Where to shoot hogs for a clean kill.

Brian Shaffer

Hog Hunter
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LoneStarBoars Supporter
Most shooting diagrams show nice broadside and level shots and the 2D representation works pretty well. The key structure is directly behind the shot placement location. This all changes with the orientation of the animal as they are 3D and not just 2D. The nice heart/shoulder broadside shot becomes much more of a midbody shot for a hog quartering severely away, for example. Midbody shots often look quite bad, like the shooter was just trying to shoot COM, but if the hog is quartered away, it may be the perfect shot placement. I am happy to have nice broadside shots, but it seems that most of the time, the hogs I shoot are quartered toward or away from me, some severely, sometimes because they are on the move.

What I learned then is that if you are going to shoot based on shot placement externally, then you must always consider placement, trajectory, and penetration damage. Where you hit on the outside of the hog has to have the trajectory to pass through the critical vital structures and the penetration to actually pass through them in order to damage them by direct contact or hydrostatic shock. Think of where the organ/structure is inside of the body that you are trying to hit and aim for that location, not just external landmarks.

I do like CNS shots, not because they preserve more of the meat, but because hogs don't get run and don't get up after CNS shots. In my experience, hogs that run virtually never run to the truck. They run just about everywhere else but the truck, but especially (it seems) into thickets, briars, poison ivy, and ravines if they can make it to them. I had a devil of a time finding this 180 pounder and he only ran about 50 or 60 yards. It was a pretty good broadside heart/lung shot, but I had to use loppers to get to him. :D
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Andre Lopes

Boar Hunter from Southern Brazil
SUS VENATOR CLUB
Dear Friends!
It's been a long time since I hunt wild boar and during this period I was able to observe a few things about putting a bullet and efficient calibers. In my specific case there are some complicating factors that make it more difficult to execute a shot with a clean kill. Here in Brazil is expressly forbidden to use night vision equipment. And as the increased activity of wild boars in feeders is always at night, this is the first difficulty factor, ie, here we hunt at night using flashlights and / or ND3.
In the full moon, you can also make shots without the artificial light but what I noticed was the following:
- In low light conditions or artificial light, the reticle of riflescope must be the most suitable to provide a quick sight, like the European model.
This model does not give us a great accuracy but for a quick shot is more efficient. And for this, shot placement is the most important.
- The most suitable for fast shooting is aim the region of "high palette", or at the top of the front legs (like the shoulder). As my shots are made from an elevated position, the shot in this region invariably reaches the spine and cause trauma in the lungs and heart. If we hit the spine, the hog will be imobilized, and the temporary cavity caused by the projectile will destroy the heart, causing it to have a quick death. I've had the opportunity to hit hogs slightly below the spine but with the projectile reaching the heart and lungs. Even with this deadly shooting, the hogs can run about 40 yards before falling.With this hunting scenario, you may realize that it is very difficult shot in the head.
- On a very dark night, you have to hunt primarily with the ear, to try to identify the approximate location where the hog is. Then when you turn the flashlight, you have to be quick enough to find it with the beam before it begins to run. And when you are enlightened him, shooting may not take more than 2 or 3 seconds, but he escapes and then everything goes down.
You want adrenaline greater than this? You feel like Will Smith illumining targets in the dark, in the movie I am Legend!
That´s all folks!
 

FrankT

Destin FL
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter
I have one but am on strike for more..LOL The solar powered motion lights are much cheaper.
 

PRyan1877

Roselle, Illinois
SUS VENATOR CLUB
LoneStarBoars Supporter
I know what you're talking about, a lot of people left there, but the lights are great just the same.
 

Andre Lopes

Boar Hunter from Southern Brazil
SUS VENATOR CLUB
Dear friends!
Thank you for the tips!
Looking at specialty stores, found a emergency luminaire with motion sensor. Are used as two AA batteries and has a magnet, I think I can put it on the bottom of my feeder, which is made of metal.
I will test and then post the result here!

Again, thank you all!
 

Guess

Hog Zombie
SUS VENATOR CLUB
for myself I prefer between the base of the ear and the point of the shoulder. For others I suggest breaking the shoulders. However I hit them where I can when I don't have the shot I want.
 

