Beo

Boar Hunting,
I love hunting Boar (maybe not as much as FVR but I still love it), the meat is real tasty and to me the hunt is worth the trip.
The main problem seems to be the majority of hunters are applying deer hunting skills and tactics to hog hunting. It's true that many of those skills will get you a long way and are needed to locate fresh sign and determine the presence of hogs. But at some point those skills must give way to new ones. Skills that are adapted to the ways and life styles of wild hogs and not deer. Now all of my experience comes from the Piney Woods and Mountains of Clarkrange Tennessee (1100 acres of a closed down Dairy Farm on my ex-wifes side, that’s why its good to stay friends with her family), for years I have successfully hunted wild hogs there. I started out just like many hunters do. Seeing lots of fresh hog sign while hunting for deer and rarely finding the hogs or just always being one step behind. Over the years I have found that there are reasons for this. The main reasons are the differences in lifestyles between the white tail deer, which most hunters have adapted their skills to, and wild hogs. Another big difference between hunting deer and hogs that should be considered is that in Tennessee and many other states hogs are considered to be nothing more than nuisance animals. Because of that fact the rules and regulations are very lenient. This allows more freedom and time for the pursuit of the wild hog. They can be hunted 365 days a year and 24 hours a day with most any weapon or trap. Even with that leniency their numbers are still increasing rapidly. Deer on the other hand or highly regulated game animals in every state, whose population must be guarded and well managed to sustain their numbers but they are the fastest growing animal species in the United States. This strongly reflects the difference in the animals.
The difference in lifestyle between deer and hogs really creates a large gap between the animals. Deer, as we all know breed once a year and will have one fawn and sometimes twins. Wild Sow will have two litters a year with most litters consisting of three to five piglets with the most common number of a litter being four. Her offspring will most likely be bred at or before six months old again having three or four piglets.
I can hear the controversy brewing on that one already. I know that hunters and outdoor enthusiast have and do report sightings of wild sow with 8, 10, 12 and even more piglets and some being months apart. And yes that's true. But let me set the record strait and explain why this is a common thing to see. Wild Sow will nurse most any piglet and wild piglets will go to extreme lengths to suckle any sow that is producing milk (yes, they're born pigs). The piglets also run together in their own little packs, along with the sow, where there is safety in numbers. Furthermore all the nursing mothers won't always stay in a tight pack with the piglets. These facts will account for most all of the sightings of the higher number of piglets to one sow. Regardless of the misinformation, the breeding is prolific. One sow can easily be responsible for generating over 1,000 offspring in only five years. Which is a very conservative figure. The major difference between deer and hogs is their lifestyle. It's the lifestyle and habits that will require a hunter to use different techniques and skills to successfully hunt Wild hogs.
Wild hogs have no home territory. This is the biggest difference and one of the main reasons hunters fail to consistently take wild hogs. It is well known and documented that deer have a 'Home Range'. This Home is often described or limited to one or two square miles and deer won't stray far from home even under heavy hunting pressure. Wild hogs on the other hand, may go for miles and never return to an area even under the slightest hunting pressure. It would be wise to remember this fact if hogs have just entered or rarely enter your hunting area and a hunter wants to shoot one. If hunter plays his cards the wrong way and scares them it may be a long time before any more return. With this detail in mind a hog hunter should take care not to intrude on hogs and their hiding places. It's true the same care and precaution should be taken for deer also. But look at the difference. If you scare a white tail deer from it's resting place that deer will limit the distance it retreats and stay in it's home range. With hogs, forget it. If hogs are jumped from their hiding place they will most likely not stop their retreat anywhere near the same area. Then the hunter has lost his opportunity to take one of them.