Cycling UK Forum

If you camp wild in the forests of Europe, chances are there will be wild boar about. How much of a danger can they be? I've heard varying reports. But I think if you are camping and leave them alone they will leave you alone. There were some quite close the other night, they picked up my scent straight away. I made a bit of noise and once they knew I was there and not a threat they left me alone. Some hunters warned me they were dangerous and not to camp, but I think they just didn't want me around.

robing wrote:If you camp wild in the forests of Europe, chances are there will be wild boar about. How much of a danger can they be? I've heard varying reports. But I think if you are camping and leave them alone they will leave you alone. There were some quite close the other night, they picked up my scent straight away. I made a bit of noise and once they knew I was there and not a threat they left me alone. Some hunters warned me they were dangerous and not to camp, but I think they just didn't want me around.

Probably more at risk of being shot be trigger happy local hunters. Ask Greg Lemond*

*His own brother in law who may or not have been local.

I think I'd be more worried about the hunters than the wild boar.

They are ubiquitous apparently even in Berlin, seen pictures but never seen one, I have seen where they have dug up the ground looking for food
I think they are very shy but unpredictable, especially when the piglets are small

They are powerful and could easily seriously harm a person

Cyril Haearn wrote:They are ubiquitous apparently even in Berlin, seen pictures but never seen one, I have seen where they have dug up the ground looking for food
I think they are very shy but unpredictable, especially when the piglets are small

They are powerful and could easily seriously harm a person

Are you referring to hunters or boar?

Mike Sales wrote:

Cyril Haearn wrote:They are ubiquitous apparently even in Berlin, seen pictures but never seen one, I have seen where they have dug up the ground looking for food
I think they are very shy but unpredictable, especially when the piglets are small

They are powerful and could easily seriously harm a person

Are you referring to hunters or boar?

Boars of course
Wild Boar Fell in Englandshire might be a safe place, boars were exterminated there centuries ago

Are Wild Boar fight or flight animals ?

They are shy and nocturnal but protect their young ferociously if one gets too close
I understand there are too many of them, experts think they should be culled (killed)

Cyril Haearn wrote:experts think they should be culled (killed)

Culled ..( cooked )......

From what I've heard, the only human casualties have been from road accidents and from hunting accidents. I think if you are camping once they know you are there they will leave you alone. It's easy to find evidence of their presence. Don't approach them, avoid them if they have young. As I said, they clocked me very quickly the other night, I made a bit of noise and waved my torch about. They went away and I had a good night's sleep. But they are certainly a powerful animal and the males have big tusks .

I have had boar pass a tent in the early hours in the Vosges mountains
They did not contact the tent, though they sound very big.

I guess there are two schools of thought if you carry and cook bacon.
One is that they consider you a demon hunter of pig and trot off double quick?
The other is they feel affronted and get pig headed and bristling mad about it?

Sealed food containers solve both possibilities?

I'll get me coat.

PDQ Mobile wrote:I have had boar pass a tent in the early hours in the Vosges mountains
They did not contact the tent, though they sound very big.

It sounds as if you did not stick your head out of the tent to see it. I don't blame you. Was it the noise or the prints that it left that makes you sure it was a boar? Both perhaps.

I was awoken one morning in my tent by the roof repeatedly bulging inwards. As this was in the Pennines I did not fear wild boar, and it turned out to be a larger but more docile beast, a cow. Very curious, cows.

Mike Sales wrote:

PDQ Mobile wrote:I have had boar pass a tent in the early hours in the Vosges mountains
They did not contact the tent, though they sound very big.

It sounds as if you did not stick your head out of the tent to see it. I don't blame you. Was it the noise or the prints that it left that makes you sure it was a boar? Both perhaps.

I was awoken in the early hours by something and certainly more than one quite close to the tent. A light sort of snuffling. And footfalls (trotter falls?!), and cracking of twigs.

They moved away into pretty dense and remote woodland. I was backpacking through, not cycle camping.

I just lay in the pitch black and listened quietly.

Prints of cloven hoof in the morning but it's not conclusive.

Mike Sales wrote:I was awoken one morning in my tent by the roof repeatedly bulging inwards. As this was in the Pennines I did not fear wild boar, and it turned out to be a larger but more docile beast, a cow. Very curious, cows.

Yes has happened to me too. The perils of pitching up after dark!
Had a sizable bull in with the cows once, looking in my direction, I was out pretty sharpish.
Though I am very fond of cattle.