Hunting a wild boar is one of the most exhilarating and challenging experiences any hunter could dream of. It requires thorough preparation, proper equipment and a lot of courage too. The wild boar is an unbelievably intelligent and aggressive animal, and, unlike a deer, it is not going to flee in fear. Therefore, if you want to make your kill, you should know what you are doing and be prepared for the unexpected.
On the other hand, this is what proper hunting is supposed to be in the first place. And if you want to enjoy the sport in its prime, wild boar hunting is your perfect opportunity to have that experience. Here, we shall provide you with several tips and tricks you might want to know, depending on what type of hunting you intend to do.
Proper Equipment
No matter what type of hunting you choose, you must first equip yourself properly. For one thing, you ought to get proper night vision scopes. The boar has an excellent sense of vision, and you will do well to match it with good optical equipment.
Go for Gen 2 or Gen 3 vision scopes with the clearest optics and the highest resolution. And a recoil-resistant scoped rifle with an IR illumination system will help you feel perfectly in control when stalking a boar in the dark.
You must also choose your camouflage with great care as the boar’s sense of smell is just as good as its vision. Your suit’s colours should blend perfectly with those of the environment where you intend to hunt. And a good smell eliminator is a must, or else you might spend the day on a solitary walk in the forest.
Moreover, the wild boar’s skin is very thick, and you will need a good rifle or a knife to shoot or stab through it. Otherwise, the wounded animal will tear you into pieces in no time. Your blade should be at least 4.7mm thick, no less than 8 3/4 inches in width and 7 9/16 inches in length, and your rifle must be of 0.243 – 0.260 calibre, at least.
Types of Wild Boar Hunting
Essentially, the numerous strategies of hunting a boar all boil down to whether you intend to do it with or without dogs and whether you prefer to stalk or await the prey. Therefore, we shall only discuss the pros and cons of these four categories.
Hunting with Dogs
There are two traditional ways to hunt a wild boar with dogs – bay dog and catch dog hunting.
In bay hunting, your hounds trace the prey and bark loud to let you know of the latter’s location. Once you are on-site, the dogs’ mission has been accomplished, and it is your time for combat. In catch hunting, the dogs stalk the boar and attack it too. Their mission is to physically hold the prey down until you arrive to kill it.
Hunting with dogs is an easy job and requires minimal equipment. On the other hand, it also defeats the purpose since you let the dogs enjoy the thrill. Plus, you must train your dogs properly first.
Besides, you risk losing a dog in the process. A wild boar is a ferocious animal, and unless you hunt a piglet, the chances are the animal has seen better enemies than your dog. If you do opt for dog hunting, after all, we suggest that you use lacy dogs or, even better, pitbull terriers for the purpose. The latter’s incredible strength and agility and superb sense of smell make it an equal rival to the boar.
Awaiting vs Stalking the Prey
Even though blind hunting may sound like an easy task, it is hard to stay still in an uncomfortable posture for a long time, not losing your concentration for a second. Besides, it requires more equipment and is, therefore, more expensive than actual stalking.
However, if you do decide to stalk and kill the prey, after all, remember the boar will not necessarily run away in fear. On the contrary, many hunters confess to the intuitive feeling that the wild boar actually enjoys the combat through and through. And that is what gives the experience a special thrill.
True or not, do not under any circumstances let the animal get close to you unless you are ready for the good old English pigsticking, for otherwise, you might not enjoy the thrill as much as the wild boar apparently does.
Conclusion
Successful hunting involves a combination of courage, reason and caution, and this is especially true for wild boar hunting. Equip yourself well and learn more about the boar’s behaviour to enjoy the thrill of combat with a creature equal to you in strength and character and to have some bacon for breakfast at the end.
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