A wild boar's only enemies are bears, panthers and humans. It will eat virtually any plant, animal, bird or insect it can get hold of and is fond of carrion. The shield is composed of cartilage and scar tissue. It thickens with every injury and can stop a bullet from anything less powerful than an elk rifle. These are nasty, easily enraged creatures that will attack and eat another boar if it is wounded.
Wild boars are exciting to hunters because they are smart, secretive and just plain vicious.
They have been known to circle a human hunter and attack from behind, without provocation. Nelson, safe in his stand that first day, saw a couple smaller boars and let them pass. He and a handful of other hunters were staying in a private hunting lodge, a barracks with a tin roof, with access to 18,000 acres of land. On his second day, he opted for something different. I said no.