Sherri’s Corner – Hog Wild

Hog Wild

In 1994 Wild Boar Adventures was developed as an opportunity for the average hunter to hunt an exotic species right here at home in Canada. For many, a trip to Europe to hunt the European Wild Boar would be out of the question. At Wild Boar Adventures you can not only hunt a wild boar, you can hunt with your family, friends, or coworkers and take all of the meat home with you when you go. My friends and I decided to take one weekend in early December 2014 and go try our luck at Wild Boar Adventures. The weather was extremely mild for that time of year, and we all managed to get some time off at the same time so we loaded up the trucks and headed out for what could have very well just been a winter camping trip, however, we got much more than we had bargained for!

We arrived at WBA in good time on a Friday morning, set up camp and made several bait stations of dog food and oats. ‎ (I know dog food is controversial pig bait because it attracts predators, but we had 3 days to hunt and if a coyote decided to visit the bait piles, well, then there would be one less deer killer amongst us.) We found lots of tracks, rutted up areas, and broken/chewed off tree branches. There was a tree stand between 2 of the bait piles, which I decided to try out while the guys went for a walk to see what they could see. After about 30 minutes, I could hear branches breaking, and the sound of many many foot prints in the crunchy snow. I sat completely still trying to determine what direction the sounds were coming from. Well it didn’t take long for my question to be answered, through the trees, I could see movement. The underbrush seemed to come alive as I realized that there had to be 25 or more pigs coming directly towards me! They had been in a low spot when the boys spooked them and they took off in my direction. They all moved in unison, and when one stopped to listen, the whole group did the same. On one of those particular pauses, I heard the unmistakable sound of a successful gun shot and the group proceeded to take off and run right past me, along a slough line, and then over a rise and out of sight. None of them knew I was there, nor did any stop long enough at the right angle to give me a half decent shot at one either.

Once the silence took over again, I could see my crew coming through the trees so I climbed out of the tree stand, and picked my way through the trees towards them. I don’t know if it’s their spindly legs under their solid frames that makes pigs look smaller at a distance, but the deception of both collided when I walked up to where the guys were standing and saw the pig. It was a brute!! We had left a calf sleigh at the edge of the bush, so we walked back and got it to drag the pig out . We took a few pictures before winching the boar up and scaling him – 223 pounds (101.4 kg) !! Then came the work of field dressing and skinning him, which then resulted in us taking a break for some refreshments back at camp before heading out one more time before dark to glass the area and see if we could see anything else. With the daylight already fading, it ended up just being a nature walk, so we headed back to camp for the 2nd time and packed it in for the day.

The next morning, we got up and ready to go again. I had high hopes of taking a pig that day, but had heard so many stories of how smart these animals were, and that the group would avoid the area once they knew they were being hunted, still, I remained optimistic and started out with a positive outlook. We hiked to the top of a hill and glassed the area; I spotted a group of pigs in a clearing, rooting in a low spot about 400 yards away! Going after them would prove futile, so we split up in the hopes that movement would push them further south thus giving me a potential opportunity to get a shot at one.

After about 25 minutes of picking and choosing a path of least detection, I found a clear spot on a rise where the sun had melted all the snow, right at the “v” of the end of a tree line, which was also the base of where 2 hills met. I took my backpack off and used it as a rest for my .270. I started second guessing myself, had I gone far enough? Too far? Was I blended in good enough or did I look like a sore thumb up here? I was debating picking up and moving, when movement through the trees caught my eye. The pigs were on the hill directly across from me! If they crossed the hill, I’d never be able to sneak up on them quickly nor quietly enough. Then almost as soon as that thought ran through my mind, they started coming down the hill! I could hear them snorting and crashing through the trees. Thanks to the direction of the wind, there was no way the pigs would be able to smell me, so that was a “pro” for me. Trying to predict where the pigs would come out was my next challenge, I was hoping for a spot that didn’t require a whole lot of re-positioning /movement on my part. My hopes came true when the dark blanket of pigs emerged from the bush 35 yards away! The lead sow was a good size and I could see teeth on her. As I was finding her in my scope, she spotted me, stopped in her tracks with a snort, and started back tracking. I took the shot with her quartering towards me and connected just inside her right shoulder, she let out a squeal and started staggering up the incline, within seconds; she side stepped, and fell over.

I walked up to her, and initially, (to me anyway) she looked almost as big as yesterday’s boar! A few minutes later, one of the guys came through the clearing; he agreed that she was a big one as he helped get her set up to take some pictures. For the second time in as many days, the real work began again, which when you’re excited after a successful morning of hunting, doesn’t really seem like work at all! We got her back to camp where we proceeded to weigh her; only to find out that the reason she looked as big as the boar: was because she was the exact same weight!! 223 Lbs!

I want to thank Derek and Curtis for inviting me along on this hunt, it was hard work, a trial of patience, and a test of strategy, but luckily, it worked out for All of us. Derek and I would also like to thank Tylor Mcgrath of Watrous, Sk for preserving this hunt via the amazing Skull mounts he completed for us!‎

For anyone who has never tasted wild boar, I can’t say enough good things about it. This was my second time eating wild pigs (The first was in Texas) and it’s hard to pick which occasion was better! Curtis just added a few spices, some cut up fruit, wrapped it in foil and BBQ’d the meat to perfection. It was “fall off the bone” delicious!!