Shot placement on Hogs

[systemnt]

I shot two hogs with arrows in the past year.. both at -20 yards..with a 68# bow shooting stryker fixed bh's at about 280fps..
both shots were 'text book' for all intensive purposes - right behind the shoulder..where the vitals are... and got very good penetration.. not shoot-throughs..but very deep (luminocs were almost to the entry wound)

Both hogs, bled VERY little (if at all) and ran off with my $25 arrows...
(I found one.. the other is presumably walking around with a lumino glowing out of his side)..
Before this gets into a debate about mechanical vs. fixed.. rage vs. whatever.. this thread is about shot placement on hogs..

My question is.. since they have all that armour plating , and are known to be extremely tough animals anyway... shouldn't a shot that's taken to actually DOWN the animal immediately be in the head/ear area on these things?

And please, no ethical debates.. I want the animal down for the sole reason of not having to track it and end up losing it in the thicket..
(I've never had hog take more than a step after receiving a present from my 30.06.. so this arrow thing is a bit challenging.)

[Texastaxi]

Quartering away, on large hogs is your best bet.
You've got to get through the shield, quartering away lets you sneak in behind it.

If you had a "text book" shot, burried the arrow, and it didn't die ... the shot wasn't as good as you think it was.

The shield, fat, and hair, often keep big hogs from leaving much of a blood trail. Especially if you take a broadside shot.

[Mike Murphey]

A shot on a hog is different than a white-tail...you need to shoot low in the shoulder. Because of the fat/loose skin on a hog the entrance hog will plug and blood will not spill from the chest cavity as well.....The shield on a hog (<150 pounds) is different than on a large boar (>150 pounds).....I would not recommend a head shot on a hog (or any other animal with a bow), to close to making a bad shot and making a nasty wound making the animal suffer....

[Pistol]

I have found the best shot placement is when they are quartered away, and you slip the arrow behind the closer shoulder, aiming to the further shoulder. And really low! Most of the vitals are behind the shoulder, set low, and a broadside shot that is a little too high will get what you got.
Someone will post the diagram of the hogs internal organs, but you can see it at www.elusivewildlife.com

[angrybroadhead]

Shot placement on Hogs

Aiming at the head or neck gets one of 3 things... A dead hog, an injured hog or a missed hog. Aiming at the vitals does the same thing. The head and neck gives you less room for error IMO.

[Pistol]

Um yeah, what Texastaxi said

[Passthrough]

I like "low and quartering away" on big hogs. One of the biggest boars I have ever killed was shot this way and made it no more than 30 yards. I too have had those "ideal" hits where things didnt turn out, and Im TT..sometimes we think some shots are better than they actually are.

[systemnt]

TexasTaxi, yeh I realize it wasn't as good as i thought..but textbook meaning it went supposedly where you would want it to...

The quartering away scenario makes sense though... thanks..

[Fishndude]

I have never seen a "shield" on a hog. Does somebody have a picture??

I wait 'til they're standing on their hind legs and then shoot 'em in the chest!

[Nitro1970]

I try to put mine right above the elbow. However the best blood I've ever gotten out of a hog was when my shot went below the elbow (maybe 2"above the bottom of the chest) cut out the bottom of the heart maybe??

[rockco222]

I try to hit them low in the vitals,quarting away is the a good shoot to.

[quarterback]

*sigh* How many have run off with my arrows as well. It really helps to shoot from an elevated position. It creates a better chance of intersecting vitals in my opinion.

[CastAndBlast]

I prefer to take a quartering away shot. The pic below is of the biggest boar I have killed. The shot entered at the back of the ribs and stuck in the opposite front shoulder, almost entirely missing the shield. You can see the red spot where the snuffer entered. He ran less than 50 yards and fell over in sight.



Saying all of that to say, I have also had great success with shooting them in the middle of the neck which is usually a pretty big target. If you hit low, you will most likely cut the carotid a., if you hit high, it is a lost hog.

[Little Shark]

You can shoot a monster hog broad side all day long. But if you don't have the right bow and enough power behind it combined with a deadly broad head you will not kill it. All you need to do is get the BH into the vitals no need for a pass through to kill it. JMO

I would go for a quartering away shot.

[Texastaxi]

I have never seen a "shield" on a hog. Does somebody have a picture??

Only big boars have shields, Jethro. All the little footballs you shoot won't have one.