Super Duper Hog info thread

[Charlie Lamb]

Mike...I've come to believe that a pigs eye sight has been under rated.
Like most animals, movement is key to getting busted... but good camo practices are as important with pigs as other critters.

Who knows what an animal really sees anyway? Better safe...!  

[Ray Hammond]

On the place I hunt in South Carolina, the average adult sow probably weighs between 125 lbs and 150 lbs...they get a lot bigger though.

Boars, 200 lbs is normal if they get the chance to live long enough..350 is a bruiser..top end..well above normal

Here is a shot of a decent pig(ugly, but decent size)

 


Here is a shot of the biggest sow we ever ran across there..so big we thought it was a boar..in high brown grass rooting, couldnt see that it was a dry sow...467 lbs

 

[the Ferret]

Dang Ray that sow is a HORSE (pun intended)

[Stalker58]

Ray,
What part of SC,were you in?
I'll be in fairfax,about 1hr south east of Savanna.

[beyondmyken]

How about using solar powered dusk to dawn yard LED lights, the kind that light up pathways?  They give off a soft light with bluish tint.

[NorthShoreLB]

As someone mentioned before, you have to be able to loose an arrow without notice, espetially hunting solitary boars, I always have an arrow on the string while snaking around the woods, they can appear out of nowere, and you have to be ready to make a moving shot, because they seldom stand still.

I couple of times I left my guard down, and boom, a beautifull boar appears from nowere, and of course that split second chance was gone before I could recover.


.....This is by no means a proof, but the hogs That I shot with selfbows hardly run away, a couple, after the arrow pass tru, kinda just stumble around and layed down in sigth,even shot as close as 10 yards,... all the ones shot with a glass bow took of in a hurry, making the trailing considerably harder.

Noise matters    

Manny

[Charlie Lamb]

Taking advantage of a green "night light" in one of Curtis' hog patches, I shot this little red hog one night in south Texas.
 

Night hunting is a total blast and a little surreal!

[tms]

Hey Curtis,

All this talk about how nocturnal hogs are, has got me a little worried.  I'm going on my first hog hunt with the Wensels in a week.  By the end of my week, it'll be dark of the moon.  I'm beginning to think that I chose the wrong week.

As the moon wanes do hogs become more dinural, or am I just out of luck?

Tom

[Roughcountry]

Never hunted hogs, been soaking all this info up.

Thanks Ck, and the rest of you for puttin all the info out  

[Littlefeather]

Eyesight- This is something I've seen time and time again. HOGS SEE!!!!! I can'yt tell you what it is that a hog sees when he sees but I can tell you that I have had far more hogs bust me by sight than I've ever thought about with deer. I don't think they see details but they definitely spot movment far better than any deer I've ever seen. I can make slow movments around deer but wouldn't think of moving a finger in front of an allert hog.

Lights- Hogs will get used to any spectrum of light over a period of time. If lights come on every night, hogs will get used to them quite soon. If you are cole calling a hunt location, don't try just any old light. The only ones I've seen work cole calling are green lights. Red lightswork too but only when used in spotlighting situations. From what I've seen myself, hogs can actually see red light.

[trashwood]

btw did Ashby mention if hogs were one of the aminals that it was fair to use the ham shot on?

rusty

[Littlefeather]

Fair? LOL! Im not going to speak for the good Doc but if there was ever an animal it would be fair on it would have to be hogs. I was totally amazed at the blood trail. I've heard multiple stories about Fred using the shot due to the incredible vascular system in the back legs. CK

[Charlie Lamb]

I've had real poor luck with shoulder shootin Javelina and was thinking about this same thing. (probably shot the Javies too high)

On one of my early Javelina hunts I noticed that all the Javies shot in the back end (by accident by the way) were recovered with profuse blood trails and short recovery distance.
Couldn't say that for the shoulder hits made by the group.

