picking the direction he was headed in and running flat out to escape a perceived threat!
but I'm convinced after decades thats not always true!
I know from decades of hunting hogs that on a rare occasion if you wound a large hog,
he may have revenge on his vindictive, little pig minds agenda!
on one of the first hog hunts I ever went on my buddy was in a tree stand overlooking a field of about 7 acres,
and I was across that field that was covered in densely grown grass, weeds brush, about 2-3 feet thick And tall mostly sawgrass,
covering an area that had been burnt off the year previously.
he had just shot at a large hog with his 12 ga using buck-shot at a range of about 50 yards,
As I was about 1/2 way across that field the hog must have heard me walking as at the shot,
I could see the grass parting like a bow wave from a ship as he headed straight for my location,
while several other smaller bow waves generated by other hogs took off at about 90 degrees, from his route.
I had a 44 mag model 29 loaded with 240-grain hard cast gas check bullets,
over a stiff load of 19.5 grains of 2400 powder,
I could see the grass parting in a straight line headed in my direction,
but until the hog got to about 30 feet distance I could not see him.
now keep in mind, the ranges where we hunt in Florida seldom exceed 40 yards and 50 yards is a rare long shot,
most shots are taken at under 40 yards , in very thick brush. saw grass palmetto etc.
frankly, I was not ready at the time to repel a charge but as soon as I saw a target I fired and the hog flipped and skidded and kicked a few times,
the body stopping about 10 feet from me I thought Id fired once, but after checking I realized my pistol had two empty cases,
and the hog was hit once in the spine behind the head and once in the ribs further back along the spine,
Id fired twice both double action shots at close range,(at under 35 feet)
with both hard cast 44 bullets passing through that hog that had to weight in the 120-130 lb range,
exiting the lower hog stomach area at different angles and locations.
dressing out the hog we found two buckshot in the left ham.
on a different hunt a buddy shot at a hog that looked like it dropped instantly he went over and was about to nudge it with his toe when it jumped up and hooked him in the calf causing a 15 stitch slice in his leg
both he with a 9mm and another buddy with a 357 mag revolver stopped further damage, with a hail of bullets,
and a rapid trip to the local hospital resulted from the serious medical damage to his leg, that took months to recover from and it left a damn impressive scar!
Last edited by hardcastonly; 07-28-2020 at 03:57 PM.
07-29-2020, 07:48 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Germany/Calif.
Posts: 2,664
99 times out of a hundred they are going to head for cover it is that one time you have to worry about. Most attacks are from a wounded Hog, but there are exceptions.
I was slowly creeping into my high seat mid-summer Roe Deer rut, well before dawn. I was just crossing a ditch and a very large Sow charges right at me across a pasture from near a hundred yards. I've shot a lot of Hogs mostly passing shots, where you can't exactly place your shot, the vast majority of Hogs run another forty to sixty yards before they go down. This was my thinking when I raised my rifle and thought when I shoot, the chance of me getting off a second shot before she made it to me was slim. The math is simple, a running Hog can travel at about 15 yards a second, Working the bolt and re-aiming and she is going to cover 45 yards in three seconds, I really hope I don't miss. After that encounter when sneaking into a high seat in the early morning I now carry my 1100 loaded with slugs.
A buddy of mine and a farmer, that had clipped a large Boar with his Brushhog, were tracking the Boar, the Boar came out of the brush and went right at them. My buddy couldn't shoot fearing he might hit the farmer, He ended up killing the Boar with his knife. This guy is an unassuming type, don't judge a book by its cover, he is the real deal. Thankfully he was wearing leather pants and had no puncture wounds but his lower legs were really bruised.
On one of my first Hog hunts, we were hunting a Boar that had opened up a teenager's leg fourteen inches. The story was he and his girlfriend had snuck off into the woods and had sex. Just when they'd finished and they were walking off, the Boar attacked. Best guess is the hormones in the air set him off.
