Where To Shoot A Hog (Aiming Tips)

The best place to shoot a hog is in their vital organs including their brain, spinal column, heart & lungs, and liver. These specific locations will result in the easiest and cleanest hog kill.

Many factors can impact your shooting accuracy, including hog size, wind, hog movement, shot distance, and your individual firearm & scope. Hunters need to take these factors into consideration before pulling the trigger.

Also, we’ll discuss which firearm and optic combination to use for hunting hogs in different situations. Pick the setup that is best for your specific use case.

Where Should You Aim On A Hog?

Why Is Shot Placement Important?

Shot placement is the specific area or target on an animal that hunters aim for when taking a shot. When hunting wild hogs, shot placement plays an important role in ensuring an effective, ethical, and humane kill.

Hunters should aim for the vital organs of wild pigs. The vital organs of a hog typically include the heart and lungs, located in the chest cavity.

By aiming for vital areas of the hog’s body, hunters increase the chances of a clean and quick kill, minimizing unnecessary suffering. The worst possible outcome for hog or deer hunters is to wound an animal with a poorly placed shot. We learned this to be true in our post about where to shoot a deer as well.

Hunters need to have a solid understanding of the hog’s anatomy to place their rifle scope reticle for an accurate heart or lung shot. Take the time to align your rifle scope with the vital areas of the hog to get the fastest and most ethical kill.

Wild Hog Killzone Chart

Below is a chart that demonstrates the best places to shoot a hog. Although there are many different factors that can impact shot placement, this is the optimal location to get a clean kill & avoid creating a wounded animal. As we saw in our post about where to shoot a bear, many medium to large game animals have a similar shot placement strategy.

What Factors Affect The Optimal Shot Placement For Hogs?

There are many different factors that can influence the optimal shot placement for hog hunting. Here is a list of the biggest factors that influence a hunter’s shot.

• Individual shooting skill
• Size & weight of the hog
• Wind & weather conditions
• Movement of the hog
• Shot distance
• Hunter’s firearm and scope combination

Hog size plays a major role in determining shot placement. Smaller hogs will be difficult to shoot from longer distances. The bigger the boar the larger the vital organs. We also found this to be true in our article about where do you shoot a turkey as well!

Wind and weather conditions also come into play when hunting. Strong gusts or crosswinds can significantly impact the bullet’s flight path. If the hog is moving it becomes even more challenging! If the boar is coming directly at you head-on, then a head shot is the optimal shot placement.

Also, the exact firearm and scope combination can impact shot placement. Certain scopes have more magnification that allows hunters to shoot a hog from longer distances.

What Is The Best Hog Hunting Firearm?

The best hog-hunting firearms include shotguns, AR-10s, AR-15s, and other types of rifles. Hogs are tough animals and you will need enough stopping power to get the job done.

Just as important as the firearm choice is the optic choice. In our post about “where to shoot a coyote” we learned how important a gun scope can be! Depending on your specific gun type and hunting scenario, you could choose from the following optics.

• Red dot sight
• Magnified scope
• Thermal or night vision scope

Which Is The Best Scope For Hunting?

Hunting scopes are magnified optics that allow hunters to take accurate shots from long distances. Before picking the best riflescope for hunting you should consider this list of factors.

• Hunting style
• Magnification
• Shooting range

Can You Hunt Hogs At Night?

Wild hogs are often hunted at night. In fact, boars are more active at night than they are during the day. Hunters often choose to use Night vision hog hunting optics to get the most out of their night hunts. Be sure to know your local & state laws before hunting any type of animal after sundown.

Can You Use Red Dot Sights For Hunting?

Yes, red dot sights can be used for hunting hogs, deer, and other types of animals. The main benefits of red dot sights are quick target acquisition, parallax-free aiming, and better accuracy from close range. Both AR & shotgun red dot sights are great options for hunting boars from close to medium range.

Can You Hog Hunt With A Bow?

Yes, hog hunting with a bow is a very popular way to hunt wild hogs. Hunting with compound bows requires skill, stealth, and knowledge of the animal’s behavior. You need to get much closer when to the wild hog to align your crossbow scope on the boar. Hunters using bows should take extra precautions when hunting hogs from close range. They can be aggressive & it can be dangerous if you miss your shot.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

By now you should have a great understanding of where to shoot a hog. Landing the perfect shot in a hog’s vital zone is the best & most humane strategy. Be sure to take these main factors into account before going out on your next hog hunt. And be sure to pick the best gun & scope combination to give yourself the best chance at success.