Video: Hog charges while hunting w/thermal

Hey guys I figured I'd post this up for your viewing pleasure. I shot this hog a back in January. I'll post my video description from Youtube because it tells the story pretty well.

This 175 lb East Texas wild hog didn't take kindly to being shot with a .300blk and decided to put a full on charge straight towards me. The first shot was at 45 yards and even with only 3 good legs you can see he covered that ground very quickly. I shot as quickly and accurately as possible and in the slow-motion portion, you can see I delivered some really good hits and then I missed several times but I got back on him as he was at point blank range. I moved out of the way at the very last second as he hit the right leg of my bipod and I continued to shoot as he fell 3 steps from me. You can see I had to move backwards to get him in the sight picture of my scope as he was hitting the ground by me.

It was 23 degrees that evening and I was testing out the new FLIR ThermoSight Pro PTS233 thermal rifle scope and I have to admit, I think it performed extremely well for a $2,200 thermal scope, not much more I could ask for in a situation like this. I'm thankful this ordeal ended the way it did, it could have gone much worse.

**For those who are surely going to be offended by the graphic nature of this video when the hog is laying on the ground, let me be clear, I shot him repeatedly to try to kill him. Also once the hog is on the ground, the video was cut and trimmed multiple times to save time. I edited out a bunch more shooting that you don't get to see. I was doing all I could to kill this hog and not run completely out of ammo since I was 1/4 mile from my house. In all, including what was cut out and after the video stops, I shot this hog 20 times with a .300blk and 11 times with a .380 with hollow points. Yes I know that a .380 isn't a hog caliber but I just happen to have my Glock 42 on my waist and admittedly I don't always carry a sidearm when hog hunting, even though I know I should. After this, I've been more conscience of it!

Sorry I have to add that disclaimer but I've been getting some flack here and there about me not killing the hog fast enough and trust me fellas, I wanted him to die but he was having none of it.

- Jason

Turn on your sound!

Hogs are tough. Good job

What bullet was loaded in the 300 BO , factory or reloads ?

That was a close call

That’ll get your blood pressure up....

Too close to comfort! Those were Hornady .300blk 110gr V-Max

- Jason

Hornady should consider putting a statement on that load “Tickles Hogs”

I am still trying to figure out why you didn't just walk around to the other side of the hog and put a bullet in his brain instead of shooting him repeatedly over an extended period of time.

Edit. That was pretty close. I have had them run by close enough to just about slap in the head, it will get your blood going for sure.

You have to keep shooting until THEY know they are dead.

Too close for comfort. I would switch to the Barnes Tac TX vs. a Varmint bullet.

Trying to git all up in yo bidness!

That hog took a lotta lead!

I probably would have cut out most of the thrashing in the video, but it shows how tough some hogs can be.

As I said in my long intro up above, you aren't seeing the whole unedited video. You are seeing a video that was cut and edited for time and even at that it is still boringly long. I am of the belief that a .300blk bullet fired from 15 ft into the head of the hog will reach the brain. But, as you suggested, I also walked up directly over the hog and shot him in the head from both sides and directly between the eyes with my .380, otherwise known as a pea shooter. I also shot him from those angles with the .300blk. Again, as I mentioned above I shot him 11 times in the head with the .380 and I shot (at least) 20 rounds of .300blk at him. Granted, I realize several of those missed while he was running at me but when he was laying on the ground, I was absolutely hitting him. When I moved him there were gallons of blood. His head was like jello.

The point I'm making is.....trust me on this....I couldn't make this hog realize he was dead. Every time I'd think he was dead he'd start thrashing around again. I called a friend while I was still down there and while I was on the phone with him I repeatedly walked up to the hog and shot him squarely in the head at least 4-5 times and I was close enough that I had blood blow back on my pants and rifle. Again, I'm not sure what else I could have done but as you suggested, I did walk around and shot him from every angle with the only two firearms I had with me. I just didn't show every single shot fired in the video above.

I did all I could do with the firearms I had on my person. And yes I know, a .50 BMG would have solved the problem on the first shot.

- Jason

In retrospect I would have too, I won't make the mistake again. I figured it would only upset the libs but I've been proven wrong on that by the comments on Youtube that I had to delete. I thought it would prove how tough and dangerous these darn hogs can really be but in another forum, it just turned into a caliber/bullet choice debate. I even had a guy call and tell me that anyone who shoots a hog with anything less than a .45-70 is a moron and that a .308 won't kill a hog. Then on the other extreme I had a guy tell me he shoots hogs "all the time" with a .17 and he's never had one take a single step...ever. So you know what, you are right, I think next time I'll cut out that part of the video.

- Jason

I don't know that s VMAX fired atound the head area will reach the brain like you showed in the video. I did not see any shots that I thought would actually go into the brain had they penetrated. And while you may have aimed in the correct area being that close your bullets would have been hitting low of your point of aim. In short you obviously we're not hitting the brain.

