New to hog hunting tips please

[Mat]

hi guys im going to go on a hog hunting trip soon, im using a 20gauge 870 express i was wondering if you guys can give me any tips on what to do,how to prepare, were to aim when shoooting and what kind of ammo 2 use i herd that slugs work fine but i would rather hear from you guys which im sure know alot about this so any tips are welcome thanks and also i was wondering if camoflage is nesesary but ive never gone hunting befor so im pretty exited! im a trap shooter and yeasterday was my 7th time going to shoot clays and i got 20/25 sorry for going off topic but yeah if i can get any good advice please put it out there thanks,
-Mat

[birdman]

My limited experience hunting hogs taught me a couple things. First their eyesight is poor so camo is not necessary, but their sense of smell and their hearing are excellent. You want to move slow and move quietly with the wind in your face if at all possible. At some point, if you push it, at least one of the hogs in the herd will sense your presence and come to an alert status. At that point you probably have less than 5 sec to take your shot. I've never seen them go back to eating after one of the group alerts on you. When they break they scatter fast and they head for the thickest crap they can find.

Boars get musky if they have to run very far, ruining the meat. If you must shoot a boar, make sure of your shot (you should be close enough to be able to tell the boars from the sows.) Shot placement should be right at the point of the shoulder to take out the heart and/or lungs.

With a 20ga slug you should be within 100yds and preferably within 75 yds before taking the shot.

My last hog was taken at about 75yds with a S&W 629 6" .44Mag revolver with a 2x scope with a 300gr (~1/2oz) flat meplat bullet. The bullet went clean thru and thru. I had sneaked up on the group by belly crawling 50 yds or so thru some tall (11" or so) grass right around sun-up, rising sun to my back. The boar ran about 20 yds before going belly up. Weighed in around 100lb live weight so he was a small one.

Good luck on your hunt and let us know how you did...

Allan

[bulldog]

birdman said it all.20 guage slugs are fine all the way up to black bear.like everything else shot placement is key.

[razadp]

Several have mentioned that shot placement is key, but haven't said exactly where that was.
A pig has relatively small lungs, so lungs and heart are placed very much forwards in a pig. If you hold a noticeable amount behind the front leg, all you'll hit is guts.
The regular deer hunter going 6" behind the legs will not get a clean kill on pigs.
There are anatomy charts on web, googling it is easy to find.

Pigs are tough, I shattered ones spinal spur just above the spinal cord, and the pig took off running without hesitation. Second shot through shoulder and heart took him in somersault.

[kev]

I have not been able to find 00 buckshot in 20 gauge, so go with slugs. If you can get your hands on a shotgun with a slug barrel, then consider using it.

Hogs are more likely to move in the evening, morning or in shaded spots as bright sunlight hurts their eyes. If the sky is over cast, or cloudy, that is perfect for hogs to be moving around in.

One time I walked up on a group of hogs and got within about 60 - 80 feet of them. A couple of them looked at me, then went back to rooting around. I was not armed, so I did not want to get too close. It was misting rain, so I left the camera and the rifle in the truck. Walked down a 4-wheeler trail to check on a feeder and there they were.