Currently living in the hog free NW and I've never been on a hog hunt. But I do want a semi-auto 308 rifle and hogs are one of the reasons for it. I know that they run in packs and sometimes run right at you, what's the most shots that you've been able to get off?

If you can get 3 off in my area you are doing good.

Most times you can only get 1 shot though so just look for the biggest or wait for them to line up!

I have killed 2 at the same time with a bolt rifle, and a few times with a double rifle as well.

Once I killed 3 with a double rifle. One with a right, one with a left, ran after one while reloading and took him with a right.

Where I hunt, a single shot is all that is needed. After the first shot, they are G-O-N-E.

my bro and i shot 22 in one "bomb up" we did chase them down a little with quads.
i carry 2 loaded rifles so when one runs out i just rack it and grab another.
greg

In my experience, they scatter to the hills when the first shot is sounded. I have hunted with folks and we have shot simultaneously at groups of them.

Most of the time, you're lucky to be able to get off two shots, three is even rarer, unless you catch them out in the middle of a big pasture with little cover. I've killed doubles many times with a bolt action, but usually because one or two hogs went the "wrong" way at the first shot and then noticed that the rest of their buddies weren't there and reversed directions. A fatal error. Killed a triple one time in VERY HEAVY cover, using a 99 in .308, literally shot them like shooting quail, maximum range, maybe 10 yards.

My son and I, mostly I, since he had a bolt action .243 and I had a Marlin 94 in .38-55, killed 9, 8 recovered and one found dead later, in about 6 seconds one day, but we really accidentally managed to get between them and their home cover so a whole bunch of hogs (about 10 times more than I thought was there) and pigs ran right by us.

The "charge" is very much overrated, it happens VERY rarely, most of the time the hog is just trying to exit stage right as fast as he/she can. OTOH, if you get near a fresh litter, which is usually in a bed of leaves or grass in the brush, the sow can and often will defend them to her death and that can be real exciting.

BTW if someone hasn't had experience on shooting running hogs, it is kind of like bird shooting, you have to lead them and quite a bit. For instance, the last "double" I killed, about 6 weeks ago, was out of a deer blind and they came into a corn feeder, about 5 or 7 100 to 125 pounders. I let them feed a while thinking a bigger one would come out, finally decided it was now or never, tried to line two of them up, fired and, except for the one I shot (don't know why I didn't kill a second one with the first shot, but I didn't) 3 pigs or so went for the woods which are close (5 yards) and one took off across the cut, he noticed that he was alone and reversed directions, meanwhile I'm working the bolt and getting back on just as he is about 3 yards from the woods where his buddies went (this all takes a lot less time that it takes to type it, maybe a couple of seconds) and I'm still "locked" in on the ledge of the deer blind, so I can't "swing" like I normally would on a running target. I put the Kahles crosshairs about 6 inches or so IN FRONT of his nose and pulled it off. Turns out I hit him about mid-ship right at rear of rib cage, but the .300 Winnie 165 Nosler Solid Base did him in, he made it about 50 yards and piled up....I found him after a bit of searching in the woods. Bottom line, this was a flat out pig at about 95 yards and he traveled about 4 feet counting reaction time before the bullet got there. If they're running, at least hold on their noses and maybe a lot further in front.

Most often one is all you get. Have hit two in one "event" and almost always load three in a bolt gun just in case. One can always hope

quote:

The "charge" is very much overrated,

I've never hunted hogs, but have always held the notion that hogs as "dangerous game" was way overblown.

Does anybody have a first-hand account of a real pig charge? Not just a pig trying to run away and choosing the wrong direction, but a real I'm-gonna-get-you-sucka charge?

My brother and I had a wounded boar chase us about 10 years ago, but it was our fault. My Dad had shot him from across his pasture, and the hog had run down in a dry creek bed. My brother and I climbed down into the creek to finish him off, and he ran both of us out. He took 6 additional shots to the head from a 357 magnum to put him down. Adrenalin was his friend.

I think we need a new "boar charges" thread -- we need to do this periodically!

Russian Boar will charge when cornered. My dad had a 3 inch hole put in his thigh about 25 years ago by a big boar and I've known other hunters that have been cut but tusks.
While guiding I have been charged a few times but that often.
However, a good sized Russian Boar with good teeth is a dangerous animal to walk up to. Even when the dogs have him at bay. Dogs that don't have enough sense to stay back can get killed.
Big boar like this are quite capable of killing kid goats, sheep, and baby calves if they want to.

I've been legitimately charged one time by a hog. It was a wounded boar of about 100 pounds. We knew he was hit and followed him into some real thick bedding cover (cedars and blowdowns) with two dogs. The dogs bayed him and I waded in with a pistol to finish him. While trying to get squared away for a clean shot, I waved at my brother (who was beyond the pig) to move. The hog must have perceived that movement as an imminent threat and charged out of the brush right at me. He took a 200 grain .45 HP to the top of the head and died (literally) on my feet, knocking me to the ground. Luckily he was stone dead or bad things could have happened.

