I have seen some discussion on whether pigs charge or attack hunters. Some say the pig is merely trying to run away and just happens to be going in your direction.

Has anyone experienced a charge or attack?

I have and he sure wasn't trying to get away, I was.

I was charged $400 on my last pig hunt. Sorry, it's been that kind of day, lol.

A warthog tried to take a piece of my leg to hog-heaven with him once, but its hindquarters were useless so I cannot say it was a charge, more of a malevolent swipe!

I was charged on a hunt California back in May, the Hog ran straight for me, mouth open and teeth exposed and by aiming for HOG I managed to hit him between the eyes from 6 ft.

Doug

Yeah, I have been charged by one and it was pretty exciting for a little while. I made the mistake of coming from the downhill side of a wounded hog one morning and he just about made me pay for it. That hog was hurt pretty bad but he could still make it down hill pretty damned fast. He had those teeth chomping and was putting on quite a show. I shot him about 3 feet off the muzzle of my .338 Win Mag and his momentum carried him right into me. We both went down the side of steep hill end over end.

About two weeks after that a friend had one charge him and actually get him down and wallow him around a little. Good thing that when the hog charged the guy managed to shoot him in the jaw. The hog kept coming and knocked him down and tried to work him over, but with his jaw broken he could not do much. They finally had a Mexican stand off and the guy realized he had a pistol on his side. (The pig had knocked his rifle from his hands.) He was so excited that he emptied that Glock at VERY close range and only hit the pig twice, but it was enough.

Just last month my dad surprised a boar that was laying up in a nice cool spring one morning and it came for him. Again, it had those teeth chomping and he was putting on quite a show. Dad shot him at maybe 10 feet.

They WILL get after you sometimes!!

R F

I got charged while FISHING on the bank of a bayou in Lousiana a few years back---I dropped my rod and shinnied up a cypress when I heard it coming---just in time,too! Had to wait him out for a few minutes---I was unarmed.

Dogs bayed a250lb boar at the bottom of a valley. We decided to throw rocks at it to get it to move. We didn't want to haul it a half mile up out of the valley. On it's way out it took a swipe at one of us ,but I thought it was just because it was surrounded. Later, after we climbed up out of the valley, we heard the hog a looong way of. As we approached where he was bayed again, He charged again. This time we were in a Jeep!! I believe that if the driver had not sped up the pig might have come in the Jeep with us! As it was, it broke a tush of on the rear wheel of the Jeep. capt david

A similar incident happened to me as did your friend. We had about a dozen pigs trapped on a fenced paddock surrounding a water hole, along with a bunch of sheep. I had just put down three sheep for bait with a 243, and had only 1 round left in the magazine. I saw this small boar about 50 yds away staring at me like I owed him money. He charged straight for me, I fired my last round at about 15 yds. The bullet went thru his upper and lower jaw, thru his neck and exited thru his lower chest blowing out his liver. The small boar, only about 125 lbs, staggered momentarily and continued to come at me. I kicked him in the head with my boot that only resulted in a cut boot. I tried using my rifle barrel as a prod to keep the pig at bay without success. I got knocked down with the pig on my chest. I held on to his ear with one hand to keep his head away from me and commenced to punch him in the ribs with the other. I was, of course, yelling karate "hiyahhh" out of fright and excitement. The guide saw some movement under the cloud of dust and realized it was me wrestling a pig. He ran over and knocked the pig off of me. Another hunter shot the pig in the head.

Although, I disagreed, Enoka, the guide thought that it was the funniest scene. He said it was like a cheap Kung Fu movie with two guys making a lot of motion and noise and no own was getting hurt.

Geoff, Does that sandwich sized porker with an atttitude from last year count?

Mike,
It sure does. Maybe with enough response, we can get porkers elevated to the dangerous game class. Then, it'll be easier justifying the 470 N.E. I've been eye balling.

Geoff

I've been seriously charged 6 times.... but that's from the last 1400+ pigs we've taken in 17 years of guiding pig hunts for a living.

It's ONLY been by wounded boars (males) of at least 180 pounds and much larger and usually after they've made it to very thick cover.

