Can You Hunt Hogs With A Recurve Bow?

Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter, and Outdoorsman.

Nabbing a pork bounty isn’t easy. But then again, over the past decade, hog hunting has become a necessity. From guarding our homes to protecting crops, wild hogs are a menace to society.

Big game hunters who find deer hunting a bit out of their league find hog hunting easier. Now, you’ve heard hunters using guns and rifles, but can you hunt hogs with a recurve bow, though?

Yes, you can. Skilled hunters get psyched when they can play good old Robin Hood. Recurve bows are a great weapon to hunt a wild boar easily, and it always has been this way.

Recurve bows are lightweight but lethal. One good shot and the next thing you know, the arrow penetrates right through the heart and lungs of the wild hogs.

But it’s not just the recurve bow that does the job. You must know other things if you want to make a good kill. I’ll be shedding light on these factors.

In this post, we'll cover:

Why Recurve Bows Are Good for Hunting

You might wonder why you should go for recurve bows while there are other bow types as well. Recurve bows have got these unique attributes that can help you in hog hunting pretty well. Here are a few yet essential benefits.

Less Noise

While hunting wild boars, you need to maintain a pin drop silence. Unlike traditional bows, a compound bow, modern recurve bows (even the old ones) help you keep a low profile.

Now, not all recurve bows are quiet. However, most of these bows have dampers attached to the strings that help reduce the noise.

Better Draw Weight

A quick kill has two benefits. One, the animals die quickly. Two, you get your bounty easily. And that’s where draw weight has its importance. The better the draw weight, the deeper the arrow will penetrate the animal’s body.

Most recurve bows come with great draw weights. So, it helps you hunt with ultimate accuracy and precision. Most importantly, you get to kill your prey almost instantly…. only if you hit the target, though.

Light in Weight

You have to move a lot while enjoying your hog hunt. Your bow has to be light in weight. And this is why recurve bow can be your thing. You can carry the recurve bows and move with incredible agility, thanks to their lightweight structure.

Hunting Wild Hogs: Things You Should Know

New to hog hunting? Here are some things you need to keep in mind before shooting your target.

Scouting

You’ve to go ‘Eagle Eye’ mode if you want to track down your prey. Inspect from your tree stand, using your binoculars. When scouting, make sure you keep a distance from your prey.

Wild hogs love water. They’re pretty famous for being dirty and making a muddy mess. Feral pigs love muddy wallows and thick bush.

What makes them unique from most animals out there is that they rub themselves with trees, boulders, used motor oil, and fences. They love scraping the ears and sides on power poles because the creosote serves them as an insect repellant.

So, when you’re tracking down your prey, try keeping your eyes peeled for rooting holes, pig tracks, hair, and scat.

Stalking

Guess what the most significant advantage of hunting hogs is? Their eyesight! These animals can’t see very well. However, God has blessed them with exceptional hearing and smelling ability. That can give you a hard time.

Now, I’m not saying that you’ll be needing the most intense camo. However, you would want to get your hands on the quietest gear.

Pro Tip: To spice it up, you can use pig squealers or an electric feeder to attract the hogs within your bow range.

Killing Your Scent

As I’ve mentioned earlier, hogs have got a strong sense of smell; no wonder ‘nose’ is their precious sensory. One wrong move and the wind will carry your scent. The next thing you know, the hogs are gone. So, fix your hunting position right. Don’t let the wind give your position away.

Whether it’s a blind, stalk, or stand, the wind always has to be in your face. The wind here is not something you should be friends with while hog hunting.

DO NOT walk on the trails the wild hogs would use, or at least you’d expect them to come from. In this scenario, too, the wild boars use their noses to detect scents in the air before entering the trail.
Never even think about smoking before you jump into the hunting spree. I’d also suggest not to use any hand sanitizer. They contain enough perfume to have your position compromised.

