Would it be a bad idea to hunt feral hogs with 40# bow?
That is too lite in my opinion and experience.
Swinestalker has killed a ton of them with bows in the 40-45# weight. He does draw longer but as long as your tunes well and the broadhead is sharp and you do your part you shouldn't have any problems.
Depends on the size of hog you plan on encountering, as well as your draw length. For an average draw length and average to smaller hogs you should be fine.
QuoteOriginally posted by pdk25:
Depends on the size of hog you plan on encountering, as well as your draw length. For an average draw length and average to smaller hogs you should be fine.
Perfect answer.
With a sufficiently quick and powerful 40# bow at 28" draw or greater with a sharp head placed right, why not? For an average medium or smaller pig. For Hogzilla? Id prolly add 10 or so #.
Small hogs (less than 100 pounds) are easy to penetrate. You are definitely too light for a nasty boar hog with a developed shield.
40#.......the 243 of bow weights
I'm hardly an expert. I've hit 2 that were 130-150 lbs. One with a 475 gr fmj out of a 50 lbs bow. One with a 630 gr arrow out of a 60 lb bow. I wasn't pleased with either honestly. Shot placement issue though.
The hog shot with the 50 lb bow was a broadside shot. Behind the shoulder Just over the centerline of the hog at 12 yds. A bit high. You need to keep the shot as low as possible. Penetration wasn't the best. No luck finding it. Just above the centerline of the hog is about where the ribs combine with the spine. It was Grizzly head I think.
The one I shot with my 60 lb bow was at 3 ft. Strong quartering to me. I shot it as it wheeled to run. Admittedly a somewhat self defense shot. Arrow went in the center of the shoulder and angled back and got liver. I may have caught scapula. But Penetration wasn't what I was expecting. I may have gotten 8", and didn't get 2 holes. Trailed him 400 yds and lost him. This was with a cutthroat head.
Now neither hog was hit in a good spot. But I was still expecting better penetration.
That being said, I think a 40 lb bow could do the job. A perfectly flying arrow with a narrow head placed in the armpit will be lethal.
I'll disagree with the 600+ gr comment. I think your past the point of diminishing returns with that heavy of an arrow and a 40 lb bow. (At least that was my experience at a 27" draw). Out of my mild performing 43# spirit r/d longbow a 500 gr arrow flies mucj much better. Its not necessary, but micro diameter arrows and narrow heads are your friend.
I've shot, literally, a truck load of pigs with 41 to 45# and shoot thru virtually all of them. I shoot shoats, gilts and sows. I stay away from boars. They're a different critter and to my notion need more horse power. :) They're not fit to eat anyway. :)
Have shot a few Georgia hogs with my 43# RER with no problems.
QuoteOriginally posted by Schmidty3:
I'm hardly an expert. I've hit 2 that were 130-150 lbs. One with a 475 gr fmj out of a 50 lbs bow. One with a 630 gr arrow out of a 60 lb bow. I wasn't pleased with either honestly. Shot placement issue though.
The hog shot with the 50 lb bow was a broadside shot. Behind the shoulder Just over the centerline of the hog at 12 yds. A bit high. You need to keep the shot as low as possible. Penetration wasn't the best. No luck finding it. Just above the centerline of the hog is about where the ribs combine with the spine. It was Grizzly head I think.
The one I shot with my 60 lb bow was at 3 ft. Strong quartering to me. I shot it as it wheeled to run. Admittedly a somewhat self defense shot. Arrow went in the center of the shoulder and angled back and got liver. I may have caught scapula. But Penetration wasn't what I was expecting. I may have gotten 8", and didn't get 2 holes. Trailed him 400 yds and lost him. This was with a cutthroat head.
Now neither hog was hit in a good spot. But I was still expecting better penetration.
That being said, I think a 40 lb bow could do the job. A perfectly flying arrow with a narrow head placed in the armpit will be lethal.
I'll disagree with the 600+ gr comment. I think your past the point of diminishing returns with that heavy of an arrow and a 40 lb bow. (At least that was my experience at a 27" draw). Out of my mild performing 43# spirit r/d longbow a 500 gr arrow flies mucj much better. Its not necessary, but micro diameter arrows and narrow heads are your friend.
