Lets talk Warthogs

[Dsturgisjr]

One of my favorite plains game is warthogs. Shot this one at Melorani last July. Anybody have any good warthog stories?

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

Denny,
What are some indicators for choosing trophy quality warthogs? They all tend to look big to me.

Thanks

[Meathook]

That is one scarry looking critter.

[Dsturgisjr]

Wayne, I think most guys go for the big tusks. From what I've seen tusk size can vary from different regions. Any warthog killed cleanly is a trophy to me. Some guys enjoy shooting the females also. We saw some females at Melorani with the tusks nearly touching; looked like a heart. Females are generaly smaller in tusk and body size in my experience and they don't have the second set of warts.

[bearhunterdan]

Well Denny, I have to agree with meathook. That is one scary looking dude there! See you in Kalamazoo...

[Cory Mattson]

I like warthogs too - might even be my favorite plains game. I would definately go back and do a warthog only hunt - and never get bored. Get this - some friends roll into camp (98 I think) and I tell them right away - when you follow them up BE READY TO SHOOT AGAIN. Truth is I never had trouble - but heard the horror stories about recovery - They ARE the toughest animal to put down with a bow in Africa. So my buddy drills one next morning - he and the tracker start tooling along on steady sign an hour later - hundred yards away they walk up on this warthog - arrow sticking up - hog on his side - and a mongoose is drinking blood from the arrow hole. My buddy smiles and relaxes - tracker slings his rifle onto his back - then the pig jumps up - boogers off - and WE NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN!!!!!! Seems like every warthog has a story. Later <><

[8th Dwarf]

Denny...

Surely you read the other post wherein I told about shooting the Warthog from above in his burrow????  The arrow had not left the rest before it was in him.  Now THAT'S a story!

Too Short

[bayoulongbowman]

When it come to Warthogs and African game do they tend to be alittle jumpier ...in terms of sound , like string noise from your bow. I know a gentelman that had one of the popular Longbows ,and he had a time in Africa with that with his bow string making a very faint sound when he shot , switched to his recurve..mark#78    

[deathwind]

I agree with Cory, I think I could make a trip on just shooting warthogs. This past year I shot a couple and they sure are tough. I couldn't believe how fast they could run after the arrow hits them and it sure is nice watching that dust cloud when they pile up. The next time I go , I am going to try to do some stalking and try to get an arrow into a  good warthog. I tried stalking this past season for just a few hours and came close to getting a couple of shots. It always seemed like it was the one that I hadn't spotted that would pick me off and spook, then they would all scatter. Loved every minute of it.  

[Dsturgisjr]

Cory, Sounds like Timon and pumba. Mongoose was probably administering first aid. Neat story.

Paul, I did read that story. I like close shots, but that sounds too close. I met you years ago at the Great Lakes longbow and all I could think of when I read your story was that your family jewels were on the line when you made that shot.    

Deathwind, Would love to hear details about your sable. Beautiful animal

[deathwind]

Denny,  I got lucky and shot the sable two years ago while hunting with Kruger Human. This was an old bull that Kruger got me a special price on if I could find him and get an arrow in him. We sent the black guys out on horse back for 7 straight days to see if they could find him but he stayed hid and no one saw him anywhere. He wouldn't come into the water holes or in to the feed we put out. On the seventh day of my hunt, we were putting a drive on for an Nyala that I was after. While Kruger went into a large brush thicket about a half mile a way from me, I saw the sable come out of the back end of the same thicket. When I met back up with Kruger , I told him I had seen what I thought was the right sable and where I had seen him last. He asked if I wanted to try a drive on him and naturally I jumped at the chance. I set up in a funnel area where I thought he might run by close enough to shoot. I couldn't believe it when I saw him coming on a dead run down the trail I was hoping to have him come down. He passed me at about 25 yards and I shot him. ( I know a lot of people don't believe in shooting running game but I've been driving deer and shooting them since I was a teenager and feel just as confident on animals moving as if they are standing still ). He ran quite aways before we caught up with him and then we put Kruger's dog on him while I got close enough to finish him off. My first arrow would have been good for a whitetail deer but was to far back for the sable. This will be the best trophy I will ever get a chance at. I couldn't believe how pretty he was when I walked up to him. I can remember seeing Jim Dougherty(sp) picture of a sable in some of the Ben Pearson ads when I was a kid and always dreamed of shooting one. I just got through last week finishing up a pedestal mount on him . Every morning I've woke up since I've mounted him, getting ready to go to work , I walk into the room and just stare at him and recall all the memories of Africa.   Sorry for the long post but I get excited everytime I think of him.

[Dsturgisjr]

Thanks deathwind. Pushing game in Africa sounds exciting. I'm, not scared of close moving shots, but with the trophy fees I've seen on sable I'd definitely have some pucker factor working against me.  

[Don Thomas]

Wart hogs? Wish we had 'em here. I could hunt them year around... Actually , despite their toughness and ferocious appearnce, wart hogs aren't nearly as nasty as bush pigs, which are perhaps my favorite African game. Hunt them by stalking in thich brush first and last light... a very difficult trophy for most RIFLE hunters to collect, and extremly fierce when wounded or cornered. Lori says our house may be the only one in the world with a bush pig rug in it... Is she lucky to be married to me or what? Cheers, Don

[Alan Payne]

Yes they are really cool. I shot through both sholders on mine, and he didn'g go far.Pretty dammed good eating too..I'd love to hunt them year round   Alan

[8th Dwarf]

No sweat, Denny!

They were dragging BEHIND me...not in danger!  The growth hormones had to go SOMEWHERE!  Heh, heh, heh!

Too Short, but not too short...

[Gene Wensel]

I could definitely go to Africa and hunt nothing but warthogs. They also get smart very quickly when hunted hard. I was fortunate enough to fall into a warthog culling operation last summer. I always wanted to be an "ivory hunter" anyway. I ended up killing 31 with my bow before I had to go home. I was taking "used" arrows into the shower every evening, drying feathers with a borrowed hairdryer (like I own one!) and staying up late nightly touching up broadheads. I got almost all kills on video too but I can't show many people, as there is more squealing than a Ned Beatty family reunion.
   And yes, all the meat was used.

[herb haines]

enjoyed all the stories and Gene don't have any use for a hair dryer either and know what you were speaking of . hope to make it to africa some day . Impala first but warthog is on the list -- herb

[Biggie Hoffman]

I'm going with Uncle Gene this year for the 1st time. Everyone's laughing at my list cause I have bush pig as no 1 and warty as no 2.
Looking for the HamSlam!!!

[bayoulongbowman]

Biggie , pork chop city bubba....sounds like a plan...bet ur taking "the swamp rooter" too...did ya tell Joey Ya need a Twin to yours , just "Lefty"....please...  :D  man I want a bow like that ...sounds like fun ...best of luck guys!....mark chambers...#78

[Iron/Mtn]

Love warthogs, made my first trip last year with Gene's operation out of Dries vissers place, unbelieveable, could hunt warthogs all day, long story short I was lucky enough to take 3 on my trip, being a nice guy i lend 1 1/2 of my newly constructed just made for africa arrows to one of our posties who was running short due to a massive culling operation that he under took, now mind you these were really good looking arrows. About 2 months after getting home a box arrives and low and behold are my arrows covered in stem to stern wart hog blood. Washing of the blood in the sink the lovely wife asks what happen, just had to ment WENSEL and that explained everything.... Did manage to cleanb them up and use the for whitetail season. thanks uncle Gene.