In the invasive plants thread, there was some talk of hogs and the possibility that they have gotten loose in some areas and are breeding. I was wondering what your thoughts are on them. Do you think it's a good idea to let them reintroduce themselves or are you against reintroduction, whether it's by deliberate action or unavoidable accident?
They can be dangerous and are a very smart adversary when hunting them. I havn't heard of anyone just out walking around being attacked by a wild hog, but I suppose that it could happen. Especially with the old boars and wet sows with piglets in tow. However, I have watched as a hunter made his way down a narrow trail in very heavy brush and then a large boar charge once the hunter had passed it's possition and had his back to the animal. Very much like the animal purposely waited in order to ambush the hunter. I've heard stories of this happening a lot over the years.
Hunting them is a real blast. Especially with bow and arrow. There is an element of danger that gets the instincts supercharged and the heart pounding, that's for sure. Their meat varies in how palatable it is by age and sex of the animal and what they've been eating. Overall though, they are very tasty, but I have eaten older and very large boar that had a sour taste to the meat. Myself, I prefer hogs in the 100-150 pound range because they are easier to pack out and the meat has a much better flavor.
When hunting them with bow and arrow, the animal must present a quartering away shot, especially on boars, because of the gristle shield that they have just behind the shoulder and that extends back to effectively cover their chest area and protect them from the razor sharp tusks of other boar as they fight. With the animal quartering away, the arrow can be placed low and far enough back to avoid the shield and get the cutting head into the vitals for a quick and efficient kill.
There are those that hunt hogs with dogs and knives. They use the dogs to corner and hold the hog at bay so that the hunter can reach in with a razor sharp and large blade to cut the animals throat. It's actually a very effective way to dispatch the animal, as they bleed out in a relatively short time, lay down, go to sleep and die. However, because the dogs take a real beating and can get cut up badly from the tusks, I'm not one for using them.
The majority of hog hunters in the area where I live use handguns to hunt them. The Ruger Blackhawk or Redhawk in .44 magnum are the prefered sidearm for hogs and they do a respectable job at dispatching the animal. Anything smaller, unless you know where to place the round, can be disastrous for the hunter and the hog.
My hunting partner uses a 7mm rifle with scope to hunt them and all of his shots have been placed behind the ear of the animal. They drop immediately and there is no meat damage. Of course, he's been hunting them for 50 years and knows pretty much all there is to know about the animal.
Environmentally they do as most animals do and help to spread seeds of plants in their spore and may well help to keep unwanted types of plants in check, but for the most part, they are very destructive animals. Especially if they get into horse pasture, well cared for gardens, etc. and start their rooting. They can leave deep holes that a horse can step into and because they roam in family groups, they can root up a large area of well trimmed turf in a very short time.
In this photo is a hog track that is hard to make out, but laying to the left of the track is my leatherman tool and the track is as large as the tool. This was made by a big hog and was in an area where many women and children walk and hike.
They can be dangerous and are a very smart adversary when hunting them. I havn't heard of anyone just out walking around being attacked by a wild hog, but I suppose that it could happen. Especially with the old boars and wet sows with piglets in tow. However, I have watched as a hunter made his way down a narrow trail in very heavy brush and then a large boar charge once the hunter had passed it's possition and had his back to the animal. Very much like the animal purposely waited in order to ambush the hunter. I've heard stories of this happening a lot over the years.
Hunting them is a real blast. Especially with bow and arrow. There is an element of danger that gets the instincts supercharged and the heart pounding, that's for sure. Their meat varies in how palatable it is by age and sex of the animal and what they've been eating. Overall though, they are very tasty, but I have eaten older and very large boar that had a sour taste to the meat. Myself, I prefer hogs in the 100-150 pound range because they are easier to pack out and the meat has a much better flavor.
When hunting them with bow and arrow, the animal must present a quartering away shot, especially on boars, because of the gristle shield that they have just behind the shoulder and that extends back to effectively cover their chest area and protect them from the razor sharp tusks of other boar as they fight. With the animal quartering away, the arrow can be placed low and far enough back to avoid the shield and get the cutting head into the vitals for a quick and efficient kill.
There are those that hunt hogs with dogs and knives. They use the dogs to corner and hold the hog at bay so that the hunter can reach in with a razor sharp and large blade to cut the animals throat. It's actually a very effective way to dispatch the animal, as they bleed out in a relatively short time, lay down, go to sleep and die. However, because the dogs take a real beating and can get cut up badly from the tusks, I'm not one for using them.
The majority of hog hunters in the area where I live use handguns to hunt them. The Ruger Blackhawk or Redhawk in .44 magnum are the prefered sidearm for hogs and they do a respectable job at dispatching the animal. Anything smaller, unless you know where to place the round, can be disastrous for the hunter and the hog.
My hunting partner uses a 7mm rifle with scope to hunt them and all of his shots have been placed behind the ear of the animal. They drop immediately and there is no meat damage. Of course, he's been hunting them for 50 years and knows pretty much all there is to know about the animal.
Environmentally they do as most animals do and help to spread seeds of plants in their spore and may well help to keep unwanted types of plants in check, but for the most part, they are very destructive animals. Especially if they get into horse pasture, well cared for gardens, etc. and start their rooting. They can leave deep holes that a horse can step into and because they roam in family groups, they can root up a large area of well trimmed turf in a very short time.
In this photo is a hog track that is hard to make out, but laying to the left of the track is my leatherman tool and the track is as large as the tool. This was made by a big hog and was in an area where many women and children walk and hike.
finished...........for now 
