There is a lot of talk about challenging hunts out there. A lot of regular visitors to Africa have shot most, if not all the trophies available for them to hunt. So what do you do if you have reached this point? Go bigger and better is of course an option, and I get a LOT of clients saying that they have a nice 50” Kudu bull but would like to go for something bigger and/or better.

But hunter or huntress, have you hunted SPECIFICALLY for a Bushpig before?

I’m not talking running like a madman after a pack of hounds or shooting one by a chance encounter during daylight. I’m talking walking the fields in the full moon, or sitting in a blind and wait in the ice cold winter night for the Ghost of the darkness.

The campfire was in full swing when we talked about this the other night. One of our AR members asked me which of the PG my favourite to hunt is. My answer will always be an Eland on foot in the Mopane. But I did quickly add that my OBSESSION when it comes to PG is Bushpig and only Bushpig.

So what makes these pigs so special, you might ask? Surely it cannot be those HUGE ears that can pick up the slightest noise or movement. No? For sure it cannot be that ugly LONG snout that they use to pick up scent further than any animal I know. It must be the eyes then? Well, this I do know, they are nearly as blind as moles, so sitting still, will not get you detected. Maybe, just maybe it is because I know that the name “poor mans lion” is not just a marketing gimmick? They get VERY pissed off if things do not go right for them, and do not die easily. A friend that is 32 and crippled for life by a sow, can testify to that. He still hunts them today, with a heavy limp and all that you know.

I cannot account for the amounts of money I spend on driving after these absolutely gorgeous ugly creatures, nor the money spend, but the success surely is very rewarding, and worth every man hour, and penny spent.

I have upgraded hunting them with a bow now, and my brand new Mathews DTX from the States (thanks Lewis) will be put to the test in the next couple of weeks.

So if you plan on getting on of these brutes, make sure you book your hunt for 10 days. Make sure you get an outfitter who specializes in hunting these sly buggers. Be prepared not to hunt other PG in the afternoon, and spend the hours getting some Z’s. You will need those two o’clock in the morning. And they are not European Boar….you will shoot only one on your hunt, if you are lucky and your guide have more than one bait active or a lot of fields, maybe a second.

Now a little story to tie this up:

At 19 Mike was the youngest self paying customer I have had up until now. Mike is a deer stalker from England. First night of the 14 day hunt this question came up, which PG animal do you consider the most difficult to hunt? I said Bushpig. He said he wanted one. Next year? I asked. No the young man said, this hunt. So we planned everything the best we could. Baiting was out of the question for these pigs, but I did know about a field where the farmer harvested some peanuts the week before.

Me and Solly (my tracker) drove over to the fields the next day when Mike was resting a bit after a hard mornings hunt. The field looked as if it was harvested again. The pigs just ripped it up. We made arrangements with the owner and arranged for the following night to visit.

So D-Day arrived. Mike shot a very good Impala that morning, and we rested the whole afternoon. I warned Mike about all the nitty gritty stuff when it comes to hunting these pigs, and then the last but not the least…..”Mike, they are ugly and scary looking, and we will be close, very close. DO NOT FREEZE” Sure, he said with all the confidence his 19 years cold muster. We got to the fields just as darkness fell.

We stopped the bakkie about 2k’s from the targeted field, and waited an hour. We took our boots off, and stalked on our socks to the field. Me, Solly and Mike. When we were about 100m’s from the edge of the barren field, I could hear the pigs feeding. No grunting or snorting, just the sound of those knife sharp tusks grinding on each other as they work their way around the fields.

I glazed the field with the night sight, and counted 14 pigs spread out over about 80 yards, 100 meters out. The pig closest to us and feeding on the far left was a monster of a HOG. I knew this pig well by his calf size tracks. The wind was right and blowing firmly into our faces. The late August night was just perfect for what was to follow.

We slowly stalked to within 40 meters of the Hog. He changed his feeding direction and started of towards us. I got Mike in position, and set up next to him with my .308Win. When the pig was about 25 yards from us, I signalled Solly to switch on the red filtered spotlight. The pig stopped and turned his head towards the light. We talked about this scenario a lot as the Bushpigs love to face the light when it comes on. Mike froze. Afterwards he said he did not know what happened. He did say he has never seen anything so intimidating and wild looking in his life!

Back to the heat. I summoned Mike through clenched teeth to shoot, again and again. I think I used French, Spanish and Russian too. Nothing happened. The pigs broke and ran. I had enough, swung the nearest sow a good foot in front of her head and when the .308Win. broke she folded up like yesterdays news paper, the 180gr. Rhino doing the trick. Mike was now awake, and as the pig got up (right shoulder broken, angled in the lungs) he thumped her twice with his 30-06 so fast I did not even hear the reloads.

When we drove back there was silence in the bakkie. We all knew what had happened, and words would only make it worse. It was only a couple of days later with beer induced banter that he spoke about the “ugliest, mother f…en beast” that had him scared numb.

So guys and gals…..if you run out of excuses to visit our weird and wonderful continent, maybe the ugly gorgeous ghost of the darkness can give you one!



Happy hunting folks!

Eardley Rudman of Blaauwkrantz Safaris is positively obsessed with bushpigs. He is "perfecting" a baiting approach but other methods have also met with success, mainly on his own farm. Yours is huge!

I dont get it? You shot the pig for the client??

Matt, given the client isn't in the picture I'm assuming that it wasn't classed as his pig and he wouldn't have paid the trophy fee.

From what I understand Charl's pretty good on stuff like that, but I'm sure he'll chime in himself.

As for the bushpigs, We hunted some ravines in May that were incredibly thick and close. On a couple of occasions we found the places where the pigs had bedded down but never actually saw a pig. They were not our primary aim but were rater looking for some of the enourmous Bushbucks that lived in the area. If we had come accross them in those tight quarters where they could feel cornered then I think some quick shooting would have been needed!!

