Boar. age determination

The most convenient and easily accessible (can be used directly in the field) diagnostic signs for determining the age of a wild boar are the development of its milk and their replacement with permanent (definitive), the formation of posterior (molars) teeth and the degree of their wear. This methodological approach has withstood a long test on numerous types of domestic animals and has long been the simplest and generally correct criterion for determining age. It turned out to be quite acceptable also for determining the age of wild ungulates.

To set the scale age-related changes In order to use it in practice, we collected and studied more than 650 skulls belonging to individuals of different sex and age in the boar's dental system in order to use it in practice. Among the collected material there were 25 reference skulls of a known age.

When processing the material, all boar skulls were divided into sex and age groups. Age was determined by the state of the age characteristics of the skull and teeth, taking into account the date of shooting of a particular individual and the average date of the mass birth of piglets. Although the farrowing of pigs is quite extended, still too early and too late litters, as a rule, die. Therefore, we can assume that any wild boar population consists of well-separated age groups, the interval between which is equal to one year. Knowing the time of mass birth of piglets and the date of shooting of individual individuals, on a sufficiently large and obtained in different time Based on the material, it is possible to determine the sequence of development of milk teeth and their replacement by definitive ones, the formation of molars and the degree of their wear. This allows us to establish a fairly accurate scale of age-related changes in the boar's dental system, which is used later to determine the age of individual individuals.

In addition to changes in the dental system, also taken into account common features the development of the skull, the degree of ossification of some bones, the presence of sutures or boundaries between them, etc.

Objective diagnostic signs, expressed in the regular development of individual elements of the dental system, were taken as the basis for the age indicator of a wild boar up to three years old, and for animals from four years old and older, the age criterion was the indicators obtained by eye measurement of the degree of wear of the crowns of predominantly posterior teeth and by the pattern of dentin exposure .

It should be emphasized that it is not difficult to divide animals into age groups ranging from 1 year to 6 years with an interval of 1 year with sufficient skill. In older groups (over 6 years), age determination with an interval of 1 year is complicated, and therefore we took wider intervals for groups: 6-7, 8-9, 10-12 years, etc.

Based on the order of appearance, change and degree of wear of the teeth, as well as some age characteristics in the structure of the skull, the entire period of postnatal ontogenesis of the wild boar was divided by us into the following ten age groups: I - newborns (1-3 days), II - broods (from 20 days up to 3-4 months), III - yearlings (9-12 months), IV - two-year-olds (19-22 months), V - three-year-olds (32-36 months), VI - four-year-olds (about 4 years), VII - adults (about 5 years old), VIII - 6-7 years old, IX - 8-9 years old, X - 10-12 years old and older.

The sex ratio in the population is important factor, which determines the size of the increase and the rate of use. The sex composition of the wild boar herd undergoes geographical and age variability. At the embryonic stage Central Asia, the Volga Delta and the Caucasus, females predominate - 60 - 66% (Sludsky, 1956, Lavrovsky, 1962). On the Far East the sex ratio in embryos is 1: 1. In the west of the range in Belovezhskaya Pushcha among embryos, females make up 45% (Kozlo, 1969).

Among adults, the sex ratio approaches 1:1 with a certain predominance (50.9%) of females for the populations of Central Asia (Sludsky, 1956) and the Caucasus (52%, Donaurov and Teplov, 1938).

The decrease in the participation of pigs among adults is explained by their increased mortality under adverse conditions (floods, harsh winters, predators, etc.), as well as during battue hunts with dogs. Males predominate among adults (64%) in the west of the range (Severtsov and Sablina, 1953), and according to P. G. Kozlo (1969), bulls make up 55.6%.

In the Pereslavl State Forest and Hunting Enterprise, males accounted for 49%, females for 51% of the livestock.

