Hunting Boar with .223?

[BobbyZ]

Is it legal to hunt boar with an AR-15 w/bullet button and 10 round mags? I just read somewhere it is illegal to hunt dear in CA with .223. Thanks

 

[asaxon]

Any center fire cartridge is OK by law although some may not be wise.

Section 353 of the CA Fish and Game Mammal Hunting Regulations:

353. Methods Authorized for Taking Big Game.
(a) Except for the provisions of subsections 353(b) through (h), Title 14, CCR, big game (as defined by Section 350, Title 14, CCR) may only be taken by rifles using centerfire cartridges with softnose or expanding projectiles; ...[excerpted]

I think there is a restriction of 5 total rounds for BIG GAME which would include boar but I can't locate it quickly. I'm sure some of the "DFG legal guns" on this site will sort it out for you.

 

[ltdann]

Use enough gun. .223 ain't gonna do it.

See thread below. Note comments in reference to 7mm magnum bouncing off hogs.

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/showthread.php/215393-Is-5.56-good-for-deer-boar

 

[ltdann]

I think there is a restriction of 5 total rounds for BIG GAME which would include boar but I can't locate it quickly. I'm sure some of the "DFG legal guns" on this site will sort it out for you.

Andy,

DFG doesn't regulate mag capacity except for shotguns. They defer to CA DOJ rules which currently is 10 rd max.

From the recent DFG Q&A page:

Are there three shell shotgun limits when nongame hunting?

Question: While hunting coyotes in California with a shotgun, am I limited to only three shells in my shotgun like when hunting waterfowl? (Mick M.)
Answer: No, you may take coyotes and other nongame species with a shotgun capable of holding no more than six shells total – five in the magazine and one in the chamber.
No person may possess a shotgun capable of holding more than six shells total while hunting (Fish and Game Code, section 2010). In the case of coyotes, you would be restricted to non-lead shot or slugs within the condor range. When taking any game animals, you are restricted to a three shot capacity. But for nongame species, like coyote, the three shot capacity does not apply.

 

[asaxon]

Andy,

DFG doesn't regulate mag capacity except for shotguns. They defer to CA DOJ rules which currently is 10 rd max.

From the recent DFG Q&A page:

Hi Ltdann - thanks, you are on one of the "legal guns" I knew would have the answer. I couldn't find anything about it. Must have been one of the ones I got wrong on my hunter safety course. Gaye and I head out for our second shot gun lesson tomorrow in prep for dove season in Sept. She is now the owner of a nice Browning Gold Hunter that I bought for her used. It fits up on her well dry and we'll have to see how she and it fit when shooting at targets.

 

[ltdann]

oohhhhh boy, dove hunting, aaaaggghhh. Once you do that, there's no going back! I loooooovvvvvveeee to dove hunt. Them little gray rockets are so fun!

Remember, first time you go out, bring a CASE each. You will go through at least 3 times the amount of shells you think you will.

If you really like it, book yourselves a trip to Argentina, where there's no limit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8-zsW_J4I8&feature=player_embedded#at=47

 

[BobbyZ]

Thanks guys. I new shot placement would be critical. So I DO need to buy a 308. Darn it!

 

[Caninelaw]

Thanks guys. I new shot placement would be critical. So I DO need to buy a 308. Darn it!

Only if you want to actually kill a hog and not just piss it off.

 

[ltdann]

Thanks guys. I new shot placement would be critical. So I DO need to buy a 308. Darn it!

Hogs are tough. They have, literally, armor plating (gristle plate) in the kill zone. The last hog I shot quartering away, punched thru the left side plate behind the shoulder, crossed to the opposite side and the bullet lodged behind the left ear. The bullet made a small entrance hole and transitted about 18" of meat and bone. I was shooting 150 gr E-tips out of a 30-06 at around 2900 fps at 150 yds.

And it really wasn't a huge hog! Use enough gun.

 

[527varmint]

With a 62 gr tsx you are good to go on meat size hogs up to about 100 pounds up to about 150-200 yards. You are likely to get a full pass thru it can even shatter the shoulder/leg bones. If the hog is bigger then that only aim for the ear and you can drop the largest of boars with the smallest of guns.

Google 62 gr. tsx on hogs or boar. You would be amazed at what the round can do with photos to back it up. People have posted pictures of nice hogs with exit in the boiler. There are tons of photos of total pass thru on deer out as far as 200 yards. One guy shot a deer long ways It entered the chest and got lodge just under the skin of the hind leg. Some guys claim to have shot a dozen hogs and never recovered a bullet.

If you are not a serious hog hunter and just hope to run into one while you are out there I say load up the .223. Carefully select the size of the animal and the shots that you take. If you are going to start coughing up 400 or more for a hog guided hunt or are seriously going out for hog on a rugular basis then whats a few hundred more for a larger caliber gun?

I got some TSX 62 GR on the way. Plan to just load it up anytime i'm hunting coyote in hog country. If I come across a boar while coyote hunting then I won't hesitate on a reasonable shot.

That said i'm eventualy going to get a bigger gun when I get more serious about big game.

