Anyone seen wild boar/pigs?

12gauge dave

Hi just wondering if anyone has seen wild boar/pigs around?
Me and friends were out on dirt bikes in east Mayo swinford area on a forestry road/trail and seen a group of 3 wild boar/pigs we didn't get a great look as they ran off but they defo weren't your average pig. I thought our eyes were deceiving us as I never heard of them being around Ireland before but I done some googling and there has been other sightings in Ireland.

dodderangler

12gauge dave wrote: »

Hi just wondering if anyone has seen wild boar/pigs around?
Me and friends were out on dirt bikes in east Mayo swinford area on a forestry road/trail and seen a group of 3 wild boar/pigs we didn't get a great look as they ran off but they defo weren't your average pig. I thought our eyes were deceiving us as I never heard of them being around Ireland before but I done some googling and there has been other sightings in Ireland.

Seen two in Dublin hills outside of tallaght. Only had shotgun on me though. Couldn't believe my eyes when I seen em.
Few days later a fella I worked with showed me a picture of 3 of them in his horse stables and he decided to keep em there. Not entirely wild bred boars. They're a mix of a polish wild boar and a domestic pig as far as I know. With the way they breed there's gonna be plenty of them around in a few years. .223 should drop them.

12gauge dave

They must be breeding in a big way because I'd never heard or seen of them before and a lot of sightings last few years according to google.
I've only a shotgun would 00buckshot drop one?

dodderangler

12gauge dave wrote: »

They must be breeding in a big way because I'd never heard or seen of them before and a lot of sightings last few years according to google.
I've only a shotgun would 00buckshot drop one?

Dunno lad. One or two lads on here have hunted real wild boar. Depending on the size you'd nearly need a 30-06 for some of them. A well placed shot with a .223 might not even drop one. They're hardy bàstards.

Cass

Three years ago was the lat time i got a glimpse. More pig than boar, but bacon none the less.

12gauge dave

Good picture. The few i seeen also same colour a black. They are a strange thing to see when you didn't know they existed.

VBull

teddyhead wrote: »

Since they are arguably not 'real wild boars' and most likely escaped ,domesticated animals , are they 'fair game' ?
Could killing them be compared to killing stray cats or dogs?
Why dont you just buy a bonamh and stab it to death if you are so in need of killing a pig?
Save your ammo for the day you realize how pointless your life is.

Jokes aside tho , its very telling that you can come on a hunting forum , show yourself to be mildly ignorant on both appropriate firearms and legislation and nobody calls you on it . Hey , hunting fraternity , I thought you folks had ethics and werent just mindless killers for fun!

I have to ask what do you know of the wildlife act or firearms legislation within Ireland when you state and i quote

teddyhead wrote: »

Knowing this country , its probably is perfectly fine to maim or kill animals with whatever is at hand. Sticks , rocks , blow guns , stanley knives. Knock yerself out!

You do know that there are laws for dogs such as the control of dogs act 1986 and that feral cats arent protected under law.

Funny that your the second animal "lover" to post in this thread without any knowledge of law or the countryside.

People saying hunters releasing boar without any evidence of such, thats something that could end in a court case imo.

The hunters/shooters i know would not want anymore invasive species in this country as they are trying to help grow the numbers of out native wildlife (im one of them)

Its not down to hunters what is "fair game" its down to the government who decides what can and cant be shot and what time of year they can or cant be shot

Were you hoping hare coursing would be banned?

12gauge dave

Aaaaaaand the thread has gone down the toilet

wexfordman2

Thread starts at 1:40 am, anti comes on and rants at 4am that no one has given an appropriate response


Anti needs to get a life

It wasn't me!

Report the posts but do not engage with the poster. If they're on looking for grief they're just going to get deleted/banned and it saves editing after the fact.

Cass

12gauge dave wrote: »

Good picture. The few i seeen also same colour a black. They are a strange thing to see when you didn't know they existed.

Back on track.

IT took me by surprise as i had heard rumors, but like that i'd heard there was Muntjac too but have yet to see one or even seen one reportedly shoot.