As a precaution, you can try using a scent removing soap; these are widely available. You might want to make sure your cloth doesn’t smell either. Try putting all your clothes in a plastic sack after washing them, and keep pine needles and pine cones. This should make you smell like your hunting environment.

You can also invest in scent-control products, electronic scent-eliminators, or spray-scent eliminators.

I can also vouch for a wind checker. These are very helpful if you want the wind to act in your favor.

The Night Is Your Best Friend

I don’t recommend hunting hogs in the day as hogs are nocturnal feeders. You can find them roaming around at night. That is why hog hunters prefer not to hunt during the day.

Since hogs are color blind to both red and green light, and luckily, most states permit using light while hog hunting, you can use these lights for your convenience. Wild boars and hogs won’t be able to detect the light, and they’ll keep on feeding while you can have enough time to pick the perfect spot to hunt hogs and hit your prey.

A tactical light kit will give you the best results in this case. But they are costly, though. As an alternative, if you already have an ordinary flashlight, get your hands on a green light film or filter to cover it.

Consider the Hunting Pressure

Food sources and hunting pressure has a considerable influence on the movements of wild hogs. Hunting pressure can get the wild hogs spooked, and they’ll make a run for it.

Once gone, chances are, they won’t return to that place anytime soon. Even if you’re going to make a blind or a tree stand in these areas, I don’t think it will do you any good.

What Is the Best Place to Shoot a Hog with a Bow

When it comes to shot placement in bow hunting, you’ll find the broadside and quartering-away shots to be the most effective ones. Skilled hunters prefer the slightly quartering-away a lot, especially when the front leg of the wild boar is forward.

Why? It’s because the vital organs of a wild boar, meaning the lung and heart area, are tucked behind its front leg. So, when you’re going for a quartering-away shot, the odds say you might end up hitting both the heart and the lungs, which means a clean kill. If you’re dealing with more giant boars, quartering away is your best shot.

As for broadside shots, it can penetrate easily if the hog weighs less than 125 pounds. Check the front leg of the wild boar up to the mid-point of its chest. Aim for it and release the arrow. No, you most likely won’t hit the heart. However, the arrow should penetrate both the lungs, resulting in a quick death.

What Is a Good Draw Weight on a Recurve Bow for Hunting Feral Hogs?

‘Forty to fifty pounds should be more than sufficient. It is more important where you put the arrow than the poundage of the bow,’ says Brodie Brickey, a Quora user, in a comment.

Usually, it would be best to choose the draw weight with your body type. Now, if it weren’t for hunting, any draw weight would do. However, since we’re talking bowhunting wild hogs here, you should go for at least 40 pounds.

What Is the Effective Range of a Recurve Bow?

Recurve bows are powerful enough to cover hundreds of yards as you shoot. However, the range depends on the specifications: draw length, arrow weight, draw weight, etc.

The accurate target shooting range for recurve bow is 60 to 100 yards. However, the ideal range is between 20 to 40 yards if you’re going hunting.

What Type of Arrows Should I Use for Hunting Hogs?

I’d recommend carbon arrows since we’re talking about recurve bows here. Some newbies might disagree and say carbon arrows are essential for target shooting, but in reality, they are perfect even for hunting. I don’t prefer cheapos like fiberglass arrows.

Carbon arrows are durable, accurate, and safe. However, carbon arrows are a bit on the expensive side though.

If you want to go for a cheaper alternative, you can try aluminum arrows. But, I doubt their accuracy and precision.

What Type of Broadheads Are Better for Hunting Wild Boars

For hunting down wild hogs, you should go for mechanical broadheads. These broadheads can open up to as much as 2 inches. A clear shot can be fatal enough to kill the boar instantly. If you use the right arrow tip, the arrow will penetrate the thick skin and fat of the hog.

Wrapping Up!

Now that you’ve gone through all the tips I’ve given, let me ask you a question; can you hunt hogs with a recurve bow?

Well, maybe the last time was challenging for you. But now I’m sure you definitely can hunt down your prey.

Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.

Sources

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