I have personally taken around 6-8 hogs over the last 6 years. I have guided about a dozen or so hunts for hogs in that time as well. Having said that I offer the following information based on my own experiences, observations and conversations with dozens of other hunters, ranchers, guides and outfitters.
Caliber & Shot Placement
As far caliber for hog hunting any cartridge that is adequate for deer or black bear will work for Hogs. From my own personal experience hunting hogs I would not use anything less than a .243 with the heaviest bullet you can buy or reload.
I have shot one hog with a .223. It was a 200 yard shot from an absolutely rock solid rest that I knew I could make. I aimed right behind the right ear using a 67 grain hollow point. I made the shot but it is not something I would ever do again or recommend as I know of too many that have been shot and lost with, in this case, an anemic for the job at hand 22.
Another time I shot one that weighed about 75 pounds at 30 yards. It was a rear quarting shot in the right ribs that angled forward to the left front shoulder. I was using a model 94 in 32 Winchester Special and the bullet shattered the shoulder. The hog ran about 80 yards with two punctured lungs and a broken leg. Almost didn't find that one.
I have seen them shot completely through the heart and lungs with a 30-06 and run so far into thick underbrush that they could not be found. Larger hogs have an "armor plate" of gristle that protects their front shoulders from serious injury when fighting other hogs. Any shot to this area even if it is a complete pass through will seal its self and there will be very little if any blood trail to follow.
Wild hogs, in my opinion, and, if you do not want to risk loosing one, should be shot behind the ear period.
I concur an exception for one that would be turned into a head mount.
It normally cost 2 1/2-3 times as much for a head mount hog than it does for a trophy Whitetail. There is so much more work involved in skinning, tanning and preparing a hogs head for mounting that a deer or bear. Find a taxidermist and get a price before you hunt not after. Make sure to ask for and follow the taxidermists instructions on how he/she wants it delivered. It is your initial preparations that make a good mount what it is. If you don't do what is needed even the best taxidermist can not make a good mount.
Hunting Wild Hogs
Most shots I have seen or taken have really been well under 100 yards on hogs weighing from 75 to 300 pounds. Yes they can be spotted and stalked in some areas or hunted with dogs. Most hog hunting is done from ground blinds or tree stands near game feeders.
Hunting over feeders does not necessarily make it a "fish in a barrel" shoot either. I have sat at the same feeder morning and night for two days and not seen any hogs or none that were bid enough that I wanted to harvest them. Where I have hunted in Oklahoma the brush is usually so thick you need something to entice them out in the open, like a feeder, or you will see nary a one.
Hog hunters I know that have also taken African Cape Buffalo refer to the wild hogs as a "Poor man's Cape Buffalo". With good reason too, there doesn't seem to be much difference, except size, in eithers temperament and character when wounded.
Skinning & Butchering
Some of you have and most of you haven't. Having done who knows how many here is the down and dirty of it for those that took their hog for meat.
It is called "Bubba Butchering" and it works. Most hog hunting operations do not themselves nor will they allow the normal gutting process one would do to a deer in the field. The harvested hog is trucked back to the meat pole/cold locker and dealt with there.
Hang the beast by its hind legs as you would a deer and skin it down to the neck. Cutting it off there leaves you with a hanging carcass that still has the entrails. Remove the front shoulders and back-straps as you would a deer. Cut off as much meat as you want from the neck and rib areas then cut the hind quarters away from the carcass. Dispose of the single unit of carcass, and entrails where ever the Owner/Outfitter has designated.
Believe me there is nothing inside the body cavity worth going after. "But .. but the tender loins are in there you say!!!
Maybe from a 600-800 pound domestic hog there might be. Take my word for it there is more meat in a double quarter pounder than there is tender loin in a 200 pound wild hog and they are not all that tender either. The tender loins from Mrs Guns 300 pounder hardly enough to feed one person let alone two for one meal. Go for them if you want, your choice, I'm not telling you not too.
The quarters, straps and stew/sausage meat can then be put in cold storage.
Table Fare
It should be noted that size is a factor in table fare as well. A boar that has lived in the wild long enough to reach 250 pounds and up does not make very good eating as far as I am concerned.
175-200 pounds is about my limit for a boar. Unlike domestic hogs wild boars have not been castrated and all the years of testosterone coursing through their arteries detrimentally affects the taste. If you don't believe me ask my wife what her 300 pound boar tasted like. It was edible with enough bar-b-que sauce but that was about it. I would much rather shoot a sow than a boar of almost any size.
Where to Hunt
Because they are such a problem one would think that Ranchers and Farmers all over the south and west would be begging for people to come hunt the hogs that infest their properties. A majority of them have come to the realization that they can make some money and rid themselves of a few unwanted pigs at the same time.
Careful research and reference checking can lead to an excellent hunting experience. The ranch in Oklahoma that I hunt and have guided on is one such place. They are only about a 500 mile drive from the Omaha/Lincoln Metro areas. They also have a Lodge/buckhouse with washer/dryer, showers and a complete kitchen that is included in the cost of the hunt.
I'll have to check for price changes, but a number of people "truck/car pooling" and cooking their own meals (bring your own food) could expect to pay around 400 bucks for a decent hunt with a very high probability of success.
The bunk house and hunting areas are particularly suited to those with health and mobility problems as well.
Questions?
Hope this helps and thank Dan for contacting me offline. Dan I'll make this a new post so you can "Sticky" it if you want. And I was happy to do it.
