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Where To Shoot A Hog? (The Answers Will Make You Amazed!)

Whatever weapon you may be choosing when you’re hunting, it’s quite easy to alternate these firearms as their form and build are almost if not technically the same. On the other hand, the same couldn’t be said when it comes to targeting animals in the wild.

Take for example the anatomies of a deer and a hog. These animals differ in a way that you should be aware where to shoot them. For the latter animal however, it’s infamous for being quite tenacious to hunt and for that you must be equipped with the right knowledge as to where to shoot a hog

This entire article is dedicated to a single purpose — that is to know exactly where you can shoot a hog. These hog-hunting spots should also provide you reasons as to why these locations should give you a vantage point when taking down these wild hogs.

Where To Shoot A Hog? Shooting And The Hog Anatomy

Before we head right into these desired spots, it’s important to note that wild hogs are not deers and that whenever you’d shoot a hog with an aim you’d usually target a dear, chances are you’d end up with a gut shot — ultimately missing your chance on claiming the critter! Anatomically, the heart and lungs of a hog are situated forward and a bit lower than that of a deer. This is critical whenever you’d like to make a distinction between the two.

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#1 The Spinal Cord, Brain Stem, And The Neck Shot

If you’re aiming for an immediate incapacitation or an instantaneous death on your target, aim for the hog’s spinal cord and brain stem. Meanwhile, a neck shot should offer you a larger target area as opposed to aiming for the animal’s brain only. The hog’s spine runs from the base of its skull all the way to its midpoint where its neck right above its shoulders is situated.

I’d highly suggest that you aim right below and to the rear of the ear of the hog. This is known to be a good shot and should bring any hog down that swiftly.

#2 The Front Shoulder, Low-Into-The-Chest Shot

Some hunters would always go for the lung/heart shot. If you’re one of them, target a broadwide shot that aims for the forward section of the front shoulder and low in the chest. If penetrated sufficiently, this should give the hog a double lung and heart shot that is proven to be just fatal.

If you’re shooting from a quarter away, go for the exit in a way that your aim is for a spot that should cause the bullet to go through directly right in between of the front shoulders and in the lower part of the center of the hog’s chest. This strategy is especially notorious as it should give you a clean, lung and heart shot. Meanwhile, aim for the animal’s center of the chest whenever you’re wanting a head-on shot.

Realted: The Definitive Guide On How To Bait Wild Hogs ( #1 Tip Is Important)

#3 The Ear Holes Shot

Most hunters who don’t dilly-dally when it comes to aiming for the sure kill spot go an “ear-holes” shot. Deemed as the easiest target, the hog’s ear holes present a solid target that once you hit it, your target’s neck should break and effect a quick death.

On the other hand, hogs are known to be considerably mobile that moves their heads to varying directions. In this regard, targeting for ear holes can be quite a challenge. To weather this, observe a hog which stops for a long amount of time. When you happen to notice this, go right for the ear holes. And if these holes are just too difficult to target on, settle for the other vital organs that were mentioned above.

You can watch this video clip to check on how it looks like to shoot a hog via its ear holes.

Some More Winning Tips

If you choose to go for a heart or a lung shot. You have to keep in mind that most smaller caliber weapons have some difficulty in penetrating. This is due as it should go through a combination of bone, muscle mass and scar tissue in the shoulder of larger targets. If this arises, you can always go for a head shot.
The other benefit you can get from doing a neck shot is that it won’t be able to destroy the hog’s head. This should allow a taxidermist to repair the damage whenever you decide to have this hog mounted.
Ensure that you don’t make a bad shot as this could lead to what we call a “gut shot hog” in which could give you an extended tracking experience. Meanwhile, this type of shot can also go arduously and at times, there will not be much of a blood trail left for you. However, when you’re able to shoot an even “farther back” shot and hit a back leg instead, this can still immobilize the hog and should give you another chance for a follow-up shot.
In the event that you come across with a wounded hog, observe utmost precautions as they could be quite dangerous to deal with. In just a matter of second, you could end up being seriously injured or even dead. As such, make sure that you exterminate your target first even before you get near to it.

In this same respect, be very careful when you shoot the offspring of a sow. Any sane mother in this world can charge at you maddeningly if she sees you trying to hurt or toy with her brood.

Final thoughts

Animals have varying anatomies and as a hunter you must be equipped and knowledgeable enough to know these information as this could determine the success of your hunt. The same logic applies to shooting hogs.

As their anatomy differs from deers, it should be your responsibility to know which parts to shoot. Any lack of this information thereof could derail your goal or worse, injure you in the process. Ultimately, arm yourself with the outlined tips above and remember that the most important thing in hog hunting is that you should kill it quickly and be safe!

