Gain hunting experience by hunting wild pig?

[yungsmaug]

I've put in a lot of work with my bow, shooting at least 40-100 arrows a day for the last month. I'm comfortable shooting anything from 20-30 yards in any position. I think im ready for my first hunt. Its my understanding that pig can be hunted year round so i was thinking about getting a few pig hunts under my belt before hunting season starts. Good idea? bad? any thoughts and suggestions on where to hunt and what i should be prepared for are welcome. Thank you!

 

[Rob5589]

Heck yeah man, anytime you can hunt is valuable experience. Get after it!

 

[yungsmaug]

Heck yeah man, anytime you can hunt is valuable experience. Get after it!

Thanks man, any suggestion on a general area?

 

[kevin11mee]

Yes, wild pigs have great noses and can be tough to kill. The pig a got in Dec also tastes fantastic.

 

[Beendare]

Wild hogs are tailor made for bowhunters. they could be my favorite animal to spot and stock with my recurve as you can get very close to them. The three hogs I killed in 2020 were at 13,20,22yds.

Most were rooting and the arrow was through them before they even realized what happened. You do have to be a little bit careful getting that close in open country as I have had them charge me.

A few years ago. On a ranch in Northern California that my buddies used to control, there was one rifle Hunter that got knocked down and gored by a big boar hog that he never saw while stalking on another hog.

There is a lot of public land across the United States were a guy can go out and kill a hog though it can be a lot of work.

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[yungsmaug]

Wild hogs are tailor made for bowhunters. they could be my favorite animal to spot and stock with my recurve as you can get very close to them. The three hogs I killed in 2020 were at 13,20,22yds.

most were routing and the aero was through them before they even realized what happened. You do have to be a little bit careful getting that close in open country as I have had them charge me.

A few years ago. On a ranch in Northern California that my buddies used to control, there was one rifle Hunter that got knocked down and gored by a big boar hog that he never saw while stalking on another one.

There is a lot of public land across the United States were a guy can go out and kill a hog though it can be a lot of work.

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Thanks for the response! From my research I can see that killing a pig on public land is difficult. I like to work hard and wouldnt mind the struggle if it is likely to end in a kill. Im debating a hunt with my buddy on public or spending quite a bit more money to do a guided hunt since it is going to be my first time. Any thoughts?

 

[TSAMP]

Pig hunting public land with a bow, first time out? Unlikely to kill in my opinion. I just hunted some very pressured oilfield ground in Texas. Killed a couple pigs over bait. Stalked about a dozen more under moonlight. Got within 25 yards but no shots. You can do a guided pig hunt but if they give you any kind of guarantee to kill your probably hunting high fence. Which is fine, just be aware. Get after it, gotta start somewhere.
Be aware pig vitals are not the same as a deer. Shoot Straight up the leg!

 

[yungsmaug]

Pig hunting public land with a bow, first time out? Unlikely to kill in my opinion. I just hunted some very pressured oilfield ground in Texas. Killed a couple pigs over bait. Stalked about a dozen more under moonlight. Got within 25 yards but no shots. You can do a guided pig hunt but if they give you any kind of guarantee to kill your probably hunting high fence. Which is fine, just be aware. Get after it, gotta start somewhere.
Be aware pig vitals are not the same as a deer. Shoot Straight up the leg!

Thank you for the insight!

 

[CaliforniaMuley209]

Heck yea the more time in the field the better. Always learning, studying wind and animal behavior will always help you gain experience. And if your lucky to get a couple
Shots off and get a pig that’s icing on the cake. You might not realize it at the time, but getting your butt kicked on the mountain is all part of learning. Most importantly, have fun! Good luck!

 

[yungsmaug]

Heck yea the more time in the field the better. Always learning, studying wind and animal behavior will always help you gain experience. And if your lucky to get a couple
Shots off and get a pig that’s icing on the cake. You might not realize it at the time, but getting your butt kicked on the mountain is all part of learning. Most importantly, have fun! Good luck!

Thank you for the advice man!

 

[jbane9]

I am also new to bow hunting and have been hiking around and looking for pigs for a few months. I have found some fresh rooting and tracks but no luck so far. It’s definitely a grind on public land and you need some luck on your side. I believe the area I found with fresh sign most of the pigs are nocturnal and bounce from public to private quite a bit so timing is important. I did get my first turkey a few weeks ago but as far as pigs it might be worth finding a guide with access to private land. I’ve probably spent enough on gas and food to cover a guided hunt. But, if you are new to hunting in general it is definitely worth getting out there and spending some time behind your glass and just testing all your gear. Especially if you plan on doing that in the mountains for deer this fall. Good luck!

 

[Btaylor]

The only way to get good at killing is to shoot live animals. Pigs are great for that as well as gobs of other stuff like ground hogs, armadillos, fish, etc. Just check your regs to be certain you are good to go then go chase some stuff.

 

[Beendare]

Yeah you dont learn much about hunting by sitting a feeder on a HF ranch. ... more of a shoot.

Nothing wrong with doing it... but it’s not really Hunting.

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[kcm2]

Pigs are wary, have great noses and react to anything suspicious by running 100 yards or better. They also however are fun to stalk when bedded, and can be approached provided you are noiseless and the wind does not betray you. I disagree on the idea that shooting them over bait is not hunting. You still have to pick the moment to draw, do so undetected, do so quietly and hunt the wind, as well as be so steady as to place your shot where it needs to be. Go for it. I hunt pigs once or twice per year in SE Oklahoma and love every minute of it.

 

[outdoorbum]

Check with local farmers as they can tell you where the pigs are and give you leads on where to hunt them. Start with "you're a bowhunter" and that really changes the conversation. They have ok vision and rely on their noses so be ready for that. Great animal to hunt with a bow and really make you a better hunter!

 

[CG86]

Man, pig hunting is some of the best archery hunting practice you can get. Good opportunity to settle your nerves before your next big hunt. You have to land a good shot on relatively small vitals. Really good practice.

 

[roosiebull]

I've put in a lot of work with my bow, shooting at least 40-100 arrows a day for the last month. I'm comfortable shooting anything from 20-30 yards in any position. I think im ready for my first hunt. Its my understanding that pig can be hunted year round so i was thinking about getting a few pig hunts under my belt before hunting season starts. Good idea? bad? any thoughts and suggestions on where to hunt and what i should be prepared for are welcome. Thank you!

I would pig hunt as much as you possibly can and understand they aren’t easy to hunt… awesome practice, there is no better practice. You having pigs to hunt is a huge advantage

Where I live and hunt, killing 3 animals with my bow per year puts you in the upper 95%, there just isn’t opportunity for me to get a lot of trigger time on animals, people that can shoot pigs or a bunch of deer every year are ahead of the game, take advantage of that.