The age structure of the population also determines the increase in livestock, so the definition and understanding of its changes is necessary for the proper management of the wild boar farm. In the wild boar population, the following age classes are distinguished: piglets (year-olds), gilts (one-year-olds and two-year-olds) and adults (three-year-olds and older). Sometimes adults are divided into age classes: 2-3 years, 2-years, 5 years, 6 years and older. In a normal population, the proportion of age groups decreases with increasing age.

In the population of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the age structure looks like this. The largest percentage is piglets - about 50% (with fluctuations over the years from 44% to 64%), gilts in different years make up from 8.9% to 22.6%, adults - from 17.9% to 31.1% of the herd (Severtsov, Sablina, 1953; Kozlo, 1969).

In the lower reaches of the river Or, according to long-term data, age the composition is as follows: piglets - 49.8%, livestock, gilts - 13.5% and adults - 36.7%.

In the Pereslavl State Forest and Hunting Enterprise, the age structure of the herd in 1965-1967 was characterized by the following percentage: piglets 39.9 - 55.0%, gilts - 20 - 31.1%, adults 22.2 - 39.0% (Ivanova, Rykovsky, 1967).

The sex composition and age structure are very dynamic categories that vary greatly from year to year depending on the conditions of the year, population density and the size of the fishery.

Change age structure of wild boars occurs as a result of natural. disasters: starvation, floods, epizootics, etc. During such disasters, 2/3 of the livestock die, and the recovering part of the population undergoes “rejuvenation”.

Such a picture has been repeatedly observed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Kartsev, 1910, Kozlo, 1969). A similar phenomenon was noted by A. A. Sludsky (1956), when, following mass death wild boars during floods in 1946 and 1947. later the herd was rejuvenated and the percentage of young individuals in the population was 63.3%.

In the areas of wild boar releases, in particular in the Pereslavl State Forest and Hunting Enterprise, we observed that in the period after the release of large batches of wild boars, a shift age structure occurred in the direction of increasing young individuals. In 1967 - 1969. the proportion of adults decreased to 17%, while gilts and piglets increased to 83%. The reason for this, firstly, is the outbreak of reproduction in imported individuals and the good survival of young animals, thanks to feeding and protection, and, secondly, the large participation of piglets in the batches of imported animals (up to 82%).

Intensive hunting for wild boar in some areas leads to the rejuvenation of the herd, large adult bulls become a rarity.

A. A. Sludsky (1956) notes that after the season when intensive hunting with dogs was carried out, the number of billhooks in the livestock increases, since with this method of hunting, pigs with piglets and gilts are primarily hunted. According to the same author in 1949, in a herd of wild boars, the lower reaches of the river. Or there were 30% bulls, 11% pigs, 4.2% gilts and 54.2% pigs. The influence of this method of hunting is obvious.

A fingerling is a young boar that was born less than a year ago. Hunting for such animals is especially popular in Russia, as it is much easier and more efficient. Juveniles are easier to catch, as they do not have much experience in protection. Also their wool and meat are the most valued in the market.

Young piglets have big sizes. Most often, their color has lighter shades, as soon as after a year they begin to darken. They also have long legs, which is one of them. characteristic features young boars. Males are slimmer in appearance than females, they also have a lush mane. In a pack of wild boars, except for the leader, all the rest are most often female. Young male boars most often walk separately. To get started similar view hunting, it is necessary to have not only the necessary equipment, but also pay special attention to the special skills that are needed during the hunt.

The main stages of hunting

You need to understand that hunting a young boar is quite difficult and sometimes dangerous. If the underyearling is with her female, who will be frightened by the shooting, then this can become a risk to the life of the hunter. Therefore, in this case it is necessary to be as accurate and careful as possible. In order to start this type of hunting, you need to know certain steps that must be followed, only then it will be possible to hope for a successful process.

• First of all, it is necessary to go around all the lands where wild boars graze, in particular the places where animals have to eat are inspected.
• After traces of animals are found, a corral is carried out.
• At the same time, hunters (from six people) should be located on one side of the forest, in a place where there is a herd.
• Beaters at the same time begin to actively make noise and at the same time they should be directed to the shooters. At this point, the boars will begin to move away from danger, and will move towards the shooters.
• At this moment, the most important thing is not to lose your dexterity and hit the target accurately, because otherwise, the game can run away or attack a person.
• If all goes well, the hunter stays with his trophy.

