New Zealand Safaris
Wild Boar Hunting
A prize to local hunters
A large, strong animal armed with sharp tusks — wild boar hunting has been called a test of bravery for centuries.
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The Captain Cookers
Captain Cook’s liberation of pigs (Sus scrofa) in New Zealand was probably the first successful release, and the wild black pigs became known as Captain Cookers. They are today widespread throughout New Zealand, with a variety of shapes and colours due to the influence of many domestic breeds — a combination of feral, Russian and blue.
Wild boars can reach 440+ lb (200+ kg) for adult males, and can be up to 6 feet (1.8 m) long. If surprised or cornered they may become aggressive — particularly a sow with her piglets — and, if attacked, will defend themselves vigorously with their tusks.
Hunting Wild Boar
Wild animals almost always have thick, short, bristly coats ranging in colour from brown through grey to black, with a prominent ridge of hair along the spine. Currently boars are hunted both for their meat and to mitigate the damage they cause to crops and forests. Generally dogs are used to track and subdue the quarry, which is then dispatched with a knife, rifle or bow — but be forewarned, it requires great stamina to run up and down the mountains after the dogs.
Wild Boar Hunting New Zealand — A Few Things to Know
Once contained by the dogs, the hunter finishes the pursuit with a camera, knife or gun — brave Kiwis prefer using a knife. New Zealand Safaris can organise a guided hunting trip with dogs, or — as typically happens — we run into them while out hunting other species such as red deer or fallow deer.