So I have camped in France, in the Vosges region, in the locality called "Le bonhomme". Where there are many wild boars.
It was in a dense forest, with a freezy weather. (-5°C)
My camp was just a tent planted in the middle of the forest, with nobody around but me.
But I knew there was many wild boars around my tent during the night as I can ear them scratching the ground (even my tent) and grunting.
So my question is:
Is there any reason that a wild boars would charge the tent?
I have never heard of wild boars charging a tent. I really don't imagine that happening, assuming there isn't a human visibly standing in the doorway or something.
Wild boars predominantly charge to protect their young. A person walking around near them could be seen as a threat, but not a fixed object like a tent. They don't charge trees and large boulders either.
As a general rule wild boars would not charge a tent. They usually only charge when they feel threatened.
Like many other wild animals, wild boars will only attack if they are cornered or if they feel threatened. Female wild boars are very protective of their young and can easily be provoked. Wild boars are strong animals that can run relatively fast. The canines in adult males can inflict serious injuries in case of an attack. Due to their solid body build wild boars are considered to be particularly dangerous when involved in car accidents. - Wild Boars
That said it would be in your own interest not to pitch a tent to close to a boar's lair, where there may be young being sheltered. Also avoid camping on or near trails that boars are known to travel on. Boars do not listen to rules of thumb, so be prudent.
If you see a pig on the trail keep a safe distance especially if piglets are present. - Wild Pigs are a Growing Threat to Hikers on the Trail
I camp very often in a country park campground where boars come almost everyday, starting from sunset. I've also seen boars bite tents many times, if there are no people inside. However, I've never seen a boar charge a tent if there are people inside. I think the food inside the tents is the main reason. I personally saw a case that supports this.
This was when a school set up about 35 6-person tents a day before the students arrived. Some food was also sent to the camp site and stored in one of the tents. When sunset came, I saw a boar check out all tents carefully by smelling near every tent, locating accurately the tent with the food. Then, the boar smashed the tent and took away the food.
I have never been bothered by boars during camping. I always leave a light and the radio on when I leave the tent, and I put all food inside a big plastic box or bag. {Question for OP from editor: where do you put the box or bag?}
Above all, I think boars are timid even though they are strong and are dangerous if they attack. With proper precautions, campers and boars can co-exist in a campground.
Wild boars usually do not roam alone, I have seen them in groups of 8-12 in the aegean Turkey. They almost certainly come at night, sometimes even day time. Day times are not much problem. About boar trails, they do use human hiking trails as theirs. So you might not see a trail around you if you don't roam around and inspect. In the area I camped, there were several boar groups (most likely families), only 1 of the group was charging to the tents, not others. It seems certain group psychology is working here. Do not leave any kind of food in the tent, put it in the car when you're done eating. Do not litter your food or dispose parts of your veggies around (not even mentioning meat, duh). It is best, if you keep your trash in the car (I know stinks, tie the bag tightly and dispose first thing in the morning). Do not use your flashlight on them. Dogs really go wild for boars, so if you're travelling with dogs, it is almost certain that s/he's gonna bark, you have to block this behavior. Boars dig and find their food, so do not bury your organic waste, this will make them come and dig, which makes noise in the night, and make you feel uneasy inside the tent. Look to the trees, check if there are boar hair on them, they usually rub and leave their smell, likely later another one will come to smell, and probably rub (same with bears). If they come when you're outside the tent, do not run or make sudden moves, move slowly and act you're not interested with the boar (this is quite difficult if you're with a dog, handle your dog), pepper spray or that kind of spraying would do almost nothing to a boar, you'd make situation worse, do not attempt pepper spraying, remember you are a 'no-threat'. If you're with a dog, make your dog sleep with harness, and never go out at night without a leash.
I have slept 4 nights recently (July) in the Czech Republic and Poland with boars nearby. I make it a habit to urinate on the trees around my campsite to let animals, particularly wild dogs, know it is my territory. The first night, a boar came sniffing quite close, about 2 meters away. I shouted. On the third shout, it went away. The next night, I placed a 0.5 meter tall fence of sticks around my site. No boars came close, but I heard at least two galloping at high speed on a trail near my campsite. I didn't realize it was a boar path. Definitely don't camp in the middle of anything that looks like a path. The third night, I built a 1.5 meter tall, heavy fence from branches around my camp. No boars at all that night, but it could have been because a hunter had shot one earlier in the evening about 0.5 kilometers away. The fourth night I was in the outskirts of a city and thought there would be no boars. I was wrong. Paths through high grass are a giveaway. I heard what I thought was a domestic dog barking loudly over and over and another one replying, on two occasions. It was boars. Anyway, they didn't come closer than 75 meters, for which I was grateful. My takeaway from experience and reading is, they're unlikely to charge a tent, they will go away if you yell, but they might accidentally run into you if you set up camp on their trail, and they will make a ton of noise.
Wild boars are lovely animals and generally speaking if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. I have camped in France where boar brushed against my small tent every night looking for food. I was careful and put all food in the car at night- no problem. Another camper was not so wise and kept food overnight in his large tent. The result was that a large male ripped a hole in the tent and made off with some food! They usually sniff around and if they find nothing move on.