Place of action - Tver region, Zapovednye estuary.

By appearance three age groups can be distinguished: piglets (yearlings), gilts (two-year-olds) and adults. It is especially easy to distinguish between piglets and adults, it is more difficult to distinguish gilts, since a large gilt can be confused with a pig.

Piglets are smaller, lighter in color than adults (light color lasts up to a year) and longer legs. In gilts (in the 2nd year of life), withers develop, bristles grow along the back. Adult animals are more massive than gilts, the bristles on the back grow more strongly. This difference is especially well manifested in billhooks.

In the field, it is quite possible to distinguish an adult male from a pig, and not only because the billhooks have long curving fangs (it’s just that the fangs are hard to see at a long distance at dusk), but rather by silhouette. Males are distinguished by a larger head, a massive front part of the body, they have a more developed withers and a more magnificent “mane” along the crest of the back. They look slenderer than females, possibly due to the fact that their body is laterally flattened, while females have a barrel-shaped body.

In young individuals - piglets and gilts - sexual demorphism is poorly developed.

Piglets usually weigh 25 - 45 kg (the weight of the animal largely depends on the feeding conditions and timing of reproduction), gilts - up to 65 - 70 kg (sometimes more with good feed), adult animals: females from 120 to 180, males - from 140 up to 200 kg. The weight of the largest billhooks reaches 260 and more kg.

The most accessible definition of age is by the development of the dental system and the degree of wear. Two works are known for determining the age of the wild boar using this method: for the Western European wild boar (Kozlo, 1975) and for the Ussuri wild boar (Bromley, 1969). Below is a description of the dental system of wild boars of different age groups to autumn-winter season, i.e. during the hunting period.

Piglets (7 - 11 months) - a total of 36 teeth. By this age, the 3rd dairy is usually cutter is replaced by a permanent one, and the 1st and 2nd incisors are noticeably erased. The change of milk fangs begins. Anterior roots are still milky, but they begin to wear out. At the 3rd anterior tooth, the chewing surface becomes cone-shaped. At the 1st large molar, by 10-11 months, the chewing tubercles are smoothed out.

Gilts (18 - 23 months) - a total of 40 teeth. By this age, the change of milk teeth to permanent ones usually ends. Second big root tooth fully developed.

Two-year-old individuals - a total of 40 - 42 teeth. The 3rd root begins to develop. tooth. The anterior molars are completely differentiated and have erased apices. The fangs of males reach a length of up to 40 mm, in females they are noticeably shorter.

Three-year-old individuals - the number of teeth is 44. The incisors are slightly worn, the wear of the anterior molars increases. The 1st and 2nd posterior teeth begin to wear out.

Four year olds. All teeth have traces of wear, and most importantly, the 3rd posterior tooth begins to smooth out, where dentin lines appear.

Five year olds. At the 1st and 2nd incisors, the upper inner sides are ground off. As a result of erasing, the incisors are shortened. The surfaces of the anterior and posterior molars are heavily worn out, and in the 1st and 2nd molars, the tubercles and folds of enamel are erased, the dentin takes on a star-like shape, this is especially characteristic of the 3rd large molar, although it still has tubercles. In billhooks, transverse furrows are outlined on the upper fangs, which correspond to the age of the beast (this feature does not appear in all individuals).

Six- and seven-year-old individuals. The incisors are strongly sharpened and shortened. The molars are much more worn than in animals of previous ages. In the anterior molars, the dentin appears as dark stripes, in the posterior teeth, small folds begin to wear off, and individual dentin stars are interconnected by dark spots. At the 1st large molar, the crown begins to grind.

