For the 2015 issue of COMPLETE BOOK OF GUNS, author Olivia Vigna detailed the experiences she encountered during her first boar hunt. With a family of seasoned hunters in tow, Vigna describes the hunt for boar on a Florida ranch through the eyes of a new hunter.

Vigna begins her article by talking about how she primed her shooting skills before the hunt. “At the range I realized things would be a lot different than I’d expected. It was an indoor range with several other shooters. I had hearing protection on but could still here the loud noises, feel the concussions and smell the rounds. With all these distractions, I needed to concentrate more when shooting, “ says Vigna. “Then, after shooting several rounds, I found the recoil was a lot stronger than I’d anticipated. I shot at targets from about 20 yards and hit them pretty well.”

On the hunt, Vigna watched as several of her family members took down boars on the ranch’s hunting grounds. Finally, it was her turn.

“I grew extremely nervous. Luckily, the dogs took a little while to track down another boar. When they did, the buggy stopped. 
The dogs chased the boar out of another palmetto grove and into the open field, about 25 yards from the vehicle. The boar was confused and moving slowly, but he was out in the open,” says Vigna. “I knew I didn’t have much time to take the shot. I stood up, situated my rifle and looked through the scope to take aim. I realized that this was much different than shooting at the range because the boar was further away and slowly moving. My dad was next to me and said to unclick the safety when I was ready and squeeze the trigger to take the shot. So I took a deep breath, said a quick prayer and then squeezed the trigger.”

With her first boar in the bag, Vigna left the experience even more excited for her next hunt and her next range session! “Our hunt ended in success—seven hunters took seven boars. I was overcome with pride that I had killed my first animal and happy for this amazing experience,” says Vigna. “I decided from that point on that I wanted to hunt and go to the rifle range more.”

To read the full article, check out the 2015 issue of COMPLETE BOOK OF GUNS, available on July 15, 2014. To subscribe, go to https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/subscribe.