Dixie
Slugs
Home of the Original Terminator
79 NE 242nd Ave – Old Town, Florida 32680 – 352 542 2100
Anatomy of The Wild Hog
There are many wild hogs lost each year because they were gut shot! This was not because of careless shooting, but rather due to the hunter not understanding the anatomy of the wild hog. There is quite a difference in the location of the wild hogs vitals, as compared to the deer. If the deer hunter uses the classic lung shot, used on deer, he will likely gut shoot the wild hog! By looking at the above diagram it will be obvious the vitals of the wild hog are well forward in the body cavity. You should also notice the location of the shoulder blade in reference to the head and neck. The ideal shot location is in the lower part of the shoulder blade area.
There are many shooters that profess their choice of the head/ear location for their shot. While it is true any hog can be killed quickly with something as small as a .22 Rim fire Short in the ear if the muzzle is close, there are hogs lost each year that the hunter tried a head/ear shot. Yes, the hog died later from bleeding, but ran quite a distance. This happens more with high velocity rounds that fragmented on the head meat/fat, especially with rounds like the .22 Rim fire Magnum and such.
It should be noted that there is a great deal of difference in hunting from a tree stand and being on the ground. The tree stand hunter, being elevated, can place his shot more precise. In this situation, the head/ear shot may be justified. However, if the hunter is on the ground, the shoulder shot is best, as it will also break up the hog’s movement. That can be very important if the hunter is dealing with a dangerous boar hog!
Here is a skull of a large, and dangerous, Tusker Boar Hog! The brain is located above a line between the eyes and the back of the skull. Note how small this area is compared to the overall size of the skull! This brain area size is relative to the size of the hog. The area ahead of the eyes to the snout consists of nothing but pulpy sinus bone and has no major blood vessels. A large boar hogs shot in this area will do one or two things, escape or cut the hunter very bad! The hog, shot in this area, will show no nerve shock from the hit!
Wild hog population, stemming from feral hogs breeding with Russian/Spanish genetic pools, is spreading very repaid throughout the country. It must be understood the female hog will breed the first time at six (6) months old and each six (6) months thereafter! A little common math will show why the population is expanding at the rate it is! This is an excellent situation for the hunter, but he needs to understand he is dealing with a potentially dangerous animal. Some realistic thought, on his part, as to what firearm and load should be used.
The mature wild boar hog has a hard gristle like shield over his shoulder area. This combined with fat, causes less blood trails. I have seen the soft 12 gauge “Foster” type rifled slug flatten out on a 400 pound boar hog’s shoulder!
For further suggestions on firearms and ammunition suitable for true wild hogs contact:
Dixie Slugs - dixieslugs.com - James C. Gates - jcgates@bellsouth.net