Florida guided hog hunts, anyone have any experience?

[kayak-man]

I'm pretty sure I've read most of the hog hunting threads on here, but I was hoping I could get some input on choosing a guided hog hunt down here in Florida?

I've heard mixed reviews about Rons Guide Service.

I'm looking for something that's more spot and stalk, and where I can actually learn how to be a better Hunter and get some hands on experience with the nuts and bolts of it.


(Alternatively, if anyone in the Florida/ Georgia area wants to show me the ropes, I'd be more than willing to pay for gas/lunch/round of beverages afterwards, and do most of the heavy lifting. )

Follow up question: what's considered best practices for shot placement? I assume a 12g slug to the heart and lungs is the way to go. What about using a 5.56, or should I just leave the AR at home? (I'm kicking myself for not bringing more rifles with me to Florida right now)

Thanks for the input guys (and girls)!

 

[ElevenBravo]

Can't speak of hunting in Florida or Ron's Guide Service, but I've hunted my share of hogs.

12ga slug would be more than enough to drop Hogzilla. Feelings are mixed on the viability of .223 on hogs. Personally, I'm not a fan of the round, but there's plenty of people who say it's perfectly acceptable and it's all about shot placement. I've seen a hog take a 220gr RN from my 300 WSM at 150 yads, had the heart completely pulped and the hog lived to run about 150 yards into the worst Texas brush I've ever seen. I shot a black bear with the same rifle and ammo load, and the bear dropped dead right where it was. Hunters on this board have dropped hogs with a 5.56... Results will vary.

Some advice I've seen here on shot placement have been:

Head/brain shot. I'm not a fan of this,requires very good shot placement otherwise you maim the animal, and if the hog gets away from you, it suffers in pain or starves to death. I've seen a hog that had most of its lower jaw blown out because someone thought he could put a bullet in the computer... and failed.

Neck/spinal shot: I've been told this will drop a hog Right There. If you try this shot, read up on your hog anatomy because the spinal column in the neck is not where you think it will be.

Boiler room: The traditional target area, and one that I usually go for. There are a few here on this board that will tell you not to go for the heart/lung area and they have their reasons which are valid. I do boiler room as it's a nice big target area that doesn't require a Carlos Hathcock level of precision.

It's hit or miss on blood trails, especially if you hit a boar in the shield area. The fatty tissue can close up the hole and you won't get any blood, which is why some people advocate hitting them in the neck and dropping them Right There. A hit from a 12ga slug is probably not going to close up, but a hole from a 5.56... it could happen.

 

[Stony]

12 ga slug is way overkill for a hog. No matter what you put through their lungs, they are probably going to run for a while. I've shot 100's of them and found the best spot for the most consistent instant stop is right through the middle of the shoulder. I've used lots of different calibers from 5.56 on up and don't have problems killing a hog with any of them in this matter.
Don't buy into the story about having monster bullets to penetrate the shield, anything from 5.56 up will penetrate it just fine. Those myths are mostly spread by guys that don't actually have the experience to back it up.

 

[oneounceload]

If you do a simple Google search for FL hog hunting guides, you'll get a lot of folks to research and choose from. If you are a member of a local gun club, ask around there to see who they have used.

 

[Patocazador]

I hunt hogs with my spaniel and most shots are less than 30 yards. I use 00 buckshot and aim for the head. It puts them down right there.

Guided hunts around this area are basically canned hunts with fenced-in hogs. I know one guy who doesn't do canned hunts but he just turns you out on his lease for $50/day. It's up to you to find and kill the hogs.

 

[cowpoke]

I,ve killed hogs with a 223, but if your paying$ do you want to take the chance. 50 yds is a long way in horse head palmettos.

 

[ElevenBravo]

Don't buy into the story about having monster bullets to penetrate the shield, anything from 5.56 up will penetrate it just fine. Those myths are mostly spread by guys that don't actually have the experience to back it up.

5.56 shouldn't have a problem penetrating a hog's shield, but from time to time I've seen the shield close up the hole on bullets that small. A buddy nearly lost a hog because of this- no blood trail, it was blind luck we were able to find the body.

 

[T.R.]

I hunted with Seminole Prairie Outfitters last December and shot a female hog approx. 130 lbs. The chest shot was taken at about 75 yards or so with my Glenfield 30-30. Ammo: 170 grain Power Point by Winchester. The animal dropped at the shot, struggled a bit and then it was over.

TR