Many hunters hunt wild hogs every year. They are a great off-season species to hunt, but most of these hunters are deer hunters first and fairly inexperienced when it comes to hog hunting. Most of these hunters don’t really know just where to shoot a hog. Hog shot placement is different than deer, and we’re about to tell you where to shoot’em. Take a look at the image of the hog below and you will notice that a hog’s lungs are well forward. If you were to place a shot as you would for a lung shot on a deer, the result would almost certainly be a gut shot. For hog shot placement
you need to shoot forward of where you would shoot a deer.
Where to Shoot a Hog
Where to Shoot a Hog- A broadside hog makes the best target, and you should shoot low in the shoulder area. If the the hog is quartering, you will need to aim so the bullet or arrow will end up in the vitals between the shoulders.
- A hog’s brain is a small target, and is well protected by its thick skull… not a good combination. Hog shot placement should be in the lungs. Period.
- A shoulder/lung shot will also have the added benefit of breaking the hog down, allowing for a fast follow-up shot if it’s necessary.
Use Enough Gun for Hunting Pigs
How much gun is enough? That depends on the hog and hog shot placement. The 30-30 Winchester is where I would start and go up from there. You want a bullet that’s tough enough to penetrate, with enough diameter to deliver plenty of knockdown power. I prefer heavy(ish) bullets. A hog is a little bit tougher and much more dangerous than a deer. Soft bullets have been known to flatten against the tough shield of gristle and fat that lies outside the shoulders of a big boar. The shield can also prevent a good blood trail even when the bullet penetrates well in this area.