How To Use A Climbing Tree Stand – How to Gain a Huge Advantage with a Climbing Tree Stand

Learning how to use a climbing tree stand could gain you a large advantage and improve your hunting results.

Tree stands allow you the opportunity to rise above the forest floor, which gives you a much better field of view.

The portability of a climbing tree stand also provides this exceptional opportunity without the limitations of a stationary stand.

You can follow your prey to an ideal location and then set up your stand rather than having to wait in one place in hopes that the animal will come to you.

There are some challenges associated with this versatile solution and it is a good idea to become acquainted with these before deciding if this is the method you want to try.

It is important to note that hunting in grassland or desert areas will render a tree stand useless because the stand requires a strong, sturdy tree to climb above your hunting area.

Although there is a growing variety of tree stands available today, each of them has three essential components: the foot platform, sitting stand, and safety harness.

How To Use A Climbing Tree Stand – Parts of a Tree Stand

When you examine a climbing stand long enough it will become evident that these are tools that require careful attention when in use.

The Tree

The stand itself uses the physics of leverage in order to work properly. As such, you want to choose a tree that will match the needs of your stand. A short, skinny tree with smooth bark is unlikely to provide adequate support for your needs. What you will look for instead is a living, thick trunked tree that has rough bark. It is also a good idea to choose a tree that has few to no lower limbs that need to be removed as you climb.

Finding just the right tree can often present a sizeable challenge, but for your own safety, it is good to let patience be your guide. It does you no good to grow impatient and make a poor choice for your stand. A potential timesaving step is to scout out an area ahead of time if you know that you will be hunting in that area. Identify several suitable trees and mark them with some sort of removable identification so that you can unmark them after your hunt is complete.

Sitting Platform

This is the upper part of the stand upon which you will sit once you have reached the height suitable to view your hunting ground. Place this upper part around the tree above the foot platform.

Foot Platform

Placethe platform in such a way that it leans against the tree at a downward angle towards the tree. This is because as you go higher in the tree it will get narrower and the foot platform will begin to even out.

Safety Harness

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Make sure you have the safety harness before you begin climbing. Too many people skip the safety harness because they claim it gets in the way or slows them down. This is a very hazardous decision to make and is a highly discouraged practice. Consider the result if you are not secured to the tree by the harness and the platform fails – or you fall asleep – high up in the tree. You have no choice but to fall to the ground if disaster strikes.

Raising the Platform

To raise the platform to the desired height:

Put your feet in the straps located on the foot stand and get a good grip on the upper part.
With your arms, lift the upper platform a few feet and provide some downward pressure to make sure it engages the tree.
Once you are sure that the upper part is secure, lift the lower part with your legs and engage that part against the tree.
Repeat the process until you reach the desired tree height.This height should be high enough to provide unrestricted view of your hunting area and is at the proper angle for properly targeting your game. For most situations, it is not necessary to go more than ten to twenty feet, but higher elevations may be necessary. Use your best judgment and let experience be your guide.
Secure the safety harness to yourself and to the tree.

With the stand now secure in the tree, the easy part is done. Waiting for the game to appear and in just the right spot for a clean kill is probably the hardest for many hunters. For this reason, many manufacturers of climbing tree stands offer comfortable seat options. It would be wise to consider this as an essential accessory for your stand as personal comfort will allow you to stay aloft far longer.

When you are ready to come back down to earth, hopefully after a successful kill, reverse the process you performed in getting the stand up into the tree.To return to the ground, simply reverse the process.

For a better look at how to use a treestand, check out this video:

Safety First

An important safety item to consider is not carrying a loaded weapon while setting up,or taking down, the tree stand. This may seem obvious to you, but it is not hard to forget some of the simple things in the heat of the moment. The jarring motion involved in setting up a stand can make a loaded weapon dangerous, and should it fall to the ground, you have no control where the weapon is pointed.

The tree stand safety harness explained:

Additional Advantages

Hunting is not the only activity that can benefit from using a climbing tree stand. Bird watchers can experience a completely new level of excitement by getting up to the level where birds live and play. Because they are portable, they can also be very useful while scouting out a new hunting area. Looking at a map or signs on the ground are valuable skills to know, but there is nothing like seeing an area from above ground to determine if a certain spot is truly worth your time and effort.

Once you practice with a climbing tree stand and are comfortable using it, employing it on your next hunt will likely be a rewarding experience. If you have never hunted with this kind of stand, you may wonder how you ever did without it.

