Wild Boar Shooting

At present the most commonly only control for wild boar in the Forest of Dean/UK is by lethal means; shooting. A best practise guide is below for what is deemed the ‘right way’ to shoot a wild boar.

Boar are regularly shot from Forestry Commission (FC) hides/chairs, which are situated throughout the Forest of Dean and where possible also from FC vehicles. Shooting is usually carried out during the hours of dawn and dusk. 

However, shooting can be carried out at any time of the day.

High calibre rifles are used, and the FC employ anywhere between four and six rangers at one time.

In the past we have been alerted to wild boar being baited onto private land in many areas. Once on the private land, the owners can shoot them legally, providing they meet the best practise guidelines, and sell on the meat.

This is viewed as a lucrative venture and a lot of people are making a lot of money from organising shoots on their land. In fact, some farmers in Europe have been known to do this as a way of compensation for any loss in crops due to ‘damage’ by wild boar.

We feel that baiting boar into a certain area is morally wrong, it can have dire consequences for any nearby residential areas as the boar will keep returning for the free food and will also inquisitively check out the surrounding area. This can lead to boar entering residential gardens. 

It also makes it even more difficult for the authorities to get a grasp on numbers as they have no idea how many animals are taken privately.