Anatomy of the Wild Hog

[Paparock]

Anatomy of the Wild Hog

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Hogs can be tricky is you don't know what you are doing. If you do you can kill them with a .22LR using .22 Shorts but you have to know where to aim. I killed a wild boar after it gutted one of my grandfathers cows with one of its tusks in my presence using .22 Shorts by shooting iy in the spine as I was on a hill above it. First, I broke its spine which dropped its back legs then shifted my aim to between its shoulder blades until I got a round into its spine and broke down its front legs. I walked up close and finished it off. Growing up in the river bottoms of southern Arkansas my best friend and I had quite a few close run-ins with large groups of both wild hogs and Arkansas Razorbacks. We always tried to retreat peacefully however the hogs did not always give us that option. That was long before the age of rifle scopes and we were usually carrying .22 LRs as part of my responsibilities were to keep the Cotton Mouth snake and turtle populations to a minimum in my grandfathers three ponds on his farm. After rifle scopes came out I would lie up on the hill and head shoot the snakes and fish eating turtles.

We had someone we named the "phantom" that used to shoot wild boars on different peoples land. Everyone in the community talked about him and tried to figure out who it could be. He only shot at night but no one ever heard any shots or saw anyone shinning any lights in the fields where the dead boars would be found. He was shooting something larger than a .22 due to the wound channels left through the boars heads. Right through the brain every time. One shot drops in their tracts. I thought he may have been a Korean war vet using an infrared rig and scoped M1 carbine with 110 FMJ rounds due to the wound channels and his range limitations. He never shoot over 100 yards from the road and it was always a brain shot. I don't know if he made himself or somehow bought a silencer because everyone was really spooked and yet not a single person ever heard a single shot or saw anyone jacklighting. He was never caught as long as I was living there and I finally moved over to the next town. It would have been front page news though if he had ever been found. He was very good though, who ever he was.

 

[Hand Skills]

Here's a cross section I came across. Real pig skull, cut down the middle. The brain is dyed blue.

Pretty heavy bones in there. In my experience, a well placed .22LR will do the trick. Getting it wrong can result in a rodeo, and I'd hate to see how that would look with testosterone and tusks!

May your aim be true!

 

[Paparock]

Here's a cross section I came across. Real pig skull, cut down the middle. The brain is dyed blue.

View attachment 114016

Pretty heavy bones in there. In my experience, a well placed .22LR will do the trick. Getting it wrong can result in a rodeo, and I'd hate to see how that would look with testosterone and tusks!

May your aim be true!

You bet. When you miss the brain you may have to do the old tree dodge until you can get a better angle. Fortunately growing up in Southern Arkansas in the river bottoms there were a LOT of trees!

Then, I worked and saved up for a new semi-auto .22LR.

 

[Paparock]

My grandfather shot a Razorback boar of about 350 pounds in the head with a 180 grain round nose load that charged us. It slide up to our feet. I looked up at my grandfather and said " you kind of cut that once close didn't you?" He chuckled and said I wanted to make sure I could hit him.

 

[snox801]

That's a good set of pictures to show new hunters. I think that's why all these guys think you need a .338 lapua to kill hogs cause they are so tough. I think the miss the vitals and they run off. I've seen some tough pigs. But in the end most ho down swiftly if hit in the right spot.

 

[Austin_Michael]

My favorite spot on a hog is the ear or just behind the ear and here is why...

The natural pivot point on a hog is right behind its skull. When it bends down to feed it pivots just behind the ear. When it raises its head to look around that same point does not move. Its stationery.

Aiming at a point that moves very little is a huge bonus. Plus when you hit the ear or spinal column just behind it there is no chasing. They face plant.

I've killed more hogs with a 223 than anything else with that shot placement. However, if you run a little more horse power (300 SAUM) you can nearly decapitate them.

GRAPHIC IMAGE!

Shot entered 1/2 inch behind the ear hitting the spinal column. The first vertebrae is no longer found, it blew out the 4 inch exit hole. The hogs head was only held on by the skin and flesh of the lower neck and throat.

The best part about this shot placement is that it ruins zero meat. The back straps are untouched. The country ribs (front shoulder) and the rear hams are perfect.

 

[LM056]

That's a good set of pictures to show new hunters. I think that's why all these guys think you need a .338 lapua to kill hogs cause they are so tough. I think the miss the vitals and they run off. I've seen some tough pigs. But in the end most ho down swiftly if hit in the right spot.