Smart a@$$$% Hog

[crxshooter]

I've seen a really big boar 4 times. Twice on the game camera and twice from my bow stand over a feeder. Both times from the stand he shows upwind, circles behind me in heavy brush and straight downwind. He then disappears. Both times there have been pigs and piglets at the feeder that I have let walk waiting on him. I have never seen him with another pig. I don't think he is winding me because the sows and the kids have come in downwind both times. Obviously he didn't get that size being dumb. Dang smart a@$$$% hog!

[Ted]

Maybe scent checking for a sow in heat....

[Graysonhogs]

Maybe scent checking for a sow in heat....

Yep ^^^

Generally, big boars are solitary, except to breed.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Yep, he winded you. When one gets that way, the best way to get him is try to be there on a windy day with the wind from a direction you can approach the feeder from downwind yourself. Stay a safe distance away, then after it goes off give him time to work into the feeder, then slip in quietly downwind and you can nail him. I've done this several times. You WILL NOT fool his nose. If he gets downwind of you just a little bit, he's busted you. You CAN however fool his eyes and ears. The stronger (thus more noisy) the wind is blowing, the better. Or if it has rained and the ground is wet, it's easier to be quiet. Short of sitting off far enough away with a rifle so he circles between you and the feeder, that's about the only way you're ever going to get him.

[venado]

Yep, he winded you. When one gets that way, the best way to get him is try to be there on a windy day with the wind from a direction you can approach the feeder from downwind yourself. Stay a safe distance away, then after it goes off give him time to work into the feeder, then slip in quietly downwind and you can nail him. I've done this several times. You WILL NOT fool his nose. If he gets downwind of you just a little bit, he's busted you. You CAN however fool his eyes and ears. The stronger (thus more noisy) the wind is blowing, the better. Or if it has rained and the ground is wet, it's easier to be quiet. Short of sitting off far enough away with a rifle so he circles between you and the feeder, that's about the only way you're ever going to get him.

The man knows of what he speaks..!
Check out this video I took a few years ago that illustrates the point well. A big boar shows up at about 2:40.

Big Boar Winds Me

[Fishndude]

He winded you. Nothing you can do about it.

[Fishy]

There's one I've seen like that. He was a monster. Don't know what happened to him.

[GUT_TRAIL]

I chased a Huge Boar on my place for an entire season with the longbow. He winded me over and over and would sometimes start growling this deep scary as hell sound from a pine thicket near me when he had winded me before I ever saw him. Talk about scaring the crap out of you on a calm quiet day.. Looking back on it he never came to the feeder in daylight and even at night would only swing by it for 3 mins max on the trail cams. I would see him from my stand over the feeder as he made a big circle down wind of the feeder while still being back in the woods.. If I had to do it over i would place 1 or 2 stands about 30 yds back in the woods away from the feeder and then hunt them depending on the direction of the wind. If I would have done that and hunted down wind of the feeder I would have eventually got him. He always came in down wind and just about 20-30 yds deep in the woods checking for sows and for me I guess..

[RiverRat1]

Yep, he winded you. When one gets that way, the best way to get him is try to be there on a windy day with the wind from a direction you can approach the feeder from downwind yourself. Stay a safe distance away, then after it goes off give him time to work into the feeder, then slip in quietly downwind and you can nail him. I've done this several times. You WILL NOT fool his nose. If he gets downwind of you just a little bit, he's busted you. You CAN however fool his eyes and ears. The stronger (thus more noisy) the wind is blowing, the better. Or if it has rained and the ground is wet, it's easier to be quiet. Short of sitting off far enough away with a rifle so he circles between you and the feeder, that's about the only way you're ever going to get him.

yep.

I've been watching a boar for a couple months. Seen him 4 times while in the rifle blind. Tried a bunch from the bow stand but he's way too smart even when the wind is right. Most of the time with the right wind I still can't get him to hang around when I'm 100 yards away.

Night time hunting I think they let their guard down more. Now that's fun for big boars with your bow and a red light. You can accidently get as close as 10 yards away from those suckers. Will scare the do-do out of you

[RiverRat1]

I chased a Huge Boar on my place for an entire season with the longbow. He winded me over and over and would sometimes start growling this deep scary as hell sound from a pine thicket near me when he had winded me before I ever saw him. Talk about scaring the crap out of you on a calm quiet day.. Looking back on it he never came to the feeder in daylight and even at night would only swing by it for 3 mins max on the trail cams. I would see him from my stand over the feeder as he made a big circle down wind of the feeder while still being back in the woods.. If I had to do it over i would place 1 or 2 stands about 30 yds back in the woods away from the feeder and then hunt them depending on the direction of the wind. If I would have done that and hunted down wind of the feeder I would have eventually got him. He always came in down wind and just about 20-30 yds deep in the woods checking for sows and for me I guess..

I'm NOT an east Texas expert but I'd bet the growling was not the big boar. What I've seen is the big boars smell you they silently disappear and you never know they were there.

[tex4k]

I'm NOT an east Texas expert but I'd bet the growling was not the big boar. What I've seen is the big boars smell you they silently disappear and you never know they were there.

There are boars at Brushy Hill and Lincoln Ranch that can/will/do and are growling, looking dead at you, and are just out of bow range. The first time it happens it will cause a person to soil their camo undies, second time is usually as bad as the first.

[RiverRat1]

There are boars at Brushy Hill and Lincoln Ranch that can/will/do and are growling, looking dead at you, and are just out of bow range. The first time it happens it will cause a person to soil their camo undies, second time is usually as bad as the first.

ok.

Seems like every time I watch them from a distance(usually hiding in thick woods) and they catch wind they just walk off. Makes me wonder how many times I've been within 40 yards of one and never knew it while bow hunting.

I do see the smaller boars growl and sows. I've seen the smallest little pig growl so loud I though hogzilla was coming to me until I saw it.

[SaltwaterSlick]

My experience is that a sow will blow and growl more (primarily to alert her piglets/other hogs, but a big ol' boar will also do the same. This happens most often if he's in close. Far out, he'll just turn and trot off not makin' a sound. I've been huntin' hogs for near on to 50 years, and a big boar is a serious challenge even with a rifle, but a tough kill with a bow. The absolute easiest way is to spot and stalk in an area where you know they bed down when its raining. Hogs, even big boars get absolutely stupid in the rain. They don't seem to see, hear or smell very well when it's raining, especially if the wind is blowing pretty good too. That's also a great time to make that stalk on a feeder.

Good luck gettin him.

[Silvey]

They can and most definitely will growl at the sight and smell of humans. And after an arra has entered the chest cavity.

[Kingslayer]

X2..caught wind of you