Any pointers on bushpig?

[rookhawk]

So for this trip to Zim a bushpig is on quota and my hunting companion drew the straw for that one. During daylight hours, any pointers on finding bushpig you'd care to suggest? I assumed it was very, very low odds of success but wanted to at least give it an effort if we have the time since we have the animal on quota.

 

[Royal27]

Can the PH bait in advance, or will no one be in the area?

 

[rookhawk]

No bait. No dogs. No night hunting. National park safari area.

 

[rookhawk]

They keep putting bushpig on quota so that must mean someone has killed one once upon a time?

 

[Royal27]

Got it. Duh....

I'm sure they are there, like you said though chance encounter most probably.

And you know that in Zimbabwe quota and availability aren't always related.

 

[rookhawk]

Got it. Duh....

I'm sure they are there, like you said though chance encounter most probably.

And you know that in Zimbabwe quota and availability aren't always related.

Like the pre-purchase, no refund tuskless licenses in areas that don't have tuskless? Lol! Hilarious to observe, sad to be the sucker though.

 

[Red Leg]

I have seen exactly one during something that would pass for daylight. And that was the south end of one vanishing into brush - very dark brush. Good luck

 

[CAustin]

Best of luck!

 

[Erny]

I saw them twice on my first safari. One was out on the road in dusk but daylight, the second time was mid morning when we flushed them up while stalking some impala. Both times I passed on them. I truly regret not shooting them, and they are now one of my top target species on next safari.

 

[K-man]

My only encounter was "THAT'S A BISHPIG, A GOOD ONE . SHOOOOT HIM!!!" so I did. I didn't even know I wanted one, glad my P.H. was alert and I made a good shot. Never seen one before or since, unbelievably don't even have a warthog yet, but a bushpig that could go gold SCI. better to be lucky than good. Best of luck to you, hopefully your P.H. knows where they hang out.

 

[cpr0312]

Best of luck to your buddy on getting a chance encounter!

 

[lcq]

No bait. No dogs. No night hunting, you have a better chance of seeing Jimmy Hoffa.

Best of luck

 

[IvW]

So for this trip to Zim a bushpig is on quota and my hunting companion drew the straw for that one. During daylight hours, any pointers on finding bushpig you'd care to suggest? I assumed it was very, very low odds of success but wanted to at least give it an effort if we have the time since we have the animal on quota.

Which area in Zim are you going to hunt?

 

[Philip Glass]

No bait. No dogs. No night hunting. National park safari area.

May be next to impossible. I want to try for one in Zim as well. I'll be able to use any method but still a long shot.
Philip

 

[Hank2211]

May be next to impossible. I want to try for one in Zim as well. I'll be able to use any method but still a long shot.
Philip

I agree. On more than a dozen hunts, I've never seen a bush pig in daylight (at least 4 of those are in Zimbabwe, in National Parks areas). It may only be possible in areas where they are not hunted . . . which is almost nowhere, and then likely only with hounds.

Even when I decided to make them a target, it took three hunts before I finally connected (and then on two). We tried baiting, we tried beating, we tried basically everything but dogs.

Bushpigs may be ugly, but they aren't stupid.

Good luck - you've taken on a challenge!

 

[neckdeep]

Only being the veteran of one safari and having the luck enough to kill a nice pig, take anything I say with a grain of salt. I told my PH that I would like to kill a pig early on right after the Buff was down and we spent quite a lot of time stalking around kopjies and brushy known pig inhabited areas for 7 days before seeing a pig. Saw a lot of sign but no pigs. We started baiting on the 4th day of a 12 day hunt after the buff was down. On tenth day after the pigs had been coming into a anti-poaching compound for several evenings fairly early, we set up the motion detector and chairs on the front porch and where prepared to sit for them that night. When we left the camp after setting up we met some of the crew walking down the road and they flagged us down and said they had spotted the culprits that were raiding the camp and they were sleeping under a tree. We made a stalk to them and they kind of woke up and knew something was up, the boar of the sounder was standing facing straight away and was getting nervous. Gary encouraged me to take the texas heart shot, so I did, bullet actually split the base of his tail. The most impressive pig squealing battle ensued when the two sow's proceeded to chew the crap out of the old boar as he expired. First bushpig I ever saw down, the crew was happy as hell, these things must be hard to get. The two guys from the anti-poaching compound will have one less pig sneaking in knocking down all their pots on the campfire. I asked Gary why the sow's attacked the boar after he went down, he said payback for having to be part of his little harem.

 

[rookhawk]

Which area in Zim are you going to hunt?

Tuli Circle

 

[neckdeep]

The very next morning on what was our last hunting day we where on a scramble find a Kudu for me and on a quick look over a cliff on the Turgwe River, Gary dropped down and whispered bushpig, go get your brother quick. Went back to the truck and got my brother, after a few minutes on the sticks waiting for the shot, pig#2 down. This pig was much larger, Gary said one the biggest he had killed. Moral of the story, be lucky and go where they have some pigs.

 

[Hank2211]

The very next morning on what was our last hunting day we where on a scramble find a Kudu for me and on a quick look over a cliff on the Turgwe River, Gary dropped down and whispered bushpig, go get your brother quick. Went back to the truck and got my brother, after a few minutes on the sticks waiting for the shot, pig#2 down. This pig was much larger, Gary said one the biggest he had killed. Moral of the story, be lucky and go where they have some pigs.View attachment 175976

You are a lucky man indeed Neckdeep! When Diana smiles, it's best to take the shot!

 

[neckdeep]

thank you Hank, my brother has to be the luckiest of all, he really didn't have any idea how tough they are to get, and still probably doesn't. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and killed a huge bushpig. It took four people to get him out of the river and up the bank back to truck. He was a brute. I took this picture sitting on rock watching the scene unfold, I got quite emotional realizing that our very successful first safari was coming to a close. It was a life changing event for me.