Wild Boar in our forest

[Omegarod]

I live in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and I get out every couple of days in the forest. A few years ago some bright spark thought it would be a good idea to reintroduce a few wild boar into the forest. They bred and multiplied. Now there's a lot of them. A few people have been attacked, mostly people taking dogs for a walk.

I have yet to have a close encounter, but I have seen them several times at a distance of 100 yards or so. Bloody big things. Sometimes with a family of little ones.

I must confess to being somewhat worried about having a close encounter. They don't run away from people. I presume because they haven't learned to be scared of humans, because nobody hunts them.

Now.... just how does one protect one's self from a wild boar?

Rod

 

[Chinkapin]

1. Stay away from them.
2. Travel on horseback.
3. Travel with a pack of hunting dogs.
4. Carry a heavy cal. firearm. (I know this is out of the question for you)
5. Be damn good at tree climbing.
6. A stout walking stick would be better than nothing, but I'm afraid it would be ineffective in an attack. Particularly if more than one hog was involved.

They generally, will leave you alone, but not always. It is sometimes not clear, just why they attack. I have lived in Arkansas, in the Ozark Mountains, and I have ran into wild hogs several times in the woods. Once I was put up a tree. (Thank God, that tree was handy with low branches for me to grab onto.) Once while crossing an abandoned and overgrown field, I heard a loud "snort" and turned and saw two wild pigs coming at me at full speed. I ran and vaulted over a nearby fence and got away from them.

You certainly should be worried about having a close encounter. The authorities there should probably reconsider their presence. Allowing hunting would be a good place to start. They do an unbelievable amount of damage to farm land.

When I go to my cabin in Ozarks, I never go into the woods unarmed. There are wild pigs, black bear, and the occasional mountain lion. I used to go unarmed all the time, but over the years I have had too many encounters. Ironically, the only thing that I have every been attacked by were the two hog attacks mentioned. Everything else has ran away or just walked away. But not the hogs.

In my experience a sow with young is generally more aggressive than other hogs. If you see little piglets, my advice is don't stand and admire how cute they are, (a natural response), but leave immediately. Of course, a large alpha boar will be very aggressive also at times, but not necessarily always. I have walked up on pigs more than once, only to have them just move away from me. I would say that to describe them as "unpredictable," would be close to the mark. Not to mention dangerous.

 

[dogwood]

When I go to my cabin in Ozarks, I never go into the woods unarmed. There are wild pigs, black bear, and the occasional mountain lion.

And of the three, the pigs are by FAR the most dangerous. Bears and mountain lions try to get away from you 95% but as Chinkapin says hogs are another matter altogether. I agree with everything he says here.

If you do go after them with a pack of dogs, expect to lose a dog or too as well.

The most intense hunting experience of my life was spear hunting hogs years ago. I doubt I'll do it again. Hogs can be incredibly intense. Don't mess with them unless you're really ready for them.

And if you're hiking in an area with lots of hogs and you can't pack a weapon, a good heavy walking stick with a sharpened metal point would be smart.

 

[some like it cold]

I live in the dean too but have never seen a boar yet which is lucky as my dog is a little coward and if we saw one id spend the rest of the week trying to find where she ran off to

 

[Melonfish]

only one thing for it, i have a specialist team we can send in:

 

[TeeGeeBee]

Is your fear just that or do you think you're going to be killed by one? You could get runover by a bus. Probably have more chance of dying or being maimed by a sleepy driver on their way to work or just some idiot in the street. At least these creaturers are going about their lives in a natural way. Plus if you're good enough to see them before they've seen you, what are you fearing?

TGB

 

[John Fenna]

European Wild Boar are softies - OK I did get charged by one on the German/Luxembourg boarder...but it was my fault as I got between a Sow and yer stripy piglets (boarlets?) - once I was up the tree mama rounded up her offspring and went away.
In the Ardeche I met one on the path from the loos to our hammock pitch - it turned and fled at the sight of me!
Mind you it was a good job it was on my RETURN trip from the loos......
Remember - wild Boar meat is very tasty (mmm Jambon D'Ardenne...) and it is OK to kill them in self defence. Simply wrestle them to the ground as they charge you and cut their throat with your sub 3" slipjoint folding penknife.....
Vegetarians have the option of climbing a handy tree and nibbling leaves....
I think some will decide on the veggie option if a Wild Boar in his prime comes visitting!

 

[woof]

I think the point being made is,that its been so long since we have had to fear anything other than our own kind, in England, it comes as a bit of a shock, to know that there is something in the woods, that has the potential to cause us harm, and being wary is a good thing.

Rob

 

[Adze]

I wouldn't be so sure... pigs are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for - at least on a par with the brighter breeds of dog (that excludes spaniels, retrievers, setters and boxers by default ) and quite probably exceeding them.

I think there's a lot of mileage in the idea that them not being hunted makes them less wary of people - they're certainly hunted in the Ardeche as John mentioned and they're considerably more wary of you there than they are here.

They're not the biggest pig, but anyone who has been playfully butted in the shins by a 2/3rds grown saddleback will be able to tell you they're still heavier and more powerful than the average person

 

[Omegarod]

5. Be damn good at tree climbing.
You certainly should be worried about having a close encounter. The authorities there should probably reconsider their presence. Allowing hunting would be a good place to start. They do an unbelievable amount of damage to farm land.