Coyote Trapping – Best Coyote Trap: A Guide to the 4 Best Varieties of Coyote Traps

There are a number of different traps to choose from, and the debate rages heavily as trappers try to decide which of them deserve the title of the best coyote traps. We’ve put together a short listing of the different types of traps available to the modern hunter and compared them, so that you can figure out which works best for you.

Top 4 Best Coyote Trap

1.) Foothold Traps

Source: http://one-eyedhillbilly.blogspot.com

Foothold traps have long been the gold standard for those who are hunting any furbearing mammal. Their mechanical design lends them to a wide variety of different configurations and sets, each of them with their own advantage.

In general, a #2 size is considered to be the best for coyote. Different hunters will recommend different brands, tactics, and modifications that work for them but if you opt to use them yourself you’ll have to figure out which works best for you.

They’re also rather expensive and heavy, which makes hauling them out a lot of work. Even worse, you really will need some mechanical abilities to make sure they work well. They’re not quite as easy to work with as Saturday morning cartoons make them look. Many people have had a lot of success with them however.

There are also a lot of restrictions on their usage in place, and many will find they don’t even have the option to use them locally. Be sure to double check regulations in your area before you decide to use them, as the fines and penalties can be quite costly.

Pros

Good holding power
Variety of sets
Most easily disguised
Customizable

Cons

Require mechanical aptitude
Subject to a lot of regulation

2.) Conibear Traps

Source: http://trappingsupplies.blogspot.com

In places where they’re legal, Conibear traps can be used for coyote and some trappers report back that they’ve had great success with them. They’re a variation of the mechanical trap which is intended to close over the neck of the coyote which triggers it with sufficient force to kill it instantly.

In general, they’re only usable in some specific areas and even then they should be used with caution. Trappers use a 330 sized trap for coyote and bobcats, and they definitely have sufficient force to kill a dog or cat.

When used properly, they’re highly effective and those who can use them safely and efficiently definitely like them but they should be avoided by anyone who happens to live in an area where there may be domestic animals present.

In most of the United States their usage is heavily restricted, even more-so than leg-hold traps. This makes them an unattractive option for most trappers and only those who are confident that they can avoid harming pets and know how to set them properly should use them.

Pros

Instant kill when set properly
Not as hard to disguise as box traps
Most sets are fairly easy

Cons

Kill indiscriminately
Highly illegal in most areas
Expensive

3.) Snare Traps

Snares are less regulated than many types of traps, which makes them ideal for a lot of trappers on a budget. They can vary from spring-loaded snares which will strangle the animal to simpler affairs which will restrain the coyote until you come back to check on them.

They’ve been used for centuries by people around the globe, and their ease of use and cheap costs makes them favorable for a lot of trappers. In addition to that, they’re usually quite light and you’ll be able to hike out with a lot more of them to set up your traps than with any other type.

There are usually some restrictions on their usage, depending on where you’re currently residing. These can range from an outright ban to having to use specific sets to make sure you don’t target animals outside of what you’re looking for. In some places there have to be stops, be sure to look at the legality in your area before you decide on them.

They’re one of the two methods currently favored by most trappers, however, and there’s definitely some advantages to using them in the field. You’ll also want to make sure there are no pets in the area, but that should be a precaution you take with nearly any kind of trap.

Pros

Simple to use
Cheap and effective
Very light
Can be setup for hold or kill

Cons

Regulated in most areas
Killing snares can target indiscriminately

4.) Box and Cage Traps

Cage traps are the only option that many people will be allowed to use, after all traps are unsupervised and have a tendency to catch other animals than the one you’re targeting.

The truth is, coyote can be hard to catch in cage and box traps, however, and that dissuades many hunters from using this method. It can definitely be done, however, but it’s a tedious and time consuming process.

The best way to set them up is to hide the trap as much as possible and use a lure. The coyote should be in the trap before they realize the cage is there. It can definitely be done, but it requires a different skill set than many other types of trap.

The best thing about them is that you don’t have to worry about killing someone’s hunting dog or cat if they happen to get caught in the trap, you can just let them go free. This makes them ideal if there is any chance of a domestic animal passing by.

If you take the time to learn they can be effective, but the truth is that a lot of coyote are going to avoid them.

Pros

Captures the animal without harming them
Least regulated type of trap
Most humane

Cons

Bulky
Hard to use
Not as effective as many types of trap

Conclusion

It really can be hard to figure out which are the best coyote traps for you. Due to regulations and the inherent nature of traps it will vary from area to area, but all of the above are certainly viable methods for those who are seeking to collect some fur in the next season.

Did we leave out your favorite trap? Have any questions? Let us know below!