On a two-lane highway, end of the working day leaving a nearby major city, a car hit a large Hog. The story was the sounder got spooked out of a Cornfield that was being harvested. It ended up being a multiple car accident and the Police were called. Both directions were blocked, the Police and multiple drivers and passengers were out in the street milling around when the sounder returned and got aggressive. The Police opened fire with their 9mm pistols and pissed off the hogs even more. The sounder eventually left. They called me and told me to bring my dog to track the wounded hogs, thinking this bunch was aggressive enough and were likely even more dangerous wounded. We tracked that sounder for twelve hours over two days and never caught up with them and never found any dead hogs.
Like I said 99 times out of a hundred they are going to head for the hills, it's the exceptions you have worry about.
I was slowly creeping into my high seat mid-summer Roe Deer rut, well before dawn. I was just crossing a ditch and a very large Sow charges right at me across a pasture from near a hundred yards. I've shot a lot of Hogs mostly passing shots, where you can't exactly place your shot, the vast majority of Hogs run another forty to sixty yards before they go down. This was my thinking when I raised my rifle and thought when I shoot, the chance of me getting off a second shot before she made it to me was slim. The math is simple, a running Hog can travel at about 15 yards a second, Working the bolt and re-aiming and she is going to cover 45 yards in three seconds, I really hope I don't miss. After that encounter when sneaking into a high seat in the early morning I now carry my 1100 loaded with slugs.
A buddy of mine and a farmer, that had clipped a large Boar with his Brushhog, were tracking the Boar, the Boar came out of the brush and went right at them. My buddy couldn't shoot fearing he might hit the farmer, He ended up killing the Boar with his knife. This guy is an unassuming type, don't judge a book by its cover, he is the real deal. Thankfully he was wearing leather pants and had no puncture wounds but his lower legs were really bruised.
On one of my first Hog hunts, we were hunting a Boar that had opened up a teenager's leg fourteen inches. The story was he and his girlfriend had snuck off into the woods and had sex. Just when they'd finished and they were walking off, the Boar attacked. Best guess is the hormones in the air set him off.
On a two-lane highway, end of the working day leaving a nearby major city, a car hit a large Hog. The story was the sounder got spooked out of a Cornfield that was being harvested. It ended up being a multiple car accident and the Police were called. Both directions were blocked, the Police and multiple drivers and passengers were out in the street milling around when the sounder returned and got aggressive. The Police opened fire with their 9mm pistols and pissed off the hogs even more. The sounder eventually left. They called me and told me to bring my dog to track the wounded hogs, thinking this bunch was aggressive enough and were likely even more dangerous wounded. We tracked that sounder for twelve hours over two days and never caught up with them and never found any dead hogs.
Like I said 99 times out of a hundred they are going to head for the hills, it's the exceptions you have worry about.
Last edited by MudderChuck; 07-29-2020 at 08:11 PM.
07-31-2020, 04:13 PM
#4
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: texas
Posts: 1,201
I had a guy read this thread and post what I thought was an interesting related question.
many years ago I started out using a seaco bullet mold I borrowed from a friend,
after a few weeks Id cast 700 -800 plus bullets,
but he wanted his mold back,
and at that time I could not find a duplicate mold to buy,
so
I purchased a lyman mold I found at a local gunshop,
which proved to be even more accurate in my revolver at longer ranges
after a few years I purchased a Lee 310 grain which I personally found to be accurate in both my marlin lever action and my S&W revolver,
something that was not true of the lyman 300 grain, bullet,
in the marlin lever action, at ranges over 100 yards or so
300 grain lyman
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categ.../LYMAN-429-650
240 grain seaco
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101034511
310 grain lee
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010207991?pid=511417
the load used was 310 grain bullet over 21 grains of h110
all the bullets work well on game, but the lee is the most consistently accurate in my weapons
many 44 mag revolvers have a twist rate in the 1 in 18-20" range the marlin has a much slower twist rate near 1 in 38"
In this thread you listed my 44 mag load as a 240 grain hard cast bullet over 19.5 grains of 2400 powder,
yet in other previous posts you listed a lee bullet why the change?
yet in other previous posts you listed a lee bullet why the change?
