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44 for Boar.

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Fishengame

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Evening folks. In a nutshell, theres some wild boar roaming the area i hunt turkeys (lets say north of the Mass border). I saw fresh trails 3 wks ago when took my eldest son and some his buddies ice fishin. Im a lifelong wingshooter with no big-game experience. On my last 3 hunts ive had signs of pigs feeding within 10' of my groundblinds. My buddy has offered up his 6" open-sght SW model 29 to carry in, just in case. I believe theyre feeding at night. I would like to be ready if the opportunity presents itself some early AM. Ive put over a thousand rounds through my 45 acp, so im famililar with handgun disciplines. Shot 44 target loads. Id obviously spend some time at the range shootin the same rounds i would hunt with...which brings me to suggestions from you'all. I like the idea of a 44 handgun as opposed to carrying two longarms. I would appreciate any and all advice from those who have hunted with a 44 handgun.
Thanks, Fishengame.
 
Can't comment directly on the 44, but you can youtube pig hunting with handguns and see a ton of bubbas putting 6 and 7 shots into a still thrashing pig. I've got a pig hunt coming this year, and I'm wondering if a 12ga. slug is going to get it done. Those things are huge.

Either way, gl.
 
davemata said:
I've got a pig hunt coming this year, and I'm wondering if a 12ga. slug is going to get it done. Those things are huge.
Click to expand...

12 gauge slugs should do the trick much better than a handgun.
However, a .44 Mag handgun would be a good back-up.
Wild boar can stand quite a punch and tend to keep on charging,
even with some well placed bullets in them.
 
I went on a canned hunt in VT for boar several years back with a couple hunting buddy's. A father and son team. Roy, the son, is one heck of a pistol shot and used a Scoped S&W .44 Magnum. His dad backed him up with a .308. Roy was using 300 grain solids in the pistol.

That boar absorbed 6 rounds in a 4" circle in the heart lung area before it fell over.

His father and I both took ours with one shot. I was using a .30-06. 165 grain Winchester Silver tip.

Yes, it can be done. Are you that good with that pistol?
 
JuergenG said:
12 gauge slugs should do the trick much better than a handgun.
However, a .44 Mag handgun would be a good back-up.
Wild boar can stand quite a punch and tend to keep on charging,
even with some well placed bullets in them.
Click to expand...
Would the "trick" be one and done with good placement in the neck or heart?
 
davemata said:
Would the "trick" be one and done with good placement in the neck or heart?
Click to expand...

Just came back, well a month ago, from hunting boar in SC. The guide recommends strongly against a chest cavity shot. Reason being they will die slower than a head/spine shot. Even with a heart lung shot, much like a deer they can still go 100 yards before they pile up. And between a lot of fat and the cartiladge on their flanks they don't leave a good blood trail. I shot a 325+ pound boar at the base of the ear (broadside) and he didn't take a step. As far as pistol hunting I brought a .44 with 300 gr Cor Bons and he didn't have a problem with it but we were hunting stands that were 100 plus yards from the bait. While I would really like to kill one with a pistol I'll stick with rifle because I don't want to loose one.
 
If you are hunting turkeys, don't you have a shotgun with you anyhow? Why can't you just chamber a slug if you come across a boar? Just keep some on one of those stretchy fabric stock ammo holder things.

That said, I swear I saw some ladies on here hunting boar with knives in the past three weeks.
 
Been hunting boar in Texas for four years now. Best advice I ever got---head shots, head shots, head shots. They'll die like anything else but you won't find them unless you can drop them on the spot. Put one in the ear and you're all done.
 
Yup, hits in the "engine compartment" don't necessarily drop them. However, that's what most of the hunters
over here are aiming for. Not being a hunter, I couldn't tell why.
They mostly use rifles over shotguns for the advantage of a much longer range and for fear of deflected slugs.
At least that's what I understand from discussions.
 
Coyote33 said:
If you are hunting turkeys, don't you have a shotgun with you anyhow? Why can't you just chamber a slug if you come across a boar? Just keep some on one of those stretchy fabric stock ammo holder things.

That said, I swear I saw some ladies on here hunting boar with knives in the past three weeks.
Click to expand...

I don't know about NH/VT (where the OP is implying he's hunting, but he never really said), but in MA possession of slugs or buckshot outside of shotgun deer season is a violation of game laws.

