Neck shot or head shot for piggies?

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I use a neck shot for deer whenever I can, because it works wonderfully.

But on a pig, I can't decide whether it would be better to aim for the brain (base of ear), or somewhere in the neck area, to slightly increase my target size and thus odds of success. I'd prefer neck, since it works so well on deer, and is a larger target. But has anyone had good luck or bad luck with neck shots on hogs? It's certainly harder to "see" the neck on a pig than a deer, as it all just kinda blends together - wonder how easy or hard it would be to accidentally miss a vital portion of the neck and have a clean pass through. Which part of the neck area is best, or do you want to avoid? Thanks.

I'm NOT a fan of tracking, especially in the summer, especially where hogs are likely to run off to.

 

[BigTexOK]

I always aim for the head. Even if the pig is walking away from me, if I have any elevation I aim between the base of the ears. However, due to my piss poor aiming there have been times when I've shot them in the neck and they always go down. Only pigs I've had to track have been from gut shots.

BTW...how did that boar that your friend take a few days back taste? Lemon juice improve quality? Interested to hear.

 

[bigcountryok]

Keep in mind that you can also inflict a head wound that is not immediatly lethal either. Every year after rifle season I hear stories of deer being found with half their mouth and jaw missing. I've seen the same happen to hogs.

IMO just hit them mid shoulder with a decent round and all should be good.

If I had to choose between head and neck, I would take the head shot only if I had a solid rest and was absoultly with out a doubt 100% confident in my shot.

 

[imhntn]

What bigcountry said. Shoot them in the chest unless you are really steady.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

BTW...how did that boar that your friend take a few days back taste? Lemon juice improve quality? Interested to hear.

Hey - well he said it was really good, and even his 11 year old daughter liked the loin steak.

All I ate from it so far was some Mexican chorizo sausage which he made himself - had it with eggs - mmm, mmm, good. But I can't comment on how much the lemon helped or didn't; sorry - but I may be able to try some of the meat 'straight' yet, and let y'all know.

Yes, that's *precisely* what I don't care for head shots - afraid I'll miss and hit the jaw or something - with a neck shot, a bad shot will typically be either (a) a miss, or (b) a lungs/vitals shot, or (c) a head shot, all of which are ok. With a head shot, a bad shot can be, well, very bad to the animal.

I'm not gonna do heart lungs on a walking bullet trap where they can run into the flooded woods and there will be no trail. It's CNS or nothing. Thanks all; I just convinced myself that neckshot is the way to go, just like deer.

 

[Deer Slayer]

hogs up to 250# dressed have gone down DRT with a shoulder shot. Fellas these pigs are not gods.... they don't walk on water.. Shoot a good accurate bullet from a big enough caliber and they go down period end of story

 

[Sniper John]

Low shoulder, or you might say forward elbow shots drops them DRT for me.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Shoot a good accurate bullet from a big enough caliber and they go down period [;] end of story

Deer slayer, that absolute statement is absolutely incorrect. You can NOT guarantee that with a shoulder shot - if you don't actually break the shoulder, which is not guaranteed, they're gonna run at least 50% of the time, even if you use a .577 Tyrannosaur. There's a video on youtube with a deer shot with a .50 BMG - took out its heart, and put a massive hole right through it, but it took off like a shot and ran a long ways. And pigs can be tougher than deer.

Neck / head shot = approx. 5% chance (or less) of tracking, if you hit
Heart/lung shot = approx. 50% chance of tracking, if you hit

I know which odds I prefer.

 

[dennishoddy]

Texas heart shot puts them down instantly, but it sure is a mess to clean.

 

[Huckelberry75]

I hit one with an 8mm Mauser and he dropped like a rock. He sqealed once and that was it. It is all about bullet placement. I grant you, they can be tough, but if you put it in the right spot, they wont go far. I will happily take either a head shot or through both shoulders. If you shoot out his wheels, he wont run any further than you can spit. If that doesnt work, shoot out his spine and go pick up your pork chops.

I am of the school founded by the greats like Teddy Roosevelt and Robert Ruark, "Use Enough Gun".

Personally, I feel that a .223 is too light for hogs. I am certainly not saying that you shouldn't use one, because lets face it, a .22 short will do the job if you hit them right. But, I would prefer have insurance rather than a magazine to spray the brush that a wounded hog ran into. I want to blow out his shoulders and boiler room or put one in his ear and turn out the lights with enough horse power that I don't have to worry about anything.

Just my $0.02