You lost two pigs and disagree with my comment?
Ok
Yep. Yes I do. That's my experience.
15 gpp is gonna be a tough arrow to throw. A 600+ gr arrow at 120 fps isn't a good option. Trajectory will be steep and my experience is that penetration will remain wanting. As trad archers we tend to prefer momentum calculations over Kinetic energy. Which is fine and I agree with. But you still need velocity to make momentum. Many polls have shown that most hunters are shooting 9-12 gpp.
I gave the heavy arrow, high foc, 43 lb with 27" draw longbow a chance because the internet said it would work. Did not work for me. I didn't even get two holes in a doe at 5 yds. And I know I didn't hit anything hard. That was with a tuffhead and surewood shaft Douglas fir at 650 gr. The next year I switched to a micro diameter arrow at 510 grains but never did hunt with that combo. On foam it penetrated much better and trajectory was acceptable but not great. The 650 gr arrow had an unacceptable trajectory after 17-18 yds. It just fell off of the map. I tried a shot at a 3d shoot on an elk at 40 yds. I was aiming in the trees and still never hit the thing. Thats not a hard shot to hit an elk with an arrow in the 9-11 gpi range. I've got a nilgai hunt coming up (small elk size), and I'm actually planning on being able to shoot my 10-11 gpp arrows at 165 fps to 40 yards (under ideal circumstances... But I'm shooting really well at the moment. Also my chrono is kind of suspect, my arrow may be faster then that)
That was my experience.
Feel free to share yours.
Now a big man with a 30"-32" draw may be a different story. I ain't that.
I have killed a few pigs with low poundage bows. Sows and shoats as someone else said are really no different than deer killing maybe even easier. The Boar 150 lbs and up is kinda tough. You have to hit them good. Low in the pocket works for me. Right now I`m shooting 45 ish pounds @ 27 with a 600 grain arrow. I would not hesitate to shoot a 250 lb boar and feel very good about killing and finding him. To be honest if there is a 200 lb boat standing there and a 50 lb shoat. I`ll kill the shoat. Far better eating.
I don`t shoot 40 yard shots but do know that a 600 grain arrow from a 45 lb bow will work and work good. I killed a nice 7 pt last week with a 42@27 Recurve with a 600 grain arrow he was steep going away and I had about 22" penetration with a Simmons broadhead. From just in front of the hip to the heart. You will never see me hunting with an arrow less than 575 grains from my 45 lb bows. RC
Make sure to take a good look at the shot placement thread featured at the top...pics AND vids....then you will have a better idea.
If those big boars aren't rank...they make a TON of sausage...and me loves sausage. Of all the boars I've killed only one was rank....the rest made many a fine companion to my eggs.
That's the way to start your day!!! ... Boar Sausage!!!
I've taken a few pigs with a 45# longbow and got good penetration. I took a boar with one of my 52" recurves, 41#@27". A straight flying arrow helps a lot.
I shot this boar with the 41# bow at 25 or 30 yards. He had a sheild that was almost 1 inch thick. Penetrated one side and just poked through the other side.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3826/13277535623_5560c37e8c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/mehQKZ) P3120519 (2) (https://flic.kr/p/mehQKZ) by okawbow (https://www.flickr.com/photos/20524843@N03/) , on Flickr
Forgot to add; I used a tuffhead broadhead on a fir shaft. Total weight 650 grains.
This boar made lots of great tasting breakfast sausage.
Chuck
I never know what I will see when hunting. I like to have the opportunity to shoot a big boar if he presents a shot. I just don't want to have a question on my set up.
I have never shot thru (2 holes) even on small boars with longbows (Hill style) and wood arrows with bows in the high 40-low 50 pounds. I have a shorter draw shooting longbows.
I like two holes on a good shot on a hog. That is my criteria which might be different than just killing the hog. Did I kill hogs in the past with less bow weight, yes.
When I began shooting a 60 pound Damon Howatt with 2117 and heavier Woodsman Elite BH over 600 grain arrow I shot completely thru a big sow. It was a short track, lots of blood and 2 holes increased my ability to recover the animal.
