Need rookie advice for hog hunting

[Balliet]

customer of mine is going to allow me to hunt hogs on his property. the property is on the savannah river and the terrain ranges from open fields to heavy under brush in old timber. there is also a little of everything else. there are stands, and plenty of 'roads' cut. i had thought of putting out corn, but thats only good for sitting still and hunting that pile. im no good at sitting still, but i guess i can try it if its the more accepted route. thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[alsaqr]

Most of my hogs kills have been made at ponds, wheat fields, feeders and game plots. i had to learn how sit in a stand for hours but it has paid off.

Recently started using old bread and pastries for bait. Hogs love the stuff and it's cheap. Mix a big box of strawberry Jello in a gallon of water, pour some over the stuff and wait.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Look for areas that appear to have been hit by a rototiller and follow the path......LOL

 

[BigBore44]

Balliet,
What are your actual questions? Need to be more specific. General questions get general answers. That won't really help you.

 

[BP Hunter]

Hogs are just like regular animals. They follow routes to the feeding ground and bedding area. They usually travel in large groups so tracks are quite visible. They follow the same feeding patterns of deer. Find those tracks and "ambush" them from there.

Any rifle, except of course the smaller rimfire ammo. will be perfect for dispatching hogs. If you have a deer gun, then that should suffice. No reason to buy a new one. I also like shooting them right behind the ear. They fall on the spot and would never havet to track them.

 

[DammitBoy]

Carry a backup pistol...

 

[Balliet]

Balliet,
What are your actual questions? Need to be more specific. General questions get general answers. That won't really help you.

very good point sir. should i try that crazy jello idea? i feel like that will get me a flock of raccoons. i trap them w/ a honey bun and grape jelly, it weeds out the possums and cats that sardines and cat food bring in. if i spread corn out from the stand one afternoon after work, how long will 25 lbs. last on the ground? 50 lbs? should i try w/ out corn and wander about the edges of the woodline? seems like middle of the day they may be bedded up in the thick underbrush in the timber stands, yay or nay? point of the matter is, i want to kill a few for some eating and if i get a good one w/ some tusks ill throw his head over bath tub. thanks again yall.

 

[BigBore44]

Balliet,
Ok now we have something to work with. If hogs are ACTIVELY present in the area, I recommend some very soured corn. My recipe is: In a 5 gallon bucket, mix 40 lbs of corn, 1 cheap can of beer (for the corn), 2 packets strawberry Kool-aid, 3-4 cups milk and a splash of diesel. Then fill the bucket 3/4 with water. Cover and set in a warm area. Outside is fine if it's warm. I let that set for about a month. You only do this one time. You want to place this in a fairly secluded place that still offers shot opportunities. Don't just dump the bucket of corn. Spread it out over about a 20x20 area. Then walk over the area. This makes it just a little harder for the coons and hogs to get it.

As you stated, it WILL bring in raccoons. That's a good thing. Hogs will actually follow the coon's scent trail to the bait. If there is a good population of hogs in the area, say maybe 30, between the coons and the hogs, your corn will last maybe 2-3 days. Then next time, you go out, take straight corn and posthole diggers with you. Same place. I dig down about 25-30 inches. Then fill the hole with corn and pour a 20oz bottle of diesel over it. This will make the coons LESS interested. But the hogs will still chow down. The filled hole makes the hogs have to dig for their food. The more they dig, the more they cover it back up. Makes the corn last a lot longer. 50lb of corn this way will usually last me about a week.

This really only holds the hogs in an area and lets you know they are still there. Can you hunt over the bait? Sure you can. But hogs tend to feed late evening and through to early morning. Some are almost strictly nocturnal. However, some are oblivious and just walk around in the middle of the day.

I don't know where you live or what the temps are right now. If it's already getting warm, find a good source of water for the hogs. Hogs can't perspirate. So they use water/mud to cool down and wallowing also helps keep pesty bugs off them. If it's still cool where you live, the water isn't important right now. So during the day I would hunt the most elevated brushy areas that face the sun. That is if you even have "hills". But be very careful hunting brush. Some hogs can really hide well. You might not see them till you are right up on them. That can get hairy, quickly. As stated in an above post, a back up pistol in the brush is a must in my opinion. If hunting over bait from a stand, I would hunt late evening.

