I've got a hunt coming up in late summer/early fall. I'm not on the planning committee, just a wheelman and trigger-man sub-committee.

First time for me, and really looking forward to it, but I'd love to hear some pointers on gear, guns, knives, etc. that I might want to consider. Especially from experienced hunters or natives.

On the gun, I bring almost anything in even a semi-common calibers. Lots of options there. On a knife and gear, I'm trying to stay on a budget, so please keep that in mind. I'm not a corporate hunter (what we call the out-of-state lawyers that come here for deer).

They're easy to spot; Smell like cologne and deer piss, $1500 rifle, $2500 scope, all new camo, brand new truck, and somebody's pet goat strapped to the hood.

Thanks in advance, and I'll try to answer any specific questions you might have for me.

How are you planning to hunt? From a stand over bait? Stalking? Pushing? Dogs? Helicopters?

Time of day?

What estimated ranges?

Those factors will go a long way towards dictating your gear.

30 yard shots on hogs that are bayed up by hounds require different setups than 200 yard shots on stationary baited hogs from a deer stand or 100 yard shots on running hogs at night on foot.

From a stand/blind.

We will have one late afternoon/evening, and one full day. No night time shooting.

They say most shots there are between 50-100 yards. No dogs.

Some brush country cover, not wide open fields or yard hunting.

I'd recommend something in a .30ish caliber.

For sub-100 yard hog hunting, I'm a fan of 7.62x39, but something like .308, .30-30, or even .357 Magnum will work well too. Pair it with a red dot or a low power variable like a 1-4x. (Or heck, at 50-100 yards, iron sights work just fine.)

Some folks like the large .44/.45/.50 caliber "thumper rounds", but those are kinda overkill on the average hog. Especially if you're planning to harvest the meat. A buddy hunts hogs with .450 Bushmaster, and usually ends up losing one of the shoulders in the process.

Make sure you study up on hog anatomy. Organ placement is different than most typical hunting animals. I prefer shots just behind the ear or between the eyes for the brain/spine, but will take shoulder shots for the heart/lungs if needed.

do you have an AR15?

good way to test your gear / optics / ammo...

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quote:

do you have an AR15?

I do, but one of the two places the planners have whittled down to has a .243 minimum.

That makes sense. .223 is doable, but requires more precise shot placement. Once a year "corporate hunters" won't do well with a .223.

quote:

Once a year "corporate hunters" won't do well with a .223

That's what I figured. It was probably fine at one time, but some tactical Timmy went down there and cocked it up with poor shooting/wounding animals.

That part's fine. I've an AK, and a K31 I can bring in a non AR mode, and access to a ton of firepower on a borrow basis. (But this would be a handy excuse for me to get a new rifle.)

K31!!! You sexy thing!!

If you can find some decent soft points in 7.5 Swiss, I'd have no qualms against using that K31. It's equivalent to .308.

And you'd have the sexiest rifle out of the group.

I have some of the Hornady ballistic tipped 7.5x55mm. I reckon that'd do.

But don't I neeeeeeed a .45-70? For back-up?

You know, just to be sure.

Like I said, the gun is actually the easy part for me, but what else do I need? What kind of boots? Is mil-surp camo good enough? Is your typical Buck knife good enough for dressing out? Camelbak or just water bottles?

I vote pistol.

.45 cowboy gun.

Well I'm jealous, since I haven't had the opportunity, but I've been told minimum of .308 and someone with a shotgun loaded with slugs just in case. A friend recently shot a several hundred pound hog, and supposedly took him down with one shot from a .223.

I hunted hogs in central Texas, both on feet and from blinds. Used 5.56 AR 15s and dropped them quickly, no runner, with shoulder shots.

Though the ones we shot were on the smaller side as meat taste better than older and bigger hogs. Usually they were still breathing by the time I walked over to them and then dispatched them with my 9mm Glock to the head.

Anyway if you keep the meat, go for the small ones.

As for knives, I used my gut hook knife to open them up and then use my fishing fillet knife to cut away the fatty skin and unwanted internals. Used my handsaw to cut off the head. Their thick rough hair will dull your knives very quickly so be sure to bring a good sharpening stone!