 

[crackerman]

Varmint, probably the most reasoned answer I have seen to this sometimes contentious issue.

To the OP, evaluate how good of a hunter you are right now. I took a serious inventory of what I belive my sklls are and decided where I am as a new big game hutner I am going to bring a minmum .30 cal bullet (.30-06 for me right now) to the hunt. Maybe as I get better I will bring a smaller bullet, but for now I am bring more than enough gun.

 

[TonyS]

I would be seriously concerned if I hit a big hog with a .223 and didn't have a tree to climb.

 

[bisonic]

A .223 will certainly kill even the largest of hogs IF (note capital letters) they're hit in the right spot. If hit elsewhere, it's nowhere enough. I have removed .223 bullets from the shield of hogs I've killed with a different round, and as Lt Dan notes have also recovered my 30-06 and 270 rounds that lodged in the far side of the shield rather than passing thru.

My opinion is that unless you're both an accomplished shooter and hunter, the .223 is inadequate for hogs. The vast majority of hunters (myself included!) don't have the consistent ability to hit a relatively small target that's moving when their heart is pumping, adrenalin flowing, and breath heaving, thus are most likely to miss or wound the animal rather than make a quick and humane kill shot. Given that most hunters have few real opportunities to shoot a hog and often are paying big bucks for the chance, I'd certainly recommend a 30 caliber in the boiler room for a high percentage kill.

Sounds like a great excuse to buy that 308! Get a 30-30 while you're at it too... maybe a 44 for a backup as well... and a few hundred bucks worth of other stuff while you're at it!

 

[ltdann]

Here's the chart from the DFG pig hunting guide, pgs 13-14, the calibers to use for various pig sizes.

Unless your name is Carlos Hathcock and work at a carnival guessing weights, I wouldn't count on the ear shot.

View attachment DFG1.PDF


Hell, If I could afford it, I'd get a Quigley 45/110. That'd really knock 'em down.

 

[BobbyZ]

I'm hunt archery and I'm a pretty good shot but I think it'll be pushing it too far with the .223. My hunting partner has a 30-06 he hasn't used yet for hunting. I thought it would destroy half the meat. Is that not true? I thought a mid size rifle would be best. I don't really know many mid size calibers. Guess it's research time.

 

[asaxon]

My hunting partner has a 30-06 he hasn't used yet for hunting. I thought it would destroy half the meat. Is that not true? I thought a mid size rifle would be best. I don't really know many mid size calibers. Guess it's research time.

Ltdann gave you a good table, just realize that those bullets were lead and for lead free, you can probably back down a step on weight, e.g. Win 243 100 gr "lead" is equal to 85 gr TSX.

Here is a link to the recent poll for what people at JHO use for hogs. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/showthread.php/215615-Rifle-selection-poll-(pig-gun) It shows what the "average" is and the spread. I'd suggest the 30-06 is an excellent choice in CA as it comes lead free in 110 gr (Federal) up to 180 gr (multiple manufacturers). And you don't have to spend any money except on ammo as you can borrow it! Now that is a deal.

 

[BobbyZ]

Thanks guys. Great info. I've only used archery equipment before so I wasn't sure as a .223 goes a lot faster than my arrow.

 

[ltdann]

Not necessarily true. If you do a broadside, heart/lung shot, the .30 calibers will damage next to nothing. If you hit them in the middle of the shoulder and or the hams, yes.

The 30-06 IS a mid sized rifle. It's as middle of the pack as you can get. With prudent selection of ammunition, it'll take any big game in the lower 48.

I wouldn't recommend it in Alaskan bear country...for that you want bigger.

The idea in big game hunting is to recover the game, not just hit it. Chances are, if you shot a pig with a .223, it'd run off on you. The perfect scenario is to hit the animal so it drops where it stands....i.e., no tracking, no wounding.

The AR is a good platform, its the .223/5.56mm that's not good for hunting (good for coyote, though).

The 5.56mm/.223 is a military round designed to wound the enemy, not kill him. By wounding your opponent, you took more of his people out of the fight and overloaded his logistic system.

The old 30-06 was developed in 1906 when the idea was to kill the enemy, and it does it very well. That made it a good hunting round.

Alot of spec-ops folks now have gone back to the larger calibers, 7.62, .308, .45 etc because they don't want wounded folks behind them while clearing buildings.

Get the AR, in larger caliber. Or the AR in .223, and then get a decent 30-06. You can get a really nice shooting -06 for under $600.

 

[BobbyZ]

Okay, I will look into the 30-06 and 308. I kinda thought it was a medium caliber gun but it kicks so hard it felt like a large rifle. I guess powder has nothing to do with caliber. 30-06 kicks pretty hard. Are larger caliber guns that much more of a punch or is it just the bullet size that changes the most?

So I can get a 308 upper or a 30-06 rifle for around the $600 mark. Maybe more for the upper.
Thanks again

 

[ltdann]

If your sitting at a bench, target shooting, most high power rifles kick. You won't even notice it when hunting. Can always put a recoil pad on.

I learned to shoot with a 30-06. First time I shoot a .223, i had to ask if it had fired, it sounded and felt like a BB gun. LOL