If you want to start a caliber war, ask what's the best gun for hogs. If you want the truth, a .223 to a 45-70 will all get the job done. Just use a good bullet. If shooting a smaller caliber (.30 or under) high powered rifle I would shoot them in the neck behind the skull. This typically is known as a CNS (Central Nervous System) shot. Drops them where they stand. And doesn't destroy hardly any meat. I shoot a big lever action caliber and shoot literally an inch behind the shoulder about 6" above their belly line. Hogs are built differently than deer. You shoot a 100-200lb hog 6-8" behind the shoulder like you can on a deer, and your gonna have one helluva nasty field dressing experience because you will likely have blown their guts out. About 80% of a hog's cavity is stomach and intestine.

There. My version of a crash course in hog hunting. I'm sure I've missed something and others will probably add to it. But that's what I've come up with after being awake the last 31 hours. Lol

 

[DammitBoy]

Hog hunting in Oklahoma is hard, that's a lot of work! lol

I hunt in western Alabama near the Tennessee/tombigbee and its all river bottom country. My method is to drive to the wood line about a mile from the interstate, walk 100 yards or so into the woods and shoot three or four hogs.

You can't swing a dead cat without hitting wild boar around here.

My best advice is not to forget they are very smart and very fast and very territorial.Take any charge very seriously.

 

[BigBore44]

^^Nah, that's not hard work. I'm still out in the woods getting good exercise and doing what I love. I could always call a few different friends and have them bring their dogs out. But that's not really a challenge. And I don't want the dogs pushing the hogs out of the area.

 

[Balliet]

sounds good, ill try both ways. as far as sidearm is concerned, my options are a s&w model 19, glock 27, and a glock 17. i was siding w/ the former two, but i sure am comfy w/ the latter. 30-30 carbine 94, or remington 141 .35?

 

[BigBore44]

Balliet,
You need to take what you're most proficient/comfortable with. Lots of hogs have fallen to .357, .40, and 9mm. Same with the 30-30 or 35 Rem. I don't think the hogs will know the difference. I think for the backer, I would carry the 40 though. You aren't hunting with it. It's merely there to save you should you need saving. 10 rnds of a good .40 cal is a formidal opponent for a hog. But then again, 18 rnds of 9mm is gonna put potentially even more holes in one. The Smith is a fine weapon. And the .357 is a great cartridge. But if you aren't really good with it in DA, then I would leave it at home. Your odds of using it in SA in a charge aren't very good. Now, before anyone says I'm bad mouthing wheel guns, my back up pistol is a Ruger SBH in .44 mag. But I AM proficient with it.

No matter what you take to the woods, out of what you offered as options, you won't be under gunned.

 

[Balliet]

thanks alot bigbore

 

[AKElroy]

But be very careful hunting brush. Some hogs can really hide well. You might not see them till you are right up on them. That can get hairy, quickly. As stated in an above post, a back up pistol in the brush is a must in my opinion. If hunting over bait from a stand, I would hunt late evening.

Or take a buddy. I am not one to credit pigs with the massive killing power of a charging rhino, but if you are going to walk them up in heavy brush, I would want two people. I was on our lease alone and headed out to the thickets known to be frequent bedding areas. Soon enough, I have a decent sow cornered. She roots around and finally finds an outlet heading away from me, and that is when I had a Wile E. Coyote moment of clarity; the one where he is poking the massive payload of rocks above him?

That sow could have easily turned toward me; she was no more than ten feet in front of me. I have an AK set up nicely for hogs, and still it would have been iffy if she came at me hard. To picture it, the trail I am on is one the pigs have created. It is literally pig-width, and closed in tightly on both sides with thick adders. Worse, she could have easily been a large boar. They go through these thickets like they are not there; I'm a bit more fragile. The reason I didn't take a shot with her in the cover is that it is literally too thick to get her out; with the nastiest adders and thorny vines imaginable.

When I've walked them up with a buddy, they hear us coming a bit farther off and flush a bit sooner, so you are less likely to get face to face. No guarantees, but at least if one does take out your femoral artery, you will have someone there to shove a cork in it.