Swine Slayers

LSB Member
I used to shoot for the heart/lungs. Got tired of tracking. So I shoot them in the head know. Usually thru the ear hole or between the eyes. I have shot one before in the head only to have to track them and find them with half their brains hanging out... They are tough animals for sure...
 
Last edited:

theblakester

Got a black belt in keeping it real.
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
SUS VENATOR CLUB
LoneStarBoars Supporter
image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
Most shooting diagrams show nice broadside and level shots and the 2D representation works pretty well. The key structure is directly behind the shot placement location. This all changes with the orientation of the animal as they are 3D and not just 2D. The nice heart/shoulder broadside shot becomes much more of a midbody shot for a hog quartering severely away, for example. Midbody shots often look quite bad, like the shooter was just trying to shoot COM, but if the hog is quartered away, it may be the perfect shot placement. I am happy to have nice broadside shots, but it seems that most of the time, the hogs I shoot are quartered toward or away from me, some severely, sometimes because they are on the move.

What I learned then is that if you are going to shoot based on shot placement externally, then you must always consider placement, trajectory, and penetration damage. Where you hit on the outside of the hog has to have the trajectory to pass through the critical vital structures and the penetration to actually pass through them in order to damage them by direct contact or hydrostatic shock. Think of where the organ/structure is inside of the body that you are trying to hit and aim for that location, not just external landmarks.

I do like CNS shots, not because they preserve more of the meat, but because hogs don't get run and don't get up after CNS shots. In my experience, hogs that run virtually never run to the truck. They run just about everywhere else but the truck, but especially (it seems) into thickets, briars, poison ivy, and ravines if they can make it to them. I had a devil of a time finding this 180 pounder and he only ran about 50 or 60 yards. It was a pretty good broadside heart/lung shot, but I had to use loppers to get to him. :D
I agree Brian. CNS shots are ideal. I made these to teach my girlfriend and nephew, as well as anyone else whose interested. 3rd pic is what I would think would make a good line through the vitals on a quartering away hog.
I would also add to be careful not to aim too high on the neck of a hog. From the brainstem, a hogs spine angles downward the first few vertebrate and then back up towards the tops of the shoulders.
 

Capt Rick Hiott

The HAM SLAMMA!
Ill go for the neck every time,,or in the head if they are looking right at me. Ill drop them where they stand......
 

DaveABQ

Albuquerque, NM
I like the red aiming point also, last week I tried for the base of the ear, small target, but normally like just forward of the shoulder centered, works every time.
 

FrankT

Destin FL
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter

Brian Shaffer

Hog Hunter
SUS VENATOR CLUB
LoneStarBoars Supporter
I've hit a few very big ones in the neck only to knock them out, and then get up and run after several minutes. Must have hit just high in the neck. There is some serious muscle there, normally the shock from a high power rifle will break the neck even if you don't hit right on the bone though.

Was this one of your hogs? ;)

Old, not fully healed (still oozing) on exit side, high neck through and through plus with injury to the ear (note scarring)
100_1988reduced.jpg


Sometimes high neck or behind the ear doesn't quite get it.
 

TEXASLAWMAN

Lone Star Boars Owner
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Was this one of your hogs? ;)

Old, not fully healed (still oozing) on exit side, high neck through and through plus with injury to the ear (note scarring)
100_1988reduced.jpg


Sometimes high neck or behind the ear doesn't quite get it.

I've found several like that maybe 5.56 lol.
 

FrankT

Destin FL
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter
or a 300wtf, you know those bounce off hogs!
 

ZenArchery

LSB Active Member
SUS VENATOR CLUB
LoneStarBoars Supporter
View attachment 1197 View attachment 1198 View attachment 1199
I agree Brian. CNS shots are ideal. I made these to teach my girlfriend and nephew, as well as anyone else whose interested. 3rd pic is what I would think would make a good line through the vitals on a quartering away hog.
I would also add to be careful not to aim too high on the neck of a hog. From the brainstem, a hogs spine angles downward the first few vertebrate and then back up towards the tops of the shoulders.

2nd picture. X marks the spot. ;)
 
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