I've had enough of these hogs eating up the corn and scaring away all the deer here in east Texas. Today I went and got me some buckshot shells and I'm going to take to the woods with my Benelli to try to take a few out.

I've never shot anything but ducks/dove/quail with my shotgun. Any tips/tricks to shooting a hog with a shotgun? What will my range be? I'm hoping they get in a tight enough group while eating my corn that I can take a few out at once.

Don't expect to take a few out at once. in a few minutes someone will come on here and tell you all the data about the shot spread at X yards and X+ 10 yards and so on. It probably isn't as wide as you think. As for yardage, when I do this I try to think bow range, 30- 40 yards. You could probably stretch that some, but I figure why not just use my bow stand?

00Buck, without a full choke, maybe 20-25 yards.

With a full choke, maybe 30-35.

unless you hit them in the ear or a few of the pellets hit the neck area, you will most likely lose what ever you shoot.

Personally, I wouldn't use a shotgun on a hog unless it was with slugs.

Hogs are tough! The only hog I've ever shot at ate a .243 WIN from about 30 yards and was never seen again. My understanding is that they've got quite a bit of fat that seals up the wound. They'll eventually bleed out internally, but the process is slower since the blood can't leave the body cavity.

I'd think you'd have to be pretty damn close (inside of 20 yards) and use a choke that makes a tight pattern.

Also, aim for the ears.

YMMV.

It's worked fine for me in the past, I've always done it from about 25 yards though.

Most people are probably going to say to use slugs if you're using a shotgun.

On second thought the way those Bastages bunch up under a feeder, you probably could hit a couple if you tried. Another way to look at it is aim for one for sure, any more and it's bonus points. P.S. I live like twenty minutes from your lease, I think, If you need a spotter lemme know.

I agree with using slugs at that range.

I just like using buckshot because it's a challenge to get within a range that I feel confident that it'll be effective. But when you're close enough it's devastating.

I thought about bringing my .270 for a sure kill...but I like idea of firing off multiple rounds with the plug out of my shotgun. I'm hoping to thin out this herd.

I've been using my 45-70. To say the least, it's been rather impressive on hogs. Pull the trigger and DRT.

At Wal Mart today they had regular 00 buckshots for $11/box or magnum buckshots for $26/box. I opted for the regulars...don't think the hog is worth expensive shotgun shells. Are the magnum shotgun shells that much better?

FIFY protected

Here Piggy Piggy, here Pig...

hmmm not sure, but i do know it took 7 shots of #8 to bring down a decent sized sow.

M1 Garand FTW. .30/06 power with considerably less felt recoil than a bolt action and the ability to get off 2-3 quick shots if they're bunched up....

12ga #00 Buck coming outta of shotgun = 9/9mm slugs...

One shot will do fine.

Once you shoot a 3.5 inch magnum shell you will have no questions if it is more powerful. The recoil is significantly greater.

Buckshot will be fine. I don't know why some people think hogs can't be killed with a shotgun without using a slug. I've done it. They're tough but not invincible. As long as your not shooting from too far away it should be pretty effective.

I wouldn't recommend shooting them with buckshot from a blind. I only like using a shotgun when stalking piglets that have dispersed after adult pigs have been shot out of a group.

I have talked to people that have found old buck shot imbedded the shoulder gristle of bigger pigs they had killed. I guess if you are close enough on a smaller pig its fine could, but I would stick with slug or rifle.

Just get close and aim for the ear. I shot one last week with buckshot. He was well over 250 lbs. and probably closer to 300lbs. and I dropped him in his tracks.

I've used the Hevi-Shot Coyote load on them several times. I kept it to about 30 yards. It worked way better than I ever anticipated. Aimed at the ear hole, and never had to follow one.

quote:

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I've been using my 45-70. To say the least, it's been rather impressive on hogs. Pull the trigger and DRT.

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THIS !

Time to summon the Box O' Truth once again.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot20.htm

But wait, there's more.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot45.htm

[This message has been edited by SanAntoneAg (edited 10/13/2010 10:03p).]

Or you can take an AR-15, an AK-47 and a helicopter.

By the way, this is my favorite you tube video EVER!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHmYsyVniE

Its dam lethal on them inside of 35 yards. 3" or 3.5" #1s or 00. It really shines when they go to running.

FWIW, if I had a neighbor who worked for USDA damage control and if he spent weeks at a time popping piggies from a helicopter at government expense, and if he was doing it on a major ranch in my (not immediate) area whose owners don't want the name known because of public relations...

Well, this fictitious person would be using a shotgun.

And his first name is Rick.

Dang, I was just about to mention that.

.45-70 Govt FTW

If you're out in the open, you are going to have a hard time getting close enough to use a shotgun. Unless you're riding shotgun with someone who knows how to drive fast offroad without killing his passengers (harder than it sounds when hogs have been rooting around).

If there is cover (sounds like it), you can murder them. The spread is pretty small, I like to use a modified choke in my Win1300. I prefer the 3" since it gives you extra buckshot.

Some will run, some will stumble, some will drag themselves along after you shoot them. The ones that run are the best from a pest control standpoint, they run off and die somewhere else, usually out of your fields and off in cover. I don't think I would suggest hunting hogs at close range with slugs or any other single projectile from a non-semiauto weapon - the name of the game is getting lead out there in a hurry, they disappear quickly. I've shot a lot of hogs and hit multiple hogs only a few times (piglets) - but sometimes they do get very, very close together.

FWIW, sometimes they will double back on you and you can shoot them again.

A friend of mine shot off part of the lower jaw of a boar at his feeder. He killed it a few weeks later and said it looked as though it wasn't suffering from the wound at all.

killed a pair last weekend with 00 Buck shot at 35 yards. They ran a little bit but not far.

in an attempt to not mess up my bow season (scare all the bucks away), i ended up not taking my shotgun this morning and instead just carried my bow. of course...first thing this morning a huge boar walks out, and I fire one at him at about 15 yards away. He ran off with my arrow sticking out of him. Waiting an hour...no sign.

Hopefully he's dead somewhere in the woods...thats all i care.

The more I thought about the, the more bringing a gun out during bow season sounded like a bad idea. I want the deer to not be scared to come to my feeder.

I've killed two younger pigs in one shot from about 25 yds with a turkey load.....they both took it in the face.

The people I have met who use a helicopter use buckshot.

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THIS...like CA77 I know a person who does this for a government agency and he uses 12 gauge 00 buck from his whirleybird