Wild boar

[Quixoticgeek]

Am planning some hiking in the Ardennes, where wild boar are a significant presence. I know that boar can be a hazard to hikers in the woods, but I have no experience of them, or knowledge of how to deal with them, other than that to avoid them when they have young at heal.

Can anyone offer any advice/guidance on what to do to make sure that I don't wake up to find a tusk or snout rooting through my camp?

Thanks

Julia

 

[Ruud]

Great to hear some people come overseas to enjoy our Ardennes!

Make sure to keep camp nice and tidy. Any sort of food will attract them (sweets, meat, fruits). Keep the food away from camp at least 100 meters and get it up in the air, like a bear-bag, or it will be eaten for sure. They also like to take small objects with them, like shoes (my friend had to go home without shoes once...).

You can see a lot of signs of their presence (trails, big pools of mud). Try to avoid going into patches of ferns and thick patches of small pines or firs (which is where they spend most of their time during the day). I only had a boar-encounter once in the Ardennes, so you'll be actually very lucky to see one up close

In the area of Herbeumont there are also rams, which are even more aggressive than boars.

 

[British Red]

My suggestion is a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70 and a holo sight

...and a good sausage machine of course!

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Great to hear some people come overseas to enjoy our Ardennes!

Spent a weekend in Wiltz in Luxembourg, and will be visiting 3 times next year (Spring, Summer, Autumn). Stunningly beautiful scenery.

Make sure to keep camp nice and tidy. Any sort of food will attract them (sweets, meat, fruits). Keep the food away from camp at least 100 meters and get it up in the air, like a bear-bag, or it will be eaten for sure. They also like to take small objects with them, like shoes (my friend had to go home without shoes once...).

Ok, standard bear drill, that's easy enough to handle. Will have to learn how to string bear bags.

You can see a lot of signs of their presence (trails, big pools of mud). Try to avoid going into patches of ferns and thick patches of small pines or firs (which is where they spend most of their time during the day). I only had a boar-encounter once in the Ardennes, so you'll be actually very lucky to see one up close

In the area of Herbeumont there are also rams, which are even more aggressive than boars.

Wild rams?

My suggestion is a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70 and a holo sight

...and a good sausage machine of course!

I wonder if bow hunting is legal in Luxembourg...

Julia

 

[Mike313]

Keep away from them as best you can. They are shy and will avoid you unless they feel threatened. Herds (is that the correct collective noun?) of wild boar tend to be made up of the sows all together with all the piglets and the males tend to keep their distance from the main body of the herd acting at times of danger like a defensive perimeter. If you approach the herd, accidentally or otherwise, you may be in danger. If you were unfortunate enough to get between the male and the herd then you better be good at running!

 

[Ruud]

Spent a weekend in Wiltz in Luxembourg, and will be visiting 3 times next year (Spring, Summer, Autumn). Stunningly beautiful scenery.
Ok, standard bear drill, that's easy enough to handle. Will have to learn how to string bear bags.
Wild rams?

Julia

Just a bag, toss the rope over a branch and haul it,

The rams used to be domesticated but they escaped like 15 years ago. Since then they thrive in the woodlands there.

 

[boatman]

I have used sounder as a collective name for wild boar since reading Jungle John by John Budden, adventures in the Indian Jungle.

 

[cbr6fs]

Ruud pretty much nailed it.

Only thing i'll add is spend a bit more time picking your camp spot, wild boar don't tend to be the must subtle of creatures so any signs of their presences is more likely to be very obvious.

Also worth using your nose, even with my notoriously bad sense of smell i still smell them before i see them most times.