# hog hunting with a shotgun ?



## snapper trapper

Hey yall yesterday I saw some wild hogs at my hunting spot last night and thought I would try my hand at hog hunting.
But the only thing I own that can kill a hog is my 12 gauge 
pump. now here's the question, Will 00 buck shot kill a hog
or should I just use some rifled slugs?


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## fishtail

Either will do.
I've killed them with #2 birdshot and 22lr.
I've also cleaned them with #1 buckshot embedded and the wounds healed over.
Just know your firearms capability.


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## georgia_home

there are several threads about this out there...

i'd recommend something other, harder then lead in buck shot. just because you may see a big one, and the lead may not do it.

i hit a larger pig, maybe 125-150 a year or two ago... he ran off. with 00-3"-12ga-15yards. i think he died later, no blood trail. the coyotes were going crazy a few hours later. i believe my mistake was shooting the shoulder.

i would recommend slugs, they usually drop them immediately or after only short runs... or go for head shots if using buck.

with any shot, placement counts!

good luck to ya!


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## fishtail

georgia home is absolutely correct about shot placement!
Shot one with a 30/30 in the shoulder within 30 yards, as I approached he lifted his head and tried to get up, follow up shot was in the head. Upon cleaning him I found the first bullet did not even penetrate the shield, just knocked the wind out of him.


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## Jester896

i have shot a 125# hog in the front shoulder and it exit the opposing ham with a .45-70 and they still run off..i have seen better result with the copper plated "00" than regular lead...i have also seen those Tri-Ball loads drop one like a hot potato.  The sow was 312# field dressed and it put a hole the size of a good thumb through the heart and exited the other side at 50 yds...just one of the three balls hit.  I have seen the copper plated go through both sides at 50 yds too on a 125# pig...stay in front of the shoulders and you will be fine.


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## bfriendly

georgia_home said:


> there are several threads about this out there...
> 
> i'd recommend something other, harder then lead in buck shot. just because you may see a big one, and the lead may not do it.
> 
> i hit a larger pig, maybe 125-150 a year or two ago... he ran off. with 00-3"-12ga-15yards. i think he died later, no blood trail. the coyotes were going crazy a few hours later. i believe my mistake was shooting the shoulder.
> 
> i would recommend slugs, they usually drop them immediately or after only short runs... or go for head shots if using buck.
> 
> with any shot, placement counts!
> 
> good luck to ya!



Agree.........if you got 00 buck laying around, dont be afraid to point them at a porker........and follow up with another, maybe another!  Slugs will definitely put one down too, but again, so will a .22lr, if the placement is good.....

Check the sticky(Hog Anatomy) at the top of the Doggers section and it will show you the plate(to avoid) and the heart/lung to go for..........

I have not tried it, but I have been hearing alot of success stories with Neck(Spine) shots............I guess if you damage that thing, they are gonna have a tough time getting up


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## snapper trapper

Thank y'all very much for the help.
But I have one more question to ask , Do boars really charge as much as people say?
Because my good friend /gun smith told me not to spend my time on target practice but start practicing climbing trees as fast as I can.


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## georgia_home

if you search the spot/stalk thread for one i did a few weeks back.. you will see a pic of several moving through the woods... after popping one of the little ones, the sow made a small charge before taking off. never got too close.

the little one was spine hit, and back a little far... paralyzed... and immediately dispatched, with 00 buck.

imho, forget your friends advise... or only listen to half. GET TO THE RANGE with the load you intend to shoot. some guns will "throw" slugs off target, and you don't want to find that out by missing!!! that will really tick you off!!! and ruin your trip.

if you want to practice climbing trees, that's up to you. remember though, its hitting the hog that puts meat on the table... i guess you could put on a tree climbing demonstration for old porky... maybe he will die laughing! but i'd have more faith in a slug! 

good luck to ya!


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## dadsbuckshot

Try this...

http://www.dixieslugs.com/


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## snapper trapper

Thanks Georgia . I had to ask because here in Michigan its
not common to see six hogs running around.
I live a mile away from a old hunting ranch. 7 years ago it closed down .And the owners just opened the pens and now all kinds of odd things are around like hogs and white deer it's really cool .

And I agree about the tree thing . I can just imagine me climbing the tree slipping and falling right on top of the hog


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## idsman75

Depending on the hog, several OO pellets in the neck and head might bring it down.  I wouldn't count on it.  I check my hog trap with a 12-gauge Benelli loaded with the cheapest slugs I can find on the shelf which are usually the Remington rifled slugs.  I have no doubt they would do the trick for you if you're accurate with it.  The first hog I ever killed was 200 - 250 lb range.  He wouldn't sit still (go figure).  I thought he looked cool and, even though he was caught in a trap, I wanted to hang him on my wall for decoration so I wanted to preserve the mount.  I tried for a lung shot and his squirrelly rear-end kept moving.  It hit him in the guts.  He looked at me like I was a jerk and kept at it.  It took another shot to the lungs to get him to lay down and another to the heart to kill him.  If my first shot was to the heart or lungs, I have no doubt he would have gone down if I was hunting him in the open.  12-gauge slugs work.  Killed about 8 hogs this year with slugs.


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## bigreddwon

I've killed a bunch of hogs this year with my M2. A few to the 'Dixie tri ball', a few to the rifled 1oz slugs but most were with 3" copper plated federal . For the money in my opinion, the copper plated 00 buck is the ticket. I've tested regular 00 buck and on a hog with any kind of shield they just flatten out. The copper punches right through at normal shotgun ranges (under 40-50 yards). Good buckshot or almost any slug, will lay em down. Dont get me wrong, regular buck is no joke, but the copper is just  better at punching through IMO.


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