Pig hunting without dogs in Waikato

Hi team,

Looking for some advice on pig hunting in the Waikato.

A bit about myself: I've lived in Balclutha, Tauranga and Hastings for a number of years, and have hunted (or tried to) the local Catlins, Kaimais and Kaweka/Ruahine. Had some success with goat hunting in Hawkes Bay in forestry blocks, but have never shot a deer or a pig. The only deer I came close to was one that ran in front of my car on Kashmir Road in the Ruahine.

I recently shifted from Hastings to Hamilton for a new job and really keen to get into pig hunting. Don't have dogs so will be stalking only.

Any advice on the best place to begin? Doc land? Forestry blocks? Any local pig hunting clubs? There appears to be plenty of small Doc blocks in South East Waikato and King Country on the Doc map but with no other information, would they be worth checking out?

Also without any experience shooting pigs, what caliber would be suitable power wise? Are they tougher than goats to knock down? Currently have 223, 243, 308, 7.62x39, all modern bolt actions, all suppressed. (I know, it is embarrassing to own more rifles than number of deer shot.)

Thank you very much for any advice.

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Originally Posted by Synthetic

Hi team,

Looking for some advice on pig hunting in the Waikato.

A bit about myself: I've lived in Balclutha, Tauranga and Hastings for a number of years, and have hunted (or tried to) the local Catlins, Kaimais and Kaweka/Ruahine. Had some success with goat hunting in Hawkes Bay in forestry blocks, but have never shot a deer or a pig. The only deer I came close to was one that ran in front of my car on Kashmir Road in the Ruahine.

I recently shifted from Hastings to Hamilton for a new job and really keen to get into pig hunting. Don't have dogs so will be stalking only.

Any advice on the best place to begin? Doc land? Forestry blocks? Any local pig hunting clubs? There appears to be plenty of small Doc blocks in South East Waikato and King Country on the Doc map but with no other information, would they be worth checking out?

Also without any experience shooting pigs, what caliber would be suitable power wise? Are they tougher than goats to knock down? Currently have 223, 243, 308, 7.62x39, all modern bolt actions, all suppressed. (I know, it is embarrassing to own more rifles than number of deer shot.)

Thank you very much for any advice.

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All three would be able to knock down pigs, but as you suggested they are very much tougher than goats. My first choice would be the 308, followed by the 7.62x39. The x39 wont have the longer range but for scrub and bush etc out to about 100m it would be well fine. In saying that as it sits beside the 308 in the locker, I would suggest the 308 as a go to for pigs.

Pigs can be very difficult to find in the open to get a shot at, I have had quite good success over the years shooting pigs without dogs, but this has been mostly farm land and waiting for them to come from the bush edge, or by making pig dumps ie-guts,bread anything edible. Pigs are like clockwork with their routines, feeding in certain areas, wallowing etc. find a wallow and tree rubbing and that's a good start, then try and work out what time of the day they will come to that area, undisturbed it will usually be around the same time each day.

Pigs are difficult to stalk in the bush because they are so low to the ground they are very hard to see even when close. Once the heat of summer comes on they retreat to deep cold bush gully's. Winter and spring are the times to shoot pigs. In winter on fern / scrub faces look for areas of fresh rooting and sit across the gully and watch the scrub and rooted areas.
In spring same but they will come out to graze on fresh grass with the best time being if it has really pissed down all day till mid afternoon then fined up with the sun coming out for an hour or two before evening. Grab your rifle and get up thee hill, every pig in the bush will be out tonight

Re calibres, I have never found pigs hard to kill. They seem very susceptibly to hydrostatic shock and anything bigger than a 22 mag in the right place kills eating size ones with ease.
Shoot them in the ear hole up to 100mtrs or so and behind the front leg when further. Big Boars should be shot in the neck with your 308

Pureora has a few pig's but your best bet would be to go door knocking. The country to the West of Hamilton has plenty of pig's.
As said earlier farmland bush edge hunting is the way to go if you don't have dogs.

I would use the 308. That way if a deer pops out somewhere further out while you're pig hunting, you've got it covered.

Some jokers on here if they did what they preached would have very short lives....

Use that .308 it’s safer for you and more humane for the animals your hunting!

Stalking pigs is not easy. Make contact with the nearest pig hunting club. There is one at Dinsdale and another in Tokoroa. Search for the New Zealand Pighunting Association (nzpighunting.org.nz).

I usually just hunt them as I would deer,sneak thru likely areas on dusk and dawn.

If your 243 shoots well I would use that. Just be aware that if you shoot one in the shoulder with any centrefire half the animal will be buggered - they bruise far worse than deer from a bullet. Aim for the ear hole if it presents, otherwise behind the front leg but not too high. The 308 especially with light bullets will cut the pig in half unless it's a big boar that there is no point in shooting anyway

Coromandel is not too far from Hamilton. There is a lot of pig-hunting to be had up there, and a hell of a lot of hunters. Just need to try and hook up with some. Not sure on clubs up that ways. An NZDA in Thames possibly?