after a few weeks Id cast 700 -800 plus bullets,
but he wanted his mold back,
and at that time I could not find a duplicate mold to buy,
so
I purchased a lyman mold I found at a local gunshop,
which proved to be even more accurate in my revolver at longer ranges
after a few years I purchased a Lee 310 grain which I personally found to be accurate in both my marlin lever action and my S&W revolver,
something that was not true of the lyman 300 grain, bullet,
in the marlin lever action, at ranges over 100 yards or so
300 grain lyman
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categ.../LYMAN-429-650
240 grain seaco
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101034511
310 grain lee
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010207991?pid=511417
the load used was 310 grain bullet over 21 grains of h110
all the bullets work well on game, but the lee is the most consistently accurate in my weapons
many 44 mag revolvers have a twist rate in the 1 in 18-20" range the marlin has a much slower twist rate near 1 in 38"
Last edited by hardcastonly; 08-01-2020 at 06:13 AM.
08-02-2020, 02:28 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: North Texas
Posts: 242
I do believe I have been charged once. The hog had to make multiple direction changes to get on target. With that said, I have had several hogs run at me, all of which just ran right by me. Most were already pointed toward me or I put myself in a position to anticipate where they would run (they often run back in the previous direction that was safe, though they sometimes it is not a direct route).
This is a favorite hog charge video of mine...
This is a favorite hog charge video of mine...
08-02-2020, 06:52 PM
#6
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: texas
Posts: 1,201
why on earth, this guy in that video, did not put a second arrow on the bowstring,
the second he released the first,
shot and draw it and aim it in anticipation,
and have it ready for that potential charge?
thats like archery hunting 101 !
like with every other weapon, you keep shooting until the game drops as long as its in range
even a less than ideally placed body shot on a wounded game animal is better,
than standing helplessly and useless and clueless , unprepared as the game charges or runs away!
If he could not learn that skill (a fast second shot with a bow)
he might want to spend $69 on a back-up plan to repel,
what might have been very expensive personal bodily damage
cold steel makes a semi-decent boar spear with a crossguard to keep the vindictive boar from advancing up the shaft once stuck through the body
the second he released the first,
shot and draw it and aim it in anticipation,
and have it ready for that potential charge?
thats like archery hunting 101 !
like with every other weapon, you keep shooting until the game drops as long as its in range
even a less than ideally placed body shot on a wounded game animal is better,
than standing helplessly and useless and clueless , unprepared as the game charges or runs away!
If he could not learn that skill (a fast second shot with a bow)
he might want to spend $69 on a back-up plan to repel,
what might have been very expensive personal bodily damage
cold steel makes a semi-decent boar spear with a crossguard to keep the vindictive boar from advancing up the shaft once stuck through the body
Last edited by hardcastonly; 08-02-2020 at 08:29 PM.
08-02-2020, 11:59 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Germany/Calif.
Posts: 2,664
Bowhunting is different than hunting with a rifle or pistol. But I'd be darned if I wouldn't have at least a .357 magnum pistol with me as a backup. I use a .44 special mainly for the ability for a quick second shot, less recoil quicker second shot.
Here there are classes of hunters, those that do it mainly as a full-time job. Serious hobby or semi-professional, weekend warriors and novices. The professional or serious hunters are often the ones that go after wounded game, especially in group hunts. You see more and more of them with bayonet lugs on their rifles or slug guns and bayonets on their belts. Looking for a wounded Hog in thick brush can be a sphincter tightening experience, They move through the tunnels below your eye level, you are making a racket breaking brush while moving so it is hard to hear them coming. Even the dogs get confused with all the racket and Hog scent everywhere. My opinion is do what the professionals do, us a bayonet when an attack is possible to fend off an angry Hog. The professionals are also fond of the bigger is better philosophy when Hog hunting, you rarely see one with anything less than a 30 06 with 220-grain bullets or the all-time favorite is a 9:3 X 64.
If you watch videos of Hog attacks, the guys that are experienced fend them off with their rifle barrel then take a shot when practical.
