[first68]

I expect to go on my first hog hunt in May. Also first AR hunt (model 5 with 3x9 Burris). The distance from stand to feeder is about 170 yards (East Texas pine country). What is your best advice?

 

[Jamesb74]

Tell me where you are hunting so I can join you. :lol: :lol:

J/K best advice as to what? Which bullet? The Barnes 85tsx seems to be the hog slayer of choice. The rifle and sope sound great. Give us a report.

Where exactly are you hunting?

 

[Sniperhill]

My advice is simple. Pracitice, practice, practice. I hunt hogs in east tx almost daily and they usually are moving. They dont stand still long, even under a feeder. I feel that every animal, whether people consider them a nuisance or not deserve to be killed quickly. A gut shot to a hog out here could very well lead to an unrecovered animal. And if you do happen to get a big boar don't listen to some people who say you cant eat them. They eat just as good as a smaller one. Good luck and be careful, it can become very addictive.

 

[zoomie]

Will all your shots be from the blind to the feeder - the full 170 yards? Or are you gonna spot and stalk some? I had a 3-9x on my .223, and even at 3x, I was in trouble the few times I tried to take a quick shot at a jumped hog. A 1-4ish scope would be much more versatile unless you're sure your shots will all be long.

 

[rob_s]

If you want to eat it, look for a small female. Of course you *can* eat a larger male, but a 70 lb female is about perfect for eating. Proper prep will make a boar a little more palatable, but sows taste best, and smaller ones at that. Either way I always brine my hogs for 24 hours before I cook or freeze them. There are lots of brine recipes online, but I use water, vinegar, and ice all in a cooler and change out the liquid about 3 times in that 24 hour period.

you can also try wrapping it in fat when you cook it, or bacon, as the biggest thing that makes wild hog tough is the lack of fat.

 

[chris65]

If you want a BIG hog, wait on any group that shows - the big ones will be in the back of the pack. Bring a sidearm - you'll never know ahead of time if you'll need it (.45 / 10mm for me).

 

[constructor]

Pro-hunter bullets are better for heart/lung and neck shots. The 85 or 110TSX will penetrate the shoulder.
90TNTs and the Vmax are constructed to light for hogs IMO. Not sure if the Accubond will penetrate the shoulder but should be good for heart/lung shots. Shooting to 170yards you need to drive the bullets fast.

 

[Sniperhill]

Constructor which ones do you prefer when hunting hogs?

 

[white devil]

Shot a couple of pigs last month one of them was 220 pounds and he took a 110 xxx from end to end and never found the bullet.

 

[constructor]

Constructor which ones do you prefer when hunting hogs?

A few months ago at HTR's I was watching that red boar in the photo around here, I was planning on shooting him between the eyes because he was facing straight on. When I turned on the IR torch he jumped and spun right, by the time I pulled the trigger the TSX hit him square in the shoulder. If that had been a prohunter we may have never found him.
Like someone above said pigs are always moving and you don't always get that perfect broadside heart lung shot so I would say to be prepared the Barnes 85 out to about 250yds.

 

[HTR]

As you may or may not know, I shoot hundreds of hogs per year. The best advice I can give you is this:

1) use very tough bullets. 85 grain TSX is my top choice because they are driven fast, have flat trajectory, and penetrate very deeply including through the shoulder blades. The hog is a double-tough animal. Deer bullets are not necessarily hog bullets. My second choice is the 110 TTSX (until they make a 90 grainer) and third is the 110 SPH.

2) If the feeder is really 170 yards, then you will need a higher mag scope, like 10 X, to place the bullet. When you have 10 hogs under a feeder, you won't be able to tell the asses from the heads (kinda' like with politicians :lol: ). From that distance, and with the hog's propensity for coming out under a feeder just at dusk, you will be hard pressed to know where you will be hitting it. Otherwise, I would recommended that you get a little closer.

3) Hunt at night. They are mostly nocturnal in any place they've been hunted. If you have access to night vision, get that. If not, use lights.