Wild Boar....

[mossy]

ok everyone - here's a question for you:

what do you do if you come across a wild boar on your travels?? or a wolf?? Plenty of advice about bears, but what about other wild animals?

 

[spamel]

Boars... Mmmmm, I had it for tea last night!!!!

Back on topic though, I've had them run across the ways in front of me, and it got me to thinking what I would do if they came towards me. I suppose holding your pack in front of you would stop them tearing your femoral artery out, but apart from that, if they're angry and coming straight for you, you're scuppered!!

Unless you annoy them or get too close, I doubt they'd bother you too much. I saw 15-20 of them when they ran in front of me. They were spooked and just did one through the woods.

 

[torjusg]

Wolves are far less dangerous than boars and bears. They will always run if not totally starved or rabid. Never seen wolves in the wild, but that is what people say.

Torjus Gaaren

 

[Topcat02]

In England, you'd have to be very lucky to come across a wild boar. Never been lucky enough to live anywhere where there are wolves, but from what I know you'd also have to be extremely lucky to come across one, as they have been hunted by humans for generations, and avoid contact with people wherevever possible.

Where are you located, is it in an area where there are wolves and boars?

 

[Wayland]

Didn't some do gooders let a load of wild boar / sows loose a while back?

Has anyone heard if theyv'e caught them yet.

 

[RovingArcher]

According to a discovery channel program about frankensteins wild hog, the UK has a large number of wild boar roaming about and one tip I can offer, from experience with wild boar here in the US is, *They can't climb trees*, so if you are in fear because of a charging boar (it's not you, they were born with attitude), get your rear up one in a hurry!

 

[Klenchblaize]

ok everyone - here's a question for you:

what do you do if you come across a wild boar on your travels??

Point fowling piece at eye and remember to follow through with your swing!!

Lovely meat - just right for cooking over a campfire!

Cheers!

 

[jdlenton]

Apparently there is an established feral boar population around Ashdown forest /Tunbridge wells way according to a local of those parts I was talking too as for the last set of escapes from a farm I think, all but a few have been recaptured.


I have had the pleasant experience of wild boar encounters on a few occasions in France all but one was seeing tails disappearing off into the undergrowth but the only one that really worried me was when we came across a mother with piglets boy oh boy was she defensive we didn’t get within 25m of her and the young before she decide we were a threat and started to posture we backed away slowly walking backwards so we didn’t take our eye off her when we were about 60 /70m away she seemed to loose sight of us and clamed down quite quickly after a few minutes her and her troop then moved off and we didn’t see them again.

If we had been attacked by this sow because we had stumbled upon her and surprised her I don’t think there was any thing we could have done she would have hurt us there would have been no where to go and no time to react

My advice is don’t get too close and if you see the animal start to defensive posture back away quietly and calmly with no noise and no panic and leave the animal well alone.

James

 

[Saskia]

I've never met angry wild boar.
They could be angry when you come too close and they have piglets.

They probably have smelled you before you've seen them, since they find their food using their nose. They will be gone when they notice you and that's way before you're noticing them.
When you are coming from the other direction the wind is blowing, you will hear them, because they make a lot of noise. Then you can keep some distance in stead of trying to get closer.
When they are resting, it is possible that you pass them without noticing them. Then you are no threat for them and they will let you pass.

So, don't be scared of wild boar. It would be great to see them from a distance too.

 

[Nemisis]

Phone one of the bushie archers from here and tell him to come quick? Also a bigger first aid kit might be useful.
Dave.

 

[jerv]

i live right next to ashdown forest and have seen sign of boars, but for such big animals they are good at staying hidden probably comes with being so tasty.
I was actually charged by a boar once and have also had to face one down on a narrow mountain trail. both times were in Japan. The way I got round it was by shouting at them, an act of desperation as there were no climbable trees around and I wasn't too keen on the idea of fighting them off with a stick. Amazingly they bolted as soon as I started I think they might not have been able to make out that I was a human maybe they mistook me for something else.
For both boars and wolves i'd suggest climbing high up a tree . the advice given to hikers in finland for meeting a wolf is to avoid eye contact and walk away slowly. I was in the east (finlands wolf central) and only saw sporadic sign of them I think i heard howling a few times. The Wolf is very good at keeping out of our way.
One piece of advice if you are walking through wolf land is not to take a dog with you. Wolves HATE dogs and seem to attack them on sight. I was given photos of bits of dog and cats in finland remnants of wolf meals.