I am 65 years old in January. Its been a long while since I climbed a tree in a hurry.
The Forest of Dean is a "tame" (managed) forest. Not wilderness. Plenty of adders, but that's really the only dangerous creature and they can be avoided. The authorities should indeed reconsider the presence of the boar, and people have been asking for that for some time now although nothing has been done. Its now too late really. A couple of years ago one came close to the primary school where my wife is a teacher. She got within a yard of it the right side of the chainlink boundary fence and took a photo. The authorities did then come out and kill it.

Some like it cold: I live in the dean too but have never seen a boar yet which is lucky as my dog is a little coward and if we saw one id spend the rest of the week trying to find where she ran off to

My collie dog is with me most of the time. I have no doubt that he would defend me, but I also have no doubt that he would die.

TeeGeeBee: Is your fear just that or do you think you're going to be killed by one?

A bit of both I suppose. 95% of the time I am out alone, and I do get out in the forest at least four days each week. The thought of wild boar doesn't stop me going of course, but I would like to be prepared in some way.

John Fenna: it is OK to kill them in self defence. Simply wrestle them to the ground as they charge you and cut their throat with your sub 3" slipjoint folding penknife.....

Good one!
But yes, I do carry a knife.
I'd still rather not be that close to one though.

Woof: I think the point being made is,that its been so long since we have had to fear anything other than our own kind, in England, it comes as a bit of a shock, to know that there is something in the woods, that has the potential to cause us harm, and being wary is a good thing.

Exactly! There are adders around here (prolific in the summer). I know how to find them easily, even just 100 yards from my house, but I also know how to avoid them. Biggest one I have seen so far was 38 inches long, (I measured it), but that's another story.

Wild boar, on the other hand, are unpredictable. I would like to find some way of being prepared. That's it really. I wonder if carrying pepper spray would be a good idea.

Rod
PS. Melonfish.... send down the cavalry

 

[Adze]

Wild boar, on the other hand, are unpredictable. I would like to find some way of being prepared. That's it really. I wonder if carrying pepper spray would be a good idea.

I think you'd need a straw poll of the wild boar to see if they like their collie with or without pepper to really decide that one

About the only non-firearm which I can think of which would stop a charging boar cold, would be an iron tipped spear with a cross piece about 3 feet from the tip - the cross piece to prevent the boar charging the full length of the spear

I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to carry them in a public place - although you might be able to pretend it's a curtain pole or one of those devices for opening the windows at the top of a school gymnasium if you're very lucky.

 

[woof]

I don't know if a pig has a tear duct ?, and the legality of pepper spray, well you've got no chance of buying over the counter, and after the pig has gored you, you'll be arrested for being i/p the spray, if still alive of course !, maybe an air horn would have have the desired affect, and you can get small ones, but you will have to wait to be charged by one to find out if it works !.

A good heavy stick as has already been said, but to take a line from a CDB song,

"better watch where your going, and remember where you've bin, thats the way i see it, i'm a simple man".

Rob

 

[Omegarod]

It was only after writing my last post that I did a search on pepper sprays..... and found that they were illegal (apparently only in the UK!).

Oh well.... I wonder how I'll manage up that tree, and how long it will take for the boar to get bored.

Rod

 

[dogwood]

I didn't realize your boars were smaller than ours (in the states anything under a few hundred pounds doesn't get much respect...)

How big are your boars?

 

[Chopper]

About 12 years ago we were felling Sprue infected with bark beatle in the Ashford Kent area, we were advised by the local Police to have a lookout as there had been several recent attacks on wlakers Lucky we did as there were quite a few close encounters, and that was with plenty of chainsaw noise.

 

[tjwuk]

You would know about it if this charged you!

Lots of sausages in that one..

 

[Shewie]

You would know about it if this charged you!

Lots of sausages in that one..

Is that a paintball gun he's holding ? Must have taken a few rounds.

 

[tjwuk]

Yes it looks like a paintball gun, could be his pet playing dead?

Heres the story. 11 year old and shooting a .50 calibre
hangun.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275524,00.html

 

[Chinkapin]

I started to suggest this in my original post but it was already too long, and I omitted it, so here is:

Cold Steel makes a large bladed knife with a steel handle that is formed into a hollow cone. The entire purpose of this knife, as far as I can tell, it that you are to use it as a regular knife and cut yourself a suitable shaft and then screw the shaft into the handle of the knife. voila, a spear!

I think the inside of the tapered handle may be threaded. I do not have one of these knives, but have seen them advertised on the internet. here is a youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgrRq3Bdojc

Looks so practical, I might get one myself, for that price! Bye the way, it is called the Bushman.

This knife if very impressive and sells for only around US$ 20.00. There is apparently 2 sizes of blade.

My only warning would be to NEVER throw it like in the video but to hang on to it for repeated jabs. You need the blade to penetrate to the vital organs, so the longer blade would be best, but the smaller blade would probably be long enough and would be a lot less obtrusive.

Also, let me point out that the front of a hog has a sort of shield below the skin and fat layers that is unbelievably tough. It seems to be a sort of callous or scar tissue.

Feral hogs can go up to 700 lbs. Russian Boar, (probably what you have in your forest, but, of course, I do not known.) will run up to about 400 lbs. Considerably smaller, but still about twice the weight of the average man.

 

[pete79]

Yes it looks like a paintball gun, could be his pet playing dead?

Heres the story. 11 year old and shooting a .50 calibre
hangun.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275524,00.html

I heard that thing was from a canned hunt, and it had been fed up to be so huge. Anyone else heard that, any truth to it?