I have seen a lot of posts come up about hogs, and how hard they are to kill. Yes they are think skinned because of the way they fight, which causes scar tissue to build over the elbow and round the neck area. I also think that this is because of poor shot placement
After witnessing a large amount of hogs being taken by deer hunters I have come to think that hogs have gotten their reputation through poor shot placement. This is because if you shoot a hog in the same place you would shoot a deer you will end up with a lung/liver shot.
A hogs heart sits lower and more forward than a deers, which also places the front leg directly in the path of a broadside heart shot (see the first picture). Because of the front leg bone, and scar tissue you have to wait for a quartering shot or you can find that a smaller caliber rifle will not have enough energy to punch through.
I have taken many hogs with a 22-250, and 223 that responded to distressed rabbit calls. I took these shots with the hog quartering away and have had great success putting the hogs down quickly. Although I bigger caliber is suggested it is what I had at the time.
To take a 90 degree broadside shot at the heart, I would think it is safe to say you will need a .270win or higher to consistently and humanly put the hog down. This will also leave some room for error because as most know hogs are constantly moving, so even the best shot can sometimes miss the mark.
The best shot placement is probably right bind the ear taking out the spine, and this does not require a large caliber rifle. The problem is that hogs are always moving their heads, so the most static area to shoot at is the heart.
The best way to increase you effectiveness while hunting hogs it to access the caliber you are using before the hogs show up, and predetermine what shot you are going to have to take.
To address the freak hog, they do exist but are few and far between. If you pick a caliber for hog hunting and the only thing you are thinking about is a 500lb hog, you need to re think things. In most cases a .270 is too much rifle because I would say 99% of the hogs taken are between 50-150lbs. The funny thing is that the pictures of the 120lb hogs are hard to find on internet forums.
Here are some pictures to help the noob hog hunter.
After witnessing a large amount of hogs being taken by deer hunters I have come to think that hogs have gotten their reputation through poor shot placement. This is because if you shoot a hog in the same place you would shoot a deer you will end up with a lung/liver shot.
A hogs heart sits lower and more forward than a deers, which also places the front leg directly in the path of a broadside heart shot (see the first picture). Because of the front leg bone, and scar tissue you have to wait for a quartering shot or you can find that a smaller caliber rifle will not have enough energy to punch through.
I have taken many hogs with a 22-250, and 223 that responded to distressed rabbit calls. I took these shots with the hog quartering away and have had great success putting the hogs down quickly. Although I bigger caliber is suggested it is what I had at the time.
To take a 90 degree broadside shot at the heart, I would think it is safe to say you will need a .270win or higher to consistently and humanly put the hog down. This will also leave some room for error because as most know hogs are constantly moving, so even the best shot can sometimes miss the mark.
The best shot placement is probably right bind the ear taking out the spine, and this does not require a large caliber rifle. The problem is that hogs are always moving their heads, so the most static area to shoot at is the heart.
The best way to increase you effectiveness while hunting hogs it to access the caliber you are using before the hogs show up, and predetermine what shot you are going to have to take.
To address the freak hog, they do exist but are few and far between. If you pick a caliber for hog hunting and the only thing you are thinking about is a 500lb hog, you need to re think things. In most cases a .270 is too much rifle because I would say 99% of the hogs taken are between 50-150lbs. The funny thing is that the pictures of the 120lb hogs are hard to find on internet forums.
Here are some pictures to help the noob hog hunter.
