HUNTING Bushpig

[lcq]

Funny. We just used corn . . . fermenting a bit maybe, but still just corn!

corn was added like sprinkles on the gut pile

 

[Sand Rat]

Yup, and you shot 3 Bushpigs in a 10 day safari with me. Not many hunters pull that one off.

Boy you were one proud PH my first night in camp! Two piglets with one shot.......... Had to be thinking this is gonna be ten days in hell with some moron from Texas, you were suppose to shoot the boar! Was'nt too happy with myself either if I remember correctly. Glad it all went uphill from there, pun intended.

 

[Sand Rat]

@Sand Rat , Robert, we have a big boar on bait again at the moment. When we take him, it will be the 7th Boar this year on our bait.
This one is a smart one. He is a big boar like the one that you took with me. I watched him from the blind about a week ago, and seen his tricks.

Going to try and outsmart him in 3 weeks time with a hunter.

Let's see a pic from the trail cam, I'd like to shoot another one next trip.....................just one!

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Let's see a pic from the trail cam, I'd like to shoot another one next trip.....................just one!

I'll try and get a photo.....

 

[1dirthawker]

i shot a bush pig over bait a couple years ago. shot it in the shoulder, low -ish. was using the PH's 30-06 with 180 gr. soft bullets, 25 yards from a blind. spent 4 nights in blind, got it on 4th night. was a bang, flop deal. the leupold vxr scope with the lighted dot in reticle was pretty darn nice to use.
i know it was only a pig, but we earned it and was pretty exciting to me!

 

[IvW]

Broadside high heart double lung shot is best. I would advise not trying to aim low(perfect low heart shots are not always the best option), just put the crosshair center mass, in line with the front leg.(Or the dot). On bait it is often not so easy with little lighting and the hustle and bustle that goes on around. Do not be in too much of a hurry, let the pigs settle down and start feeding. There will be a fair amount of jostling going on. Often the only shot is quartering to or full frontal, as long as you are steady you will easily make the shot. Very rarely will you be presented with a shot as per the picture you have posted. Quite often too much emficis is placed on "The perfect" shot, unfortuanetly this does not always exist when you are looking down the sights.

Brickburn's red dot pretty much sums it up.

 

[sgt_zim]

The guy I hunted hog with in Florida prefers the base of the ear/brain shot if you have a solid comfortable rest. Otherwise, he said the shoulder shot as shown above was good.

That's how we do them in Texas, too, if you're meat hunting anyway. If you want to hang something on the wall, well, you'd have to do it with a smaller caliber like maybe 6.8.

My 45-70 in the ear hole doesn't leave much to be mounted.

I shot the one on the right from about 65 yds with FTX 325. And also the one in the middle with left front leg almost off (was aiming for the neck, the little bugger zigged just as I pulled the trigger)

 

[Martin Snyman]

I prefer a hi-shoulder shot as you can anchor them at the bait and don’t have to chase them in the dark or wait it out till the next day. A scope with a illuminated recital is definitely a must.

A lot of preparation and patience and it all comes together, like mentioned give them time as the bigger one’s come in last. Fortunate to take two on the same night different baits of course.

(baiting area is a very important part of the hunt. Shot this boar for camp meat on the same bait as the left one a few weeks prior.)

 

[Martin Snyman]

 

[Martin Snyman]

dressed weight 59 Kg

 

[Desert Dog]

I shoot many pigs each year of various types from different places. ALWAYS take the shoulder shot with a good penetrating bullet. Lots of room for err with that shot. Many types of swine have a tough shoulder bone or shield, but if your shot is a little far forward, hitting that will drop them just as fast as a clean heart shot. The Barnes bullets are absolutely perfect for this type of shot. I have been unsuccessful in getting a bush pig - hopefully next year I finally get one.

 

[Bsto270]

When the time came, I took the mid/high shoulder shot and found it quite effective using a 300 win mag. The pig got a bit of distance, but by a bit I can say only 20 yards or so max. I enjoyed that hunt so much I had a had a hard time not going to try again that week for a second pig as the area I hunted certainly had them in numbers. If I ever go back, maybe I will try for a second.

 

[Daniel V]

How difficult is it to make a head shot on a bushpig with a 303 rifle if the pig is sideways and also where must you place the shot exactly

 

[BRICKBURN]

How difficult is it to make a head shot on a bushpig with a 303 rifle if the pig is sideways and also where must you place the shot exactly

where did you shoot that Porcupine?

Aim between the base of the ear and the eye.

Scope?
Day or night?
Distance?
Baited?

 

[IvW]

How difficult is it to make a head shot on a bushpig with a 303 rifle if the pig is sideways and also where must you place the shot exactly

Not recommended. Why risk it?

When on bait the dominant sow(who is the leader of the pack same as elephant that have a matriarch) will come in first. The boar almost always last. Lots of hustling and bustling will go on on the bait. Give time for them to settle, move the rocks away and properly start feeding before taking your shot. Biggest mistake is to get impatient and want to shoot too soon.

If you have to take a head shot on a young pig for meat then the best is the full frontal shot. If you built your bait site correctly the pig will have his head down while feeding. Draw an imaginary cross from left ear hole to right eye and right ear hole to left eye, that will be your aiming point.

Make sure to sight your rifle for the exact distance from blind to bait same as when hunting leopard.

Side brain shot is very risky with no margin for error, see picture 3.

Shoulder or just behind is the preferred shot.

 

[Red Leg]

A bush pig, even a large boar, is not very big in comparison to a European wild boar or mature Texas feral hog (regardless how many photos of hunters sitting a little behind the pig you might see ). A shoulder shot with any normal plains game caliber is decisive. The issue is making the shot on an animal that rarely stands still for any length of time - over bait or spot and stalk.

The Two pigs below are both mature boars. The European boar was taken in Austria with a 130gr SP from a .270. The bush pig in the Limpopo with a .375. Both died in their tracks. Neither were weighed, but the European boar was at least twice the size of the bush pig - perhaps a bit more.
.

Bushpig Hunt South Africa

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• Red Leg
• Sep 27, 2019
• 2

 

[Daniel V]

@BRICKBURN
Heart
No scope
Night
30meters
Baited
I shot the porcupine in the garden near where the pigs are. I don’t know if a brain shot is better than heart for saving meat

 

[IvW]

@BRICKBURN
Heart
No scope
Night
30meters
Baited
I shot the porcupine in the garden near where the pigs are. I don’t know if a brain shot is better than heart for saving meat

Definitely shoulder shot but that setup is not one I would recommend for night hunting of bush pigs....
What illumination(light system) will you be using?

 

[Daniel V]

Just a normal red light and the lights from the stoep

 

[Daniel V]

What would you recommend