Eight-year-olds and older individuals. Teeth begin to decay and fall out. The 3rd incisors and the 1st and 2nd anterior teeth break off especially often. The fangs gradually become thinner. The crowns of all molars are worn off. In older individuals (10 years and older), the posterior teeth are worn down almost to the gums, and the enamel folds disappear.

Nice trophy with those fangs.

The wild boar often causes painful disagreements between employees of hunting farms and farmers, because. in some cases causes significant damage to agricultural crops, and the only way to combat it in summer period shooting is considered to be on the "grass". However, this measure should become a thing of the past, and today we have no right to carry out uncontrolled shooting “without rules”, during which leading females, middle-aged bulls, are sometimes destroyed.

Shooting must be targeted and directed, both to use and to maintain the optimal abundance of the species. In addition, we are talking about conducting selective shooting among wild boars (as well as among other species). This shooting should be considered as an important event for the formation of highly productive populations, the preservation of their genetic and physiological fund. Unfortunately, even in those cases when selection work is carried out, it suffers from one-sidedness, because it is most often carried out only among males. Females, young, semi-adult and elderly individuals, which make up the majority of the population, are outside the selection, i.e. are not industrialized in the required percentage. A certain ratio of all sex and age groups must be maintained in the population. Without observing this principle, it is impossible to get either good trophies or high numbers. In accordance with the principles of such shooting, on the one hand, damage to agricultural crops is prevented, and on the other hand, there is the possibility of directed (targeted) shooting of animals culled during the planned shooting. It is very important to maintain the number of wild boars at a level corresponding to the productivity of the land and the preservation of the most mature and powerful animals. In other words, it is necessary to correctly assess the condition of all age groups of the herd and destroy the least promising ones.

Often, during shootings, animals are shot that could be excellent producers for several years.

Because the the fundamental principle is to maintain optimal population status, it should be taken into account that only from a powerful, physically strong, healthy underyearling, a strong gilt will grow, which will eventually develop into a powerful trophy billhook. First of all, those individuals from all age classes that have pronounced physical disabilities are subject to shooting. I would like to note that in slightly disturbed biocenoses natural selection guarantees selection, but in hunting farms, where a person takes on the role of a regulator of numbers (and especially density), things take a slightly different turn. A person strives to have a high number of game animals, exterminates predators, carries out abundant feeding, carries out veterinary measures that reduce the likelihood of epizootics, etc. As a result of all these measures, weakened individuals survive, they are unstable, behavioral stereotypes change. Decrease in the action of natural selection factors leads to the grinding of animals. But valuable qualities of the population can be preserved by systematic selection by shooting. To do this, it is necessary to know some features of the morphology and biology of the wild boar: to be able to distinguish underyearlings from two-year-olds in a natural setting by characteristic external features, and in adults to determine sex; to know the average accepted level of development (weight, body size, color typical for a given population and molting times; the timing of mass farrowing; be able to distinguish a healthy boar from a sick or wounded boar by behavior). For example, physically defective females that give birth to defective offspring, which later becomes the cause of population degradation. If such a case occurs, you need to shoot the female, and then her entire brood. Powerful females leading broods (hereinafter referred to as leading ones) are the basis for maintaining the qualitative state of the population. It should be noted that if in the first year of life there are no the necessary conditions for the full development of underyearlings, subsequently to catch up will be impossible. Shooting of females must be done under absolute control. By the way, it was noted that it is the orphaned young of the year that cause the greatest harm to agricultural crops. Such animals usually concentrate on the territory that they managed to recognize while their mother was alive.

Due to their inexperience, underyearlings look for the most readily available food. Underyearlings, whose mother died as a result of improper shooting, are deprived of mother's milk, as a result of which they will never be able to develop into physically strong, healthy animals. In practice, it turns out that by shooting a female who has piglets, we weaken the population. When shooting, it is necessary to observe following principles:

• 90% of the planned shooting should be fingerlings and gilts (65-75% fingerlings and 15-25% gilts)
• The remaining 10% are females and bulls who have stepped over the age of maturity (over 8 years old), barren females that have not had broods for 2 years in a row, walking alone.
• Gilts weighing less than 40 kg.
• Underyearlings weighing less than 20 kg.
• Gilts and underyearlings of spotted, light or black color.
• Throughout the year, prohibit the shooting of healthy leading females.
• In addition, you need to make sure that this is a female, and not a low-quality billhook.
• It must be remembered that all age groups should be harvested, but in different percentages.