What i saw is a pig. Not a boar by any standards. I've been told, as i know very little about the animals, that you won't see them often and they don't flush easily.. I haven't seen any since this picture.

dodderangler

Cass wrote: »

Back on track.

IT took me by surprise as i had heard rumors, but like that i'd heard there was Muntjac too but have yet to see one or even seen one reportedly shoot.

What i saw is a pig. Not a boar by any standards. I've been told, as i know very little about the animals, that you won't see them often and they don't flush easily.. I haven't seen any since this picture.

Pig or boar if one charges I'm climbing a tree ðŸ˜႒

goz83

dodderangler wrote: »

Pig or boar if one charges I'm climbing a tree ðŸ˜႒

Me too. Better angle for a head shot. Don't want to ruining that bacon

dodderangler

goz83 wrote: »

Me too. Better angle for a head shot. Don't want to ruining that bacon

I was thinking more along the line of pouncing on it from above and slitting it's throat and eating it heart while doing a dance around a fire. Or something like that ha

arrowloopboy

I know this is probably a very selfish ,anti bio diversity anti farmer opinion , but I can't wait till my woods are stuffed with them

dodderangler

arrowloopboy wrote: »

I know this is probably a very selfish ,anti bio diversity anti farmer opinion , but I can't wait till my woods are stuffed with them

In a way your right. I get tired of hunting same ****. Rabbits pigeon crows and foxes. Gimme a burst population of boar and goats so I can put my .223 to good use

Larry60

Having some experience of Boar hunting in Germany and France, I observed that hunters do not tend to use anything less than a 7x64mm or 8x57mm Cal. for hunting Boar. Boar are considered very dangerous when wounded and they will go to a lot of trouble to retrieve one.
They are very shy animals mostly active near or after dark and many people that live in areas where Boar are living in good numbers as is apparent be the damage they are doing, have never seen one.

Jayzesake

arrowloopboy wrote: »

I know this is probably a very selfish ,anti bio diversity anti farmer opinion , but I can't wait till my woods are stuffed with them

Wild boar were naturally present in Ireland in the distant past, and so real wild boar (as opposed to feral pigs, for eg), should be considered a native species. As regards biodiversity, they are actually very beneficial ecologically. For eg: they dig up and eat the rhizomes of bracken, helping prevent its takeover; they also help prepare ground for tree seedlings to germinate by rooting in the ground, etc., etc. I've eaten wild boar several times on the continent and it has to be one of the most delicious meats I've ever tasted. It has a very strong, wild taste, so it's usually marinated for a few days and then cooked in a sauce over a good few hours. They're seen as a bit of a pest as they dig up and damage vegetatable patches, vineyards etc., and they breed like nobody's business, so nobody objects to them being shot! As someone else said, they're very elusive, and rarely seen in daylight. Normally they avoid people, and are only dangerous if they feel you're threatening them or their young. Large cals and very bright scopes with low mag best, afaik.

Grizzly 45

dodderangler wrote: »

Seen two in Dublin hills outside of tallaght. Only had shotgun on me though. Couldn't believe my eyes when I seen em.
Few days later a fella I worked with showed me a picture of 3 of them in his horse stables and he decided to keep em there. Not entirely wild bred boars. They're a mix of a polish wild boar and a domestic pig as far as I know. With the way they breed there's gonna be plenty of them around in a few years. .223 should drop them.

A .223 will only tickle them!!!. MINIMUM caliber for these on the continent is 308 upwards. You need it to punch thru their neck shoulde r muscle area,as this is like body armour.In fact your 12 GA would be the better option with either slugs or 00 Buckshot[The 9 pellet load].

Grizzly 45

dodderangler wrote: »

Pig or boar if one charges I'm climbing a tree ðŸ˜႒

Or become like the "real"[so they claim] German hunters who go after a cornerd one with a boar spear and a pack of terriers!:) They are easily recognised as the guys with bits missing off legs ,scars on legs and arms,missing fingers etc and have ther most battle scarred packs of dogs I've ever seen.