 

[AlexRowan]

i live right next to ashdown forest .

You lucky lucky b*****d... that's favouritism that is...

But seriously, thanks for that... good tip.. I myself am more likely to venture into Bear country (when I say more likey, I mean "I wish") but while they are amazing, I don't think I'd be able to sleep, knowing they are about!

I guess there can't be that many places that have large populations of wolves, can there? What sort of level does Finland have?

 

[Stuart]

with regards to wolves, just seeing one is lucky they will have heard and smelled you long before you get anywhere near them and be long gone, even a pack of wolves poses no threat to you what so ever.

boar however can be dangerous and its possible to surprise one by accident, I have only seen boar in the jungle and they are usually running away. However if you are standing in the way of there escape route they will charge you.

just get out of there way, they want to get away from you as fast as you want to get away from them.

Of course here in the UK we have no bears, wolves etc and only a minute population of wild boar, so its not a concern here.

 

[Graywolf]

I have hunted Boar with rifle in New Zealand many years ago in dense woodland with and without the assistance of pig dogs.Now though unless I required the meat to feed my family I would not hunt,but I am wandering off the question.What would I do if I came across a Boar in my path?Hope its in a happy mode and does not see me,as these animals can be some of the most ferocious animals on this planet,and hope there is a tree nearby.As for Wolves they are a completely different animal,though I have not seen wolves in the wild I have been in contact with wolves in captivity and do not think I would be worried by a wolve or wolves in my path. pig wolves
Clayton

 

[jerv]

finland has a fairly small population of wolves. they are mostly in the east in the illomantsi region. the russian side of the border is a no-go zone for about 30km so is a wildlife paradise. The wolf population is growing due to the wolfs protected status (as I believe it is in most of mainland europe) the population density in eastern finland is about 4-6 per 1000km2 (2002) I only saw tracks and scat but was happy with that.
yeah ashdown forest is really nice. i gave up a lot to live here

 

[locum76]

speak softly and carry a great big stick...

 

[torjusg]

finland has a fairly small population of wolves. they are mostly in the east in the illomantsi region. the russian side of the border is a no-go zone for about 30km so is a wildlife paradise. The wolf population is growing due to the wolfs protected status (as I believe it is in most of mainland europe) the population density in eastern finland is about 4-6 per 1000km2 (2002) I only saw tracks and scat but was happy with that.
yeah ashdown forest is really nice. i gave up a lot to live here

Isn't Europe's last population of wild woodland reindeer (rangifer fennicus) to be found in that area too? We have regretfully killed them off in Norway and Sweden.

Torjus Gaaren

 

[BOD]

Just curious but what would you fellas do if you can across some dingos?

 

[RovingArcher]

Just curious but what would you fellas do if you can across some dingos?

If armed, kill them. If not, hope I can get out of their reach.

 

[pierre girard]

ok everyone - here's a question for you:

what do you do if you come across a wild boar on your travels?? or a wolf?? Plenty of advice about bears, but what about other wild animals?

Only ran into wild boar one time. This may well have been a tame pig that had gone feral (it was huge). Went down first shot. Tasted good. Can't really say much about them.

We have a lot of wolves. Every so often I get complaints of dogs taken off porches, etc. I had one in town this fall. Collar, chain, and a big blood smear. Even though they are prevelant, and I often hear them howling, I haven't seen a wolf for two months.

When I was young, and wolves were still hunted, they were very shy of people. Now that hunting has been banned for many generations of wolves, they are not near as shy. They still stay away from you, and they see you much more often than you see them. They are however, a serious killing machine, and I would never want to be vulnerable around a pack of wolves, but I'm not aware of any confirmed kills of humans by wolves in our area. A deer hunter was attacked by a wolf last fall, but it is unclear just what the circumstances were.

Most dangerous animal in our forests are bull moose in rut.

PG