The rule that the weakest individual in the herd is to be destroyed, when shooting females in general, should be elevated to the rank of a higher law. In addition, it is necessary to take into account late dates the onset of estrus, i.e. shoot late-born children first.

With the timely shooting of individuals in the age group of piglets in winter months special care must be taken not to mistakenly shoot the leading individual in the herd. It goes without saying that only a few females can and should safely survive the age of gilts, since the increase in the number of females in older age categories will adversely affect the sex ratio of individuals within the population as a whole. Therefore, in order to maintain an optimal sex ratio, it is recommended, with other equal conditions, shoot the female, not the billhook. As for the cleavers, total shot individuals, their percentage should be low. To a certain extent, control over the course of shooting in general (and bulls in particular) should be carried out on a specific territory of the economy under the strict control of the hunting user. The billhook to be shot should give the impression of a powerful, mature individual. Before shooting, you must be fully convinced on the basis of clear external signs that the billhook is really subject to shooting. If there is no complete certainty, culling cannot be carried out, since there is a danger of erroneous shooting of young, not quite mature bulls. A billhook that has passed the age of a gilt and entered an older age category (over 3 years old) is not subject to shooting. Such wild boars should not be culled in any case, even if, according to formal age signs they are part of the target group. Killing young boars that are not yet of age to be shot is often justified in the interest of protecting nature and preventing harm. agriculture(which could be achieved by other means). However, in reality, such an illiterate shooting causes much more significant harm to nature. It is known that young growth mainly stays in forests where there is a good forage base, and practically does not leave them, encroaching on agricultural land extremely rarely and only for a short time. The argument that young animals should be shot is based on low skill, lack of hunting culture and deep ignorance of the actual state of affairs. In practice, in the absence of preventive measures, herds of gilts and pigs with litters of year-old piglets can harm agriculture. Among them are the following groups:

• Herds consisting of one female with piglets of the year. Outwardly, such herds are easily distinguishable from other groups.
• Herds consisting of several females with piglets of the year. In such groups, one female is usually subject to shooting.
• Herds consisting of gilts and their older siblings or individuals from other broods.
• Mixed herds in which it is possible to distinguish a four-year-old billhook (especially during the rutting season or in the presence of good food) and a female with yearlings.
• All other, solitary individuals can be: bulls, barren females (relatively rare), sick individuals, or experienced females that have isolated themselves to live on their own.

Powerful bulls during the rut almost never join the herds. They can only accidentally meet a herd on their way, and if there are females in heat in it, the billhooks stay for the night, and in the morning they leave the herd again. In conclusion, it should be added that in the population as a whole, individuals of light or yellowish shades are considered undesirable and should not be preserved. They need to be shot at the age of piglets of the year or gilts. The presence of such individuals in older age classes indicates that the shooting was not carried out quite correctly, and these individuals need to be eliminated. The exception here is the leading alpha females during the forbidden time for hunting. Regarding the appearance of light-colored or spotted individuals in the herds of wild boars, I would like to clarify the following. According to the works of Tsarev S.A. such individuals arise as a result of mating of young females - underyearlings with young males, because. they instinctively avoid large billhooks. As a result of mating of individuals that have not reached full physical development and often closely related mating (inbreeding), a brood with an atypical color appears. As a rule, such animals should be shot. If a late-giving female appears in the herd, the entire brood is shot, including her. But if you meet a spotted or light-colored female of a fairly mature age and well-formed, do not rush to shoot her, because her offspring may already be of a completely normal color, moreover, she will not inherit those undesirable traits that she got. Heredity, as you know, has variability, and natural selection fixes only those traits that correspond to the best way environmental conditions.

