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Old 09-27-2011, 10:21 AM
BearBio BearBio is offline
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As a biologist who partially paid for grad school by guiding on California pigs (seen over 100 shot, maybe 200)., let me throw out some biology and experience:
1. Pigs and boars are the same animals with 36, 37, or 38 chromosomes. The difference is caused by a long chromosome breaking and the "sticky ends" (an actual biological term) staying together.
2. Pigs and bears are not closely related. This is based on molar shape. Pig and bear molars have 4 cusps (bucodont)==same as humans do. Evolved to handle an omnivorous diet.
3. Pigs will develop traits of boars within 2 generations but not in "months". Traits include gristle shield around the shoulders, striped young, "razor-back".

4. A pig's heart and lungs are lower in the body than a deer. A normal heart shot MAY hit the vessels above the heart. Also, muscle and fat above the spine may be misleading as will the ridge of hair that they develop.

Experience:
Have seen pigs shot with everything from 22 rimfire to 45-70 and .458. The 45-70 got away (see #4 above-bullet hit the top pf a process on the spine, stunning the animal for about 15 minutes).

The only animal I wounded and ever lost was a sow about 150-175 pounds. Got her in the liver (left a 4" square piece on the ground) with a 300 Win mag. My only excuse was it was a 300 yd running shot and I was comfortable making those at that time. She was in the open. We tracked her 1/2 mile (finding a piece of intestine and lots of blood) through heavy brush and then the trail stop.

Saw a boar with both front legs shot off by a poacher and healed. Saw another with a poacher's arrow in his liver. Watched him stumble across a barley field. Rancher watched him for several weeks. He lived. We've cleaned two with old bullets in their legs that broke the bone and one with a healed broadhead in it (all wrapped up in cartilage). So, not all are poor shots. They are tough. We listened to one fight off a pack of wild dogs one night.

Guns: I recommended a 270 or better=maybe a 25-06 if I knew the hunter was a good shot and we expected to catch the hogs in the open. GOOD QUALITY bullets that retain weight-I used 180 gr Noslers in my 300. Good old 30-06 can't be beat.

Handguns: Having killed maybe 2 dozen, excluding "mercy shots" with handguns: here's my recommendation: .41 magnum, solid, hard cast lead (the 41 seems to penetrate better than a 44). I would probably use a Blackhawk 45 Colt with heavy (300 gr) hardcast, myself. Stay away from hollow points unless hunting for the larder (100 pounds or so). I've twice seen 44 mag 240gr hollow points bounce off a pig's skull. As I write this I have a 180 gr 45 acp load that looks unfired except for rifling grooves and hair stuck in the tip. I shot that one and it went almost completely through a 180 pounder that then tried to eat me. A hardball to the skull dropped him.

Personal use of 357 magnum. I used it on two hogs.The first was a 120 pound boar. My biggest sow, the second, was shot once with a 300 mag (She pivoted as I fired and we took the left rear leg almost completely off), one in the gut with a 357, I then put 5 from the 357 just behind her ear (left a major bruise under the skin). She turned to go after me and as she ran by, my buddy put a 300 mag in her ear. All shots except the first were at under 10 feet. She weighed out at 260 pounds on a cattle scale. I was using a Ruger GP-100 with a 4" barrel and 180 grain handloads with silhouette bullets (exposed, crimped lead at the tip).

Conversely my two largest hogs (a 235 lb 3.5" tusker and a 180 lb, with 4.25" tusks both dropped to one shot=a 180 Nosler through the lungs).

There's my 2 cents for what's it worth==take it or leave it.

Incidentally, I originally wanted to do my MS thesis on wild pig social structure.

Last edited by BearBio; 09-27-2011 at 10:24 AM.
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