Bow, Rifle, or Both? a newbie's dilema.

[comrad_zeelaagee]

Hi all-

I'm new to this forum and hog hunting; I wanted to introduce myself and pose a question.

First- a thank you to those who share your information of tachniques, literature, and advice. It's a great help to us newbies looking for a little guidance.

I'm not new to bow hunting. I've had luck in the past with mule deer- a tough game mamal by any standards. I've actually never hunted with a rifle (unless you count a muzzleloader). Stalking game with an archer's mindset is how I have learned to hunt with many respects.

I'm a less than 2 weeks away from my first hog hunt in central CA. The plan- take rifles as a back up plan to the bow, but I want to put meat on the table as a primary goal. I want to hunt with my bow but am feeling a but antsy about that decision now. Obviously a rifle will provide effective range to 250+ yards vs the 50yds of a bow which increases odds exponentially.

Question: Bow or Rifle or both? If it was your first hog hunt again, what would you choose to do?

Thanks for the input.

Andy

 

[rodneyshishido]

I hunt hogs in Hawaii. I generally find the hogs in pretty thick cover. I hunt with a rifle, but, the majority of the shots are under 50 yards. The reason I hunt with a rifle is that I am not a good tracker and I understand that pigs do not leave good blood trails. You should also be aware that the best shot on a pig is quartering away. The boars have a thick plate on their front shoulders. I know guys who hit the plate and got zero penetration.

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

if you want meat in the freezer then a gun will give you more range opportunities, but if your looking for a challanging hunt then bow all the way! or strap your gun to your back and hold bow and have both opptions when mr. piggy steps out for the freezer trip, good luck on your hunt and choice....................tra

 

[hatchet1]

if you want meat in the freezer then a gun will give you more range opportunities, but if your looking for a challanging hunt then bow all the way! or strap your gun to your back and hold bow and have both opptions when mr. piggy steps out for the freezer trip, good luck on your hunt and choice....................tra

exactly what tra said!!!:chainsaw:

 

[Speckmisser]

My recommendation is to make up your mind now... BEFORE you hunt. Pick one or the other, and leave the loser home. You don't want to get out there on your first hunt and then start second-guessing yourself. Simplify.

Are you hunting private land or public? Are you paying for this hunt, or is it free? Those are factors to consider. Public land, you can go back any time, so upping the ante by going with the bow is a good choice. It won't cost you anything but time and a little fuel.

Private land, or a paid hunt, it's really up to you how you'll get your money's worth. Handicapping yourself unnecessarily with the bow is a tough call if your goal is really meat in the freezer and putting your first hog under your belt.

 

[One Track]

Seems like the typical success rate with a bow is about 10% on private land. So, if your goal is to bring home the bacon, take the rifle. With that said, killing a hog with a bow is way more fun, in my humble opinion.

I'd take both. If you are seeing a bunch of hogs the first morning, make a few stalks with the bow. If not, be ready with the rifle.

 

[EvBouret]

I also hunt in Hawai'i and in most areas shots are under 25 yards.

I too learned to hunt with a bow, and didn't own a rifle until a dozen kills and 6 years later. I still hunt with a bowhunters mindset. Now I shoot an 18" barreled open sighted 30-30, about the closest rifle you can get to a bow . I still choost to stalk to 50 yards rather than attempting a 200 yard shot. I like the quickness and agility of shooting a rifle and really like the knockdown power. The bow is clumsy and awkward, you can't get a shot off through a twig because it might deflect your arrow and it takes almost 10 seconds to take a shot. While a rifle is ready to go as soon as you cock the hammer.

I would get a short ranged brush rifle and hunt with that..limit your shots to <100yards, <75 yards...whatever you feel is resonable.

 

[dglover]

Seems simple enough to me. The goal is meat for the freezer. Rifle or bow? Rifle is a better insurance plan for meat in the freezer.

 

[MJB]

What One Track said!

 

[Akash]

Comrad, based on what your primary goal is... i would go for Rifle over bow. But then again it also depends which one are you more comfortable with and where are u hunting (private vs. public).

 

[comrad_zeelaagee]

thanks all!

i should also add a thank you to thos who share your stories of the hunt, successes and failures, as they are encouraging and entertaining.

this is going to be a public land deal...

thanks for the input!

andy

 

[socalkid]

I say muzzleloader!!!

But once you kill a pig with a bow, you'll never want to hunt them with a rifle:archer green:

 

[comrad_zeelaagee]

I say muzzleloader!!!

But once you kill a pig with a bow, you'll never want to hunt them with a rifle:archer green:

that's an option too- later. i don't want to mess with buying lead-free rounds, sighting in, and cleaning the bastards- besides- i'd have to remove the scopes- just a hassle.

btw- it's been pushed back a week.

 

[map]

Here along the California central coast we have plenty of oak savanna to hunt, and that makes finding pigs with binoculars and making those long shots of over 200 yards an option. I started young with a 30-06 and qualified at 500 yards during advanced infantry training at Fort Dix. Every rifle is slightly different, and the only way to know for sure, is to practice regularly at an actual 300 yard rifle range. I often wonder what those new computerized scopes are like? Wish I had a 300 magnum, instead.


Richard