Shoot Your Chosen Weapon Often

Shoot Your Chosen Weapon Often. Hogs, especially big boars can be VERY TOUGH to put down with one shot. You’ll need to make good, accurate shots in the vitals to take one down quickly. Big, old boars have a thick gristle plate that covers their chest also. The plate coupled with a big, tough front shoulder bone can stop an arrow or bullet before it gets into the vitals and does any real damage. I hunt with traditional archery tackle when I hunt hogs. I love to get up close and personal when I hunt these big stinky critters, so I want archery tackle that will do the job. I normally shoot a longbow or recurve bow that pulls 65-80 pounds when I hunt any big game animal (personal choice, from experience). NOTE: The last three hogs that I’ve taken have been with my 80 Lb pull Howard Hill longbow. I also prefer and use heavy tapered GrizzlyStik carbon arrows sold by Alaska Bowhunting Supply (www.alaskabowhunting.com). These arrows, when coupled with a 210-290 grain single bevel broadhead weigh 710-900 grains for my finished arrows with the broadhead. These GrizzlyStik arrows are excellent choices for your hog hunting arsenal. The heavy bows and heavy arrows carry the momentum through to the intended target and get the good penetration that you need to successfully take a big wild hog. I use a heavy, high quality single bevel broadhead; the “Nanook” broadhead by GrizzlyStik or a “Brown Bear” broadhead, with a steel insert sold by ABowyer, Inc. in Michigan for the majority of my hog and other big game hunting. The “Grizzly” broadhead has proven to be an excellent killer also. These broadheads hold up to hits on big, tough animals. These broadheads take a sharp edge and hold it; even after shooting an animal with them. I recently shot a big wild hog on a hunt and the recovered “Nanook” broadheads were sharp enough re-use immediately if I needed to use them in a hurry. Hogs have thick layer of fat and heavy coats that are often covered with mud from wallowing (even in the winter months). A broadhead needs to stand up to this mud and thick coat and still retain its sharp cutting edge. You want a broadhead that is capable of getting you a pass-through to create a good wound channel and blood trail also. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND not using mechanical broadheads on hogs, especially big boars. I’ve personally seen mechanical broadheads fail on big boars, even on close shots. Locating Hogs: I would suggest start your search by contacting the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to locate hog hunting areas around the state; whether you choose to hunt public or private land. You can reach the Agency at www.state.tn.us/twra/contacts. I would recommend calling the TWRA Regional Offices in Region 3 at 931-484-9571; and Region 4 at 423-587-7037 to get the latest scoop on the best hog hunting areas. Tennessee has no season on wild hogs and the TWRA encourages hunters to kill every hog they encounter, due to their destructive nature of rooting and eating anything they may encounter. Wild hogs are very prolific and can populate an area very quickly also. Reducing their numbers will help the environment greatly too. The other option that you have is hunting a preserve. Some people have pooh-poohed this as hunting “penned” animals. The preserves that I’ve hunted have proven to be very challenging hunts. Hogs can get very difficult to locate and get close enough for a shot, especially with archery tackle. I hunt on the ground and prefer to still-hunt and stalk, which increases the challenge and difficulty of the hunt. Hog Hunting Equipment. You’ll need your chosen hunting weapon, along with arrows or the proper bullets, if you choose to use a firearm. A good, high quality pair of quiet boots is essential. Make sure they are well-broken in, before your hunt. I carry a high quality pair of binoculars any time I hunt. This tool is great for searching for hogs and hopefully locating them so you can put the sneak on them. I wear a new type of camo called “hide-n-camo”. This pattern was developed by Jon Washburn, a very experienced bowhunter in Illinois, with over 30 years of pursuing a variety of big game with archery tackle. Check out Jon’s web site at: www.hide-n-camo.com. I also carry a hog grunt call, in the event that I encounter a hog or group of hogs and want to calm them down or reduce their suspicions if they spot me. Hogs don’t have great eyes, but they do spot movement easily; and have incredible noses and hearing. I use the same techniques of scent control for wild hogs, which I use for hunting whitetail deer or other big game. Hunting East Tennessee tuskers is exciting, fun and very challenging. Hunting wild boar will give you a great opportunity to hunt when other seasons are closed. Hogs are not easy to take even in a preserve, especially if you chase them with archery tackle on the ground. If you manage to take one, the pork is great on the table, and less fat than domestic pork. So accept the challenge and go to East Tennessee and chase some wild hogs this year. Sidebar. For excellent hog hunting contact Rick Loshbough, owner of Loshbough Hunting Lodge at www.tennboar.com or give him a call at 931-788-5408. Rick has two nice lodges and excellent hunting territory.