 

[Balliet]

good call elroy, weve got em big, but not ft. hood big. nonetheless, someone to help out in a shtf situation would be nice. now i just have to work on my friendliness.............or i could work on the quicker draw.

 

[BigBore44]

I agree with AKElroy. If you can take a buddy, do it. There several advantages to taking a buddy. The two biggest benifits are having someone to chit chat with while in the woods and having someone to help drag out your hog. The safety aspect is there. But if the hog is going to get you, it's going to get you. I have 2 people I would want to dispatch a hog that was on me. My brother and my best friend. That's it. I have complete faith in those two's ability to fire accurately under pressure. One is S.W.A.T. and F.D.T.F. The other was a born shooter. He just simply doesn't miss what he aims at. Everyone else is a liability. Don't assume that having another person with a gun, even an experienced hunter, is going to keep you safe. Adrenalin does things to people.

I'm not sure how big Ft. Hood has them. But we have them over 400 lbs, +5" cutters, and nasty dispositions. Not all of them are that big. Those are the biggest. But 250-300lbs isn't uncommon at all.

 

[dprice3844444]

http://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/pdf/brucellosis_and_hoghunters.pdf wear protective gloves etc

 

[BigBore44]

^^ Everything carries diseases. Was that just a precautionary/informative link or are you saying not to eat them. Period.?

 

[AKElroy]

I'm not sure how big Ft. Hood has them. But we have them over 400 lbs, +5" cutters, and nasty dispositions. Not all of them are that big. Those are the biggest. But 250-300lbs isn't uncommon at all.

My place is about 60 miles west of ft hood, and 200-230lb boars and 160-180lb sows are at the upper end of what I see.

 

[AKElroy]

^^ Everything carries diseases. Was that just a precautionary/informative link or are you saying not to eat them. Period.?

They carry brucellosis in their reproductive parts, so stringing them up by the neck for gutting and washing may be a good idea. That way, pathogens get washed down away from the opened cavity. I don't do it, but I probably should.

 

[Bexar]

good call elroy, weve got em big, but not ft. hood big. nonetheless, someone to help out in a shtf situation would be nice. now i just have to work on my friendliness.............or i could work on the quicker draw.

I'd stand hunt if you're by yourself. Hogs will run off after shot at but it's not unheard of a boar or even a sow to come back and discuss matters with the hunter that just shot their buddy. They don't call wild hogs, "The poor man's grizzly." because they're graduates of Miss Priss' charm school. Plus...shooting a hog in the same place as you would a deer could make for a long track. A hog's boiler placement is different than a deer's. Wear surgical gloves when cleaning...they can carry brucellosis which can make for a bad week getting cured. (see others comments on brucellosis) If this place has a barb wire fence walk the fence if you don't want to stand hunt and look for strands of hog bristle caught in the barbs. Set up and wait. If you drop one DRT don't get pre-occupied cleaning it. Seriously...another hog with a 250+ pound frame and a steam boiler at a full four-wheel drive charge can hit you and cut you like a ghetto Mack the knife. That said...enjoy the heck out of yourself.

 

[DammitBoy]

In the river bottom area I hunt, I'd be surprised if a hog didn't charge me. Closest thing to lion country safari in the southeast.

 

[BigBore44]

"Calling all Flintknappers!!!" This is a thread he will throw his very valuable $.02 in on I'm sure.

 

[der Teufel]

Carrying a sidearm:

I used to carry a 9mm with me when hog hunting. Not that I was worried about being charged by a hog, after all I carry an AR-10 and I'm not about to throw it away and grapple for a sidearm if there's trouble. However, the odds of a hog charging you are pretty slim in my opinion. Generally my experience is that the hogs take off for cover like a bunch of greased pinballs on fire as soon as the first shot is fired. The only time they've come my direction is when I've been in the tree line where they wanted to hide as they ran from the field they'd been in.

Nowadays, I just carry a .22 pistol. When I'm tracking a wounded hog, the fact that I find it means it's not very mobile, or it would still be running. A .22 to the head is good enough for finishing off a wounded hog, and the ammo is cheap (when you can find it — but that's another story).