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I almost went boar hunting here in TN with my muzzleloader this past season up in the Cumberland mts. It's quite common around here. Some English gents brought in a slew of Russian boars and sows back in the mid 1800s for sport and they have really found a home from the Cumberlands to the Appalachins. There are a number of hunting perserves and camps that offer Boar hunts. Some offer pure bred Russian boars that can run to over 800 lbs and very tusky. Some also offer a mix of the Russian and feral....most are in the 300-400 lb range from what I've gleaned. Some places stalk, some dog hunt (especially in the Smokies area) and some offer stands/blinds. Running up and down mts. chasing dogs chasing hogs is not really my cup of tea but sounds exciting. I'd prefer to hunt from a stand or ground blind near a hog trail or food plot. The season on some places is year around but the best time is from November to April.

I'd like a nice tusked Boar's head even though my wife would balk at placing it in the house. She does allow one B&C buckhead courtesy of my grandfather from 1950 and we have a 46 pound bobcat in my oldest son's room. I would use probably my .54 Jaeger sidehammer since the range in Mt brush is fairly close...10-40 yards. The prices for these hunts and accomodations are relatively inexpensive ranging from say 600 for a 3 day hunt to maybe 1200 for 3 days at a nice lodge with the largest boars available.

At the Bass Pro Shop here in Nashville is a picture on the wall in the men's room of the owner with a Boar he took in Siberia. It weighed over 1000 lbs with tusks like forearms.

I remember a tale about some hunters on Davis Island in Mississippi that were once treed by some hogs and had to wait it out for a day or so for help.

I'd prefer to hunt from a stand or ground blind near a hog trail or food plot. The season on some places is year around but the best time is from November to April.

Pig hunting is one of my favorite hunting pursuits, and fortunately for us on the West coast, there are lots of them (both domestic, Russian, and hybrids) and you can hunt all year for a dollar or two a tag. You can't tromp through the brush without finding them, so much so that they are becoming a real hazard. But I've never been one of those brave lads that looks to go toe-to-toe with one; every year a few hunters here die (often bowhunters) who decided to take on a small pack of Russians and lost. I find a good elevated vantage point where I can look down on a couple heavily used pig trails and shoot from safety. And even then I've had a close call or two with a Russian. Tough as nails, and even if I drop one where it stands, sometimes I have to deal with his buddies.

When I am chasing down feral in the brush, I use a Winchester M94 in .357 Mag. Great little lever action that does the job with heavy loads and gives me a quick followup if I need it. The ferals aren't particularly dangerous in my experience unless they have some Russian mixed in with them. For Russians, I opt for something with better penetration, usually a .260 Remington (which works wonderfully on just about any critter I've tried it on). Hmm... I think it is time to put another feral in the freezer.