First driven boar shoot.

[Cannon fodder]

Morning all,I'm due to go on my first driven boar shoot in Croatia after xmas. Wondering if anyone has kit list from previous hunts(yes I know rifle and ammo lol ) or any kit wish they had or tips they learnt from own shoot trips abroad.
Many thanks.

 

[Dama Dama 6.5]

Make sure you have plenty of warm clothes with you, you will be standing still for several hours at a time and can become very cold. Make sure you have Hi-vis vest to put on too. Electronic ear defenders are also brilliant on driven game, you will hear them running way before you see them.
good luck

 

[Boarboy]

It's always a difficult balance driven boar, being patient enough to firstly be safe and make the right decision about which beast to shoot, and secondly not dithering about and miss your chance! You kind of have to make
decisions quickly then act. But always safety first. I'm sure after a couple of drives you will soon know what the score is and settle down and enjoy!!

 

[EMcC]

As has already been said, warm clothing but not heavy clothing, base layers, plenty of them are best, but not enough to prevent or make your swing difficult.
A small seat is also very useful as the wait can be up to an hour or so.
As soon as you get in position clear the leaves and debris where you stand because regardless of how still you think you can stand you are bound, at some stage, to move your feet and crunchy leaves and small sticks when trodden on sound like a fanfare of danger to the animals.

If you have a 'stand/low high seat' to shoot from, fine but if it is just a place to stand and there is a tree, do not stand behind it as you will be tempted to look left and right of it for approaching animals and movement is the easiest thing any animal will see.​

Either sit in front or to the side of it but most importantly, sit or stand absolutely still.
I've just got back from Croatia, our group shot 55 pigs over three days but with only two drives on the second day and only one on the third.
I am going back again in a week or two.
Who are you going with as you may well be going to places I have already been or are going to soon ?
Just an after thought, I presume you have checked you rifle without a moderator, if not that is definitely important as Mods are not allowed in Croatia, although I have heard of some being used and nothing said but I wouldn't want to take a chance, particularly on your first hunt and not known by any of the guys on the ground.
Another thing as well that I have just thought of, don't forget to take a soft slip for the rifle as all firearms have to be covered when carried in public and hard cases take up a lot of room in the vehicle being used to transport you in and around the hunting grounds.

 

[jason shave]

rucksack seat & a piece of sponge to sit on .
good boots & Patients !!

 

[jb1]

Plenty of nibbles, chocolate, cheeses baby bell biscuits, a mug flask,

 

[potshotpat]

No hangover !

 

[EMcC]

Plenty of nibbles, chocolate, cheeses baby bell biscuits, a mug flask,

And a pic-nic table

 

[jb1]

And a pic-nic table

I just like a bit of variation in my diet, Wild Boar cured,smoked, boiled, kibbled and that funny stuff that floats in the soup, the same type of food eaten day after day. You end up with a Boar bung. Lol

 

[Heym SR20]

Boar are not stupid like pheasants. They have incredible powers of smell and hearing. So when you go to your stand be as quiet as possible, and when you are on the stand move slowly and very quietly. With pheasants you can chat away to your hearts content and you don’t mess your chances up much.

Your ears are your most valuable asset as you can hear them rustling in the undergrowth. And when you get a chance take it. Treat them like driven birds -swing though and squeeze reload and send another one to follow up. . It’s not like deer stalking where you have the time to take a deliberate shot.

and be very aware that boar can and will come from all directions. But be very careful of your arcs of fire. Almost certainly you will be told where you can and cannot shoot. And it will be marked on the trees. Do not shoot where you should not. There will be clear evidence and you will get your backside kicked.

There will be lots of dogs and trackers who are there to follow anything that is shot. Inevitably with running game not everything will be cleanly shot, but it never gets very far.

If a load of pigs come running out, don’t shoot the big one at the front. That’s the dominant matriarch. Instead shoot the smaller ones. If you get a large solitary one - that will be a big boar. Depending on the shoot they or may not attract a big price tag.

Have a good look at Pig anatomy. Their heart and lungs are lower and more forward than a deer. This week’s fieldsports Britain has a good demonstration of this. Go top of leg and 1/4 to 1/3 way body, or if it’s running cross hair on the nose.

If you have shot something let your host know or if beaters come past you stand. WhatsApp seems to be medium of choice for comms.

and stay on your stand. Don’t go looking for your pig until your host comes and gets you. Pigs are big and grumpy with big teeth. You will note that beaters and dogs have jackets and trousers on that look like chainsaw kit - they are cos wounded pigs are dangerous and kill. Let the experts deal with them.

And leave the gralloching to the butchers. Certainly in Germany you need to pass exams before you can gralloch something going into the food chain. On the hunts I have been on, everything is transported back to the larder entire and gralloched there.

There is a a lot of tradition that goes with driven hunting. Enjoy and respect it. It’s all part of it.

And remove your liver before you go. And don’t start trying to drink schnapps. You won’t win.

 

[mereside]

Great post above, Be alert right from the off you often get the deer or boar moving early on. look at gaps you can shoot before anything goes by take note of the area your in and good shooting areas, you might see game trails running through your spot, Just to add when the beaters and dogs come by don't think that's it, the single large males tend to saunter behind drop in thick cover then when everything goes by they often come out and move so really keep alert till the end horns blow or your designated time of unloading.
keep still as possible even when they start to run to the gun line they often stop in front and the lead pigs decide which way to run then they break and go.
take in all the atmosphere its great when you start to hear the dogs and shots and you also need luck because not everyone will get a shot but its not just about that, good luck.

 

[Uncle f]

Echo all that’s been said. I also cut up a high vis vest into five -six large pieces and I adorn my “stand areas” trees bushes etc as well as wearing some hi vis my self so all other pegs can see where I am and my general area

good luck it’s great sport

 

[Sika98k]

No hangover !

Whether that what said in jest or not is a very salient point in Hungary at least and possibly in Croatia. In Hungary there is the possibility of being breathalysed on the morning of the shoot.

One man was very disappointed with his first days driven boar hunting last year.

 

[Heym SR20]

Before you go get some practice in. Walked up rabbits with a 22 would be ideal. Failing that lay out clay pigeons or paper plates at 30 to 40 yards and shoot them off hand. You are not looking for precision but speed of shot. If you’re consistently hitting a paper plate that’s good enough. When you get on your stand think about your arcs of fire, and look for gaps in trees etc. Boars will keep in cover as much as possible. I realised this a couple of weeks ago - had 30 pigs come running past the other side of thick cover, with a three yard gap in the trees. I should have followed and fired as they crossed. Instead I waited for them to give me a clearer shot and nothing came - only pigs I saw on two drives I saw that week.

You also need need to rethink need for perfect shot. In the UK stalking we are very precise and want an immediate clean kill. Follow up is often a long way away.

On a driven hunt, you strive for a clean kill, but there will be lots of dogs and beaters will carrying knives and guns as well. If anything is wounded it’s dispatched very quickly.

We were doing farmers type shoots - equivalent to 30 /40 phaesant type days. About 25% of the gun’s were successful. On these type of shoots you have to maximise any opportunity as they don’t present themselves often.