I really cannot image any bow hunter saying I got too much penetration on an animal.
Quite impressive, Chuck. :thumbsup:
I have to shoot a 45# Bow to achieve 40#, and I believe 40 is plenty if you hit them in the right spot.
If you have a short draw you may consider a shorter bow. A short draw with a longer bow isn't getting much use of the full limb. You'll get a lot more pop from a shorter bow. Say if your using a 68" hill bow try a 64". I bet you'll love the difference
I shot a 90ish pound hog with a 40 lb recurve a few weeks ago. Didn't quite get a pass through at 5 yards. I would go with a little more weight if you want two holes.
It is very nice for people to say what they think will work, but I was on a hog hunt in Texas where a gentleman was using a Black Widow recurve that was 38#@26". He had confidence, but that wasn't enough when the heavy shield on two boars stopped his arrows, and the boars ran off leaving zero blood trail never to be seen again. I think he was using magnus stingers. There are limits to everything.
Nice boar Chuck. If I was using your setup, I would have preferred to hit them behind the toughest part of the shield as well.
Being almost 72 years old, I can't shoot much more than 40#. I hunt hogs on a 4000 acre lease in south Georgia with a 40# longbow. I understand the advantages of a heavier bow as I started in 1980 with 75# bows.
This 350+ boar was taken with a 42# longbow...but I won't take a shot at that big of a hog again because as RC said they don't taste good! I only shoot 25-125# hogs now for the the dinner table...tippit
(https://i.imgur.com/8IY9jUD.jpg?1)
Nice boar! Did you go through the shield? I know that you recently said you increased your drawlength. What did it finish up at?
.
If that boar really weighed 350+, how much do you weigh?????
QuoteOriginally posted by tippit:
This 350+ boar
(https://i.imgur.com/8IY9jUD.jpg?1)
I've killed quite a few pigs shooting 40-45# bows at my draw length. I've also been in on many more tracking jobs/kills of hogs(as a guide). Forty pound draw weight is fine for the average pig we encounter in south Florida with a heavy arrow and good sharp broadhead.
On a side note, I've yet to encounter a boar that was "rank", even the really big ones 200#. Then again, these pigs eat corn, oranges, and grapefruit most of the year:)
Tarp....yeah rank is NOT the norm at all...and I undetstand it doesn't have anything to do with diet.....
Sadly this missknomer has caused many of wild boars to go to waste from the Perpetual propaganda of them not being good to eat..... that is far from the truth....and I've even witnessed a big sow thrown away cause a GUIDE told them she was too big to be good.... just because he didn't want to fool with it as Hogs are thought of as rodents in this part of the country.... and one of the BEST tasting hogs I ever ate was a 300# sow !!!
I eat em all, unless I am out of freezer space, and then I give them away. I just hate skinning the big shielded boars.
QuoteOriginally posted by BlacktailBowhunter:
I have to shoot a 45# Bow to achieve 40#, and I believe 40 is plenty if you hit them in the right spot.
I field point is fine IF you hit them in the right spot!!! :biglaugh:
Hogs are the most fidgety non-still animals I've ever hunted by far.
I've killed somewhere north of 30 hogs, nearly all feral from Georgia and Florida with a few from Texas that had a lot of Russian blood in them. All of the feral hogs were good eating including boars as large as 200 pounds. The Texas Russian strain hogs, in my opinion, have a gamier flavor than southeastern feral hogs. Feral hogs are so good eating that I give away my packaged deer meat to make room in the freezer for the hog meat.
I have killed around 20 over 200# just this year, around a 50/50 split between rifle and bow. It has been crazy. Only a few big ones left, but I saw a sounder of 30-40 small hogs crossing my gas line on Sunday night on the way back from deer hunting. They are tough to get rid of at times. Nobody that I gave the meat to had any complaints.
Yeah what always comes out of these threads is someone shows a picture of something they killed with a certain bow and all that does is prove that it can be done. You can kill a deer with a car but it's not advisable it's not very efficient way to hunt. You can also kill a hog with a rock but it's not very efficient not very reliable but it can be done. I'm sure you can find pictures of hogs have been killed with a rock and with a car as well. I believe bigger hogs deserve bigger bows.