[Littlefeather]

TMS, To answer your question about the hunt you are going on. Im sure the Wensels have a line on a really good ranch. Im not sure because this is the first year. Im just going to speak in broad generalizations here. When hunting game ranches you must understand that the quary you are hunting is aware it is being hunted. Thats why guys have been there before you, right? Like I said in a prior post, hogs that have had their routine interrupted by having another family member shot will generally change their routine. If the animal was shot at a feeder, do you think it made an impact on the survivors? Do you think hogs will remember and be much more wary if they ever do return to the feeder?

The fact that this is the Wensels first year down here tells me the hunt should be a real good one for awhile. The more hunters, the more educated the animals will become. Once they've figured out when they are seeing the most human activity they will alter their routine. This is especially true of the Commercial Ranches you are always seeing advertized. I've been on those type ranches where you are constantly finding someone elses arrows around the ranch. You'll notice immediately that the animals you do actually see are so jumpy you could never accurately hit one. They are riding lightning all the time, living in terror of where the next arrow is comming from. These animals are driven into nocturnalism. These are the places you will want to concentrate on hunting strictly nights. Sorry, the full moon or lights are a requirment.

Your best bet is to hunt well away from feeders if many guys have traversed the ranch prior to your arrival. Actually the hunters there before you can provide you with the best info available. Ask where guys have been seeing the most game "away" from the feeders. Id also highly recommend you hunt the washes leading into pond areas. Hogs love to hit the mud in the evenings! Good luck on your hunt. CK

[beyondmyken]

Thought I would keep this one near the top.  Thank you all that have posted.  I am soaking it all in.

[swampbiologist]

Littlefeather, you are absolutely correct! Hogs have two litters a year and can DOUBLE their population in 6 months! Deer have 2 fawns per year on good habitat. Hogs can have 10 or so pigs with usually 5 or so surviving. This means that 1 sow can put 10 or so more hogs on the habitat per year. Do the math!

[Brandon]

Hello all,
Here in East Texas we too a experiencing an epedimic. A standing rule on our lease is to shoot EVERY hog. They have absolutly destroyed our pastures, torn up feeders, etc.. It is so bad here that I hear rumors of a bounty being reinstated for each pig killed. We trap them spotlight them & continue to hunt them over bait. Seeing what a herd of 40 - 50 hogs can do to a food plot over night may change your mind about shooting sows. Not saying it aint fun cause it is. However the land owner requests that they all be killed so we try and keep him happy we do our best.

Just my 2 cents

Brandon  

[citori]

I have a question about baiting.   I put out a feeder made with ADS flexable pipe.  I then put a cap on the end and put about 8 holes in it and wired it to a tree.  I saw it on the net and it is supposed to make the bait last longer.  I also dug a hole @ 2 feet deep and filled it with corn.  It has been out for about 6 weeks and the hogs have not hit it yet. I also put out peanut butter in the area to try to use the scent to attract attention. This bait is in an area with a pond where they have wallowed and rubbed trees.  I wonder why they have not hit it yet?  THe 3 thickets that they bed in are all within a 1/4 mile or less and there are tracks and rubbing all in the area.  My only guess is that there are to many acorns.......we had a HUGE crop of them this year.

Would I be better off putting the feeder right on the edge of the thicket?

We also located come tracks this past weekend that are VERY large to me.  One set is about the size of a skoal can or a little larger and the other is unreal.....it is closer to an orange than a skoal can.  What would be your guess as to the size of hog these belong to???

thoughts and ideas
citori

[Terry Green]

Curtis gave me the OK to open this thread back up.  It may have its run its course, but maybe some others just might add their techniques to this informative thread, or have a few more questions. I think its at least worth a shot.

[Luke Vander Vennen]

Curtis, I don't know if I've told you this before, but you sir have my utmost respect. I greatly admire your ability to stand up for your decisions. Thank you for the inspiration.

Guys, here's someone who's going through a lot of work to try and make hog hunting more productive and enjoyable. He's not trying to sell this hard won information, he's giving it freely. Don't bite the hand that feeds you pork.