I used AR 15s with Aimpoint PRO with 3x magnifier and another with Burris MTAC. Both have lit dot/reticle so that helped alot during low light shooting. Bring warm clothes, flashlights and ropes to drag them to the truck. Also bring anti bacterial wipes to clean your hands.. these suckers are nasty with lots of ticks and other bugs on them. I wear cheap rubber gloves while skinning but blood and other stuffs would work themselves into the gloves, so had to use a lot of anti bacterial wipes.

Milsurp camo will do fine, especially if hunting from a camouflaged blind/stand. It's more about minimizing movement and sound.

Boots won't matter that much, if your shooting from a stand/blind. Something comfortable that will get you there and back. Maybe waterproof, in case it rains or is muddy.

I prefer Camelbaks, to keep my hands free. But don't feel like you have to go out and buy one. You can carry a water bottle with you to the stand if needed.

People talking about having a large caliber gun "just in case" when hunting hogs are usually planning to be on the ground with the potential for a hog to close to contact distance with them. Doesn't sound like that's the case with your trip. Again, you're shooting from a stand/blind.

As for a knife, everyone has their personal preferences. It also depends on whether you're planning to harvest all the meat with a full dressing out, or just a basic dressing to harvest the shoulders and loins only. (I usually go with the latter... Keep the loins whole and take the shoulders for sausage processing.)

quote:

harvest the shoulders and loins only.

That is us.

And I do have a camelbak from the old days riding enduro on motorcycles. (I shudder to think of what might be in it though, as I don't know if I ever cleaned it out after my last use - 2012 or so)

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Originally posted by saigonsmuggler:
Their thick rough hair will dull your knives very quickly so be sure to bring a good sharpening stone!

Very true.

My buddies and I like to use box cutters/utility knives with easily replaceable blades when skinning a hog. Hang it up, use the utility knife to cut the skin into strips, then peel it off one strip at a time with vice grip pliers. Pop a new blade into the utility knife as needed. It's not fancy or sexy, but it works, and keeps you from having to resharpen your good knives.

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
And I do have a camelbak from the old days riding enduro on motorcycles. (I shudder to think of what might be in it though, as I don't know if I ever cleaned it out after my last use - 2012 or so)

Toss that old bladder. You can get a new Camelbak bladder for ~$30. You'll just have to figure out what size you need.

All good comments.

If you're close range, neck shots do the trick to save meat. Only shoot the little ones for meat. Big ones go on the burn pile.

I've only shot hogs with .223 and .300blk, all inside 150 yards. 308 is overkill and will just scare them out of the area. Or not, they're kinda dumb.

Carry a pistol if it's allowed. I've had them return back to the feeder while I was walking up to one I shot before. I think warnings of charging are overblown, but better safe than sorry.

Dress for hot weather that time of the year!

It seems to me that most folks over estimate how tough a pig is to kill. Although the bigger ones do have thick shoulders, I've never had one run after being shot. Assuming you don't shoot it in the ass or leg, I don't think you'll have that problem either. Personally, I love the .243 for pigs because of the low recoil and extended reach, but I don't use it much because it's noisy. Most of mine have been shot with a 22lr or magnum. I am almost always able to kill at least one a day, but I've also had good days and have killed 10 or 15.
A lot of people like the .308, but again...it makes a bunch of racket.
With the 22 or the magnum, I've never found head shots to be a precision game. Aim for the ear or the eye and your shot will be close enough to do the job. I've heard stories of 22lr bouncing off pigs heads. I've never seen it or had that trouble.
That being said, shooting pigs is a ton of fun! Being that this is your first pig hunt, don't shy away from the .243 or whatever you already have within their caliber limits.

In the past I've used 30.06 topped with a 3-9x40. With that set up there are no worries about being under gunned with 165 gr easily out to 200 yards. Hunting companions have had success with rifles down to .243. They will kill hogs, but the bigger bigger ones can absorb the lighter rounds and may need to be tracked down. I say if you have and good thumper, why use less. It's not like you're going to shoot 50 rounds and hurt your shoulder. I like seeing them take a couple of steps and collapse. A 45/70 would be fun.