The main directions of management.

As with other types of game animals, when leading hunting economy with wild pigs, a union of science and practice is needed. As prerequisites, it is necessary to take into account the following: an inventory of hunting grounds in order to determine the key habitats of the wild boar, ensuring its year-round existence in terms of food, protection and farrowing places, the presence of predators and wild dogs, the anthropogenic factor, the possibility of creating fodder fields and distracting top dressing. Next, we will talk about the composition of the population by sex and age, which gives the highest productivity, both in terms of quantity and quality of animals. The sex ratio has big influence on the amount of growth. It depends on the circumstance, how many females are involved in reproduction, what is their fecundity, and it largely depends on age. The task of the economy is to achieve a sex ratio of 1:1. But, in view of the fact that hunters tend to get the largest animals, and these are, as a rule, males, the sex ratio shifts in favor of females. Sometimes, when wild boars cause great damage to agriculture, a ratio of 2: 1 in favor of males is also acceptable. This ratio gives great opportunity rearing trophy animals.

Age classes.

Unlike other types of ungulates, whose age is relatively easy to determine by eye according to the features of the body and trophies, the age of wild pigs is rather difficult to determine and requires some experience and observation in their determination. Age is most accurately determined at the childhood stage of development. Both sexes are characterized as a brood (wild boars up to a year old) or, as is customary with us, “yearlings”. According to the German classification, this age is considered from March to May of the next year and is called "pigs". At this age, males and females are indistinguishable from each other, but are easily distinguished at a distance from older animals. At one time, Brandt (Brandt 1961) developed an approximate scheme for determining the age of harvested animals depending on the development of the lower canines, and Przibilsky (Przibilski, 2001) on the wear of the upper ones. Here is the diagram:

An attempt was made to roughly determine the scoring on a hunted wild boar, whose fangs have not yet been removed. Its essence is as follows: we measure the lower fangs at the base of the section. By the wear of the upper and lower fangs, we determine the approximate age. Based on the Brandt formula, we find the width at the base of the canine. Since it appears from the work of some experts that the lower canines protrude one third from the jaw, we can find the total length of the lower canine by adding two thirds. The girth of the upper canines is easy to measure, because. their most powerful part is usually measurable. As a result, we get all the measurement parameters, but we cannot judge discounts and surcharges. However, this data is sufficient to determine which award the trophy is worth. But this is only the author's assumption, perhaps hunters will try to check it. It was stated for one purpose: hunters should know the dignity and value of the trophy. On living animals, some differences from each other are noticed, but we repeat that they require very great attention when identifying them, more precisely, these differences are better and more accurately determined by rangers and hunters, who, by the nature of their activities, have the opportunity to constantly observe wild boars in vivo and under different lighting conditions. Below is a description of wild boars of different ages and illustrations for descriptions that could help hunting specialists in their work, and hunters would serve as a small guide when hunting wild boars.

Underyearlings.

They have a child-shaped head, a short snout, small ears, covered with short bristles. Light spots are clearly visible on the head. The color of the body is striped, yellowish-brown, which lasts up to 5-6 months, completely disappears in August. The tail is short and thin, reaching to the middle of the thigh. In winter attire, the body seems to be more powerful due to the overgrown underfur. The legs are relatively short and covered with dark hair. In good light and at a short distance, the brush on the tail is already noticeable at this time. In the illustration on the right, the letter A denotes a 4-month-old underyearling, and the letter B denotes an 8-month-old.

Piglet.