Wild hogs are as good a reason as any to get a new gun. However, you probably will not need more than one well placed shot to get the job done even if there are a few around. As soon as your gun goes boom, they scatter like #8 shot at 100 yards. You will probably not need the five shots that most .308's hold. Here in Hawaii most of the guys I know shoot .243's and smaller and have never had a hog charge. Not to say that it doesn't happen. Personally I use a 22k-hornet and have needed a follow up/ finishing shot only twice. Just my thoughts and experiences. If you fancy a .308 then by all means go out and get one today. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

quote:

Originally posted by Buglemintoday:
If you can get 3 off in my area you are doing good.

Most times you can only get 1 shot though so just look for the biggest or wait for them to line up!

That pretty much covers it. Seriously, no BS.

That fully describes 99.9% of what you can expect to do with wild porkers here.

You are all going to think this is BS,but it's true. My African PH was visiting me in the states and I took him on a hog hunt on my lease in central Florida. I put him in a stand near one of my better hog spots and gave him my bolt action .270, I told him we had no limit on hogs and he could shoot more than one. Before I reached my own stand I heard what sounded like WW3. He shot 17 times and shot 17 pigs the gun only held 4 rounds so he had to reload 4 times.The thing my friendly PH did not realize is that we now had to clean 18 pigs (i manged to shoot 1 earlier in the day)there were no skinners or trackers to do the work. Since that day almost 3 years ago I have not shot another pig.**** The only reason he stopped shooting at 17 pigs is that he had run out of ammo.****

LOL!! That's funny Dave! What did you do with all of that meat?! Where in central Florida was your lease (Lykes brothers by chance?)?

Wow!!! How the heck do you shoot seventeen pigs? I have to wonder what the seventeenth one was doing after the sixteenth one went down?

I had posted this before--but it is worth a re-look. Best "here is how it isn't done" video of gun handling I've seen. But, there is a hog charge in it.

That clip never ceases to amaze me that no one got hurt -- and not from the hog charge......

Noshitsherlock!! You'da thunk that poor guy on the other side woulda got hit, but knock on wood he didn't. Thank goodness for the one round of big bore I heard there.

I am not sure if anything charges at you, you probably won't be able to get off more than three shots before the urge to self deficate takes over and the goring begins. I will second the other piggies go running after the 1st shot goes off.

John

its very difficult here to shot more than 2 times at least waiting with mooligth the first shot is everything,Juan

I normally use either my .35 Rem mod. 336 or my M1-A(.308X 20 rounds). If it is in deer season and I may have a long shot at a deer or hog, I take my .30-06 700. Truth is damn-near anything from .223 on up will work. An Ar-15 with a 30 round mag is good medicine if you expect a bunch of them.

I don't consider the hog dangerous game..I have seen rabbits charge, badgers charge, deer charge, I suppose any animal will charge on rare ocassions..

I have hunted hogs/boar on a number of occasions, and I think thus far it is one of my favorite animals to hunt - especially on a stalk hunt.

Regarding the "scattering" effect, my experience is a little different.

In Austria, when I took the shot at my boar (only needed one), the other boars bolted a short distance, but then came back. We stalked him amongst the group to retrieve him.

I have hunted in Texas, from blinds over feeders. The one time when I had numerous hogs in my sight, when I dropped one, the others just stood around. I dropped another and again the same thing. A third and the same thing.

In a high fenced preserve, where I hunted last week, there were two hogs together when I took my first shot. The second hog, a Russian, ran off a short distance, but within ten minutes, was right back checking things out.

In my experience, I haven't experienced any charges. I usually hunt hogs with my double rifle, so I am very comfortable with only two rounds in my gun.

The Javalina is scary, but he won't hurt you but he sure will make you hurt yourself..

I was checking traps one day and heard the trap clink in a pathway of the worst cactus known to man, the hated Tasajiha as I walked this narrow path here came a Javalina popping his teeth like they do and dragging a trap. I says to myself, "he won't hurt you", then I says to myself "aw s---t" and jump up into the Tasajiha as he ran between my legs..I damn near died, I looked like a porcupine and ended up in the hospital after several hour drive to town in real pain!!!...

I have had Javalina charge me and bump into me and run between my legs as I popped them with my 22 short ( in my mispent youth )...I am fimly convienced they will not hurt a man, regardless of the wild tales that have been spun over the years....They are all but blind, and run in whatever direction they are facing at the time..I have owned a number of pet Javalina and they sure make good watch dogs, they scare the crap out of folks, especially tourists that drive up to the ranch with all manor of questions...