Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game First hog hunt-what to take/

I am going on my 1st ever hog hunt in January in North Carolina. I have the following options, .270, .243, 30-06. I will be stand hunting.
I have no clue what would be best?? Caliber-wise and bullet-wise.

any of those will do....take the one you shoot well...the'06 with 180's would be my choice....

30-06 and Federal Fusion ammo works for me,If you can shoot them 1/2 distance from top of neck to the bottom and 1/2 distance from the back of the ear to the front of the shoulder.It snaps their neck and no tracking involved,or you can shoot them in the head.

Any that you own. I'd take the .243win, less recoil and will do the job a ok.

Being from Texas i've done my share of trapping and hunting hogs. And have seen .22lr, .22mag, .223, .223wssm, 30-30, 30-06, ect ect all work.

Have fun and kill as many as you can.

I have hunted Georgia and killed all my hogs with a 25.06 and 115 ballistic tips. No problems with it and everything I hit with it dies! I did manage to shoot one hog at 140 yards with a 168 TSX out of my 06 and followed him for over two hours without ever finding him in palmettos. I would probably use the 270 or 06.

How close are your shots going to be?

The instructions I have been given when hunting hogs over bait at 50yds in AR is this: Wait until a group are feeding, unload into the group with 12ga 00Buck knocking down as many as possible. Pick up the deer rifle and finish off any that are still moving. We've seen as many as 40-50 at a time on a bait pile so that's the best way to kill numbers.

May not be the most sporting approach, but the farmers want extermination if possible.

Any of them will work fine. Don't know if I'm an expert but we have a few hogs here in Texas. If it was me, I would take the 270 with some well constructed Bullets.

270 or 30-06 gives the edge if one of the 500 lb or bigger comes along. i've seen them up to 500 plus. cranky72

Don't forget to bring a clothespin for you nose, in case you whack a big boar.

I would bring any rifle that will be handy and quick to use in a stand. It does not take a silver bullet to kill a hog. Whatever you would use on deer will work. Aim for the neck area or head.

Thanks for the replies.
My preference is the 243. Shorter, and quicker. It will be over bait from a stand @ 40-50 yards from what I am told.
I like the idea of unloading into a group with shotgun. I have a 10ga single shot turkey gun that would do nicely.
Is a 100gn Fusion enough though? That is what the 243 is sighted in with now.

Absolutely

My favorite combo is a .270 with 130's Federal Fusions for hog hunting. Especially at longer ranges and body shots.

For just killing pigs on my place, a .243 with cheap Federal blue box does fine

There is a difference.

stumpy

This is what my 270 is setup with[fusion as well].

At that distance, choice of cartridge isn't very important. If you're interested in the meat (it's delicious), I wouldn't shoot anything more than about 2700 fps muzzle velocity.

Also, be aware that a hog's vitals are further forward than a deer's. Shoot from the ear to the shoulder and you'll soon be eating pork chops. Shoot behind the shoulder and you'll likely be disappointed.

Good luck and be sure to post results!

yep I made that mistake...old habits die hard.

shoot for the head or neck with anything above a .17 and you have a dead hog. killed and seen em' killed with everything up to and including .458 win mags. good for testing loads and bullet construction. also when you shootem in the neck or head, dont be suprised to see them flop around a bit.

I took my first one this year with a 308 and some 180 grain Partitions. I would go for the 30-06.

Again, thanks all!

Here is one I shot Monday afternoon with a .270 and a 150 gr. Hornady SP.



Here are a few my daughters have shot with a .257 "Bob" with either 100 gr Barnes TTSX or a 120 gr. Partition.







Bring the one you shoot most accurately and have the most confidence in. Use a good bullet and you better have a sharp knife.