Where to shoot a hog

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

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Any place is a good place, but the best place is in my opion is right here.

neck_shot_zps4d930af5.jpg


I have dropped many a big boar with the .223 shot right there.

Keep in mind that the vitals of a hog tend to be lower and farther forward than you would think if you are comparing to a deer. If you are going for typical "behind the shoulder" shot you would for a deer, as you can see you may be farther back than you think and in an area that will probably kill it, but it may run a long way first.

hog-anatomy-and-shot-placement-300x192.jpg


 
I'd bet that the number of unrecovered hogs due to poor shot location has a lot of zero's behind it. Great information there Yellowhammer.


Chupa
 
Shoot many of these beasts. If I can't get a ear shot its vitals, and through A shoulder. If you hit a shoulder he aint going bar.

With a bow on the other hand, which I hunt with most, things change. Vitals right behind that shoulder blade. If its a good size hog, you have the bone plus almost 2 inches of armor. Quartering away shots are best. Burry the arrow a tad behind the blade into the vitals. Shot one pig in the head, I don't suggest it but [beeep] those g5 t3s do work. And one in the neck,(missed the vitals) and dropped her.
 
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I take "ear shots" whenever I can. As the diagram above shows. If you need a "shoulder" shot, aim just above the top of the front leg.

HogVitals_zps3033d26c.jpg

HogVitals2_zps67a90f8d.jpg
 
If you are not steady with your aim, go for the heart lung. SHooting in the neck is great, but if you dick the shot up , they run and eventually will bleed out. I always advise to shoot straight up the front leg middle thickness of the body.

I dicked up a shot last night. It was 10 yds and I did not shoot high to compensate for my zero. Shot low into the meat part of the neck. He had no wind, but ran for a bit. The video was great up to that point, then bang, I messed up the first shot on a group of 10 pigs. They ran into the corn.

I had used my Ninja stealth to get that close and then only got 3 kills in the corn which were not easily seen in the video. Got to have a video.

It was 30 min later they came back out and I ended up with 5 total kills out of that group before I decided to move on to the next field. The following shots were made from 50-80 yds and shot them right where you pointed out in your post. D.O.G., Dead on ground.
 
For broadside shots ear=DRT.



Shot a small (javelina sized) boar at 150-160 yds and missed the ear shot but hit neck, albeit a tad high. He dropped in his tracks. I walked about 75 yards to open a gate for my partner, who had gone back to bring up the jeep, and noticed a small hog across the fence, running hard toward the brush. Took a moment to realize that this was the one I had already dropped.

Caught up with it on the second or third shot and rolled it, but apparently hadn't given it enough lead, hitting it a bit far back.

Back at the cooler, the "field autopsy" revealed that the spine was completely severed! My hunting partner argued that the first shot was just behind the diaphragm and the running shot broke the spine. His theory made some sense, as we all know an animal with a severed spine can't run.

I was starting to wonder if my zero had shifted when I realized that the pig was facing to my left on first shot and to my right on 2nd. The neck shot exited on pig's right side and body shot entrance was on his right side w/no exit. Apparently the first shot nicked the top of spine and fractured it, bruising the spinal cord, temporarily paralyzing the animal and second shot rolled him head over heels and the fall severed the spine.

Either shot will drop the animal but think I'll stick w/ear. If nothing else, it gives a positive aiming point.

Regards,
hm
 
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Vultures and coyotes have to eat, too. But neck shots are the only way to go for a quick kill. All you M.O.A. guys should have no problem with that unless the hog moves his head.
 
I had a guide in texas show me the same site in the first pic. I have not had a hog take a step when I do my part and shoot in that location.

In fact, I have printed that pic and hand it out to anyone who is willing to take it.
 
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I am completely jealous....I just wish we had some hogs here in Pennsylvania to shoot. I'd shoot em in the toe nails just so I'd keep havin em to shoot at. I swear I'm gonna make a trip to Texas or one of the other hog enriched southern states before I croak.
 
I saw my first dead hog as a little kid. I had wanted to shoot a hog more than anything, every chance I had to go to my uncles land in texas I went in hopes to shoot a hog but at the time there were not many. I finally saw one, dead, in the middle of the dirt camp road (obviously not road kill). We got out and inspected it, it was in a puddle of blood, I asked my uncle if there were tresspassers, he took a long pull from his 24 ounce beer and said something I will never ever ever forget "He probably did the central texas thing, saw it, shot it in the gut, let it run over to someone elses ranch to die and not worry about it"

Im a bit of a bragger myself so I like to shoot them DRT for photo opps to rub it in my friends faces that Im currently hunting and they are not.

to answer your question, I always go for the the head, if out of range, get in range, helps me hone my skills, or lack there of. Also I have killed them using almost every form of weaponry and unconventional tactic you could ever think of, sometimes on purpose and usually on accident. I may or may not KNOW A GUY that filled a small coffee can with washers and tannerite, removed the feeder after it dispatched the corn and set up a lonnnnng ways off.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane bud.
 
I recently read an article on shot placement and caliber by a well known gun writer. WHAT AN IDIOT! it's obvious he hasn't shot near enough hogs and even more obvious that he has to have a guide holding his hand to find one at a feeder. To be fair I've met the guy so I know for sure he's an idiot!

That said I've taken lots of hunters on hog hunts both experienced and inexperienced. I usually suggest the shoulder. Bigger target,vitals and running gear taken away. However I prefer a head neck shot.

Over the years we have lost far more wounded hogs to body shots and far less wounded hogs to head shots.

No matter where you shoot them or what you shoot them with you are going to lose a few if you shoot at enough of them.

that's why we call them Hog Zombies!
 


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