WILD BOAR
The wild boar is basically found all over the world, with many different subspecies. It thrives in Sweden and Germany, where it causes significant damage to crops, gardens and parks – and now it is heading back to Denmark from the south. Sus scrofa, the Latin name for wild boar, falls into the category of European large game. The little striped ‘frischling’ (young wild boar) grows to become a large and dangerous animal. The head of a fully-grown wild boar is huge, and accounts for approximately one third of its total body length. It is designed for rooting in the ground after plants, small animals and insects. The wild boar eats both plants and animals (omnivore), just like we humans.
The sow makes a kind of nest from leaves, grass and branches where the piglets are whelped. If the sow dies, the piglets are adopted by another female in the sounder. A suckling pig weighs about 500-1,000 g at birth, but grows quickly. After only two weeks, the piglets follow their mother and begin to eat solid food. The lactation period lasts about 2-3 months. The piglets retain their striped coat until about three months of age, and by the time they are about eight months, the coat is completely uniform. A wild boar usually lives for 5-6 years in the wild, while a few can live for as many as 15 years.
Wild boar problems
The wild boar is becoming more widespread throughout Europe, and this is posing ever greater challenges. Berlin in particular has been hit hard, as the city has many parks and green areas which attract the animals. Today, it is estimated that there are as many as 10,000 wild boar in the city, which cause major problems through their destructive behaviour and the danger they pose to the local population. There have been wild boar in Denmark for thousands of years, but they were eradicated at the beginning of the 19th century. Today, many wild boar from the large wild boar populations in northern Germany regularly come to Denmark (southern Jutland) to the delight of hunters and nature enthusiasts. However, there is considerable concern that the Danish pig herds will be infected with disease, which would will be catastrophic for agriculture and the country’s billion-kroner pork exports. In Denmark, there are often discussions about various measures which could be implemented to eradicate or clear the small population of wild boar that has immigrated to Denmark. Suggestions such as being able to hunt wild boar throughout the year are intended to minimise the risk of infection in Denmark.
Deerhunter’s recommendations for hunting wild boar
The skin of the wild boar is extremely thick and tough, and much of its shoulder area is covered by a thick layer of cartilage and fat, so a calibre 308WIN or, even better, a calibre 9.3x62 with heavy bullets are preferable (these bullets perforate the target). It is highly dangerous to search for a wounded keiler on a dark night – therefore a powerful calibre with a good bonded core bullet is essential. And REMEMBER – it cannot be said often enough – practise shooting moving game before engaging in driven or blind hunting. It’s harder than it looks!
LEARN MORE ABOUT HUNTING GAME
See all the posts from our Deerhunter blog.
- Pheasant
- Fallow deer in Denmark
- The woodcock
- The wigeon
- The mallard
- The Eurasian teal
- Roe deer
- The fox
- Greylag goose
- The common goldeneye
- Eider