Newbie: Looking for actual experiences taking Wild Boar

smbsvcs · Post by **smbsvcs** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:25 pm

I am a newbie to cross-bow hunting.

I am looking for experiences from anyone who has actually taken a wild boar with their cross-bow.

Is there anyone out there with such experience?

groundpounder · Post by **groundpounder** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:55 pm

I have taken 2 with my vertical bow hunting from the gropund. One field dressed 90# the other field dressed 280#. Talk about a rush. Your first look is for a close tree to be able to climb in a hurry, your second look is for the shot to take. Haven't yet caught up with one with the crossbow, but it's not from lack of trying!

hawg hunter · Post by **hawg hunter** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:40 pm

How are you going to hunt,blind'stalk or behind dogs?I've killed a few with my bow and crossbow. and many wth firearms . NO 1 is you are about to hunt the most intelligent of 4 legged creatures. This not an exagerattion. When these animals are pissed they can get very dangerous.Take a broadside shot or a quartering behind the crook of the leg . They wll run and give them a minumum of 30 minutes before you follow them up. If you are not sure of the shot take along a firearm just in case. bows and crossbows have little stopping power for a wounded trophy boar. Rember you are hunting the" poor mans grizzly" Your exomax with 2219 or beeman thunderbolt and slicks or montec are more than enough.

Ronnie

smbsvcs · Post by **smbsvcs** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:52 pm

Thank you for the response.

I am going to have a 45-70 along as 'bear protection'.

Up here you never go hunting without some kind of large-caliber back-up.

You are the 2nd person to make that comment: They are the smartest animal with 4 legs.

I've hunted just about everything up here in Alaska, and been hunted BY a few of them.
Never anything with that kind of a classification.

I am excited!!

groundpounder · Post by **groundpounder** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:13 pm

Here are a couple of pics of my two hogs. The big one ran like a freight train for about 200 yards before piling up from a perfect heart shot. Luckily it was running the other way!!!
[img][img]http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o32/ ... r/hog1.jpg[/img][/img]
[img][img]http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o32/ ... bacon2.jpg[/img][/img]

flbuckmaster · Post by **flbuckmaster** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:59 pm

I HARVEST 3-4 HOGS EACH YEAR HERE IN FLORIDA. WITH A FIREARM, I ALWAYS SHOOT THEM IN THE EAR."SHOOT A HOG IN THE BODY..THE HEAD WILL RUN OFF. SHOOT A HOG IN THE HEAD....THE BODY GOES NOWHERE!"
WITH A CROSSBOW ITS A LITTLE TRICKY. YOU NEED TO HAVE VERY SHARP BROADHEADS AS A HOGS SIDE PLATES ARE EXTREMELY THICK AND TOUGH. TRY TO TAKE A QUARTERING AWAY SHOT AND PUT THE BOLT BEHIND THE FRONT LEG SO THE BOLT WILL GO IN THE RIBS BEHIND THE PLATE INSTEAD OF THROUGH IT. BE CAREFULL WITH THE RECOVERY AS LARGE BOARS DONT HAVE A SINCE OF HUMOR WHEN STUCK WITH A BOLT IN THEIR RIBS.
HAVE FUN!
JAY

navaman · Post by **navaman** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:28 pm

boy oh boy ! you guys got me really excited because in addition to taking my step-son on that deer hunt in kerrville, there's a lady here in town that owns some acerage where she's having a feral hog problem. she has invited us to go out there and take all we want. i was going to take my .50 T/C white mountain carbine but now i think i'm just taking the vixen with those big heavy arrows and some slick tricks. i'm very happy and excited now.

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:27 pm

I'm 60 years old, don’t run near as fast as I used to and can't climb a tree and set a speed record. I also have a five inch scar on my right butt cheek courtesy of a 280 pounder. It sounds funny now, but at the time I received it, it was anything but funny.

In my youth I hunted them with recurve, hand gun, compound, crossbow and muzzleloader. I have waded through palmettos and drug smaller ones out by the hind legs while they squealed so loud you almost lost your hearing.

I now have the knowledge that only comes with the gray hair; I hunt them with a rifle and scope. If I hunt them with my exocet, I always do so from a tree stand.

Do not underestimate this animal. A boar with tusks like the one in the picture below will slice you so fast you won't even know you have been hit until the blood starts filling up your boots.

navaman · Post by **navaman** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:07 pm

Mike P wrote:I'm 60 years old, don’t run near as fast as I used to and can't climb a tree and set a speed record. I also have a five inch scar on my right butt cheek courtesy of a 280 pounder. It sounds funny now, but at the time I received it, it was anything but funny.

In my youth I hunted them with recurve, hand gun, compound, crossbow and muzzleloader. I have waded through palmettos and drug smaller ones out by the hind legs while they squealed so loud you almost lost your hearing.

I now have the knowledge that only comes with the gray hair; I hunt them with a rifle and scope. If I hunt them with my exocet, I always do so from a tree stand.

Do not underestimate this animal. A boar with tusks like the one in the picture below will slice you so fast you won't even know you have been hit until the blood starts filling up your boots.
thanks for the advice . i guess maybe i will use that .50 muzzleloader after all

Adrian J Hare · Post by **Adrian J Hare** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 7:37 am

There is some real good advice here. Do not take it with a grain of salt , take it as advice. I know because I've seen these stories happen a high amount of times...

navaman · Post by **navaman** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 8:39 am

i got a question. i'm taking my boy for a hog hunt here in west texas and there are no trees to put a stand in. he really wants to get this hog with his crossbow . i'm sure you already see the problem. any way my quetion is this ; will he be alright with his .45 pistol as his back-up? he has some real hot loads to use. what are your thoughts?

groundpounder · Post by **groundpounder** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 9:37 am

Thats an answer the two of you may only be able to answer. Is he comfortable handleing the .45 (plenty of firepower) and can he think on his toes pretty quick. You didn't mention the age of your son. I am not downplaying the risk of hog hunting by my actions but for me, "back-up" usually comes in the form of a LARGE knife I tote in my snake boots. Big enough to do the job and in a location I can get in a hurry. I'm also usually hunting them in short pines where shots are extremely close but also theres easily to climb trees about every ten feet. I haven't had a "bad" experience with a hog yet and they are all adrenaline rushes. If that close call ever does come for me it might change my style of approaching them, but for me I'm comfortable with my methods.
Something else to mention, for those that think that hogs are only grain feeders thats not the case. A hog will eat anything including meat. I've heard everyone talking about the coyotes getting your downed deer before you do. Well I've seen hogs destroy a deer that was left overnight to be retreived also. A group of hogs can do amazing destruction on anything in a short amount of time.

navaman · Post by **navaman** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 10:28 am

thanks groundpounder. he's 27 and a very quick thinker and quick to react. i'm gonna believe he'll be alright with that big old .45 of his.

smbsvcs · Post by **smbsvcs** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 11:17 am

Thanks to all for the input.

Sounds quite a bit like our Bear Hunting up here, I'm not talking Black Bear either.

I'll bring both when I go to Florida: The x-bow in case I get to stand hunt at acceptable ranges, and the 308 tack-driver for spot and stalk.

I will probably bring my handgun for backup: 454 Cassull.

Thanks again.

navaman · Post by **navaman** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 8:28 pm

i gotta add my thanks too guys.