Why many places have forbidden bayonets on rifles eludes me, the only real reason I can think of is they look scary, kind of like partially serrated blades on a knife, they look scary so they must be bad. My thinking is a serrated blade comes in handy when filed dressing large game and a bayonet might keep a big sow from chewing my testicles off.
Side note, Boar have all the rep, but Sows will chew up and run off a Boar (I've watched them do it). A large Sow comes at you head back jaws wide open and those jaws are crotch high on most people, Boars slash, Sows bite and the biguns have bone-crushing bites. I'm not really afraid of them, but I do respect them as a threat.
Here there are classes of hunters, those that do it mainly as a full-time job. Serious hobby or semi-professional, weekend warriors and novices. The professional or serious hunters are often the ones that go after wounded game, especially in group hunts. You see more and more of them with bayonet lugs on their rifles or slug guns and bayonets on their belts. Looking for a wounded Hog in thick brush can be a sphincter tightening experience, They move through the tunnels below your eye level, you are making a racket breaking brush while moving so it is hard to hear them coming. Even the dogs get confused with all the racket and Hog scent everywhere. My opinion is do what the professionals do, us a bayonet when an attack is possible to fend off an angry Hog. The professionals are also fond of the bigger is better philosophy when Hog hunting, you rarely see one with anything less than a 30 06 with 220-grain bullets or the all-time favorite is a 9:3 X 64.
If you watch videos of Hog attacks, the guys that are experienced fend them off with their rifle barrel then take a shot when practical.
Why many places have forbidden bayonets on rifles eludes me, the only real reason I can think of is they look scary, kind of like partially serrated blades on a knife, they look scary so they must be bad. My thinking is a serrated blade comes in handy when filed dressing large game and a bayonet might keep a big sow from chewing my testicles off.
Side note, Boar have all the rep, but Sows will chew up and run off a Boar (I've watched them do it). A large Sow comes at you head back jaws wide open and those jaws are crotch high on most people, Boars slash, Sows bite and the biguns have bone-crushing bites. I'm not really afraid of them, but I do respect them as a threat.
08-05-2020, 09:38 AM
#8
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: texas
Posts: 1,201
while its been my experience that most hogs will immediately,
try to be as far as possible from any hunter they see,, and youll seldom get a shot still hunting,
as they will generally detect you before you can get a decent shot.
much of my local area is very well stocked with wild or feral hogs
many farmers will let you shoot hogs on their property if you ask , look like your responsible and
offer free cases of beer.
the larger hogs (boar or sows) are potentially a threat, once they are cornered or wounded.
so approach a wounded or presumably dead hog ready to shoot, if that's required.
now Its been my experience that hogs stick to the thicker brush in daylight,
and you just don,t get shots much over 30-40 yards.
thus a reasonable handgun, iron-sighted rifle, or shotgun work rather well and scoped rifles are not always ,
as useful, BECAUSE IN THICKER AREAS THE LOCAL HOGS SEEM TO PREFER,
ranges can frequently be in the under 10-15 yard ranges,
I've talked to a great many of the local guys and they seem to shoot most hogs from tree stands while in theory waiting for deer.
if your 15-25 ft up in a tree stand your scent does not seem to be as easily detected.
know a few guys that say they can attract hogs to an area with bait,
rancid milk and molasses, cattle feed , and 3 day old frozen shrimp and molasses, raw peanuts and mollases are popular from what I hear.
https://www.jacksonville.com/article...ORTS/801239392
https://www.hogmanoutdoors.com/blog/...ing-feral-hogs
https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/ga...hog%20hunting.
http://www.floridasportsman.com/2020...ke%20to%20dig.
