How hard are they to kill
Hogs
How hard is it to kill a hog with the bow. Whats the minimum draw weight you would suggest for them.
there not hard at all. shot placement is key. i shoot 70lbs, a 27.25 inch 400FMJ with a 100gr buzzcut or stinger. i have now 7 this year. longest went 40 yards. shoot low in the center of the sholder. 6-8inch above the elbow and you will do fine. iv shot them with 50lbs. put an shaft in the right place and your good
agree with Elkcallin8 on shot placement but kinda disagree on tough to kill. I've have been charged 3 different times by hogs an hour after they were double lunged. Yes, we checked when we gutted them. I've killed a variety of Biggame-Elk, Bear, Caribou, Deer, Buffalo & many hogs. Given the same hit on any of these animals & the Hog is by far the one that is the toughest (my opinion). They are a blast to Bowhunt though & I usually make a couple off season trips to Tx. or Ok..
They are one of the toughest animals in N.A. for sure, but like any animal will quickly succumb to a well placed arrow. Their kill zone is smaller than most other animal's, so pay attention to shot placement (think "heart shot" on a deer).
What Matt said :)
I have only taken 3-4 but they all were tough to bring down.
they are a tough animal. if you get them in that sweet spot or close make sure you give them enough time. i usally give mine an hour or so. your bigger hogs somtimes seal up and have very spotty trails.iv had to track by track befor. low shot placement. the lower the more blood. that goes for any animal. this pic i hope will work and show you how low. this just works for me best. thats all. other people may have other ways. dont be afraid of the low sholder. this was just above the elbow shot 25 yards watched him fall. good luck
i ended up shooting three in ten min that night all over 120 lbs.
what kind of broadhead are you shooting? cut on contact head would be the best for 40lbs i think. keep your shots id say at the most 25 yards. thats just what i think tho. these other guys mite no beter. i now 40 works on elk bear deer everything that i have guided. 1/4 away would be a good idea. just slightly. and stick him in the arm pit about 6 inches from the brisket. keep you shots close tho. you will do just fine.
that will work just fine.
Location, location, location...
Keep your shots very close, like 10-15 yards to insure good penetration and your best accuracy.
Also, if several hogs come in pick one that's not a giant. It makes a huge difference, ask Matt and Cheryl at Shilo.
All of the hogs we've double-lunged have gone down pretty quickly, like 50 to 100 yards. Heart-shots, too.
Don't count on a great blood trail, even with a good hit. Listen closely for clues as it runs off.
Hit a tad off a double-lung or heart shot and things get really tough.
If you do decide to try a cut-on-contact head consider the Magnus Stinger Buzzcut.
Have fun and please keep us posted.
I don't think I've killed but one at 25 yds. All the rest have been like 10 yds or less. I've had 1 go forever & killed him when he charged an hour later. 2 others went maybe 50-60 yds & all the rest within sight of me (16). I have been on some blood trails of others that were spotty even with a decent hit but if you put it close to the elbow & in the lowere 3rd, they usually don't go far. They are damn tough though. I do try for a slight quarter away shot & now I look for those around 100#s or less as we love that size for cookin & eatin. I use a fixed 3 Blade Broadhead & your Muzzys should be just fine. good Luck
Once you get the "I want a Big Tusker' out of your system THESE are the ones ya want. good Luck again as Hog Bowhunting gets addicting for sure.
i am with you on that one ahunter55. everyone wants that big trophy. but people have to think anything with a bow is a trophy. its about being out there not the big kill
not very hard at all, similar to a deer, but hit them lower and further forward
Hit them right behind the elbow and they will go right down. I have taken 2 this season and 20 yds was the max distance either traveled. G5 striker work great.
I think hogs are hard to kill. Their vitals are smaller and more well protected by shoulder bones and plating on a boar. If you don't center punch the vitals and see the hog go down, you might have some trouble finding it, especially in thick cover. They don't bleed much due to fat closing wounds. I've never lost a deer, can't say the same with hogs. They are as tough as they come.
SDHNTR is right (as well as everyone else here) - they go down fast IF you hit them in the vitals. That area is much smaller, considering the size of the animal, than something like a deer. If you miss it they are VERY hard to kill.
What makes them such a challenge - small kill zone, they don't like to stand still and if in a group, there likely other pigs in the way or behind them.
To me, most bows will kill them IF the shot placement is right. I also go for tight on the elbow. You have some wiggle room up from there, but little to the left and right. Check out some of the anatomy pictures that are in other threads. Be sure to note how low the spine is - if you go above that you are not likely to find your hog.
Great points here! One thing missing though...Hogs will not stay still, they are always moving..try and keep your shots under 20yds to increase your recovery rates..
And like everyone else has said.. Razor sharp broadheads so that it makes a clean cut. Hogs obviously have a lot of fat that will clog the cuts and stop the bleeding. And a shot hog will run for ever..then fall over dead. Keep an eye on him if you can.
Notice the vitals on a hog and the location of its spine.. The spine sits lower on the back than what most people think.
Shoot Str8 and Stay Safe
Jeff
i've shot a number of them, they all died instantly. my wife shot a russian, and it died instantly. an arrow in the vitals of any animal pretty much dies instantly. focus on the shot when you are ready to shoot and don't worry about how "tough" they are. the toughest part is the skin, that's why we don't eat it.
I shot a BIG boar with a 30.06 4x and it took ALL 4 to bring it down.
Some are easier than others but don't be fooled into thinking it's goiong to be easy because it won't...
Someone made a comment about a low hit. That is very important. A high lung shot may still work fine on a deer, but you may be in for some trouble on a hog. Hit one high in the lungs in thick country and you are asking for trouble. It will surely kill the hog, but you will have little or no blood to follow.
I shot one the other day that was broadside. The hit looked great, right behind the elbow. But upon reviewing the video footage we noticed he turned slightly quartering towards me when I released. We slowly followed up on the blood trail and I was able to get another arrow into him about 20 minutes later. He succumbed perhaps 30 seconds after that.
I had a similar experience as Sage Buffalo did. Big boar took 2 150 gr 30.06 bullets. Both good shots and under 75 yrds. Lost another big one a couple of years ago with my bow to a high lung/liver hit. The hit was to high and far back. Zero blood trail and I could hear him running for what seemed like forever. Out of ear shot anyways.
You haven't shot enough hogs if everyone has died instantly. I've killed and witnessed more hogs shot than most folks. Perfectly placed killing shots on bayed hogs means nothing. Directly after the hit I've watched them pommel dogs and send bowhunters scattering requiring at least one if not more well placed shots. Conversely, I've seen them go down very quickly.
Spot and stalk hogs tend to be a bit more relaxed and don't seem to have the vivaciousness of one who's been harrassed. On the flip side of that it still is no slam dunk.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch. When you become complacent hunting hogs, the tables turn and ka-ka happens. You'll "never" be ready enough when it happens. At that time, you'll respect what they can do to you. I used to be complacent and had my butt whipped with two perfectly placed shots on a very OLD boar a few years ago. He took me for a ride big time and about put me on a gurney.
Hog hunting should never be taken lightly.
Overall, I would say in the middle ( taken over 90 in Texas,GE and Fl and New Z))
Any animal can turn aggressive, and Individuals vary ( willingness to Live) .
Broadside and Q only with Fixed heads, used 65 to 84 pounds. 60 OK. Not as tough as warthog, in my opinion ( 3 warthogs) . Some boars were 240 to 450 pounds. Prefer to eat them over WH deer.