The next age class is "gilts". It is considered from one to 2 years. There is no more precise definition, because even boars a year older often look like classic gilts. The head, due to the overgrown winter bristles, seems short and blunt; the childish forms completely disappear. The shape of the body becomes more powerful, especially in the front. Light stripes are not visible. On the lips, swelling is clearly visible, through which the tips of the lower fangs are visible. The ears are short, covered with powerful bristles. The tail is long, almost to the hock, with a brush at the end. By December, the length of the lower fangs is on average 116 mm. The width at the base is 19.0 mm, at the beginning of the section - 12.0 mm. The Brandt number is 1.6. The girth of the upper fangs is 54 mm. Average weight 38.0 kg. On the left is a male, on the right is a female. The question of weight is quite controversial, because. it entirely depends either on the abundance of natural food, or on appropriate feeding. So, for example, in the Moscow Regional Society, underyearlings reach a weight of 41 kg due to abundant feeding, naturally, the weight of gilts is much higher. At the same time, in societies where everything is not so safe, weight indicators are much lower. This example is given to emphasize the exceptional importance of winter feeding.

Two-year-old boar.

Two-year-old boar. He has a powerful short head, childlike features completely disappear, the crease on the lips increases, the tips of the lower fangs and the rudiments of the upper ones begin to look through it, but only in summer. In winter, due to regrown wool, they are not visible. The figure is more massive than that of the gilt, especially in the front. The front legs are powerful and short. The summer coat is grey, the winter coat is dark brown to black due to the regrown long bristles. In winter attire, the ears are covered with powerful, short, dark bristles. The line of the back is arched, in the transition from the back to the neck, a deepening is noticeable, then a smooth decrease from the withers to the thigh. The tail is thicker and longer than that of a gilt with a long tassel. By January, such a wild boar should have (on average) the following indicators: The length of the lower fangs is 127.0 mm. The width at the base is 20.0 mm, the width at the beginning of the section is 14.0 mm. The Brandt number is 1.5. The girth of the upper canines is 60.0 mm.

Middle-aged boar (3-5 years).

Boar from 3 to 5 years. The head is powerful, blunt in shape. The ears are large and covered with dark hair. The boundary between it and the body is clearly traced. Powerful snout, highly raised labial folds. In five-year-old billhooks, the lower and upper fangs are clearly distinguishable. The transition between the head and neck in summer is hardly noticeable, especially in older individuals. From the middle, the line of the back to the hips goes down, abruptly breaking off towards the back. The body is massive and short, most of it is located in front. The front legs are short, powerful, squat than in 2 years old. The tail is powerful and long, with a large brush at the end, reaching to the heel joint. The sexual organ is clearly outlined even in winter wool. Behavior is typically solitary. Only during the rut appears in the herd of females, but plays an insignificant role, because. driven off by more powerful males. In a state of excitement, the hair on the back is strongly fluffed up, and the billhook looks even more massive. When settling, it behaves extremely carefully, keeping in dense thickets of young growths. It comes out to feeding grounds only late at night. A billhook of this age has the following average trophy rates:

• The average length of the lower canines is 159.0 mm.
• The width at the base is 22.0 mm.
• The girth of the upper canines is 68.0 mm.
• The Brandt number is 1.2.

At the age of 5 to 7 years, the growth of the skeleton ends in wild boars.

Boar 8-9 years old.

A powerful beast, the head is equal in length to a third of the body, the neck is practically not expressed, immediately passes into the back, which rises with a smooth hump to half of the body, then gradually decreases to the hips, from them it sharply drops to the tail. The ears are large, covered with black bristles, the fangs are clearly visible through the labial fold, most of the body weight is located in the front, the legs are short and powerful. At the withers there is a long dark brown bristle, the so-called "brush". The tail is long and strong, the brush at the end of the tail reaches 25 cm. The indicators of trophies are as follows:

• The average length of the lower fangs is 22.3 cm.
• The width at the base is 29 mm.
• The average girth of the upper canines is 7.8 cm.
• The Brandt number is 1.01.

