For the sake of argument,

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

justplainpossum

New member
(and trust me, an explanation would take too long), let's say you are hiking around and run into a mama sow who chooses to charge instead of hightail it. You don't have a gun with you. Would a knife provide any kind of protection or provide an opportunity to get away -- and if so, what kind of knive would you carry and where would you stick it to the pig? Or a bow and arrow? Please, no grief, I'm serious with this question. Would any self-defense have to be overwhelming to make a pig change its plan of attack, instead of just makes it mad? Or would they perhaps split if they see there may be some resistance? Would mace work better? Thanks for your continued patience. :o
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've been charged by a medium sized boar (chased off before it got near me) and they are quicker than any human can respond. I don't think a knife would be of any help unless you can get a hold of the animal. As for a big sow, I'm guessing you'll just be a road bump as it charges.
 
Last edited:
it depends on how defensive the sow is. the knife will most likely offer little to no protection unless you are very quick on your feet and have the reflexes of a fighter pilot. the bear has 10 1-4 inch blades of it's own(depending on species) and would take a lot for it to give up it's attack. afterall the reason that the mother sow attacked you in the first place is because it thinks you are a danger to it's cub, why would confirming that you are dangerous convince it to leave? I know that's trying to add logic to the motivations of a wild animal but that's just the way I see it. mace, and not the stuff you get in the little kimber squirt guns, is a much better option, at least by blinding the bear it gives you a chance to high-tail it out of there, I personally live in an area that only has blackbears with one of my fav summer spots having just a very remote chance of seeing grizzlies so I feel perfectly safe with a 45 auto on my hip. yes a 44mag or 480 ruger or 500 S&W would be much better especially should I find an agressive momma griz but odds are against such an encounter so I just plan for little blackies, cats, and puppies(the 120LB kind)
 
I think you misread, I meant feral hog, not bear. And again, no guns. Right now my best plan is to put ladders up against different trees on my place that are in the open, but any other suggestons would be appreciated (traps are baited, they're being hunted, but this has yet to be successful). I suppose I could carry around a pole vault... :)
 
Even though we're talking hogs here, bear spray might be a good option. You'd need to have it in a belt holster so it's very accessible, and perhaps get into the habit of having it in your hand if you're walking through brush or anywhere else with limited visibility. It works very reliably on bears, and I'd think it would be effective on hogs, as well.
 
Been around a lot of hogs, and the only time I ever thought I was being charged was when I was standing in the only path of retreat the hog had, and it ran into me while trying to escape. I have seen cornered hogs with little ones that will become rather aggressive, but will only chase you until they are certain you are not a threat. Most of the time a sow will only chase you a few yards, then will return to her piglets, the same way they will do a yote if one is stupid enough to try and get one of her little ones.

I would think a quality can of pepper spray would do the trick, but if you are truly being charged by a hog that means you harm, you would not have time to use it before it got you. You would have to be right on top of a sow for her to become aggressive enough to charge, as they will run from you if they have more than 20 feet on you.

As far as a knife against a charging hog, my thought is it would be only serve to cut your own throat if you had time.:D
 
lol Wild Bill!! Well, at least I know I have options! :)

I will check into that bear spray, Vanya, thank you. I've accidentally walked up on babies way too many times for my comfort (actuallly, most times they saw or heard me and ran out to see me, and I'm like, no, get away, we're not friends!), and hearing that grunting (or screaming) a few feet behind them is not something I'm all that crazy about.
 
Having first hand seen a hog taken down with a knife:eek:, you will want a big one. Ka-Bar comes to mind. Either a neck/throat hit to get the jugular (other than the spine, no bones to contend with), or try and get between the ribs into the heart or lungs. If the hog is working you over and you have the presence of mind, anything is better than nothing!

I have been charged once, by a boar, and still am not sure why as it was pretty open with plenty of options for his route of travel, unless I just happened to be in the way of the 1 route he chose... But agreed, most often, they just take off.
 
get yourself a boar speer, you can use it as a walking stick. you could stop a charging boar with a boar speer, people hunted boar with those for centurys...a big and strong dog (mastino, russian terrier...) would also be a great help
 
Anything that resembles a big bore handgun will probably work. If I went for a hike and left one at home, especially in free pork country, imagine my chagrin!
 
oh, sorry, I just got done with my spring bear hunt so I have bears on the brain. hogs and smaller bears though are still pretty close to eachother as far as temperament goes. they avoid people wherever possible though they will get defensive over young. I've seen pretty gruesome wounds caused by hogs using nothing but their teeth. much like bears they have very thick hide and a lot of fat and extraneous muscle to get through before you begin to limit their mobility or start to cause any serious harm. I would still recommend bear mace or handguns but since you don't want to talk guns bear mace is your best bet.
 
Yeah, I can't use guns now at all for a few months (bummer), so I'm looking for alternatives.

I'm a pretty slight girl, I guess, so I'm not sure how I'd do with the boar spear! :)
 
Yeah, I can't use guns now at all for a few months (bummer), so I'm looking for alternatives.

I'm a pretty slight girl, I guess, so I'm not sure how I'd do with the boar spear!
Click to expand...
one of my favorite lines from 'the thirteenth warrior':
JUST PUT YOUR FOOT ON IT AND STAND!
:D
 
It is relatively short and heavy and has two "lugs" or "wings" on the spearsocket behind the blade, which act as a barrier to prevent an injured and furious boar from working its way up the shaft of the spear to attack the hunter.

:eek:

Definitely going to go with the tree climbing.
 
Hogs, and for the most part black bear are not trying to kill you. Most black bear rarely put up much of a fight even to protect their young. Grizzlies are a different story. Put up a good fight, even with bare hands and they will almost always retreat. You may be hurt, even badly, but putting up a good fight is far better than the alternative. A sturdy fixed blade with at least 4" of blade would be my 1st choice.

If they do decide to kill you, they will win. But a bear or hog does not know that they can easily kill you unless they have done so in the past. Put on a good show and hurt one bad enough with a knife, stick, rock or whatever you can find and they will decide you are not worth getting hurt over. Wild animals don't go to the hospital when hurt so they avoid it at all costs. They won't go after prey that shows the ability to hurt them.
 
I think a knife will kill a sow, she may eat off your legs or rip you from privates to your neck but if you are determined enough you may still get the blade in deep enough before you bleed out.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top