And I also have never understood the it's too big don't eat it stuff. That's never made sense to me, nor has it been my experience at all. Only rank hog I have ever experienced was years ago my uncle was cooking one he shot and he started opening the windows and hauled the hog outside to the back of his truck and we all left the house disposed of the hog and went to dinner and came back after the house had aired out. There is a big difference between rich and rank make no mistake a rich tasting hog is wonderful but you don't want to be around a rank one. Luckily that was like I said my only experience. This was the first hog my uncle had ever shot and he said it smelled bad before he cooked it but he didn't know any better but it ruined him he never killed another one he just assumed they were all like that and you couldn't tell him any different unfortunately. But I found a way to get him back years later when I smoked a big ham and he didn't know that it was wild. I didn't tell him until after he it had seconds and we had a big laugh.
The big boars in my area are RANK! I have killed a few. When you go to a public urinal and the smell reminds you of the boar you killed the night before, that's rank. I personally don't consider wild hog good eats and I highly suspect it has everything to do with the hogs diet. I have no problem with domestic pig. I have walked up on pigs several times eating rotting/decaying maggot infested cow flesh. They are Usually covered in ticks and fleas. Not good eats in my opinion.
I know some folks will eat the big ones, Im glad they like them but I just can't do it. I usually give away the smaller ones if someone will take it. My comments are based on my experience in my hunting area It might be different for you and your area.
40lb bow has plenty of power to kill if you can place the arrow in the right spot.
Gilbert
Too bad your area is full of rank boars..Ive hunted several ranches in Texas north south east and west and we never brought one into camp that was rank.
But I'm really not sure who you're arguing with because no one here is claiming you should eat a rank hog. Also, what is your for criteria for 'rank'?
I don't have experience with pigs but I have a lot of elk experience and elk can be hard to penetrate. In my opinion, it doesn't matter so much what weight your bow is but it really matters what weight your arrow is. I like 2 blade heads and heavy arrows for light weight bows if you can handle the trajectory or take shorter shots. My current setup is 650-675gr out of a 40# bow (16-17 grains/pound... I know, crazy, right? "I put the arch in archery" :') These heavy arrows shoot at about 140 fps. but they fly great. I have gotten 20" of penetration on elk , and have broken 2 humerus bones in half (small elk and mule deer) after going through the chest with this combination and a mid 40s longbow. These arrows just laugh when you mention a bear or deer slowing them down even when hitting bones.
So a 10# bow is fine also as long as you arrow is heavy????
A 40 pound bow is capable of killing a big hog but I can't imagine puposly hunting big hogs with that poundage. Obviously it is the only option for some folks because of a medical/physical issue.
The difference between a 150 pig and a shielded 300 pound boar is huge. It is like two different species.
On the rank hog issue...45 years of hunting and guiding for hogs and I have never encountered a hog that was not good to eat. That includes countless hogs of 250+ and up to 500.
It shameful that some people repeat and perpetuate this old wives tale.
Well I have certainly experienced the difference in young boars and sows compared to old tuskers as far as eating is concerned. I will not shoot any more big boar hogs...nope. Not an old wives tale here--I have tasted the difference.
To me, it is almost like saying I will only eat filet mignon, and won't touch a t-bone. I understand making a choice between one or the other, but not declining the T-bone. But that being said, everyone has different taste buds and I think the hogs around here eat alot of corn, pecans, and browse food plots. It may improve their flavor somewhat. I just like shooting the big ones. Maybe it is because I need a larger target, lol.
Amen Jerry.
The smell on the outside has nothing to do with the meat, unless you mess up the processing. The same goes for finding ticks on the hog. Early season deer frequently have ticks on them too.
That being said, I wouldn't expect someone to shoot something that they didn't like the taste. It makes no matter to me, I just frown on shooting them and letting them go to waste, because someone would like the meat.
Well Amicus do you eat any deer? You know they have tics? You heard of deer ticks? Hello? Wake up man are you a real hunter or you an activist????
Thank you for deleting fake news by fake hog Hunters!!!! It is obvious that some people don't even know what rank means!!!
Please hit moderator alert if you see fake news people!!!