By this age, the growth of the skeleton ended, the increase in the width of the lower canines, both at the base and at the beginning of the section, was completed, and the wear of the lower and upper canines was finally formed. Trophy scored largest dimensions both along the length and width of the lower canines, and along the girths of the upper ones. Now the wild boar in the full sense of the word is trophy - mature. In subsequent years, the growth of canines continues extremely slowly, various kinds of deformations occur, often the width of the lower canines at the beginning of the section becomes greater than at the base.

according to the age of the piglets current year births are called "year-olds", last year's - "gilts" or "lonchaks", a male 2-3 years old - "young billhook", from 3 to 5 years old "hook", 5-7 years old "mature billhook", 8 years and older - "Odinets".

Females have the following gradation: primiparous or two-year-old female, middle-aged and old female. A female with offspring is called a leading female, covered every year - by a female - leader or female - resident. On the basis of her broods, a family-group union is built. The idling female is called barren. The rate of reproduction depends on the number and age of females involved in reproduction. Peak productivity in females occurs at 5-7 years and continues until old age. Females - underyearlings participating in reproduction, do not give an actual increase in numbers, because their offspring do not survive the winter. In unfavorable years, they are completely excluded from reproduction. main role reproduction is played by the availability of food in the autumn-winter period.

In addition to age gradation, there is also a gradation of trophy (productive) maturity for males.

Class 1a: The billhook, which is the purpose of management, must meet the following requirements: its age must be at least 8 years old. Cleaver should give the impression of a mature, powerful beast. Its weight in the summer period is not less than 85 kg. The ratio according to the Brandt formula is from 1.03 to 1.0. The width of the lower fangs should be at least 24 cm on average. The girth of the upper fangs should be on average 65 mm. The trophy score is at least 100 points according to the CIC system.

Class 2a: billhook of all age classes, unmistakably defined, according to the size of the hull and its weight corresponding to its class, but not yet mature, not having reached the necessary conditions. The lower canines according to the Brandt formula are from 1.50 to 1.05, the width of the lower canines at the beginning of the section should correspond to the age class and differ from the width at the base from 3 to 6 mm, which in the future makes it possible to expect adulthood even more width. The girth of the upper canines should correspond to the age class: In the gilt - an average of 55 to 60 mm. In young bulls (2-3 years old), on average, from 60 to 65 mm. In middle-aged billhooks (from 3 to 5 years) - an average of 65 to 75 mm.

Shooting planning.

When planning the shooting, it is necessary to take into account the ratio of sex and age in the herd, as well as the purpose of the economy. Typically, under normal conditions, shooting by age class is planned as follows: 90% of the planned shooting should be for piglets and gilts (65-75% of piglets, 15-25% of gilts) and 10% of females and bulls that have reached trophy maturity. When carrying out shootings, it is necessary to adhere to the rules that were mentioned above, namely, unproductive animals should be removed first of all: In terms of farrowing, females with late (June-July) broods, including piglets, are shot. At the same time, the female is shot first, and then the piglets. Pigs whose autumn weight is less than 40 kg, piglets with an autumn weight of less than 20-25 kg, piglets that retain traces of striping in August, especially with signs of weakness, piglets with deviating from normal coloration (white-motley and black), single females, do not giving broods for 3 years, mature bulls, which by the beginning of the rut do not gain their maximum weight. Mature old bulls who have passed the highest point of their development, females and bulls, older than 8 years. Animals that are characterized by slow movements, coughing, passivity. Distinctive features their exterior is sagging behind, hunched, the hair on the back is fluffed up. There is one misconception among rangers: they believe that the larger the old boar, the better the producer. Generally speaking, young females, for example, (according to the observations of Tsarev SA) instinctively avoid such giants. Younger, but already mature males, such a “grandfather” drives away, but one does not have time to cover all the females. As a result, a large percentage of emasculated females appears; there is a decrease in the productivity of the herd. That's why it is more rational to withdraw such a billhook in time. The huge head of such a billhook is an excellent trophy, even if his fangs are not very large. A scarecrow from it (if there is a taxidermist on the farm) will cost a lot of money.

The material was prepared by A.I. Asinovsky,
trophy group of the CPU of the Rosokhotrybolovsoyuz Association.