Who knows if/when you will get back. I'd take what ever warthog the PH directed me towards. The trophy fees on warthogs aren't too much and you can just get the skull boiled and wait for a bigger one for a mount. Don't miss out. They are a neat animal and very good eating.
Posts: 4780 | Location: Story, WY / San Carlos, Sonora, MX | Registered: 29 May 2002
A warthog with 6 or 7 inch tusks is either an immature animal or an old one whose tusks have worn down. IMO a nice warthog will be one with 6 to 10 inches or more showing. Keep in mind that there will be several inches of tusk inside the jaw, and that length in included in the overall measurement.
This one went 14" on both sides. I don't remember how wide the lip area is, but I'd say that - as a rule of thumb - you can double the visible length of the tusk.
As I recall, my dad's (see below) measured 8.5"X9" (or 9"X9.5). From what our PH said, he was pretty good for the rocky/sandy part of Namibia in which we hunted.
Posts: 3301 | Location: Southern NM USA | Registered: 01 October 2002
Quote: This one went 14" on both sides. I don't remember how wide the lip area is, but I'd say that - as a rule of thumb - you can double the visible length of the tusk.
I think your rule of thumb is overly generous. I've only shot 1 Warthog to date, and that one went 11 inches per side. There was less than 2 inches of tusk inside the jaw. My P.H. said that usually you can count on around 3 inches.
Check out my web page, I have one on there that,s 17 plus a tad on both sides...or find a picture of Walter Hogg, one can be had from Saeed on request!
Posts: 42156 | Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | Registered: 04 June 2000
I think your rule of thumb is overly generous. I've only shot 1 Warthog to date, and that one went 11 inches per side. There was less than 2 inches of tusk inside the jaw. My P.H. said that usually you can count on around 3 inches.
mikeh416Rigby - you know... as i'm looking at his bleached skull and removing his teeth - you're right - I didn't state that as i meant or should have... double is a bit misleading.
Allow me to restate: Looking at these teeth in particular, there is as much tooth hidden by the lip & inside the socket as there is exposed... IF you're looking at the inside (short side) of the curve.
This is an older warthog with good mass/thickness that my son recently took. It's right tusk measures 12.5 inches, it's left tusk slightly less than 12 inches. Old is good. Quite often you will encounter older ones that have a worn off or broken tusk on one side, as they used one tusk moreso than another when they root/dig. I made the mistake of passing on such a trophy that was at least 14" on one side and broken on the other.
Warthogs don't seem to vary much in body size. The older ones get smaller as their body mass declines with age.I've never weighed a warthog, but I doubt if they ever go over 200 pounds, probably 150 more like it.
Posts: 3277 | Location: Western Slope Colorado, USA | Registered: 17 August 2001
Nowhere close as large as Ray's but here's mine from Namibia. Learned yesterday the critters have arrived and are ready to go to the taxidermist. Not bad for a late July trip. Bob
As my PH stated during my last safari: "a pig is a pig, if it's a big one you're just lucky!". So my .02 are : shoot any pig you can, they are too fun to hunt and too good to eat (specially in the 5-10 kg range) to pass on them . You will have good looking ivory on your wall above 10 inches. BTW, I don't like warthog shoulder mounts : you will find that the two pairs of tusks on a wood shield are very nice, and inexpensive . I have trophies ranging from 3 (sows) to 12 inches, and an even smaller one around my neck (kind of prehistoric jewelry), and I like them all!
Posts: 552 | Location: France | Registered: 21 February 2002
Holly shot this Namibian kudu and warthog in the same morning. The warthog didn't have great ivory but live weight was over 200 pounds. It was the biggest and heaviest bodied warthog our PH, Dirk de Bod, had ever seen. Too bad we didn't take a better picture of it.
This was a huge old warthog that Holly shot in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Very thick and heavily broomed tusks.
I shot this warthog in Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa. It measured a very symetrical 12" on both sides.
I shot this old boar in the Limpopo Province between Ellisras (sp?) and Vaalwater. He was heavily broomed but still measured 13" on both sides.
Posts: 692 | Location: South Carolina Lowcountry | Registered: 27 February 2001
Mike416Rigby, A 6 inch warthog in some parts of South Africa like the Eastern Cape or one in Tanzania is not an immature animal. He would be mature..The terrain in which they feed is critical to tusk size, if they are rooting in rocky ground then a 6 or 7 inch hog is a real trophy...In the sandy loam of the Transvall or RSA or in parts of Zimbabwe they get mighty big in that soft stuff. Also the gene pool in a certain area may differ as well as the food source, all these things apply to the size of animals in any give area, all hogs are not created equal according to Atkinsons constitution..
A good trophy can only be compared to the are in which it was taken and thats one of the fallacies of trophy hunting...A wild deer in some parts of South Texas that scores 145 is one big deer, in other parts it takes 200 plus to even get someones attention, same with most African species..
Just a heads up as I see a lot of this kind of descrimination everywhere and it shouldn't be...A trophy should be compared to the other taken in that specific area.
Posts: 42156 | Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | Registered: 04 June 2000
Hell, I guess I've got to jump into this one too! I enjoy hunting warthog and you never know where you will find a good one. I shot this one in the Zambezi Valley right on the Mozambique border. I didn't know who should be carrying the nonresident alien card, him or me! He measured 13" on the longer tusk and 12 3/4" on the working tusk.
