Range?

I have used a lot of buckshot on pigs over the years, out to 40 yards buckshot is very very effective especially in tight country where shots come thick and fast.
Slugs will give you more range, but they aren't as handy on the close and running shots.

 

The only reason I can think of is if there is a danger in the projectiles exiting the kill zone. Buck shot pretty much peters out after 100 yds and is the reason parts of the country allow only it for hunting deer. Slugs on the other hand can penetrate a car door at ranges exceeding 200 yards. Don't know how far past 200 as that is as far as I have shot car doors. And...I am talking foster style slugs here. Sabot may go farther but I was never happy with their reliability so pretty much gave up on them. FYI, I had too many fail to discard the sabot, both sides and frequently had no idea where they might of went.

s/f Steve

 

My experience with buckshot on hogs is that it is very unreliable. Pigs inside of 40 yds., it might be OK. Fully mature hogs can weigh over 400 lbs. They have what amounts to armor plating on their shoulders. I have seen too many hogs, even small ones, fail to go down when hit with multiple loads of buckshot. I won't use it on hogs!! One kill means nothing! You want something you can consistently rely on in any situation you are likely to encounter. I have never shot a hog with a slug but from what I can tell, they are a very good choice. When I was younger, I used a 30-30. It wasn't overly effective but it did the job with good bullet placement. More recently I have been using a 45-70 with 450 gr. cast bullets at about 1650 fps. I have had both deer & hogs run after being hit but none went more than about 50 yds.I want to shoot some with my .58 cal. SXS Kodiak muzzle loader. It doesn't take a cannon to kill one but you have to get some lead in the boiler room!

 

Slugs for me. My 870 is accurate to 75 yds with Trueball and KO slugs. I just ask because I read that people contracted by the feds used buckshot in a culling operation.

 

The thing if found with buckshot is not to use SG/00 or bigger shot, SSG (18 pellets) is my shot of choice as unlike bigger shot it actually patterns and its patterns that kill.
I'd love to get AAA or #4 buck in TSS, I think that would be the best shot you could get for Pigs and deer.
But it's biggest advantage is open chokes in tight country, I hunt a lot in desert environments where pigs are always jumping out from under your feet and running through cover.
Most ****s are 30m or under with a lot being just a few meters in front or to the side of you, in that situation buckshot beats any rifle.

That being said if I only take one gun away with me then it's my 77/44 as it points like a shotgun but gives me more range on the few longer shot's that crop up when waiting on dam banks for Pigs to come into water.
But I have been thinking about taking a supply of both buckshot and slugs to cover those situations.

 

Question for those that use buckshot. Do the hogs generally die if shot with buckshot even when they are not dropped on the spot? If so, then it is mission accomplished as they are a plague in many parts of the US.

But of course this thread is about hunting them for game meat. That is of course different.

 

We cull them, many have either brucellosis or screw worms, it's not safe to eat the meat although they are exported in some areas that aren't effected.

In my experience most don't drop dead on the spot, but they don't go far either.
It's a very effective way to kill them at closer ranges especially on the smaller animals.
Most pigs are around 150lbs and not that solid, big tusky boars are rarer but buckshot will still take them down humanly.
It's going to be a long time before I can hunt them again as the two places I hunt have had years of drought and numbers a way done, the biggest property is over a million acres and they sold the last of their stock off early last year when they were completely out of water, they haven't had rain in 3 years.
But once numbers are built up again then it will be on again.
The only place that has pigs left is open scrub where ****s are 50-150m so buckshot isn't an option there.
As long as you use it within its limitations then it will do the job effectively.

 

Bob9863: Good on ya for killing feral pigs! We need a real bounty on them in the US so maybe, just maybe, we could get their numbers down to a more manageable level. Although at their breeding rates I doubt it.

 

That's odd. Everybody I contacted in Tx and NM wanted a metric buttload of money to hunt their pigs. If you are aware of any land owners who allow pig hunting, at no fee, please share. I know many top flight hunters. That is safe, competent, and respectful hunters who are happy to pay their own way. I am just not interested in huge daily rates and price per pig.

Thanks

s/f Steve

 

If its anything like here pay to play properties make money off the problem and other places use friend and family ect to do the hunting and access to those properties is closely guarded.
We have other places that whine and carry on about problems with feral animals and expect the government to do something about it, they view private hunter's as a potential legal problem if something goes wrong.

 

You can hunt them in FL at any time of year and no restrictions on how many or even a need for a license. Go to any national forest land and have at them.

 

I hunted hogs in Australia after hunts for Water Buffalo and Bangtang (sp) but it wasn't free. I haven't hunted hogs in Florida or have any idea where to begin. If any Florida land owner wants some competent hunters to assist, feel free to contact me.

