why not shot

[Dogrunner]

i dont hag hunt but i was watiching the tv show aboutit and they would eather catch it alive ar stabe it why dont they shoot the damn things.

[come-hunt]

concussion from the muzzle blast will cause your dogs to release and you stand a real good chance of getting hog bit. The next time they catch they will release when you walk up to shoot and you stand a better chance. A few times of this and they develope the habit of releasing to avoid that blast and if you've ever received the concussion from a pistol at about four feet you'll understand why a whole lot more.

[jkcasey]

I agree with come-hunt about the muzzle blast. I've had dogs in the past that were shaken because of it and I have lost hogs by doing that. The dogs I have now don't mind being shot over, save one. My biggest problem with shooting into a bay is the chance of hitting one or more of the dogs, because of a pass through or a misplaced shot. Hogs can't climb trees, so most everyone will be caught on the ground in the middle of the dogs. When I go, I'm the only one with a gun. I only use it to get a hog off of me or the dogs. I have heard too many stories of dogs being shot and killed because a newbe got excited and shot into a bay. It just is not worth it to me.

[bigboarstopper]

I guide hog hunts behind dogs and that second when the client pulls the trigger is the worst for me. The second worse is the moment after looking to see if all the dogs are alright. We have to use a pistol here in cali and its not fun. I make my clients shoot 44 specials or smaller calliber. They are required to press the barrel against the hog and are not allowed to remove the pistol from the holster until directed to by me. The shot must be straight down or on the side if the hog has been tipped over. Sound simple? Its not. Its hard enough for me to do it without stressing over all the precious lives around me. Its even harder to sink this information into a clients head before, during and after a hog hunt. Im like a broken record to my clients about shooting time and so far so good

[lil wasper]

I JUST HUNT BAY DOGS WHEN I DROP THE HAMMER MY DOGS CATCH I MOST OF THE TIME PUT A 22 MAG RITE BETWEEN THE EYES OR BEHIND THE EAR

[Bucunter1983]

If someone has a gun my dogs are not going to be hunted, too much of a chance of a dog getting hit. Plus I like all my dogs to be gun shy as all get out, when someone starts shooting I want my dogs to tuck tail and head for the hills.

[boardog]

well like bbs said we cant stab em here in ca . i just leg em and clip em with my 41 mag in the back of the head. ive killed hundreds of hogs behind my dogs with both guns and a bow, but when i take out newbies or guys that havent done much doggin i wont allow anyone else to carry a firearm. people tend to get way to overzealous and bad things can happen. if they refuse to keep it holstered or wont leave it in the truck, ill load my dogs and go home. the whole ''i wont shoot your dogs '' doesent fly with me. if some1 were to shoot my dog the would be the next one getting shot!

[catchrcall]

Shooting a hog that's caught is a real good way to cause a wreck. It will ruin your catch dog and the next time you walk up to leg one you'll be in trouble when he lets go. Shooting a bayed hog is different, lots of people do it but I like using catch dogs better. I can use catch dogs at night, I can send them through brush, and there's no bullet to worry about going through, ricocheting, or fragmenting and hitting a dog.

If your question is why not just shoot the hogs instead of dog them, the answer is because you can't shoot what you can't see. I rarely see hogs with a spotlight. The TV shows I guess like to use that way so you can see the race or whatever, but it usually takes some pretty good dog work to get them found. I wish I could see a hog and drop dogs on it every once in a while.

[boardog]

[catchrcall]

Not trying to argue by any means, just making sure I'm clear. You're saying that while a dog is caught on a hogs ear and holding the hog you have shot the hog, with no negative effect on the dog?

[boardog]

[catchrcall]

I'm still having trouble, I'm not trying to be rude I swear. So while the dog is still holding the hog's ear you put a .41 mag to the back of the hog's head a couple inches from the dogs face and shoot the hog in the back of the head?

[boardog]

[catchrcall]

yeah i got it now, don't know why it seemed like such a hard thing to grasp and believe me I appreciate your patience. I don't have an issue with it at all, seems like lights out pretty quick, and it obviously doesn't mess with your dogs if they're still catching again and again. I think maybe the difference must be how the shot is done. I've seen two dogs effected like I said above, but the shots they were around, would be from several feet away while the hogs were still standing. I dunno. It sucks that you can't just stick them.

[bigboarstopper]

California rules certainly stink. Killing the hog sometimes takes longer than the race. In a perfect situation we leg the hog and begin to pull dogs off. The last dog off is the catchdog then we shoot. I shoot a 41mag. However ive found that the 45colt makes much less muzzle blast than others and the possibility of a through and through shot is much less. If I was to buy another pistol specifically for pressing the barrel against the hog it would be the 45colt. Before the condor lead ban we used to use a single shot 410. shotgun with a slug. We would press the barrel against the hog with it and it was as quiet as a 22 with little to no muzzle blast at all.