A few years ago, my hometown of Pine Grove was invaded, not by commies or terrorists, but wild hogs. It was unbelievable how many of them there were. I would sometimes see as many as twenty hogs out in my field. So, being the selfless person that I am, I decided I was going to thin out the hog population in order to preserve Pine Grove’s natural ecology also because I like pork.

Hogs aren’t like the deer I was used to hunting. As you can see from the comparison picture, the pig's anatomy is slightly different from the Whitetail deer; vitals on a hog are a little further forward and downward. Hogs are very resilient creatures. In fact, they are resilient to the point where they are basically the animal version of a tank. They have thick skulls and a layer of gristle (fibre cartilage) and fat under their skin that is hard to penetrate, but just like the armor of a tank, a hog's "armor" can be penetrated if you use the right ammunition.

Now, I’m not saying you need to go grab your trusty M82 and start shooting hogs with .50 BMG (although that would be fun). You will be able to use the rifle you use for deer hunting but loaded with higher grain rounds. For instance a 30-06 should probably use 180-grain rounds, and a .270 should use 150 grains.  While your choosing your new heaver round, take a look at the ballistic efficiency of that round. You want a bullet that delivers a higher percentage of its speed and energy down range. I wouldn’t try to use anything smaller than a .243 though. My son’s gun is chambered in .243, and while it works the round, it just doesn’t have the same stopping and penetrating power as bigger rounds. Bullet retention is a must. Soft points may disintegrate if they hit the tougher parts of a hog like the shoulder or the skull. You might want to try a nosler partition; it has a very high retention rate. Before you go out and hit your local sporting store, do a little research on the web. Type in the big brand name bullet makers and see what they have to offer. That should cut down on a lot of confusion when you go down to the bullet isle, and you see hundreds of different types of bullets. Hogs are tough but they're not bullet proof.

By John Thibodeaux

TalkHunting Staff Writer John “Cookin“ Thibodeaux, started hunting rabbit and squirrel at age sixteen.  Then while living in Texas for 5 years, whitetail deer became a great love to hunt.  John’s 1st wild hog hunt was in 2000, when he moved to Pine Grove, Louisiana.  John also loves to hunt turkey and dove right in his own backyard.  John has always loved going spear fishing in the Louisiana lakes and he became a certified diver about 5 years ago.  

John has been a member of Hard Luck Hunting Club for 10 years and now holds the position of secretary. The club implemented QDMA about 3years ago and it has been a great success.
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John is a sign technician and has been married to his wife, Stephanie, for 15 years.  He has been blessed with 3 wonderful children and 2 grandchildren.  He is very proud of each of them.

Comments(2):

1. Hog Shot's

   John I hear a lot about aim for a good Kill Shot in front of the Ear Canal if you are close enough... Is this true?

   Wednesday, September 01, 2010 Dennis

2. Head shots

   I shot my first hog in 1997, and have been apart of harvesting over 400 hogs. One thing I have learned is that there is not a tougher animal in the states to bring down. I am from Texas this is just one case I've been apart of,,, I took some friends hog hunting from Colorado and told them if you want to find the hog you shoot, head shoot it! Ether in the ear, or 1" above the eyes, he replied " I am shooting a 300 win mag". I got him on a 195.lb boar, he made a Great shoulder shot,,, he got heart,, It ran about 150 yards into the timber. A few Min's later the hog came back out into the field and presented another shot... Boom, another Great shoulder shot! The hog ran 200 more yards into another timber line and finally crashed. When we walked up on him, my friend had made two Great shots into the heart, but this hog did not want to give up. In most cases the hog would not come back out of the timber, nor do they bleed out much, because of the armor that they wear on their shoulders. This will close up most wounds (the armor around a adult boar hogs shoulder). This is why I would tell you to shoot for the ear on a broad side shot,, note; any lower then the ear will just break the jaw and in most cases will not kill. I have even seen it knock one out, only to wake up in the back of your truck! If the hog is facing you, one inch above the eyes, any lower is just a bleeding hog that will go for miles!

   Sunday, September 05, 2010 michael