Have Gun Will Travel

s/f Steve

 

I hunted hogs in Australia after hunts for Water Buffalo and Bangtang (sp) but it wasn't free. I haven't hunted hogs in Florida or have any idea where to begin. If any Florida land owner wants some competent hunters to assist, feel free to contact me.

Have Gun Will Travel

s/f Steve

I've hunted them in the Territory, QLD and NSW for free, any guided hunt will have fees attached, some of our northern hunts are stupid expensive.
Hunting on public land is hard as they get hammered by doggers but we have had success with feeders and blinds.
QLD has no public hunting so you need a guide, a pay to play property or be sagging someones daughter, nice or drink with their son.
In NSW there is public hunting, but pigs are still hard work, harder then deer, private land is the same as QLD.
VICTORIA has heaps and heaps of public land, but not many pigs, although more deer then the other states.
But the going rate for pay to play private land is $50au-$100au a day, most around $70au so that's about $35usd-$70usd a day and that's not exactly breaking the bank.

 

I've hunted hogs in Florida. The situation is on private land you can hunt all year round, license. On public land must have a license and hunt during deer season.
I payed to hunt on private land. Hunted on dry brush land over bait. My cuz was posted in swamp. Due to the conditions of the hunt a DRT (dead right there) was necessary. I hit a 160 hog with 308 round nose Bullet in the heart/lung. It didn't flinch. I thought I missed. It walked 10feet deeper in the brunch and fell. The reason for the original question is the 308 is not around and the 12ga is the weapon available. It's good for a 3" group at 75yds with Truball, KO or my precious Buck Hammer slugs

 

Correction to above post. A license is necessary on public land, not necessary on private.

 

Correction to above post. A license is necessary on public land, not necessary on private.

Not exactly and here is from the Florida Fish and Wildlife website. Bottom line no license is required.

"Hunting
Wild hogs may be trapped and hunted year-round with landowner permission. A hunting license is not required, and a permit is not required to take wild hogs at night with a gun and light with landowner permission.

Hunters may use dogs and any legal rifle, shotgun, crossbow, bow, pistol or air gun (including airbow). There is no size or bag limit, and either sex may be harvested.

Wild hogs may be trapped using live traps (e.g., box traps, cage traps, corral traps). Trapped animals may not be released on public lands and may only be released on private property with landowner permission. Persons wishing to transport or hold live wild hogs must first obtain applicable permits from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

And then this:

On most wildlife management areas (WMAs), wild hog hunting is allowed during most seasons, except spring turkey season. A hunting license is never required, but a management area permit is usually required, and a quota or daily quota permit may be required (see the area-specific WMA regulations for details). People may hunt wild hogs only during established seasons and in accordance with regulations outlined in the area-specific WMA regulations. Wild hog hunting is not allowed year-round on WMAs, except on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Area and the Rolling Meadows Unit - Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Area.
Wild hogs may be hunted during small-game seasons on most WMAs.

 

I stand corrected Thanks

 

Here in SC you can hunt them year round but you have to have a license & on WMAS you can't carry anything except small game ammo when hog hunting & deer season is closed. As far as buckshot goes, I have never witnessed more than about 12 shot with buckshot. None were instant kills. One I saw shot at point blank range was a sow. She went down but was not dead. My brothers father in law shot a small boar (about 150 pounds) 3 times in the head at close range with a 16 ga. & no. 1 buckshot. I would say at 10 to 20 feet before going down. Buckshot works great on deer but I have been on numerous deer drives where hunters used buckshot to shoot hogs & none went down. Too be honest, when they get their adrenaline up, they can be hard to kill with anything. The biggest one I have ever killed, I would guess was over 400 pounds, I shot 7 times through the lung area with a 32 Winchester without it going down. He was dead but he didn't know it. I found him next to a rice field canal still on his feet & finished him with my .44 mag. revolver. (the rifle was empty). I killed another one about the same size but he was a much younger boar & didn't have long tusks like the first one. I shot him with a hot .45-70 load in a Ruger no. 1 that would have killed a bull elephant. The 450 gr. bullet went clear through the heart / lung area. He ran less than 50 yds. & I found him dead in a briar patch. My guns (12&10 GA.) pattern 00 & 000 best but I am sticking to my rifles for hogs!

 

This is an Aussie guy that does a lot of pig shooting with 12ga buckshot, from a kayak and quad bikes.
He knocks up a lot of pigs like that.

Slugs are expensive and not very popular in Australia, and tons of pigs get kills with buckshot every year without a problem.