Great video
Always wanted to get a good video like that but seems something goes wrong with recorder
Or turn it off when you thought your turning it on
Looks like you never got a Central nervous system shot on the front end of him
A black out does the job, but pigs can take holes threw them pretty good,and have enough blood and adrenaline to run flat out without a heart for 100 yards ,, but CNS shots stop them
Looks like you got one on back end to stop um but never at the front end to finish him from the angle you were shooting

You might not have hit any brain, but you sure were shooting! That sure must have gotten your blood a pumping...

I had to go look for one in tall wheat one night and had one run right by me (not at me like you) when I hit him with my headlight. The shooter had my M&P, all I had was his .357 revolver, never shot one so fast before, think I missed every time.

Everyone will have an opinion... I prefer my .308 and see no reason to go lower. I think the video is fine given he made you dance a little.

Thanks for sharing with us!

I had a big boar come at me last summer, shot him with 75g tap in the neck at 50 yards and he came in taking 4-6 more as he was running into me, jumped to the side and hit him a few more times about 20 feet behind me.

I usually use my 6.8 when I am on the ground after hogs..
Decided to test some 75g SBR TAP from Hornady..
I will be sticking with the 120 SST in 6.8 in the future.. they will almost always put a pig down, even on the run with a bad hit.

I have seen several videos of hogs taking 10+ rounds of 300BO and they still keep running. I am dropping them immediately at 200yrds with 6.8SPC 115gn FMJ. Maybe I am not making a fair comparison.

I shot a big sow when I first got my Armasight Vampire couple yrs ago. She was in a large sounder and the rest turned and ran right at me. I was in a chair between two cedars with a small oak in front of me. After the first shot the smoke caused the IR light to reflect and I couldn't see well enough to engage them and they were running into the cedars and that oak in front of me LOL. I just emptied the mag hoping to divert them and somehow none of them ran into me. Most were 30-50 lbers with some bigger hogs in the group of about 20. It was chaos but man was it exciting. Now they weren't technically charging me they were just running from the big ole squealing sow I shot and I was in their way LOL.

Amazing video. Another few feet and it would have been tragic. I think I'm going to add a shield to my set up. Not the M and P variety either.

Just watched the video again and I think about 8 of those shots missed completely regardless I’d sell the 300 BO as I would have no faith in it after that.

Don't have a video from the Photon, but this sow took a shot a little forward from my 300 with a 125 SST at 60ish yards. She slumped, started running with her nose dragging and then turned towards me. I was shocked how fast she closed the distance, and the IR blinded me from the smoke. It was a lucky shot between the eyes at 7-10 yards. She was probably 125-140 pound sow. Talk about causing a pucker factor when a wounded pig runs straight at you.

Have you considered mounting a bayonet?

All kidding aside, my hunting sidearm is a Taurus Tracker in .45 Colt with a laser pointer precisely because it's so hard to find anything in a NV scope at ranges under 10 yards. At the end of the day, you did what you had to do.

Deadend nailed the problem involved, getting a bullet where the CNS would be effected. You can shoot a hog all over the place and they can still keep going for some time. Apparently the pain involved for them has no effect on their movement when the adrenalin is pumping.
Trying to hit moving targets with a rifle or pistol at short range and fast can be a real challenge, and some folk don't really realize how tough it can be. Just do something like turning a coon loose out of a live trap, pull your pistol and try to nail him running away....you will probably have a new perspective about running targets. Sights don't always even enter into the situation.
Just trying to hit a hog in a proper place while running in a round trap can be a challenge sometimes.

Put that .300blk down and get a .308 using Hornady GMX bullets.

a .30 cal bullet going fast enough is certainly enough to put a hog on the ground.


FWIW, my 6.5 grendel has fired at two pigs (one by me, one by a friend in the same stand) and dropped them both in their tracks with single hits. Both were 120gr Noslers at 2400 fps. It's all about the shot placement.


Looking at the video closely, it looks like that first shot was in the neck, but too low to break the spine, and passed through and hit the right front leg, breaking it. You can see that leg flapping around as he is running, and then again as he's on the ground. Raise that shot up a few inches and he'd drop where he stood.

Great Story!

Watching that video makes me want to switch from my 10 round mags to my 15 rounders. Even though the 6.8 120 SST's have been putting them down hard you can just never be too careful especially when you do walk in hunts alone a mile or 2 back in to public lands. So I think you just made me switch and convinced that I should carry at least 13 rounds now rather than my lucky 8 that I did carry.


When I carry my AR I see no reason to carry a pistol. Or am I wrong?

prob my most exciting hunting moment of my life lol. Of coarse it could have ended badly if a descent size hog clipped me and broke my leg or something but luckily that wasn’t the case.

Absolutely it was!!! Thats Why I love hog hunting!!! Exciting!!