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Originally Posted by mimms2

It all comes down to range, and your ability to shoot them in the brain.
.22LR to about 40y
x39 to 130
223 to 220
243 can boiler room them to 400. Wastes good ribs though.
308 is overkill IMO.

so .223 or .243 my vote. Depends which you like more. Or which is more accurate.

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When shooting pigs with smaller calibres, shot placement is very important. I had a boar a while back that shrugged off a centrefire cal to the shoulder. He was dropped by a 308 to the neck and on further investigation we had damage to the shoulder (shield) with the smaller cal that would have ended the pig in a few minutes, however in about 20 seconds it could have been unlocatable due to the terrain / scrub. I agree a 22 in the ear probably will drop a pig, but I would never take a 22 pig hunting. And certainly never after something like this...My personal best and the last one I got a couple years back and I do not use dogs as I only go rarely. If something like that pokes its nose at me in the scrub, I do NOT want a 22 cal anything in my hands......this one succombed to a trusty 303.

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From my bush stalking experience and past years pig hunting with dogs etc i think i have a far idea on tips. Without dogs pigs can be a real challage.
Summer can be good with the rifle as the pigs will be around creeks and wet guts etc so thats a good place to go look for them..In winter they be on sunny faces and where its warm.
Pigs venture alot in the native but rarely live in there. They always prefer the scrub or fern that borders the native edge so if you hunting native and theres a fern or scrub face close by thats where you go
and look for them.
Pigs eye sight is crap and they dont mine a little noise and you can stalk reasonable close unlike a deer but if they smell you, and they have a good nose, they be off quicker than any deer.
A pig thats broken wont stop to a yell like some deer will but will run even faster so dont try that.
Big boars have a good shield but a 243 and up will bowl the biggest over no problem. A 223 will be fine as well but may require better shot placement so i suggest a 243 as they the perfect bush rifle.
A 308 will work fine so will the x39 but a 308 maybe over kill on nice eating pigs.

If a pigs looking at you stay dead still, and dont move a muscle, they happy go back to do what they doing, esp smaller ones and a good size one prob will as well if its at any distance.

Alot of the places i bush stalk have pigs, i see more sign than pigs but always shoot the odd one .
Looking out for movement in the fern or crown fern in the native that isnt natural to the wind may show the postion of a pig moving as they lower to the ground.

Wallows are always good place for pigs and evening is the prime time for pig movements.




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Couple of the pigs shot looking for deer, two with the 243, one with the 308.
Farm edges are always the best with a rifle if you get on one otherwise its hard work getting pigs with a rifle unless you in areas with good numbers.

In middle of day they often bedded up so areas with good sign and crown fern or good cover tread carefully mas you can get quite close before they get up and know you there.

Good luck.

PS if you see pretty fresh pig sign, esp in the native it doesnt mean the pigs are right there. Pigs will travel the flats and native during the hours of darkness and then
head back to the fern and scrub to bed up. Pigs will travel 5km plus no problem.
Ive found many times dead fresh pig rooting in the native, followed a game trail over a hour and has lead to a fern face and thats where the pigs were.

In the native you need some luck, scrub is the place but the more cover the harder it is too stalk but thats pig hunting with a rifle.
Gorse blocks always have pigs if sign is in the area

Really appreciate all the advice!

I shot a lot of pigs years back with a single shot 22, but all were headshots on bailed pigs. Stalking I would be taking the 308, unless I was confident i would only come across small to medium sized pigs, then I might take the 243 or 223. On big boars the shield can go all the way back to the flanks, and can reportedly stop even a 308 (never seen it myself).
Private land bush edges would be the best bet, but plenty of public land in the King Country contains pigs, the Whareorino and Tawarau are a couple of the larger blocks. The Kaimais would be well worth a look, good amounts of fresh pig sign in there the few times I have been for a wander.
The Te Kuiti Pig Hunting Club was one of the largest in the country when I was a member and should still be running.

It’s already been spelt out on the other posts but the 223 and 7.62x39 will be fine on small/medium pigs, which is what you should be targeting for the freezer. But large boars are a very different kettle of fish. I’m no expert but it seems that a 243 with a strongly constructed projectile would be about the minimum for tackling big boars, and a 308 would be a better bet. Talk to any experienced pig hunter and they will tell you that a wounded boar is no joke, being under gunned could be asking for trouble.

I don't find pigs especially hard to kill for their size and have shot plenty with .223 and .25/06, but believe the .308 is the best of calibres you've listed and it's what I normally carry.

When stalking pigs they're often found on the edge of 100 acre gorse blocks, just on dark. I want that pig dead right there. I hate crawling into a tunnel in the gorse looking for a wounded pig.