I've had a few false charges by sows trying to protect their young (aside: I wish human parents cared that much about their "young"!).

I don't count pigs that are just trying to get away and I happen to be in the way. While following a "snout shot" wounded boar through thick brush a couple weeks ago I was in the wrong place. After trailing it about an hour, I slithered up the blood trail almost to the pig (it was too thick to crawl) and tried to head shoot it with my 629 at about 20 feet. I didn't hit him solidly and he came straight at me. It either saw me or the muzzle flashes ( ) at about 10 feet and it ran away from me. One of the 240 grain Hornadys ended up through his lungs and he didn't make it far. Although I was laying on my belly shooting up at a pig running at me at less than 20 feet I still don't count that as a charge, I was just in his way. I really doubt that boar knew where I was.

My guide Dwayne, who has worked for me for the past 9 years has been knocked over once but wasn't hurt. We've had one client (that wasn't following directions real well) that needed a few stitches, other than that we've been able to get away with just soiled underpants. I keep my fingers crossed and my .44 in front of me whenever I'm looking for wounded pigs.

We hunt spot and stalk, but I would guess the guys that hunt with dogs get chased more often that we do.

The main thing to remember is not to let them get to the brush wounded. If they're on their hooves (or trying) after the first shot, keep shooting! Even a broken leg or (another ) gut shot is better than nothing once they're wounded and getting away anyway. They aren't like deer or elk that will often just get sick and lay down for you to shoot them again at your convenience.

Great hunting,
Kyler

Thanks Kyler,
I appreciate and respect input from professionals like your self.

Enjoyed your website. I see that you have guided the great Gen. Boddington. Maybe in a private message, I will tell you some interestingly funny stories about Craig in Australia.

Geoff

Hi Geoff,
I've really enjoyed hunting with Craig. He has been a great client and I consider him a friend. I've had the good fortune to hunt with him about two dozen times and have had nothing but terrific experiences with him. Not only has he always been a wonderful hunter (he is WAY too humble about his shooting skill in his writing), but he has been extremely easy-going and understanding in all of our adventures. Everything from hunting hard and seeing ABSOLUTELY nothing to almost flipping my Suburban off of a particularly wet cliff (on his side).... he's been a perfect gentleman.
It's funny how as a writer he has been type-cast as a rifle guy, especially big rifles. While he is extremely knowledgeable about all rifles he is also a tremendous wing shot and handgun shooter. I've even guided him while he used muzzleloaders and one day even a bow! I've always said he just lives to hunt and would happily hunt with a sharp stick if that was all that was available.... as long as he's hunting.
Most of his readers (and critics) have NO idea the sacrifices he's made and continues to make in his life to get to do what he loves.
I feel extremely lucky to have gotten to share time in the field with him, I never would have fulfilled my dream of hunting in Africa if I hadn't of met him.

Take care,
Kyler

A nice sow, about 250 lbs. charged my dad and ripped open his leg.

I am not sure I would call this a charge ( though it may very well have been!), but the last hog I shot with my .300 Savage took a 180 grain coreloct RN through both lungs fell down, got back up and started to run. He was running almost square across my path in HEAVEY brush that prevented a followup. I saw a clear area a few yards ahead of him and thought "this is my chance". Well when he broke into that opening he turned hard and came straight at me. one more 180 coreloct wnet into his shoulder and stopped in opposite ham. He was then very dead. The first shot went through both lungs high up and he should have had the good graces to just lay down become chops for me at that point but no this boy needed to make life exciting for a while ! This was no little dink either dressed out at 187 pounds as weighed on a cattle scale. Maybe not huge but plenty big enough to do some damage had he made past my last shot.

Oh by the way did I say that I love hunting hogs any whear and anyway that I can. Good table fair and soem excitement to boot!

im a proffesional hunter and i hve been atacked in a lot of situations by boars recently a boar injured one of my dogos and the other charged us there were two other members of the forum hunting with me with knves from north carolina we were hunting in cordoba province in argentina huge hogs here.juan pablo pozzi