Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bear Hunting => Topic started by: HoofsandWings on February 03, 2019, 12:06:23 PM

Title: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: HoofsandWings on February 03, 2019, 12:06:23 PM: Do you pull the trigger and hope it is a male?
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: Tracker0721 on February 03, 2019, 12:11:30 PM: I’ve looked up the differences and try judging boar or sow when watching hunting videos and I still guess wrong after half the time so I’d like to know too
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: MtnMuley on February 03, 2019, 12:13:10 PM: Build of body. Length of body and legs. Shape and length of head and snout. Behavior. Lots of time studying bears.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: carpsniperg2 on February 03, 2019, 12:18:58 PM: Quote from: MtnMuley on February 03, 2019, 12:13:10 PM
Build of body. Length of body and legs. Shape and length of head and snout. Behavior. Lots of time studying bears.

Exactly guys that hunt from stands and can watch the bears on bait will have a lot of time. They look at wrists as well sows have dainty wrists and a boar of size will have almost a strait thick wrist to the pad where the sows have a inward taper and neck down.

A lot of the mid sized bears are very hard to judge. The big boars look just rugged and matcho to me and the bigger sows still look dainty with there face and eye set.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: Jonathan_S on February 03, 2019, 02:17:38 PM: I will a shoot an unaccompanied show no problem :twocents:
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: saylean on February 03, 2019, 02:39:43 PM: Quote from: MtnMuley on February 03, 2019, 12:13:10 PM
Build of body. Length of body and legs. Shape and length of head and snout. Behavior. Lots of time studying bears.

:yeah:
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: JimmyHoffa on February 03, 2019, 02:52:56 PM: The one in back or on top is probably the boar.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: trophyhunt on February 03, 2019, 02:54:01 PM: Much easier in the spring time, the boars usually have their nose up the sows butt. Look for the second bear walking behind.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: vandeman17 on February 03, 2019, 03:17:58 PM: My limited experience is looking at their ears in conjunction with their heads. Boars will have lower ears compared to sows and ears look smaller compared to their domes.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: BULLBLASTER on February 03, 2019, 03:28:16 PM: Big bottoms and smaller shoulders. Streamlined almost wedge shape from head to rump on sows. Board gave much larger shoulders and neck in comparison to their rumps.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: BULLBLASTER on February 03, 2019, 03:28:54 PM: Quote from: Jonathan_S on February 03, 2019, 02:17:38 PM
I will a shoot an unaccompanied show no problem :twocents:
:yeah: I’ve seen me do it
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: buglebuster on February 03, 2019, 04:17:43 PM: If no cubs, I could care less boar or sow. It’s dead.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: h20hunter on February 03, 2019, 05:19:34 PM: :yeah:
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: jackelope on February 03, 2019, 06:42:48 PM: Look for them child rearin’ hips!!
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on February 03, 2019, 07:20:29 PM: That’s easy. The boar is usually lounging, dipping pretzel sticks in queso dip and the gal is normally looking stern and telling the boar to pick up after himself :rolleyes:
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: idaho guy on February 03, 2019, 08:59:28 PM: Shoot it and then take a closer look
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: Cultusman on February 03, 2019, 09:08:32 PM: Quote from: idaho guy on February 03, 2019, 08:59:28 PM
Shoot it and then take a closer look

:yeah: It's a predator , Washington has plenty of them.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: bkaech on February 03, 2019, 10:21:51 PM: It takes experience and practice to judge correctly. However if you make a judgement at 200 yrds the only way to know if you are right is to shot it and take a closer look, that's how you learn. If you do that a few times it will make it easier to have confidence in your future judgments and potentially more discernment over what you shoot....if you care that much. Personally, if it doesn't have any cubs and is more than 2 years old, I will take it.

The other option is spend lots of time watching bears over bait, or set up cameras and bait. That will give you more opportunity to judge and see bears. (Of course, hunting over bait for bears is illegal.... )
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on February 04, 2019, 10:33:22 AM: When it's by itself it's tricky. An older sow in good condition can look a lot like a younger adult boar. I killed a good size bear near Peshastin that three experienced hunters all agreed was a young adult boar (3-4 yo) - SHE ended up being a 14 year old sow. She was delicious! I'm in the adult without cubs group - any unaccompanied adult bear presenting a good shot opportunity gets a bullet.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: JWEBB on February 04, 2019, 10:10:47 PM: Curious why you even ask? Bears are a huge contributor to our deer and elk decline. Shoot it and don’t worry whether it’s a sow or not. In wa that is. Not sure what other states laws are
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: huntnnw on February 04, 2019, 10:36:46 PM: larger the boar the easier it gets to tell, big rounded head the front paws will start pigeon toeing and walk with almost side to side motion. Like mentioned I have never worried about it as long as there are no cubs. Area I hunt we have killed 40 plus bears and only 2 were sows
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: n_mathews13 on February 09, 2019, 06:41:52 AM: Quote from: bkaech on February 03, 2019, 10:21:51 PM
It takes experience and practice to judge correctly. However if you make a judgement at 200 yrds the only way to know if you are right is to shot it and take a closer look, that's how you learn. If you do that a few times it will make it easier to have confidence in your future judgments and potentially more discernment over what you shoot....if you care that much. Personally, if it doesn't have any cubs and is more than 2 years old, I will take it.

The other option is spend lots of time watching bears over bait, or set up cameras and bait. That will give you more opportunity to judge and see bears. (Of course, hunting over bait for bears is illegal.... )

Very true. That’s what I was told awhile back and it helped. After watching a lot of YouTube and harvesting a few I feel much better and now that I’ve been baiting in ID. Still not good but part of the fun in bear hunting is tryn to make that call at 200-300. Similar to judging a male to female lab
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: HoofsandWings on February 09, 2019, 10:03:41 AM: It is the same as when I was hunting goats in Naches Pass. Billy's are much more preferable to nannies.
The sport in hunting bears is choosing a boar over a sow.
But if all you care is the meat, then you shoot regardless.
Now that wolves are in many the areas for spring bear, I believe they are much more efficient at killing fawns and calves.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: n_mathews13 on April 11, 2019, 10:37:50 AM: Bear hunting podcast just did a good talk on identifying male female big smaller bears.
Title: Re: How does one identify a boar vs sow at 200 yards
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 11, 2019, 10:53:47 AM: If it's Saturday and the bear is either fishing or just laying around, it's a boar. Also, if he's lying back playing with his balls,... All tried and true ID methods. I play a bear expert on the internet. Trust me.