Originally Posted by Dirtfarmer
Originally Posted by haverluk
[Linked Image]

I took this one is Sweden in June of 2013.

Matt,

What did he weight, or what weight estimate do you have?

Tell us about hog hunting in Sweden.

DF
I was able to hunt three different styles in Sweden:

The first is over bait in the forest. This is mostly in the winter and in the dark. It is dark for upwards of 20 hours a day mid-winter. The snow aids in viewing them as it make it much brighter. When the ground freezes hard and there is too much snow and ice for the boars to get much food. They really depend on these bait sites to get them through the hard times in the winter. The hunter generally sits in an elevated blind.

The second is driven hunt. This is a catch all using beaters and dogs to push game to pre positioned hunters. Europeans have this technique down to a science. This is how much of the moose, boar and deer are harvested every year. Really fast shooting and the Swedes are pros at it. There is a learning curve but I grew up water fowling so I got the hang of it pretty fast.

The third is still-hunting fields. This is early in the morning and late in the evening as the light permits. In the late spring and summer you can spot and engage game for almost 22 hours a day. The boars will come out into the fields and make quite a mess of things. You can also catch them out in the snow covered fields at night in the winter but it is hard to make shots at distance in the dark.

I took this boar using the third technique. I made my way to the far end of a very large hayfield that was just starting to come up for the year. Found a rock pile on the edge that gave me a wind I needed and sat. This boar was shot at 0330 in June. Notice that the sun is up. The photo was taken where he fell at around 0415. He fell at the shot as the angle I had put the exit in the CNS. He weighed in at 280 pounds dressed, skinned and trimmed IIRC. I don't know the live weight but I am 6'6" and 250 pounds for reference. We used a tractor to get him out. He scored CIC silver. A lot of luck and some really great Swedish friends brought it together for me. I had a many great hunts in Sweden and this one is one of my most memorable.

Would you believe my wife didn't want me to get a shoulder mount done to hang in the bedroom? I tried to tell her that it was a once in a lifetime boar but she was having none of it. I had a small tasteful mount done with the tusks and she like that much better.


Semper Fi