Bushpig hunting will take you to the thickets and dense underbrush, where they lay up during the daylight hours. They are best hunted during the night when they are most active.
They must be hunted over bait from a blind or using hounds to flush them from the areas they bed down during the day. There are no seasonal restrictions on trophy Bushpig hunting in South Africa. Nick Bowker Hunting offers Bushpig African safari hunts year-round.
Table of Contents
- Bushpig Hunting Cost
- Interesting Facts About Bushpig
- Difference between Male and Female
- About the Bushpig
- Bushpig Trophies in South Africa
- Trophy Judgement and Rifle Calibre
Bushpig Hunting Cost in South Africa
A Bushpig trophy will cost around $1000. Bushpig can be added to any of our package hunts. Our African hunt prices provide value for money.
The Bushpig trophy hunting package includes a licensed hunting guide and a hunting license, and all permits.
Shot placement must be in the bottom third of the animal directly above the front shoulder. This will ensure a heart or lung shot. Avoid head and neck shots which are high-risk.
Interesting facts about the Bushpig for hunters
- Bushpig is a mammal that belongs to the family of pigs. There are six subspecies of bushpig in the eastern and southern parts of Africa.
- The upper tusks of bushpig are poorly visible. Lower tusks (elongated canine teeth) are large, curved, and sharp and used mainly as weapons against predators.
- Bushpigs share several morphological features with warthogs. Compared to warthogs, bushpigs have less prominent warts on the muzzle (only adult males have warts), shorter tusks and they run with downward positioned tails (warthogs run with erect tails).
- They are nocturnal creatures (active during the night).
- Bushpig is an omnivore (it eats meat and plants), and its diet consists of roots, tubers, rhizomes, fruits, crops, earthworms, and insect larvae.
- Also, they will occasionally follow monkeys and collects their leftovers.
- Bushpig hunting requires warning as preparation is required.
- An excellent swimmer who often wallows in the mud to prevent overheating and to protect himself against insect bites.
- They live in groups (called sounders) composed of 4 to 10 animals, and the group consists of a dominant male, dominant female, and young animals of both sexes.
- Bushpig uses grunts, squeals, and growls for communication.
- Mating season for bushpigs takes place from April to June.
- The Female uses grass and builds a nest shaped like a haystack. The nest can be 10 feet wide and 3 feet high.
- Pregnancy lasts around four months and ends with 2 to 4 piglets. Babies spend the first days of their life in the nest.
- Bushpig young are dark brown colored and covered with pale stripes that provide camouflage in thick vegetation, and both parents take care of their offspring.
- Bushpig aggressively defends their young from predators.
- Bushpigs reach sexual maturity at 18 months and can survive up to 13 or 14 years in the wild.
The difference between a male and female Bushpig
The color of the body of the bushpig varies widely between dark brown and reddish-brown in both males and females. What distinguishes a male and a female bushpig is the bony ridge and two warts on the snout.
About the Bushpig
Your African Bushpig trophy should have an average shoulder height of around 32 inches, weigh about 180 pounds, and have a Tusk length of approximately 4 inches.
The Bushpig is one of the most challenging species of plains game hunting in South Africa.
Hunted over bait from a blind or using hounds to flush them from the areas they bed down during the day.
Either way, they are an incredibly tricky yet satisfying species to hunt.
Bushpig inhabits grasslands, riverine woodlands, swamps, reed beds, and semi-arid areas.
They are rarely seen in the wild because they inhabit hardly accessible terrains and are most active at night.
Hunting bushpigs will take you to the thickets and dense underbrush, where they lay up during the daylight hours.
They are best hunted during the night when they are most active.
In the case of hunting Bushpig using hounds, things get a lot more interesting.
We will get a pack of hounds and send them into an area where we think the Bushpig might be sleeping during the day.
The hunters stand along likely routes of escape for the Bushpigs.
Bushpig Hunting in South Africa
Bushpigs are mainly nocturnal. Adult bushpigs stand from 26 to 39 inches at the shoulder and weigh from 121 to 331 pounds.
Their color varies from reddish-brown to dark brown and becomes darker with age. However, both sexes have a lighter-colored mane, which bristles when the animal becomes agitated.
The upper parts of the face and ears are also lighter in color. Their sharp tusks are relatively short and inconspicuous.
Unlike warthogs, bushpigs run with their tails down. Males usually are larger than females.
A typical group will consist of a male and a female, with other younger females and juveniles accounting for the rest.
Litters of three to four young are born in summer.
Bushpigs can be aggressive, especially when they have piglets.
They are omnivorous and eat roots, crops as well as carrion.
They grunt softly while feeding and make a long growl as an alarm call.
Trophy Judgement and Rifle Caliber for Bushpig Hunting
The 7mm is more than adequate. For those hunters who do not wish to go through the red tape of bringing a rifle into South Africa, Nick Bowker has available Sako 300 magnum fitted with a suppressor.
Mounted on the rifle is a Swarovski Z8 tactical scope. We have hand-loaded Hornady ELD-X ammunition.
This setup, including ammunition, is available as part of all hunting packages free of charge.
Bushpigs should be treated with respect especially when they have young, as they can show aggression.
Hunting bushpigs can make for an exciting evening, and use caution, as these bad-tempered animals can be dangerous when wounded.
Bushpig can be added to one of our 7 animal packages for example the sable package.