The wild boar is a relative of the pig and is one of the most prized species in the hunting world. It is a boar because of its intelligence, which is a permanent challenge for the most experienced hunters.
The wild boar’s movement patterns are one of the characteristics that make its hunting activities so specialised. The hunting of these animals cannot be improvised, but requires observation and experience to be able to anticipate why, how and when these ungulates move.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN PATTERNS OF MOVEMENT OF WILD BOAR?
First of all, it is worth noting that wild boar’s alertness is due to their extraordinary hearing and sense of smell. Not surprisingly, they are able to identify scents at distances of more than 100 m. These qualities, on the other hand, are very important for the wild boar’s alertness. These qualities, on the other hand, are key to giving them a very significant memory.
As far as their movements are concerned, it is this capacity for retention that will mark some of their essential patterns. It is worth noting that these mammals easily remember where they have suffered inconveniences, from human presence to accessibility barriers, so they will avoid returning to problematic places.
Another manifestation of this adaptability is in repeating behaviours that have brought it success. If a boar finds a safe trail, given that it is safe and has enough to eat and drink, it will tend to follow it again.
This is the first pattern of movement that a hunter must assess. Wild boar are intelligent, but they are also creatures of habit. Therefore, by dedicating surveillance time and strategic resources (from cameras to strategic feeders), it will be possible to predict their habits and movement zones. As a result, hunting wild boar will become a more rewarding experience.
HOW WILD BOAR MOVE
It is important to specify how the most common patterns of wild boar movement materialise. In this respect, it should be borne in mind that the matriarchal unit explains their family dynamics. Adult boars in heat, for their part, tend to leave solitude to join a herd in order to mate.
Wild boars sleep during the day and move around at night. They do so, not far from their beds, to look for food and drink. They leave a series of marks that make it easier for hunters to know their routes. Between dusk and dawn, they can cover between 2 and 14 km.
On the other hand, they are in heat between November and December. As they are more active, zoologist Víctor Colino has documented their presence in more traffic accidents. In the pandemic, they also adapted their behaviour to the absence of humans.
In short, the wild boar is constantly relearning how to make its movements. A good hunter, after studying them, can anticipate them in order to cut them off when it suits him.
