Big Ol'Boar smart as a Mature Whitetail

[Bone]

I have in past several months specifically chose to hunt several big boars I have been seeing on my place as I would choose a mature whitetail to hunt. That being said do you think big boars are smart and savvy as a mature whitetail???

[cyberscout]

yes, especially if they have been hunted a lot. They can become nocturnal, which forces you to catch them right at dawn/dusk moving to feed/water, or go into the brush after them [ difficult with a bow] I love to chase pigs! Have fun!
Scout

[AWPForester]

I don't know. I have never killed one and never seen a big one while hog hunting. They have got to be pretty willy though or their wouldn't be any hogs anywhere.

I met a fellow about 7 years ago that is a forester like me. He spends a lot of time in the woods like me. He was selling his personal timber last summer, so since we are very good friends he asked me to take a look at it and make him an offer. So I meet him at his house and we go about looking at the lines etc.. Afterwards he invites me in for something to drink, I walked into his house and have yet to fully recover.

He had a collection of deer horns that would have made Bill Jordan setup and pay attention, all killed in WV. His largets was a 173 inch 8 POINT! He has killed so many deer over 130 he just cuts their horns off now. I have pictures of him holding a 156" 10 point, and a 141 inch 9 point, from that BOX!, and there were 3 boxes that contained about 10 sets of horns. For finacial reasons, if it doesn't make 160, they make it into one of the boxes. He has 13 bucks mounted on his wall. A true whitetail professor, all killed on public land or his property, which is surronded by public land.

Needless to say I picked his brain for hours after dragging my jaw off the floor, and he just frankly told me that he believes that in states like WV where the terrian limits hunters access, that most deer once they reach 3 years of age, die of natural causes, not at the hands of hunters. I didn't know what to think about that at first, but after doing a lot of contemplating I would have to agree with him.

So my point, if the hogs are anything like a willy mature whitetail, and have ample hard to access cover, then you got your tasks cut out for you.

[Rick Barbee]

Smarter.

Pigs are about the smartest 4 legged animal alive.

They only have two weaknesses, and those are their eyesight, and their appetite.

Rick

[BBWV]

Bone..I went on my first hog hunt this past sping and was lucky enough to bag a Big ol'Boar. And after 40yrs of hunting Big ol'Bucks in the rough hills of WV, the thing that struck me at the end of the hunt was how much a Boar and Buck are alike.
I think YES

[bjorn]

Yeah that has been my experience a big boar can be very elusive even more so than a whitetail.

[Bone]

That's what I am experiencing. The big boars will hang back in the brush wait like a mature whitetail and are always alone when there not a sow in heat.

[lil' longshot]

Nvere hunted whitetail but have chased plenty of Sambar, Faallow and Red deer ... a big ol' swine bruiser is ... a big ol' swine bruiser because he was smart enough to live that long . Here in Oz that mean outsmarting rifle hunters , bow hunters and hound teams year round .

[bjorn]

They will even play the same games with you LOL! You know the one where they appear to go back to feeding to make YOU relax? And all the while they are staring right at you and waiting for you to move-well you just confirmed their suspicion and they are gone! Both will also become more nocturnal to escape detection-but they will break their pattern for some extra breeding and eating, and that is when you might spot them.