What have we here in Ireland.Possibly a few genuine Scrous scoufa Continental wild boar that have escaped from "get rich quick" schemes of farmers who thought they would cash in on the wild boar bacon market after discovering the wild boar isnt like a domestic hog and will go thru fencing that would contain ordinary swine no problem.Nor is it known for its placid nature during mating season.Or for the same reason they didnt make good yuppie farm pets either.Remember people selling them on done deal under that kind of adverts.
What Cass and others have seen are I reckon feral gen2 domestic pigs or Tamworths that have gone wild. If it is a genuine EU wild boar it should be a silvery black brown colour,with absolutely NO weird patches or markings or different colour scheme.A very long ,twice as long as a domestic pigs snout,and a very prominent arched back running to the little or no neck. Their young up to six months will have a distinct colouring of a brown,white yellow "racing stripe" pattern coat and that is a sure sign its a genuine WB.

cookimonster

That's a Spanish boar taken two years ago in the Pyrenees. The calibres ranged from rifled slugs, 270, 300 winmag, 7mm, 8x68, 9.3x62.
One more adventurous gentleman was out fitted with a compound bow with a wicked set of razor sharp arrows. Personally I'd prefer the BAR in 300 Win Mag. Either way a boar is some sight in full flight and doesn't go down easily if not smacked in the right spot.

dodderangler

cookimonster wrote: »

That's a Spanish boar taken two years ago in the Pyrenees. The calibres ranged from rifled slugs, 270, 300 winmag, 7mm, 8x68, 9.3x62.
One more adventurous gentleman was out fitted with a compound bow with a wicked set of razor sharp arrows. Personally I'd prefer the BAR in 300 Win Mag. Either way a boar is some sight in full flight and doesn't go down easily if not smacked in the right spot.

The ones I seen looked a lot like that. Big arch back and big long about but they weren't of that size. They were smaller than that. Bout the size of a springer spaniel

Grizzly 45

Either they were dwarf wild boar:D Or more likely bonhams of about 4/6 months old.

dodderangler

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Either they were dwarf wild boar:D Or more likely bonhams of about 4/6 months old.

Could've been yearlings over 8 months old. I don't really know but I wish I had the .223 with me.

meathstevie

cookimonster wrote: »

That's a Spanish boar taken two years ago in the Pyrenees. The calibres ranged from rifled slugs, 270, 300 winmag, 7mm, 8x68, 9.3x62.
One more adventurous gentleman was out fitted with a compound bow with a wicked set of razor sharp arrows. Personally I'd prefer the BAR in 300 Win Mag. Either way a boar is some sight in full flight and doesn't go down easily if not smacked in the right spot.

BAR in 300 WinMag, the old fella had one at some stage. Fantastic rifle and proper boar medicine indeed.

Snakezilla

My wife has relatives living in Italy and they shoot boar with buckshot...Still trying to get an invite over for a week but they're not biting :P

Dawggone

Hunted boar in Oz with a knife an some Ridgebacks...

Grizzly 45

Snakezilla wrote: »

My wife has relatives living in Italy and they shoot boar with buckshot...Still trying to get an invite over for a week but they're not biting :P

Take some Kevelar with you if they do invite you..The Italians are worse than the Ameicans for hunting accidents. La passiona granda kills about a dozen Italian hunters a season.

corelokttikka

ive an invite for french wild boar hunting. ive seen the spear used to finish the boar off but long daggers are more common

Stigura

dodderangler wrote: »

Pig or boar if one charges I'm climbing a tree ðŸ˜႒

Yep. I'd stoop down and pick up some fresh schit, to throw at it.

There Would be fresh schit! Wild boar have terrified me, all my life. Scariest creatures possibly out there. Horrible. Chargey. Nasty. Violent things.

Horrible. (Taste fantastic though).

dodderangler

Stigura wrote: »

Yep. I'd stoop down and pick up some fresh schit, to throw at it.

There Would be fresh schit! Wild boar have terrified me, all my life. Scariest creatures possibly out there. Horrible. Chargey. Nasty. Violent things.

Horrible. (Taste fantastic though).

I'd say throwing shît would just pîss him off more. I've seen plenty of hunting videos of lads being charged by them. Seen one if a gobshîte out hunting and had ear muffs on. Dopey git near got run over. How stupid can ya get