Rgds,
FB

Ahhh - so they were both hunting - not just as PH and client? I get it now...

I don't care about who paid for that pig.A good story well told and I thank you for that.

Best-
Locksley,R

+1 for bushpig fever! No matter where and what i am hunting they still wind me up in a split second , succes rates are bad but man they are a challenge to hunt at night in the fields on foot, an insomniacs dream hunt

I would LOVE to get a bushpig like that.

I love to hunt bushpigs! Great pig!

I was lucky enough to find a bushpig jaw with one perfect tusk in it while hunting plains game last time. From the staffs reaction you'd have thought I picked up a gold nugget.

Hello Matt,

Sorry mate....I shot the pig. I have an understanding with clients when we hunt on the field that the client gets first shot and after that it's a free for all.

The reason for that is that we spend so much time and money hunting these animals that we try to capitalise when we connect with them!

Mike frose....and I was not going to see those piggies run away into the night....I did leave that big Boar for him....and now he is still running around around out there...

I'm off hunting now......

Cheers,

Charl,

How big do you think this guy is????



Would love to get close enough with the bow...

Big enough that's for sure. Looks like he will go 80kg's

Charl

You guys still running around for bushpigs?
Come say hi and have a few bushpigs tjops i got two lastnight

Luan

Charl

I absolutely agree, I have hunted all, from Elepahnt down, but the moment someone says Bushpig, my bags are packed and the guns loaded,

I hubt them at full moon , half moon, no moon, with dogs, no dogs, bow, handgun,shotgun,rifle

But the best was 3 weeks ago,

I had a client on a bird hunt, flight was out on saturday night late, so Friday I asked Jason van Aarde, who's client it was if they wouldbeinterested in doing a pig and hounds hunt the next morning, just as a addon the client was a great guy been here 14 times , and now only birdhunts,

They jumped at the idea, and I phoned my cousin too find out if the dogs were running on saturday, as they run a pack of hounds most every saturday, Yes and it was fairly close too us in Dullstroom,

Very early the next morning we were on Long Tom Pass, loading dogs, have you ever tried too load 30 pig dogs on the back of a Land Cruiser ?

Willem and his 2 sons, Marnus and Divvie, went into the valley and we were positioned and as stopper acts, in each of the fingers of the gorges coming up from the valley, as the pigs would come up, and try too escape.

Boy it was freezingly cold , tried too find a sunny spot with a view of my gorge, and Jason and George each in the next, with another couple of firends in the rest.

Marnus ran the dogs and before long the most beautifull sound after the death bellow of a buffalo, came up, the Blueticks were yodeling, and on the 2 way radio Marnus was telling us in which direction the pigs were going, man it was exciting just too hear the dogs and the radio ci=ommentary.

The next moment my cousin was swearing blue as the one pig , a boar made a dash up a gorge that runs dead into a waterfall,

He could not shoot for fear of a richochet, witht the dogs and the rocks all around, so on the radio it went silent, and ten this tired voice comes back saying pig is dead !!!

When asked how, cause we did not hear a gunshot, we commented that he killed it with a knife ???

NO We were told he forgot his knife at home , the silence was deafening for 2 seconds and then the inevitable question HOW DID YOU KILL IT ???

This young man , had drowned the bushpig with his BARE HANDS !!!!!!

Eat #$% and die Rambo, the is how a real man kills his pig

I told him that I am distancing myself as being a family member too a certifiable insane sob,

Bottom line the pigs never cam up the gorges, 2 killed in the bottom, and great fun was had by all.

Jason and client had a lot of fun, we froze our assses off, and was awestruck by the event. I know my cousin is as fit as a prizefighter, but my respect for him just went up another notch that day

Between the Croc fishing, Bushpig drowning and all the ather crazy stuff you lot do in SA, I'm starting to like the place more and more!!!



FB

quote:

Originally posted by Fallow Buck:
Between the Croc fishing, Bushpig drowning and all the ather crazy stuff you lot do in SA, I'm starting to like the place more and more!!!



FB

Wait till you see what Luan and I are dreaming up for hyena fishing!

It's gonna take a while to work out but if it ever happens, it's gonna be a hoot!

Steve, I'm in!!

Just got back from my old stomping grounds where I was diving a few years back, and I was telling a mate about all the stuff that we used to get upto there "back in the day...". Life's feeling a bit vanilla at the moment.

FB

Walter,

We met Marnus a couple of weeks ago and I can see where he comes from and yes the guy is fit.

Here in the states we have it also and it is called " Buck Fever"...

Good story...

Mike

Walter

I know marnus very good his rambo times ten with anton.I told marnus the other day his dogs are going to bite him because he runs till they cant go on and then he pick them up on the wayback.

Walter did you organize the hunt for willem in luangwa?

Luan

ja, hys 'n taai klein donner.....

We talked a lot about hunting these pigs, but I will pass on the hounds. Each to his own and all that hey.....Marnus is a bit of a legend in that area because of those Rambo tricks...

Marnus: The Legend of Long Tom Pass!

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Marnus: The Legend of Long Tom Pass!

Well spoken!

Me and Marnus spoke about someone we both know, and him and this guy nearly getting into a scrap over some beer induced argument.

Good thing they worked it out, maybe Marnus would have drowned him in his beer.....

Charl, ek probeer nou al hoe lank om Marnus te kry om saam my te begin jag,

En ja die ander ou sou nioe te goed af gekom het nie

Luan, no I did not organize it, I know the area though,

Rickus was looking for Lion, and where I am I do not allow them too be hunted due too low numbers


Frederik, post a picture of Wimpie and that huge bushpig sow he shot on the pivot a couple of years back