And edged weapons are definitely the way to go for boar, if you're planning on hunting them. I have a friend from school, she and her roommate went boar hunting with spears down in FL over the winter holiday.
 
What atmay says is correct.

I'm in a hunter's safety course, and the EPO was very specific about the slugs and buckshot. He pointed out that under the rules in Mass, technically it's illegal to buy slugs and carrry them out of the store outside of deer season, as you're carrying them out of season in an area where mammals may be found. [rolleyes]
 
MisterHappy said:
What atmay says is correct.

I'm in a hunter's safety course, and the EPO was very specific about the slugs and buckshot. He pointed out that under the rules in Mass, technically it's illegal to buy slugs and carrry them out of the store outside of deer season, as you're carrying them out of season in an area where mammals may be found. [rolleyes]
Click to expand...

Well, I wouldn't take it that far. If you don't have a shotgun in hand, there's absolutely no way they could hook you up for that, and if you're walking into Wally World with a shotgun in hand, and buying those Remington value packs of slugs...you'll probably have more problems than a game law citation [laugh]
 
atmay said:
Well, I wouldn't take it that far. If you don't have a shotgun in hand, there's absolutely no way they could hook you up for that, and if you're walking into Wally World with a shotgun in hand, and buying those Remington value packs of slugs...you'll probably have more problems than a game law citation [laugh]
Click to expand...
Even in NH, I'd bet.
 
I like to think so but......Its been awhile. Like i mentionbed earlier, id like to practice with the 44 beforehand. No scope coulf be tough, my eyes started getting rusty last year. Since i posted this last Fri ive decided to go with a borrowed Rem pump in 308. im more confident with a rifle. 10-4 on the Silvertips, my buddy likes therm.
Thanks Chuck
 
If you use a 44 magnum don't use hollow points, they expand before they penetrate far enough to do real damage. 270-300gr soft points will do well.
 
My understanding is, these boar are open game year round with avalid NH big game liscence. Our neighbors down the road have thier lawns ripped up every year.
Ive run into some big bore boar huinters up there who filled me in.
Did the girls have their (pig) roast. No spears for me. I saw The Man Tred Barta sticking a pig attached to 4 dogs and 3 men on TV. Not for me.
 
I hunt near the Conn River Valley. Theyre everywhere in southern 2/3 of the state. The major pop started in western counties. It appears the harvest numbers in the central/east are rising.
 
Ive decided to bring a 308. Probably all for nothing. But then again. Im a very optimistic sportsman, i always think im gonna catch a 30 lb Stiper or bring home a pair of Teal.
Thanks for the info. This site , is great. Ive got my gameplan, a 308 pump, head shot, be ready for quick follow up.
 
I dont want to blow up the business end of my beloved Benelli, with its extra expensive and extra Full Turk choke. I dont want to mess around with changing chokes if i get a crack at it.
 
I took a ~150 lb boar in TX last spring with a Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum, one shot through the shoulder with a 280 gr Swift A-Frame at about 75 yards. I had a long discussion with owner of the ranch and one of my hunting buddies about shot selection. The consensus was that a head / ear hole shot is the best - if you can make the shot. If you doubt either yourself or the rifle, take the shoulder out with a premium bullet instead. You might need to finish it off with a second shot, but at least you've anchored it first. I'm not crazy about Silvertips for boar, I think you're better off with a bonded / partition bullet. I'm partial to Nosler Accubonds / Partitions or Swift Scirocco / A-Frames. Barnes TSX would probably do the trick as well.
 
Fishengame said:
I like to think so but......Its been awhile. Like i mentionbed earlier, id like to practice with the 44 beforehand. No scope coulf be tough, my eyes started getting rusty last year. Since i posted this last Fri ive decided to go with a borrowed Rem pump in 308. im more confident with a rifle. 10-4 on the Silvertips, my buddy likes therm.
Thanks Chuck
Click to expand...

My rule is always bring enough gun. Paul, the Dad, took his with one shot through the heart/lungs. I did the same. I wasn't with the two of them for their hunt but heard the story from each of them. Paul was afraid he'd have to shoot after the 6th shot hit the boar but finally it keeled over. He hit it 6 times and it just stood there like nothing happened. They die pretty hard.

Practice with that .308 until you can hit what you aim at. Depending on recoil, don't overdo the target practice.

Good luck. I ate mine down to the shins.
 

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