(mostly private property)
but thats not legal in many areas
I generally hunt deer in preference to hogs , but some local guys just love hogs
while I prefer a magnum handgun, lever action rifles and 12 ga shotguns are the more common firearms used locally
try to be as far as possible from any hunter they see,, and youll seldom get a shot still hunting,
as they will generally detect you before you can get a decent shot.
much of my local area is very well stocked with wild or feral hogs
many farmers will let you shoot hogs on their property if you ask , look like your responsible and
offer free cases of beer.
the larger hogs (boar or sows) are potentially a threat, once they are cornered or wounded.
so approach a wounded or presumably dead hog ready to shoot, if that's required.
now Its been my experience that hogs stick to the thicker brush in daylight,
and you just don,t get shots much over 30-40 yards.
thus a reasonable handgun, iron-sighted rifle, or shotgun work rather well and scoped rifles are not always ,
as useful, BECAUSE IN THICKER AREAS THE LOCAL HOGS SEEM TO PREFER,
ranges can frequently be in the under 10-15 yard ranges,
I've talked to a great many of the local guys and they seem to shoot most hogs from tree stands while in theory waiting for deer.
if your 15-25 ft up in a tree stand your scent does not seem to be as easily detected.
know a few guys that say they can attract hogs to an area with bait,
rancid milk and molasses, cattle feed , and 3 day old frozen shrimp and molasses, raw peanuts and mollases are popular from what I hear.
https://www.jacksonville.com/article...ORTS/801239392
https://www.hogmanoutdoors.com/blog/...ing-feral-hogs
https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/ga...hog%20hunting.
http://www.floridasportsman.com/2020...ke%20to%20dig.
(mostly private property)
but thats not legal in many areas
I generally hunt deer in preference to hogs , but some local guys just love hogs
while I prefer a magnum handgun, lever action rifles and 12 ga shotguns are the more common firearms used locally
Last edited by hardcastonly; 08-05-2020 at 09:43 AM.
08-28-2020, 04:41 AM
#9
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
Posts: 15,424
I was several years ago in SC. I had shot a nice boar at 35 yards. I aimed for the head behind the ear, the hog moved his head just as I pulled the trigger but he went down like he was pole axed. AS is my practice I give them 10 minutes after they stop kicking before I get out of the stand and go to the hog to take photos. I took my gear and , back pack and rifle and walked to the hog, sat down the pack and slung my rifle, the hogs eyes were open and he looked dead. I took one picture from the side and walked around the front to get a good picture of his head and cutters. When my camera flashed the hog blinked. Before I could say ah crap, he was coming at me growling like I have never heard a hog do. I was wearing my Kahr MK .40 on my hip and I drew and fired in one motion and killed him at my feet with a shot to the head. To say my heart gas pounding like a jackhammer is an under statement. The adrenaline took about a half hour to wear off. If I would not have my handgun on me I would have been torn up without a doubt. All the years of having to qualify and practice drawing and firing for a close quarters fire fight sure paid off. This is the hog, 162 lbs.
09-03-2020, 05:17 AM
#10
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: North Texas
Posts: 242
why on earth, this guy in that video, did not put a second arrow on the bowstring,
the second he released the first,
shot and draw it and aim it in anticipation,
and have it ready for that potential charge?
thats like archery hunting 101 !
like with every other weapon, you keep shooting until the game drops as long as its in range
even a less than ideally placed body shot on a wounded game animal is better,
than standing helplessly and useless and clueless , unprepared as the game charges or runs away!
If he could not learn that skill (a fast second shot with a bow)
he might want to spend $69 on a back-up plan to repel,
what might have been very expensive personal bodily damage
cold steel makes a semi-decent boar spear with a crossguard to keep the vindictive boar from advancing up the shaft once stuck through the body
the second he released the first,
shot and draw it and aim it in anticipation,
and have it ready for that potential charge?
thats like archery hunting 101 !
like with every other weapon, you keep shooting until the game drops as long as its in range
even a less than ideally placed body shot on a wounded game animal is better,
than standing helplessly and useless and clueless , unprepared as the game charges or runs away!
If he could not learn that skill (a fast second shot with a bow)
he might want to spend $69 on a back-up plan to repel,
what might have been very expensive personal bodily damage
cold steel makes a semi-decent boar spear with a crossguard to keep the vindictive boar from advancing up the shaft once stuck through the body
If they aren't going to nock a second arrow, then they aren't going to ridiculously try to produce a spear and get ready for a charge either, LOL.
